Request InterSTELLAR vessel

[eyu100]

Just a though : isn't a 100% efficiency impossible because of entropy ?

Of course, but efficiencies arbitrarily close to 100% are possible.

 

[T.Neo]

High capacity cargo ship use the same tech except that if time isn't a problem you'll prefer to aim for the biggest Isp possible.

Fair enough... high ISP would be desirable at any Dv, due to the reduction of propellant mass. The complexity and cost of the drive might become a deciding factor, though.

Historically I think we only needed fast cargo when we were competing or if we needed a feedback. (like "I Need to carry Helium3 from the moon or Jupiter")

Perhaps this could be shipped on the high-velocity passenger spacecraft? Provision could be made for payload mounted in crates/etc on the outside of the spacecraft.

Until we wonder if it wouldn't be more efficient to build light sail carrying AM for uncolonized system than to produce said AM for both Ejection and Insertion

This is the concept behind the ISV Venture Star; you can save the propellant mass for acceleration to the target/deceleration back home.

Perhaps another option would be the application of an interstellar ramjet to Valkyrie.

 

[Tribersman_FR]

Perhaps this could be shipped on the high-velocity passenger spacecraft? Provision could be made for payload mounted in crates/etc on the outside of the spacecraft.

But that also mean you'll have to carry more provision for the crew since the travel will be longer (IF the spacecraft can't recycle everything already)
We have basically two type of Spacecraft, the "cheap transport"-type and the "IwishIcouldmakeitteleport"-type, both using the same design, not the same engine.

I talked about the laser-sail departure because of Avatar actually, still can't believe they could put so much detail in the model and not respect the length of the design...

 

[T.Neo]

My interpretation of the Valkyrie beam-core engine;

In light blue is the hydrogen tank, in red the antihydrogen tank (with supporting equipment in yellow). In black is the shadow shield.

In the engine itself, a particle accelerator is shown in green, and matter/antimatter beams are shown in dark blue. They come together near the magnetic coil (also yellow) and anihillate (in orange). The magnetic coil- cooled by the droplet radiator/debris mitigator (brown) deflects the anihillation products backwards and around the ship structure (purple).

This is meant to be representative only; components and the distances between them are not to scale, and the charged pion exhaust would decay shortly after leaving the nozzle.

 

[Tribersman_FR]

I do not understand some thing of your representation.
Do you meant to build a Shadow Shield around the entire thruster ? or is that the tin line I see between the 2 tank ?

If the first : there is only one direction where the radiation must be stopped, it's where the crew is, or you gain a lot of mass.
If it's the second : That wouldn't create a shadow free of radiation if the reaction occur out of the alignment with the end of the tether.

Seem like you use the design of my 1st draw.

 

[T.Neo]

Do you meant to build a Shadow Shield around the entire thruster ? or is that the tin line I see between the 2 tank ?

Between the tanks. This way, it can offer protection for the antihydrogen and the crew. It can also be much smaller than the anihillation zone because it "eclipses" it when viewed from the payload.

Seem like you use the design of my 1st draw.

Not really, this is a concept for the engine only- I was trying to figure out a design for a beam-core antimatter engine on a spacecraft like Valkyrie.

 

[Tribersman_FR]

Okay, so it's the 2nd design I draw (Pellegrino style) and the reaction happen between both "coil".