Maes
I like big butts!
Posts: 8662
Registered: 07-06 |
DooMAD said:
Regarding the amount of time it takes to reach Mars, if there's no real friction or resistance in space, what is it that actually restricts the maximum velocity of a spacecraft?
c - the speed of light.
On a more practical level, you are restricted by the maximum amount of acceleration (and therefore deceleration) you will be able to impart to your spacecraft.
Assuming you want to reach Mars at a controllable speed and not overshoot it or stop way before reaching it, at most you can go full throttle until the middle of the Earth-Mars distance, and then you have to go full-reverse until you reach your destination for the remaining distance, so it all boils down to what acceleration/power your engines are able to deliver continuously. With more powerful engines, you'll be able to reach and stop from greater speeds, in due time. It's a bit like a drag race in that you must REALLY GIVE IT ALL when trying to beat your opponent, and then SLOW THE FUCK DOWN WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT with parachutes and all in order not to get plastered to a roadside wall.
Remember, there's no friction to slow you down if you don't "step on the gas", but you also don't get any "easy" way of braking like you do on Earth: you have to use the same engines for both tasks, so you can't postpone deceleration to the last moment. So if you just "step on the gas" until the middle of the way in order to obtain max speed, you will have to do the same to decelerate to zero speed by the time you complete the other half. No shortcuts here.
And unless a really cheap and efficient form of space propulsion is discovered, it will be the norm to trade longer travel times for propellant economy.
Last edited by Maes on 11-21-11 at 00:04
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11-20-11 19:22 
