Realistic Interstellar Travel... - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Realistic Interstellar Travel...

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
nadaka
Apr 30, 2008 18:38:09 http://nlspropulsion.net/default.aspx
http://nlspropulsion.net/Documents/conference_accept.pdf
http://nlspropulsion.net/Documents/propulsion_poster.pdf

Interesting stuff
Basically its a nuclear powered electron beam cannon that harvests interstellar electrons as it accelerates constantly at about 1 g. Due to the relativistic effects of near c travel, the perceived elapsed time for even intergalactic travel is less than 30 years.

There are only 2 real problems that the author forgot to consider. 1: is that the spacecraft is going to have to have a lot of extra mass to support decades of human occupancy. This will tend to reduce the acceleration well below the 1g needed unless using a massive reactor + cannon. 2: is that the reactor and electron cannon both exist in the relativistic time from of the spacecraft. It may be able to accelerate for 1g for decades on end from its perspective, but as its frame separates from the outside universe its effective acceleration will slow. This will never allow it to reach the sufficiently high fraction of c required for interstellar travel within a human lifetime (within the ships reference).

the issue of #2 can be "solved" by energy being beamed to the ship from a stationary reference frame. As the ships reference frame slows its effective power recieved / unit time increases proportional to the change in the reference frame. Of course, this would raise 3 other issues. 1: for long trips, those in the external reference frame have to remember to keep the juice flowing. 2: the ship has to be capable of handling several thousand years worth of energy beam almost instantly on those long trips when its reference frame is thousands of times slower than that of the beams source, and do so without melting to slag. 3: the attenuation of any such beam is so great that the power output could conceivably require 1 or more near 100% efficient Dyson Spheres.

But this is sci-fi, so we can throw around worlds like "sub thermion flux capacitor" and those issues melt like butter. They are already using terms like "klystron" so it won't even look out of place.
#2
backstabbist
Apr 30, 2008 20:19:21 I'd stick with the Photon Rocket (Open Lightbulb Drive)
#3
doomsought
Apr 30, 2008 20:34:15 you forget warp, the manipulation of space.
I'm not yet versed in the doubtlessly uber complex physics, though I know it involves negative energy, but it really good if you can do it, do it!

It makes one space smaller and another bigger (or not).

Make a generation ship, with warp engines you are not bound by Ecludian geometry or even mass, just your perimeter.
The outside is no bigger than the Poa.
the inside goes for miles, some times. some hallways skip a mile in a foot while fitting between a few atoms in a wall.
You need not any other weapon, your enemy who once was 100m long now fills all the space of a teaspoon. nuclear forces cause an explosion after the sudden scale change.
#4
nadaka
Apr 30, 2008 20:42:15
you forget warp, the manipulation of space.
I'm not yet versed in the doubtlessly uber complex physics, though I know it involves negative energy, but it really good if you can do it, do it!

It makes one space smaller and another bigger (or not).

Make a generation ship, with warp engines you are not bound by Ecludian geometry or even mass, just your perimeter.
The outside is no bigger than the Poa.
the inside goes for miles, some times. some hallways skip a mile in a foot while fitting between a few atoms in a wall.
You need not any other weapon, your enemy who once was 100m long now fills all the space of a teaspoon. nuclear forces cause an explosion after the sudden scale change.

I actually didn't forget warp. Notice the word realistic? How do you create negative energy? How do you undo entropy? How do you warp space? To use the technology you describe means overcoming all of these challenges. The technology I described is practically available with our current tech, if on a slightly limited scale.
Backstabbist: unfortunately the photon rocket is limited in specific impulse by the masslessness of photons. Because this technology emits a beam of "relatively massive" electrons at almost c, it has a much higher potential specific impulse.
#5
backstabbist
Apr 30, 2008 21:43:35
They are already using terms like "klystron" so it won't even look out of place

When the Klystrons find out you stole their drive tech,
they are gonna invade Earth ;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 nadaka Apr 30, 2008 18:38:09	http://nlspropulsion.net/default.aspx http://nlspropulsion.net/Documents/conference_accept.pdf http://nlspropulsion.net/Documents/propulsion_poster.pdf Interesting stuff Basically its a nuclear powered electron beam cannon that harvests interstellar electrons as it accelerates constantly at about 1 g. Due to the relativistic effects of near c travel, the perceived elapsed time for even intergalactic travel is less than 30 years. There are only 2 real problems that the author forgot to consider. 1: is that the spacecraft is going to have to have a lot of extra mass to support decades of human occupancy. This will tend to reduce the acceleration well below the 1g needed unless using a massive reactor + cannon. 2: is that the reactor and electron cannon both exist in the relativistic time from of the spacecraft. It may be able to accelerate for 1g for decades on end from its perspective, but as its frame separates from the outside universe its effective acceleration will slow. This will never allow it to reach the sufficiently high fraction of c required for interstellar travel within a human lifetime (within the ships reference). the issue of #2 can be "solved" by energy being beamed to the ship from a stationary reference frame. As the ships reference frame slows its effective power recieved / unit time increases proportional to the change in the reference frame. Of course, this would raise 3 other issues. 1: for long trips, those in the external reference frame have to remember to keep the juice flowing. 2: the ship has to be capable of handling several thousand years worth of energy beam almost instantly on those long trips when its reference frame is thousands of times slower than that of the beams source, and do so without melting to slag. 3: the attenuation of any such beam is so great that the power output could conceivably require 1 or more near 100% efficient Dyson Spheres. But this is sci-fi, so we can throw around worlds like "sub thermion flux capacitor" and those issues melt like butter. They are already using terms like "klystron" so it won't even look out of place.
#2 backstabbist Apr 30, 2008 20:19:21	I'd stick with the Photon Rocket (Open Lightbulb Drive)
#3 doomsought Apr 30, 2008 20:34:15	you forget warp, the manipulation of space. I'm not yet versed in the doubtlessly uber complex physics, though I know it involves negative energy, but it really good if you can do it, do it! It makes one space smaller and another bigger (or not). Make a generation ship, with warp engines you are not bound by Ecludian geometry or even mass, just your perimeter. The outside is no bigger than the Poa. the inside goes for miles, some times. some hallways skip a mile in a foot while fitting between a few atoms in a wall. You need not any other weapon, your enemy who once was 100m long now fills all the space of a teaspoon. nuclear forces cause an explosion after the sudden scale change.
#4 nadaka Apr 30, 2008 20:42:15	you forget warp, the manipulation of space. I'm not yet versed in the doubtlessly uber complex physics, though I know it involves negative energy, but it really good if you can do it, do it! It makes one space smaller and another bigger (or not). Make a generation ship, with warp engines you are not bound by Ecludian geometry or even mass, just your perimeter. The outside is no bigger than the Poa. the inside goes for miles, some times. some hallways skip a mile in a foot while fitting between a few atoms in a wall. You need not any other weapon, your enemy who once was 100m long now fills all the space of a teaspoon. nuclear forces cause an explosion after the sudden scale change. I actually didn't forget warp. Notice the word realistic? How do you create negative energy? How do you undo entropy? How do you warp space? To use the technology you describe means overcoming all of these challenges. The technology I described is practically available with our current tech, if on a slightly limited scale. Backstabbist: unfortunately the photon rocket is limited in specific impulse by the masslessness of photons. Because this technology emits a beam of "relatively massive" electrons at almost c, it has a much higher potential specific impulse.
#5 backstabbist Apr 30, 2008 21:43:35	They are already using terms like "klystron" so it won't even look out of place When the Klystrons find out you stole their drive tech, they are gonna invade Earth ;)