Delta V

I’ve been geeking out on spaceship books more or less since I could read. And even in the space operas that feature warp drives or wormholes or some other faster-than-light engine, it seems like there’s always a need for impulse power.

And so the term “delta v” is a long-standing part of my vocabulary even though I don’t know anything about rocket science. It refers to the amount of impulse needed to effect a course change in space. More impulse means more fuel. Captains worrying about having enough fuel to outrun the aliens / asteroids / proton storms is a pretty necessary ingredient in those books. It’s just one of those ideas I grew up with.

But now we have the delta variant, a whole new delta v. And NZ made a big course correction this week… the entire country clamped into lockdown. As far as we’ve been told, everyone did everything right… but our precautions weren’t quite enough.

So, we’re burning a lot of fuel, to carry on the metaphor, trying to change course quickly and avoid the health catastrophe that awaits those who are unwilling or unable to swerve out of the way.

This outbreak, although now spreading around the country, started right in my neighborhood. It’s a sobering thought to realize that last Sunday I was at two or three of the “locations of interest” just minutes away from the index case guy. Lee’s fully vaccinated and I’ve had one dose, so our personal risk feels pretty low, but still, yuck.

For now, it’s work from home, take walks around the neighborhood, haul out the bike trainer for some hard exercise, set Netflix on ‘binge’, and wait.

Fingers crossed.