3 ms·
The energy requirements to accelerate go up as you reach relativistic speeds, and you need to be able to decelerate as you reach the target.
by goatlover 6y ago
The energy requirements to accelerate go up as you reach relativistic speeds, and you need to be able to decelerate as you reach the target.
- jacobush 6y agoI don’t understand how it goes up, how does the rocket “know” it’s going faster relative us?
- landryraccoon 6y agoThe rocket doesn't know, but an outside observer will. If you're on the rocket, you experience a constant 1g force. The rocket doesn't "feel" that it's harder to accelerate, but an observer that remains at rest relative to the rocket's starting point will see it speed up less and less the faster it's going as it approaches the speed of light.
- X6S1x6Okd1st 6y agoThey continue to accelerate at the same rate for their frame of reference, but relative to earth or Andromeda their time moves slower and with their time moving slower their acceleration slows down to
- goatlover 6y agoIt certainly going faster each time relative to the speed of light, which increases the mass. At first this is minuscule, but it starts to add up by the time you're going a decent fraction of c. It will asymptotically approach infinity, which is why nothing with mass can be accelerated to c. It also means that at some point, you won't have enough energy to continue accelerating.
- messe 6y agoNot for the observer on the ship.
- Fjolsvith 6y agoWhy couldn't you slingshot around the sun and planets a few times to pick up speed before leaving the solar system? In the way the slingshot racer reached super high speed on his run to the gate in The Expanse? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGmTZeiCmJY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGmTZeiCmJY