Ion drive vs. chemical rocket

capture of http://www.esa.int/images/IonVsChem.swf

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• science
• rocket
• space
• ion
• drive
• esa
• animation

[DugwayKid]

@ymi2b i meant electricity due to the fact the ion drive also has a reactor, need i also mention what happens to your sail once you run out of the suns reach, and is it not one way??

[ymi2b]

@DugwayKid: Sorry, not sure what you mean by "elasticity" - do you mean you can throttle your usage? Just google or youtube "solar sail", it's nothing more than a huge reflective sheet (perhaps made of mylar or aluminum with support structure, I dunno. The sun's rays push on it and thus push the attached craft - look up "radiometer" which is something you can buy in a kid's science section that demonstrates the sun's "push" on light-colored materials in a vacuum. works even in gravity on earth

[DugwayKid]

@ymi2b but if you use the ion drive you can have elasticity on board, as for the sail please explain

[mrh112]

@tuor1984

I agree

[ymi2b]

@boolykbol One more point... To start, I think it more economical to use a solar sail, cheap and easy. After it's far away from the sun where no further accellaration benefits are had, switch over to active propulsion. The neodymium method I earlier mentined is LIGHT WEIGHT+LOW COST, or use the nuclear ion drive. Both of these give slow increases in speed and will run out of propellant.

[ymi2b]

@boolykbol Also, ion drive launches atoms from material stored on craft. Simlarly, you can use huge neodymium permanent magnets and pressure-leak diamagnetic (anti magnetic) material (ex. hydrogen) closely behind it. In space's near-vacuum and freedom of gravity, they repel one another with great accelleration, but with very little newtons-froce, just like an ion drive. Like an ion drive, a large scoop can capture the rare hydrogen atoms found in space.

[ymi2b]

@boolykbol Start in orbit. Craft A has a 1000Kg ion drive+solar panels+material to thrust out. Craft B uses 1000Kg of chemical propellant. Say ion drive pushes @.4 newton, so react out Craft B's propellants for same .4 newton. Light decreases exponentially as you move away from the sun, so ion drive has less energy so slows; so decrease propellant leak to match push. Thus, chem will get you VERY far. Only NUCLEAR ion makes sense with ion drive.

[ymi2b]

@tuor1984 sigh #2 Space elevator! Even the holy grail of "nanotubes" break under its own weigth. ANY MATERIAL eventually will fail under enough of its own weight. Even if you make a nanotube chain strong enough to get up to 62,000 miles, additional strands need to be adhered to one another and so the adhesive weight will cause them to break. AND space elevators dismisses the fact of high altitude jet streams which will caus far more significant stress beyond the cable's own weight.

[ymi2b]

@tuor1984 : sigh. Laser works by expanding air under reflective bottom of craft -- duh, as you get higher in altitude, there is less air, at a certain point it has no more propulsion. Also, laser is exponentially less powerful as you get further away. Also, it's very very very VERY power intensive and the laser overheats quicky.

[boolykbol]

For antimatter engine, It is the most efficient propulsion. It can be used for interstellar or intergalactic mission because when you combine the hydrogen to anti-hydrogen,it releases huge amount of energy. It is the most dense & most powerful energy source.