NATS 1880 Chapter Notes - Chapter Final: Plutonium, Pioneer 10, Outer Space
30 Mar 2014
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Document Summary
Interstellar travel is difficult because (i) distance (ii) energy (iii) technology (i) distance. Most distant planetary probes (pioneer 10 & 11 (has plaques for et) -- voyager (1and 2) (has complicated messages such as pictures and messages) have travelled 8-120. Alpha centuri (the nearest star to sun) is about 2,700 au; 4. 4 light years away. Speed/cosmic speed limit (c=300,000km/s) according to einstein"s theory of relativity. (ii) energy. Star-ship with few thousand people would have mass of 100 million kg; and if moved. 10% at speed of light would take 40 years to reach nearest star. Energy would be 100x the world"s current annual energy use. Would take about 2. 5 quintillion dollars (about 400,000 times the world"s current gdp) As the ship speed increases, mass increases, and requires greater energy for acceleration. (iii) technology an. Newton"s 3rd law of motion (conservation of momentum) for every action there is opposite and equal reaction .
