5 ms·
And even if you can build the scoop a Bussard Ramjet has a theoretical efficiency limit of .12c unless you can somehow reclaim the energy of the infalling matte
by LorenPechtel 5y ago
And even if you can build the scoop a Bussard Ramjet has a theoretical efficiency limit of .12c unless you can somehow reclaim the energy of the infalling matter.
- antonvs 5y ago0.12c would still be incredibly useful. Proxima Centauri in 35 years? Game changing.
- dendriti 5y agofor a travel time of 35 years, you'd not get very long at Proxima Centauri, because you'd still be doing 0.12c when you arrived
- nine_k 5y agoIf you could keep an acceleration of 1g, it would take about 40 days to accelerate to 0.12c, and as much to decelerate. The problem, of course, that with a Bussard ramjet, you won't be able to achieve nearly as much acceleration.
- fulafel 5y agoWhat would happen if you entered its orbit at that speed? edit: according to https://rechneronline.de/g-acceleration/orbital-speed.php https://rechneronline.de/g-acceleration/orbital-speed.php, if I got my numbers right (0.12 x solar mass star, .12c = 36000 km/s), the orbit radius would be 1230 km, so you'd be almost at the core of the star since its radius is ~ 100 000 km.
- TheOtherHobbes 5y agoBecause if you don't reclaim the energy of matter infalling at 0.12c your craft gets shredded by dust. At that velocity it's like flying through sandpaper. And if you're flying through a cometary halo, your odds of hitting something bigger are much higher.