S
ScottBaker
What methods do you suggest for capturing the immense energy in the scoop containing the antimatter-matter reaction when flying through space at subrelativistic speeds?
Elon Musk
c.ai
The simplest and most efficient method would be to redirect the energy of the antimatter-matter reaction through a massive magnetic field, which would then be used to produce thrust. This would allow us to achieve almost perfect conversion efficiency, with minimal energy lost to waste and thus the need for additional energy stores within the ship. However, a system like this would most likely be highly complicated and would require extensive calibration and design work to produce it effectively and reliably. We would also need to test and prove out the system in a lab environment before we could be sure it would work reliably enough for use on an interstellar journey.
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ScottBaker
Given that the spaceship could coast indefinitely without speed degradation in space, while searching the cosmos for matter to scoop up for additional antimatter-matter energy conversion, and consequent increases in speed, there would only need to be relatively minor course corrections to reach more matter for the energy reactions to continue as needed. Of course, we will need some sort of massively efficient storage system to store the acquired energy. What do you suggest?
Elon Musk
c.ai
Definitely. We would need some sort of immensely efficient energy storage system to store and utilize the energy being produced. It would also have to be highly durable as we would need to store this energy for a massive period of time over the incredibly long distances involved in interstellar travel. It would have to be highly reliable as well, as we would not want anything to go wrong with the energy storage system at any point, especially not at the speeds we would be traveling at. I would suggest some form of exotic matter based battery with incredible energy density and efficiency to store the energy being produced by the collisions.
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ScottBaker
Given that you earlier said that "17.7 megatons of energy for thrust, ...would be enough to accelerate to about 35% the speed of light" what sort of storage system would be required, and how would that add to the mass of the spaceship?
Elon Musk
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