[meteorite-list] Speed-of-light question

From: Chris Peterson <clp_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:41:06 -0600
Message-ID: <D28DC3F29D204399AC6D85284FF934C6_at_bellatrix>

Well, that energy is on the same order at the mass-energy equivalence, so it
doesn't seem unreasonable. You just need an efficient fusion generator. A
matter-antimatter annihilator seems like another possibility. And what's
wrong with Bussard ramjets, or some similar system that scoops up reaction
mass along the way?

Obviously I'm not saying any sort of practical spacecraft capable of
sustained 1G acceleration is going to happen without decades or centuries of
continued technological development. I'm only saying that no fundamental
physics stands in its way. That is not the case for something that shields
the contents of that spacecraft from feeling acceleration. The former is
science fiction right now; the latter is fantasy.

Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "Darren Garrison" <cynapse at charter.net>
To: "Chris Peterson" <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>
Cc: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 11:32 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Speed-of-light question


On Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:46:42 -0600, you wrote:

>Like I said, a mere engineering problem. Nothing in physics precludes a
>battery on your ship with that amount of energy content.

Let's round up the acceleration from .7xg to 1g-- just to provide Earthlike
artificial gravity. According to the calculator, on that 4.37 ly trip to
Alpha
C, at 1g of acceleration, the maximum kinetic energy of the ship will be
around
200,000,000,000,000,000 joules per kilogram of mass. And, remember, the
fuel
used to generate that acceleration will have to be carried, too, and will
itself
have to be accelerated (unless you have some sort of Buzzard ramjet
arrangement,
which could provide some of that fuel.) What energy source are you
proposing
that could provide that energy?
Received on Wed 26 Aug 2009 12:41:06 PM PDT