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starship-design: Re: Anti-matter/Matter Conversion Starship Propuslion
In a message dated 3/5/98 3:21:51 PM, you wrote:
>NASA has recently reported massive amounts of gamma radiation being
>formed by emission of positron jets from the central black hole of our
>Milky Way galaxy. There seem to be plenty of these anti-electrons in
>interstellar space which couLd be used for fuel by the spaceship
>obviating the need for their synthesis and could
>be made to react with electrons in / on the spaceship to produce gamma
>radiation for propulsion. The enormous energy released by
>thiis matter to photon conversion should be sufficiient to achieve
>superluminal velocity by the spaceship overcoming space medium friction
>when crossing the "Light Barrier". Photons of light cannot traverse
>matter-free
>space at velocitiiiies greater than "c" because
>they proceed in a conservaition of momentum fashion and are not
>receiving accelerating impulses after their initial emission except when
>passing nearby massive celesttial bodies (i.e. gravitational impulses).
>It would seem that anti-matter/matter reaction propulsion would be
>especially useful for superluminal flight through interstellr space. A
>reply from you would be very much appreciated. s/s Christopher F.
>Dessauer, Space Systems Integration Engineer, formerly Chief, Payload
>Integration, Titan III Space Lauch System Program Office, USAF Space and
>Missile Systems Organization, LA AF Station,Calif. Mailing address: MSC
>126,HC-01,Box 2000, Tucson,AZ 85736,Tel.(520) 822-1708
Sorry you've missed the boat in several points. There no reason to think
mater/anti-mater conversion would allow faster then light travel. It would
produce a lot of energy, but with conventional phyisics that isn't enough to
overcome the infinate energy to travel at the "Light Barrier". Nor is the
sighting of anti-mater in the center of the galaxy proof that anti-mater would
be avalibe in usable quantitys in our area of the galaxy.
Kelly Starks