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The most realistic sci-fi engines are nuclear pulse engines where you ride the shockwaves of thousands of fusion bombs to reach a few percent of the speed of li
by adrianN 11mo ago
The most realistic sci-fi engines are nuclear pulse engines where you ride the shockwaves of thousands of fusion bombs to reach a few percent of the speed of light. Those we could probably build right now if we were willing to spend the money. Replacing the fusion bombs with antimatter bombs would be a nice improvement for the basic design
- mr_mitm 11mo agoIs there a way to slow down using fusion bombs? Even if you manage to bring thousands of fusion bombs with you? Sounds like this is only a sensible approach for sending probes, which will then zip by their target at huge speeds.
- xavxav 11mo agoyou just need to speed up in the opposite direction by flipping around and firing bombs on the other side.
- ajuc 11mo agoWhich means if we get discovered by an alien probe it will look a lot like getting on the wrong end of a nuclear war. I remember there was a quote from some sci-fi universe that there's "no such thing as an unarmed space ship".
- arethuza 11mo agoI believe that is the "Kzinti Lesson" from Larry Niven: "A reaction drive's efficiency as a weapon is in direct proportion to its efficiency as a drive." https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WeaponizedExhaust https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WeaponizedExhaus...
- froh42 11mo agoIf you can get any kind of spaceship up to speeds to reach other stars within reasonable time - you've got an amazing weapon. Just ram into something at full speed. Ok, if you have enough energy to correct course to aim, only.
- RangerScience 11mo agoIt’s more than twice(1) as easy to make a rocket-propelled bullet than a rocket-propelled vehicle! 1) It’d be exactly twice as easy but for Tsiolkovsky!
- nrhrjrjrjtntbt 11mo agoHow do you do that and not die?
- ajuc 11mo agoLong stick and radiation shield between you and the bombs
- emmavis 11mo agoThanks for explanation!
- gpderetta 11mo agoI think the more "practical" idea is to replace the fission stage of a fusion bomb with antimatter annihilation.
- gpderetta 11mo agoi.e.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter-catalyzed_nuclear_pulse_propulsion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter-catalyzed_nuclear_p..., although it doesn't really replace the primary, just decreases the required quantity.