Astronomy / Space Possibilities of 30 and 90-day expeditions to Mars

[metatheurgist]

PS...Its a bit like Star Wars and the millenium falcon.....Everyone walked about quite normal inside it and nobody ever questioned why. All they did was shut the door and take off

Star Wars is more Science-Fantasy than Science Fiction. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of technology could contain a blazing sword shaped energy field powerful enough to cut through battleship blast-doors all powered by batteries that can fit in a flashlight sized device that apparently requires no recharging. If they can do that, walking around in a spaceship like it's a inter-stellar campervan is no issue.

 

[Winterwalker]

fusion confusin' ?

I wonder if DB has any plans to include this fusion engine in the game.

In 2000 years time that will be used to run kids toys probably

In the 41st century .. maybe .. in the 21st, Fusion could be the biggest waste of money going. And even in the C41st we won't be able to sidestep Laws of Thermodynamics.

If you read literature from Culham Nuclear Research Establishment, you will see their headline, "Fusion works, it powers the stars!". Sounds good.
Except for the fact that we don't live on a star.

In stars Gravity 'fuels' the process by squashing everything together to heat up and fuse, but on Earth we have to recreate (sic.) 10 million degrees and 10 thousand atmospheres, for any ignition. The current build (ITER, in France is a 15bn euro project, ready in 2020, but only a test reactor, max run time 100 seconds. Many think it won't work though. Such temperatures make steam creation (for turbines) very difficult and Neutron Radiation is also a big issue (think Solar Radiation Storms if you like).

But even this is quite misleading. Laboratory Deuterium Fusion, even if it has been achieved, requires Deuterium. This is separated from regular water by distillation or electrolysis (using energy), 1 molecule in 3200, also requires pumping. These are additions to the Thermodynamic Chain and, anyway, "Energy CANNOT be created or destroyed, ONLY transformed", is First Law.

It's likely that Fusion Research stems from the 1950's, as a natural follow up to regular Nuclear Fission, but was initiated before the energy 'crisis'. Most likely the huge amount of money spent, and very glossy brochures, mean we're stuck with this particular white elephant, but don't pin energy hopes on it (sadly).

Practical modern day solution to the Eliteangerous scenario is probably the old one, original game, of storing energy (say High Efficient Solar Energy) as Hydrogen, and using that as rocket fuel. Luckily it's very pokey and, though it will be taken from oceans and scattered into space, it won't use too too much seawater; the Oxygen (with which the Fuel must be combined) is already along side with the Hydrogen, pre-bound in the Water molecule.