4 ms·
That would not work for several reasons. The energy produced from the solar cells would be negligible compared to the force of photons hitting the panels. If yo
by readerrrr 12y ago
That would not work for several reasons. The energy produced from the solar cells would be negligible compared to the force of photons hitting the panels. If you instead of an engine just used a very large thin sail with a proportionately small cargo then you could theoretically reach c, but only close to stars. If you instead removed the sail and used antimater as an energy source, that would also work. The problem with all ideas is the interstellar medium, particles, photons. Drag from interstellar medium would damage and slow down the ship, even at lower percentages of c. Close to c everything would behave as shot from a particle accelerator and even photons from background radiation would be blueshifted to high energy gamma rays.
- XorNot 12y agoI wasn't commenting on using photon reaction - I was commenting on using this hypothetical reactionless drive (which would, presumably, produce more thrust then photon force - which the claimed device does from relatively small amounts of power). If you had a reactionless drive, then the solar sail force would be negligible compared to the drive.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- readerrrr 12y agoEven if the thrust from reactionless drive would be higher, it cannot be higher than the pressure produced by the photons on the solar cell, which you use to power the drive. If the developers claim that it does, then you have basically infinite energy.
- guard-of-terra 12y agoI wonder which speed should a spacecraft have so that cosmic microwave background will be as bright as Sun from earth. This may explain "where is everybody", btw. Why do you need a Dyson sphere when there's free sunlight.