The Nuclear Rocket that Could Reach 20% the Speed of Light

originally posted by: Osirisvset

originally posted by: RP2SticksOfDynamite

originally posted by: EternalShadow

originally posted by: RP2SticksOfDynamite

In order to get over the constraints and achieve such speeds without any fuel supply/weight it would be necessary to extract or farm/process the energy from the environment the spacecraft is traversing. So the question/challenge for scientists is how that can be achieved/materialized and what would that energy be?

Maybe the hull can be wrapped in Samsung Wireless Fast Chargers!!

The outside of the craft could actually be the collection/extraction and energy processing plant but the key question is what energy can be extracted from space - is there something that we have not yet discovered or have but have kept it secret. Surely many tests and much research has or is being done to see what energy can be extracted from space (dark matter, other etc). So can anyone suggest what that energy might be?

Could gamma rays be converted into useful energy somehow?

I don't know but there must be powerful energy present in space (Dark Matter) because something is keeping planets apart. Like I said its discovering and processing it in an efficient way. Maybe in some form of particle transformer/accelerator. Maybe it could be a combination of Gamma & Dark matter particles with the introduction of an electromagnetic trigger. Who knows? or maybe someone already does.

originally posted by: 38181
@ 20% the speed of light, hitting a dust partial could be disastrous.

Not if some form of project out front deflecting force field was deployable using the same energy.

This is going to sound dumb but I always wanted to ask it. So here goes nothing.

Why can't he catch light or neutrinos in a sail and have it push us?

Wouldn't it build up behind like wind and push the sail or would it just stop the force?

Can we even do this?

a reply to: RP2SticksOfDynamite

A force field would work except that force fields are still a thing of science fantasy right now. I am not aware of any groups or individual scientists that have put forward anything on how one could be made.

Solar Sail Demonstrator (‘Sunjammer’) a reply to: TheSkunk

I think they would work well for going further out from earth, but coming back against the solar winds would be a problem.

a reply to: 38181

And therein lies the problem.

Electromagnetic shielding is the ticket, but if we can do that we can probably also construct an Alcubierre drive.

And then we are talking multiples of lightspeed, and without relativity being an issue.

a reply to: andy06shake

EM shielding should be doable, but it wouldn't stop meteorites any better than the Earth's EM shield. It is a real possibility to block solar radiation though.

It was proposed that it could be done on a planetary scale on Mars at some point. Like I said though sort of worthless blocking solid objects.

a reply to: Grimpachi

Its space-time that needs to be manipulated, anything else is beside the point.

Nuclear rockets cant take us to the next star just down to the fuel requirements.

Anyhoo no point in putting the horse before the cart, let's colonize our own low Earth orbit and the rest of the viable places in our own star system first is mho.

For colonization such high speeds are unnecessary and a huge waste of resources imho.

Build a self sustaining generational spacecraft and travel at low sublight speeds. No need to rush. Colonization itself will probably take hundreds if not thousands of years anyway. So you will need self sustaining structures on arrival.

I can actually see humanity becoming a species that lives in space. Drifting through the galaxy with occasional planet visitations to replenish resources.

a reply to: moebius

Look at what people do to one another here on Earth?

Their version of civilization may tear itself apart before ever reaching their destination.

Travel time needs to be almost instantaneous or at least severely mitigated down to the fact that we don't play well with others or even ourselves, especially in a confined space.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
Only 12 million tons of fuel.....lol.

It's about twice the amount of what was in a Saturn V so not really that far fetched.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

12m tons of fuel -vs- 12m gallons/liters.

Big difference.

a reply to: PilSungMtnMan

Yeah, you're correct, I misread that.

a reply to: rickymouse

The fuel rockets would reach into space.
With 12 Million tonnes of fuel, You would need nearly as much fuel extra just to lift off the ground. If that first 12 million is to be used to travel through space.