[meteorite-list] Speed-of-light question

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:42:32 -0500
Message-ID: <i9ka95hoa2531p2ek69kmr1n6at20cbch7_at_4ax.com>

On Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:27:46 -0700, you wrote:
>
>Doug was first with the correct answer: 1/sqrt(2) * speed of light
>or a little more than 70% of the speed of light. I figured it
>might come down to a race between Doug and Sterling. ;-)

Not to be petty, but I beat Doug by at least half an hour. :-) The time stamp
on my e-mail is screw up is all (because of my time zone settings in XP. Unless
you concider using a web calculator to be cheating...

But the numbers given by Doug's math, your math, and my cheating are only one
possible answer out of many. All assume a steady constant accelleration to the
midpoint, followed by a steady constant decelleration (which is really just an
accelleration pointed in the opposite direction) to the destination. But since
we are describing impossible fictional devices, there is no need to be
constrained to those parameters. Along with the fictional steady-accelleration
engine, you could toss in inertial dampera and allow for a much heavier
accelleration at the start and end points, with a engines-off crusing period in
between, which may burn much less unobtanium than steady accelleration. Say you
have an Orion style spacecraft and a sufficient supply of antimatter bombs, and
the human crew can survive, within their inertial dampening cocoons, maybe
1,000g of accelleration (or make up your own figure.) There would be any number
of accelleration rates and times, plus mid-flight cruises, that could give you
the number you want.

Play with those numbers. :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propulsion%29
Received on Wed 26 Aug 2009 11:42:32 AM PDT