Comments on: Firing Off Charged Nanoparticles Might Allow Spaceships to Move at Near-Light Speed http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/ The science of futurist technologies—and an excuse to soak in sci-fi TV shows, books, movies, toys, and video games. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:57:34 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: jz http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-10529 jz Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:01:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-10529 How long would it take to accelerate to that speed (ideally the acceleration would be 1Gee but likely it would be less?) ? How long would it take to accelerate to that speed (ideally the acceleration would be 1Gee but likely it would be less?) ?

]]> By: Borg Forever http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-10525 Borg Forever Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:49:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-10525 The Borg have it right with their Cube. The Borg have it right with their Cube.

]]> By: Dave http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-10523 Dave Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:55:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-10523 Where do the nanoparticles come from? Isn't this mass (as opposed to massless) fuel? Wouldn't this fuel need to be carried on-board? And be expendable? Yes, they're small, but apparently used at a high rate and you can run out(?) Clue me! Where do the nanoparticles come from? Isn’t this mass (as opposed to massless) fuel? Wouldn’t this fuel need to be carried on-board? And be expendable? Yes, they’re small, but apparently used at a high rate and you can run out(?)

Clue me!

]]> By: devils advocate http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-10518 devils advocate Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:43:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-10518 Is this not just another fancy ioniser? ionisers give of charged particles due to the high voltage.These charge particles can be further accelerated by fields.Just increase the number of needles or use a rough surface or wire wool. Is this not just another fancy ioniser?

ionisers give of charged particles due to the high voltage.These charge particles can be further accelerated by fields.Just increase the number of needles or use a rough surface or wire wool.

]]> By: Damian http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-9960 Damian Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:19:28 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-9960 inertial dampers for a force which is less substantial than the exhalation force against your body? Probably not necessary. inertial dampers for a force which is less substantial than the exhalation force against your body? Probably not necessary.

]]> By: Timbo http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-9954 Timbo Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:18:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-9954 I would hope that some sort of inertial dampening device would also be in place on this space ship. We wouldn't want any future astronauts to become thin layers of goo on the back wall of this ship once the device is enabled. I would hope that some sort of inertial dampening device would also be in place on this space ship. We wouldn’t want any future astronauts to become thin layers of goo on the back wall of this ship once the device is enabled.

]]> By: Roadtripper http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-9948 Roadtripper Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:31:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-9948 Dunc, On p4 of the PDF linked to above, the authors discuss Isp values as high as 10,000 seconds, which equates to an exhaust velocity of almost 100km/sec. So it'll use a lot less reaction mass than anything flying today, but it doesn't look to me like it's efficient enough for a starship, by a couple orders of magnitude. (Check my math? Thanks.) Rt Dunc,

On p4 of the PDF linked to above, the authors discuss Isp values as high as 10,000 seconds, which equates to an exhaust velocity of almost 100km/sec. So it’ll use a lot less reaction mass than anything flying today, but it doesn’t look to me like it’s efficient enough for a starship, by a couple orders of magnitude.

(Check my math? Thanks.)

Rt

]]> By: Dunc http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-9946 Dunc Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:24:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-9946 Interesting idea - but how much reaction mass is needed? Interesting idea – but how much reaction mass is needed?

]]> By: Dave English http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-9941 Dave English Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:42:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-9941 I had corrected the number of cubic meters the spaceship would pass through in one second but it posted my original numbers. So here are the recaculated numbers of cubic meters that the ship would pass through in one second, 3.445X10X11, and that would equal the volume of a sphere 5.4 miles wide, still a lot of space per second. I had corrected the number of cubic meters the spaceship would pass through in one second but it posted my original numbers. So here are the recaculated numbers of cubic meters that the ship would pass through in one second, 3.445X10X11, and that would equal the volume of a sphere 5.4 miles wide, still a lot of space per second.

]]> By: Dave English http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-9940 Dave English Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:10:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-9940 Interesting. Nano particles have real mass compared to ions, one of their compeditors, so they should be able to accelerate more rapidly than ion powered ships. We have a lot to learn about interstellar flight, the first step is for us to get an idea about stellar distances. At 300,000 mph, it takes 2235 years to travel just one light year or 9388 years to arrive at the nearest (known today) star at 4.2 ly. I know we talk about traveling great percentages of light speed, 70% which is 469,430,640 mph, but what don't we know about traveling at great speeds? And someone needs to calculate how long it would take for a nano powered engine to reach such speeds, then you have decelerate too. A 150 foot wide spaceship (45.72 meters) would pass through over 1.378X10X12 cubic meters a second at 70% light speed. That's a lot of space, a volume that would fill a sphere 8.57 miles accross every second. Is it all empty? Don't believe so, but we will solve problems as they become evident. Good idea overall. Interesting. Nano particles have real mass compared to ions, one of their compeditors, so they should be able to accelerate more rapidly than ion powered ships. We have a lot to learn about interstellar flight, the first step is for us to get an idea about stellar distances. At 300,000 mph, it takes 2235 years to travel just one light year or 9388 years to arrive at the nearest (known today) star at 4.2 ly. I know we talk about traveling great percentages of light speed, 70% which is 469,430,640 mph, but what don’t we know about traveling at great speeds? And someone needs to calculate how long it would take for a nano powered engine to reach such speeds, then you have decelerate too. A 150 foot wide spaceship (45.72 meters) would pass through over 1.378X10X12 cubic meters a second at 70% light speed. That’s a lot of space, a volume that would fill a sphere 8.57 miles accross every second. Is it all empty? Don’t believe so, but we will solve problems as they become evident. Good idea overall.

]]> By: JD http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/comment-page-1/#comment-9939 JD Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:18:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/sciencenotfiction/2009/07/16/would-an-electric-rocket-ship-have-zero-emmissions-if-it-goes-90-of-the-speed-of-light-do-we-care/#comment-9939 VERY cool. Space travel without exploding gallons and gallons of liquid fuel, and hence wasting most of your energy just carrying the fuel itself. I always wonder why NASA and most world governemnts that participate in space exploration still use liquid fuel when the impracticality of it should be apparent. Investing our resources in this type of advancement would benefit our world not only in terms of knowledge gained, but for the materialistic among us, (read: Average Americans who don't care about science much, or pay attention to anything that's not on TV) the resources to be exploited should be a huge lure to space exporation too. I have a couple of questions that I didn't see mentioned above: This EM equipment seems like it would be vulnerable to interference from all the random cosmic rays that permeate space once we leave our Sun's heliosphere. I wonder if that's been considered, or is worth consideration. Would the technology be easy to maintain and repair? Other than those concerns, this sounds like the perfect way for us to go back into space. With nanoFET we could focus on improving the design of future vessels to better accommodate the human requirements of space travel. VERY cool. Space travel without exploding gallons and gallons of liquid fuel, and hence wasting most of your energy just carrying the fuel itself. I always wonder why NASA and most world governemnts that participate in space exploration still use liquid fuel when the impracticality of it should be apparent.

Investing our resources in this type of advancement would benefit our world not only in terms of knowledge gained, but for the materialistic among us, (read: Average Americans who don’t care about science much, or pay attention to anything that’s not on TV) the resources to be exploited should be a huge lure to space exporation too.

I have a couple of questions that I didn’t see mentioned above: This EM equipment seems like it would be vulnerable to interference from all the random cosmic rays that permeate space once we leave our Sun’s heliosphere. I wonder if that’s been considered, or is worth consideration. Would the technology be easy to maintain and repair?

Other than those concerns, this sounds like the perfect way for us to go back into space. With nanoFET we could focus on improving the design of future vessels to better accommodate the human requirements of space travel.

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