3 ms·
>need to carry half the mass of fuel and supplies Not just half, but can be much more than that, because it's exponential.
by deepsun 6y ago
>need to carry half the mass of fuel and supplies
Not just half, but can be much more than that, because it's exponential.
- tzs 6y agoOoh...I missed that. If a one way trip takes X amount of fuel and supplies (let's assume it is the same for an outgoing one way trip and an incoming one way trip, for simplicity), then a two way trip has to carry an extra X outgoing to use for the return trip. Since X is going to be many times the mass of the ship and crew and non-consumables, having an extra X as cargo massively ups the fuel requirements for the outgoing trip.