Space propulsion technology

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Busa

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I am trying to develop a 'realistic' technology based that would enable a selfpowered ship to tavel for Pluto to Earth in 2 weeks. Any suggestion?
 
Assuming an average Earth - Pluto distance of 6000 million km, a trip requiring a week of constant acceleration, flip over and another week of constant deceleration requires about 1.7g. That's realistically tolerable by humans and could be done with a large Project Orion style ship.
 
AtramentousFlux said:
Assuming an average Earth - Pluto distance of 6000 million km, a trip requiring a week of constant acceleration, flip over and another week of constant deceleration requires about 1.7g. That's realistically tolerable by humans and could be done with a large Project Orion style ship.
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Thanks, the people are humanoid not human. so what you are saying it that g force is the limiting factor.
 
I mean 1.7g isn't a too much of a strain on the people, to just add my two cents. It's just over Earth gravity norm. Unless you want them to be inconvenienced dramatically by the g forces.
 
AtramentousFlux said:
It is, unless you want to introduce technology like inertial dampers / artificial gravity. That would probably not be compatible with your 'realistic' technology requirement though.
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Maybe, but it's assumed that in the future artificial gravity of some sort will probably be introduced. So far The Expanse seemed to do it realistically (as real as it probably gets, somehow), but it's a thing to explore though for a two-week journey in the solar system.
 
EricJ said:
The Expanse seemed to do it realistically
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In The Expanse, there is no artificial gravity, which is why it's reasonably realistic. When the ships are accelerating, the occupants feel the force due to acceleration (that's why they need 'the juice' to avoid stroking out under high g). When the ships are not accelerating, they are in free fall and need the magnetic boots to stick them to the floor.
 
AtramentousFlux said:
In The Expanse, there is no artificial gravity, which is why it's reasonably realistic. When the ships are accelerating, the occupants feel the force due to acceleration (that's why they need 'the juice' to avoid stroking out under high g). When the ships are not accelerating, they are in free fall and need the magnetic boots to stick them to the floor.
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Yeah I remember that. Okay
 
I have been trying to figure out a tech. Based on fusion, magnetism and harvesting particles.
 
Busa said:
I have been trying to figure out a tech. Based on fusion, magnetism and harvesting particles.
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The novel Blindsight posits a magnetic collection of particles, but then converting some of them to antimatter via a signal containing the quantum information pulled from particles harvested near the sun.

A similar system just using stored antimatter could also work where gathered particles are partially annihilated and partially turned into reaction mass.
 
Realistically, you'd have to go with Project Orion. It's likely the best way to accelerate quickly. Problem is, I don't know if a human could survive the impulse from each successive detonation.

I just use fusion drives for my invented world, for sublight propulsion, and invented a magical propulsion system for FTL (imposing limitations of course).

If you wanted to look into discredited but cool sound physics, you could look at Heim Hyperdrive (a spinning superconductor generating thrust), or the Q-drive. Or maybe an alcubierrie warp drive. (Not that that last one has been discredited... more unproven)
 
cscooper said:
Realistically, you'd have to go with Project Orion. It's likely the best way to accelerate quickly. Problem is, I don't know if a human could survive the impulse from each successive detonation.

I just use fusion drives for my invented world, for sublight propulsion, and invented a magical propulsion system for FTL (imposing limitations of course).

If you wanted to look into discredited but cool sound physics, you could look at Heim Hyperdrive (a spinning superconductor generating thrust), or the Q-drive. Or maybe an alcubierrie warp drive. (Not that that last one has been discredited... more unproven)
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If an Orion was so lightly made that the acceleration was dangerous, the radiation or blast would be a lot more deadly. Orion is well understood tech, and it is not high acceleration.

All FTL drive theories rely on something fake stuck in the middle of otherwise real physics, Alcubierre included.
 
I decided to place the only human in a sarcophagus filled with a gel that allows her to breathe. A bit like in the movie Abyss. The gel protects her from a sustained 4g acceleration.
 
Will she be conscious in the gel? Being awake for that journey, unable to get out or do much for herself, sounds pretty unsettling. I'd be curious how much control she has over the pod, especially if she's the only human aboard and has to trust the others to let her out.
 
Busa said:
I decided to place the only human in a sarcophagus filled with a gel that allows her to breathe. A bit like in the movie Abyss. The gel protects her from a sustained 4g acceleration.
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Why not just put her in water? Flood the cabin.
 
Anti-matter is just an unrealistic battery tech.

1.7 g for 2 weeks, (turn in the middle) needs fusion powered linear accelerator torch drive.
There is a breathable liquid but the density isn't ideal. Should work for 1.7 g in a tank of water, but a fit human that's not overweight can manage 1.7 g. After all there are people that are x2 overweight!

Women and shorter people can manage higher g than average men.

See https://projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/torchships.php and that site generally.

Seems to have survived "4" and the PHP apocalypse.
 
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