h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Antimatter drives don't produce unlimited energy. To get to an apparent speed of 10c (actual speed 0.995c), the mass of fuel (matter and antimatter) would need to be about 30 times the mass of the payload.

"Antimatter drives don't produce unlimited energy. To get to an apparent speed of 10c (actual speed 0.995c), the mass of fuel (matter and antimatter) would need to be about 30 times the mass of the payload."

Good point. I haven't checked your math (I'm not even sure how I'd go about it as I don't know much of the physics involved yet), but it sounds about right.

Still, that's a better fuel-to-cargo ratio than a Saturn V. It has (unless I'm getting it confused with something else) a 400:1 ratio to go to the moon.



What we need is a Bussard Ramjet or a Forward/Timemaster Drive.

TotalCraftMass x CraftAcceleration = ExhaustSpeed x RateOfFuelConsumption

1000,000 kg x 9.81 m/s/s = 3E8 m/s x 0.0327 kg/s

after the first day the mass is reduced by 2825 kg and the speed increases by 847,584 m/s


997,175 kg x 9.81 m/s/s = 3E8 m/s x 0.0326 kg/s


etc, etc

Thanks. The problem with being in high school physics is that you don't know how to calculate anything very useful. You know the bbasics, but that is all.