Citazione:

Qui c'è un articolo sulla proposte di motori per i viaggi spaziali link Engage the x drive: Ten ways to traverse deep space

In sintesi negli anni sono stati proposti diversi tipi di motori "spaziali", alcuni palusibili, altri no.

Ma uno dei problemi fondamenatli è la velocità non tanto per coem raggiungerla, ma per quel che implica, dice infatti un commento all'articolo:


...it is intriguing to consider the possibility that the size distribution and space density of particulate matter that we find in the interplanetary medium is the same as would be found in the interstellar medium. However, even if it were a order of magnitude lower in the interstellar medium, then the largest particle which we would have to contend with in our 10 light year round trip voyage would be about 100 grams (a large hail stone). At 0.2c, a 100 gram particle has a kinetic energy equivalent to the explosive energy of a 40 klloton bomb!

Even neglecting hypervelocity impact ejecta and considering only the conversion of kinetic to thermal energy, a shield the equivalent of a 10 meter thickness of solid tungsten would be required. Such a shield covering the front of our spaceship would weigh in excess of two million tons. Since the shield must be part of our payload (thus making our spacecraft weight rather insignificant by comparison), a mass ratio of two also requires a matter/antimatter fuel mass of two million tons. This is equivalent to 18 million years of U.S. electrical energy consumption....