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Is power consumption a problem here? It seems like power production on a space craft would be quite limited (solar, plutonium?) and this thing would consume a
by krohling 11y ago
Is power consumption a problem here? It seems like power production on a space craft would be quite limited (solar, plutonium?) and this thing would consume a lot of it. Is the idea that this would always be on or only on in an emergency? Also, is interference w/ electronics on the craft a problem?
- murbard2 11y agoYou only lose power when you deflect particles, and maybe when you radiate some photons as you move through space. Intuitively, both effects seems like they would be fairly small.
- jccooper 11y agoIt's easier to supply power than mass in space, and mass shielding is the alternative. Solar is problematic on Earth but is actually quite good in space. Lots of reliable energy right there, especially if you're not in Earth orbit (where the shadow occasionally gets you).
- Quanticles 11y agoIf you're in deep space then you're not near any particular star. That's going to reduce the available starlight by several orders of magnitude, right?
- api 11y agoSure, but if humans are going into deep space (beyond Mars in this case) then we're talking about nuclear propulsion at least which means you've got lots of power.
- jccooper 11y agoWhen people designing real spaceships say "deep space" they mean "beyond Earth orbit", but usually not past Mars. In sci-fi deep space, yes, you'd have next to no solar power. (In fact, it's minimally useful in the solar system past Jupiter.) But if you can get there at all, you're probably not worried about that.
- Quanticles 11y agoMakes sense, thanks
- merpnderp 11y agoGiven how little shielding would be required to protect the astronauts, nuclear power would be quite effective.