![]() ![]() For example, to accelerate a one-ton interstellar flyby probe to one-tenth the speed of light requires four tons of liquid hydrogen for the reaction mass and 9 kg of antihydrogen for the energy source. For optimum operation, the antimatter should be used to heat a much larger amount of reaction mass. 13.7 Antimatter - Based Propulsion Concepts The development of antimatter - based propulsion is a far - term prospect involving the use of energy produced. The antimatter should be in the form of antiprotons or antihydrogen since upon annihilation they produce high-speed charged particles that allow the kinetic energy to be transferred to the vehicle or a working fluid to obtain thrust. In particular, ion compressed antimatter nuclear II (ICAN-II) project to Mars in 30 days with fusion catalyzed by 140 ng of antiprotons will be detailed (specific impulse 13500 s). Scientists believe that this energy is more powerful than any that can be generated by other propulsion methods. A spacecraft which uses antimatter as its source of propulsion energy could 'drive' anywhere in the Solar System with mission times ranging from days to weeks, and could even travel to the nearest stars in a small fraction of a human lifetime. Appropriate vessel designs will be presented for fusion as well as for antimatter propulsion. The explosion that occurs when antimatter and matter interact transfers the entire mass of both objects into energy. Antimatter represents a highly concentrated form of energy storage with a specific energy density of 9 x 10 to 16th J/kg.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |