NASA
just announced a new test of an engine based on an invention by British scientist Roger Sawyer. One account says a spaceship powered by the solar-powered microwave engine would top out at
9.4% of the speed of light on a trip to nearby Alpha Centari
(which, interestingly, has not one but two aliases),
BTW, 9.4% of the speed of light is, by AKSARBENT's rough calculations, 63 million MPH — wonderful news if you, like
Sammy Hagar, just can't drive 55.
|
Sawyer's engine |
Such a jaunt
would take 92 years, by which time you would probably look even older than the admittedly well-preserved Harrison Ford, even allowing for the
youth-preserving effects of going really fast.
Deceleration performance is absolutely terrible, although you probably wouldn't want grabby brakes when traveling 17,000+ miles per second: Add another 38 years if your astronaut descendents want to stop to admire the view.
Full disclosure: some scientists are
still quite skeptical.
No comments:
Post a Comment