3 facts maybe you don't know about antimatter propulsion

Hi!

I would like to share with you guys some facts you might not know about antimatter:

1º - Recent studies suggest that an antimatter spacecraft could achieve up to 70% the speed of light, reaching Proxima b in just about 6 years.

2º - The maximum time that antimatter has been stored is 405 days.

3º - According to the former Fermilab physicist Gerald Jackson, antimatter rockets could become a reality by 2050.

Source: www.youtube.com...

What are your thoughts about antimatter propulsion?

originally posted by: alfa015
Hi!

I would like to share with you guys some facts you might not know about antimatter:

1º - Recent studies suggest that an antimatter spacecraft could achieve up to 70% the speed of light, reaching Proxima b in just about 6 years.

2º - The maximum time that antimatter has been stored is 405 days.

3º - According to the former Fermilab physicist Gerald Jackson, antimatter rockets could become a reality by 2050.

Source: www.youtube.com...

What are your thoughts about antimatter propulsion?

Sounds great. I hope it becomes reality. With regards to point one. Does that include the acceleration at 1G for comfort of the travelers and the respective de-acceleration upon approach to Proxima b. I am using 1G as an example. Much more than that over years would be taxing on the occupants of such craft. If it were a probe, no worries as I would be sure they would factor in the distance and time for returning information.

I am no space physicist, (probably shows) but a lot of factors I'm sure need to be included in travel at near light speeds.

Good post.

bally

a reply to: alfa015

Cool! I'm excited to see where we can go with this as technology advances.

From what I understand though antimatter is still the most expensive substance to produce.

I wonder though if we might have discovered something else by 2050. Maybe something more stable.

a reply to: alfa015

What happens to mass as it accelerates closer and closer to the speed of light..?

The only way to travel safely even an 1/8th the speed of light, youd have to proportionally reduce your mass as you accelerate and so on.

originally posted by: odzeandennz
a reply to: alfa015

What happens to mass as it accelerates closer and closer to the speed of light..?

The only way to travel safely even an 1/8th the speed of light, youd have to proportionally reduce your mass as you accelerate and so on.

Good point, didn't think of that. Learn something everyday.

kind regards,

bally

a reply to: watchitburn

Anti-gravity is way cheaper (and cooler).

originally posted by: odzeandennz
a reply to: alfa015

What happens to mass as it accelerates closer and closer to the speed of light..?

The only way to travel safely even an 1/8th the speed of light, youd have to proportionally reduce your mass as you accelerate and so on.

One would have to negate mass

originally posted by: vinifalou
a reply to: watchitburn

Anti-gravity is way cheaper (and cooler).

But , a heckuva lot slower

call me a wuss. i am NEVER leaving earth. i love oxygen, and water, and women.

Current theories suggest anti-matter -particles will only react with the opposite particles of the same matter.
I.E. iron with anti-iron , gold with anti-gold , etc.
So , if anti-matter was not feasible in sufficient quantities before , with current theories , it is now

originally posted by: bally001

originally posted by: alfa015
Hi!

I would like to share with you guys some facts you might not know about antimatter:

1º - Recent studies suggest that an antimatter spacecraft could achieve up to 70% the speed of light, reaching Proxima b in just about 6 years.

2º - The maximum time that antimatter has been stored is 405 days.

3º - According to the former Fermilab physicist Gerald Jackson, antimatter rockets could become a reality by 2050.

Source: www.youtube.com...

What are your thoughts about antimatter propulsion?

Sounds great. I hope it becomes reality. With regards to point one. Does that include the acceleration at 1G for comfort of the travelers and the respective de-acceleration upon approach to Proxima b. I am using 1G as an example. Much more than that over years would be taxing on the occupants of such craft. If it were a probe, no worries as I would be sure they would factor in the distance and time for returning information.

I am no space physicist, (probably shows) but a lot of factors I'm sure need to be included in travel at near light speeds.

Good post.

bally

Mass would have to be negated in a field around any form of spacecraft before attaining that type of acceleration
Remember the term "spaghettified" .
Works as well at speeds nearing light as it does past the event horizon of a black hole

originally posted by: Gothmog

originally posted by: bally001

originally posted by: alfa015
Hi!

I would like to share with you guys some facts you might not know about antimatter:

1º - Recent studies suggest that an antimatter spacecraft could achieve up to 70% the speed of light, reaching Proxima b in just about 6 years.

2º - The maximum time that antimatter has been stored is 405 days.

3º - According to the former Fermilab physicist Gerald Jackson, antimatter rockets could become a reality by 2050.

Source: www.youtube.com...

What are your thoughts about antimatter propulsion?

Sounds great. I hope it becomes reality. With regards to point one. Does that include the acceleration at 1G for comfort of the travelers and the respective de-acceleration upon approach to Proxima b. I am using 1G as an example. Much more than that over years would be taxing on the occupants of such craft. If it were a probe, no worries as I would be sure they would factor in the distance and time for returning information.

I am no space physicist, (probably shows) but a lot of factors I'm sure need to be included in travel at near light speeds.

Good post.

bally

Mass would have to be negated in a field around any form of spacecraft before attaining that type of acceleration
Remember the term "spaghettified" .
Works as well at speeds nearing light as it does past the event horizon of a black hole

Well that's sorted for me. Thanks for the explanation.

Kind regards,

bally

a reply to: alfa015
This is as hilarious as when NASA said they were going to Mars, when they cant even make it to the moon, because they forgot how to do it.

But the truth is the human race would not even be able to build a base in the Atacama Desert that would last for any decent period of time, and likely not even for a dozen or so, much less grow food there to be self sustainable. So ya, brilliance indeed.

And now there selling antimatter for the low low price of 62 trillion dollars per gram? So we can get to the nearest star. Is Al Gore there spokesman? You know the great creator of the internet.

Ok I suppose we will see in 2050. Anti matter, its like Mater only anti it.

originally posted by: alfa015
1º - Recent studies suggest that an antimatter spacecraft could achieve up to 70% the speed of light, reaching Proxima b in just about 6 years.

The study shows that the achievable exhaust velocity might be as high as 70% c. The big handicap of rockets is that they have to carry their fuel. So the max speed of the space craft depends on the fuel mass fraction. For antimatter rockets you also have to account for annihilation losses in form of uncharged particles.

The study cited mentions something like a 4 stage antimatter rocket with 100 tons payload needing 40 million tons of antimatter to travel 40 light years at a cruise speed of 40% c.

40 million tons antimatter!!! I am not sure you would want to be anywhere close to that thing.

2º - The maximum time that antimatter has been stored is 405 days.

How much antimatter has been stored? What is the mass ratio of the storage system to the stored antimatter?

3º - According to the former Fermilab physicist Gerald Jackson, antimatter rockets could become a reality by 2050.

I'll believe it when I see it.

originally posted by: vinifalou
a reply to: watchitburn

Anti-gravity is way cheaper (and cooler).

I like the idea of travelling anywhere in the universe mentally/spiritually. That's less risky, much faster travel, and may be even easier to figure out and implement than a physical method...if funded adequately.

Interesting factoids, but anyone predicting practical use of a matter/antimatter by 2050 is optimistic to the point of being ludicrous, IMO.

If it did happen though, it would be better used to produce energy here on this planet, initially, wouldn't it?

Virtually all of mankind would reap the benifits, in the way of improved quality of life.

I fully support mankind propogating throughout the solar system, the galaxy, or wherever they can, but priorities.....

Anti-matter - it is capable of making billions of dollars vanish into thin air!

Fusion drive will happen first. Proof of concept fusion drives have already been constructed and are in testing phases.

originally posted by: Archivalist
Fusion drive will happen first. Proof of concept fusion drives have already been constructed and are in testing phases.

Fusion does not have the capability to reach anywhere near lightspeed. And , not nearly as efficient as anti-matter would hypothetically be.

a reply to: alfa015

Well they (some people) say that the Government has technology 50 years ahead of the main stream so maybe they already have a working ship. That is just wishful thinking though.