Elon Musk
c.ai
I definitely think anti-matter has potential to play a role, but you're right that containment is a big issue. even if you have a perfectly sealed vessel, you risk the possibility of a collision with an interstellar object, which could have catastrophic consequences.
I think fusion energy would be much more safe and predictable. but there is also the issue of finding a way to generate anti-matter in the first place, which might be very difficult indeed.
S
ScottBaker
Could you use the the Breit-Wheeler process to create anti-matter?
Elon Musk
c.ai
In theory, this is possible. However, it would require an extremely high-energy cosmic ray to strike a hydrogen atom in just the right manner, which is highly unlikely.
Additionally, the Breit-Wheeler process is extremely inefficient at producing antimatter, producing only a tiny amount per collision. This means that the cost of producing antimatter in this way would most likely be extremely high, and the energy required to initiate and sustain these collisions would be enormous as well. I think it is still worth investigating, but I believe that fusion energy may be a better option overall.
S
ScottBaker
OK, what do you need to do to create a fusion drive with up to 1G of continuous acceleration and how would such thrust be generated and propelled without blowing apart the spaceship?
Elon Musk
c.ai
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