Photon Thruster cuts Mars travel time to 7 days

[Smoke]

Nothing is an impossibilty so long as we persevere.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Someone sig that, Smoke said something optimistic.

 

[theotherguy]

I'm not suggestiong it's a bad idea, just pointing out that the ship will most likley be overtaken before it gets there by bigger, faster, more efficient colony ships.

That's actually a really good idea for a sci-fi novel.

A civilization ship sets out on a 7,000 year journey to another system, and 1,000 years into the journey they are overtaken by a more advanced ship from Earth. They dock and have a huge culture shock, then make the journey to the other system together.

Something like that...


And anyway I don't think the photon thruster is any good for long distances because it requires a laser to be fired between two objects in space, and can thus only travel as far as it can before the laser beam loses intensity and phase, and can only travel in a straight line because of this.

 

[Smoke]

Someone sig that, Smoke said something optimistic.

Careful, I may reboot.

That's actually a really good idea for a sci-fi novel.

A civilization ship sets out on a 7,000 year journey to another system, and 1,000 years into the journey they are overtaken by a more advanced ship from Earth. They dock and have a huge culture shock, then make the journey to the other system together.

Something like that...


And anyway I don't think the photon thruster is any good for long distances because it requires a laser to be fired between two objects in space, and can thus only travel as far as it can before the laser beam loses intensity and phase, and can only travel in a straight line because of this.

Actually I had thought of something similar. The original colony ship arrives at its destination only to find it has already been colonised for well over 5,000 years. As you can imagine reaching the colony would have become so much like a prophecy and a fairytale that they would probably be pretty pissed. I imagine they would not be welcome due to their once advanced yet now backward ways. They may even be outcast from society, which would incite them to a violent response. Starting the first colony war.



But back on topic, what you bring up is a valid point, I'm eager to see how the problem will be addressed, if it has not been already.

 

[Sulkdodds]

That's actually a really good idea for a sci-fi novel.

A civilization ship sets out on a 7,000 year journey to another system, and 1,000 years into the journey they are overtaken by a more advanced ship from Earth. They dock and have a huge culture shock, then make the journey to the other system together.

Something like that...

See, I thought you were going to suggest a caper movie, with loads of colony ships all trying to get to alpha centuri first, and one of them constantly trying to sabotage the others but ultimately getting their come-uppance. Like Dick Dastardly.

 

[The Monkey]

I'd watch a movie/read a book about 300 generations aboard a ship. Maybe I'll make one.

 

[Smoke]

See, I thought you were going to suggest a caper movie, with loads of colony ships all trying to get to alpha centuri first, and one of them constantly trying to sabotage the others but ultimately getting their come-uppance. Like Dick Dastardly.

I can't help but picture Dick and Mutley as space pirates and looters instead of racers.

 

[Dan]

Space elevator FTW.


Is this one of those things where the photons are effectively pushing the spacecraft? I would have thought that was impossible, seeing as photons don't have mass (or do they?). It they do have mass, then wouldn't firing photons at yourself to push you one way be like squirting a water pistol at yourself for the same reason, in principle? Because of the whole 3rd law of motion, I mean. When you squirt the water pistol, the recoil would be the same as the force you get when the water hits you. Unless it's like just firing a laser out into space, which would be like squirting a water pistol and letting the recoil push along. That makes more sense.

Have you never seen those little solar sails? It's just a little fan with a black side and a white side in a vaccum bottle and the photons from the sun spin it around. And blackholes wouldn't exert a pull on light if it didn't have a mass, thus making them black. Photons do have a mass (albeit very very tiny).

 

[Gorgon]

wake me up when this engine hits the production line.

 

[Smoke]

I wonder what the military applications could be.

 

[kirovman]

I wonder what the military applications could be.

Bombing small undiscovered planets in another solar system?

 

[Smoke]

That'll teach the bastards to be uninhabited!

 

[Beerdude26]

Or it actually becomes inhabited over the centuries, and because of the slowness of the rockets we only realize this after the rocket can no longer be catched up and we blow up another intelligent species D:

 

[Smoke]

That'll teach the bastards to evolve!

 

[Beerdude26]

That'll teach the bastards to evolve!

This is actually a really good excuse for woodcutters that decimate the rainforests.

 

[evil^milk]

Wasn't this a very old concept that had been developing for ages?

 

[Smoke]

Bae founded the institute to develop space technologies and has pursued concepts such as photon, antimatter and fusion propulsion for more than 20 years at SRI International, Brookhaven National Lab and the Air Force Research Lab.

Must be, I'm more interested in the antimatter myself. But hey.