Timeline for How to get across the galaxy moving slower than light - in a single lifetime?

Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0

11 events

when toggle format	what		by	license	comment
Mar 21, 2015 at 20:49	comment	added	WhatRoughBeast		"(3) A lot of ablation mass will be needed since each dust particle in the way will strike my ship like a shaped charge." You've badly underestimated the problem. Each individual hydrogen atom will behave as a high-energy proton, and radiation becomes a massive concern.
Jan 23, 2015 at 16:35	vote	accept	user3652621
Jan 23, 2015 at 16:35
Jan 21, 2015 at 13:11	comment	added	user3652621		@user3082, Humankind, cca 1970 used up 2e17 BTU = 2e20 J per year so a rate of 6e12 Watts (J/sec). The Saturn V pumped out 1.3e11W for 150 seconds, so 1.95e13J. That's about 3 seconds of humanity's output.
Jan 21, 2015 at 8:14	comment	added	user3082		Also, Bussard Ramjets apparently are a fail, there's a paper (1967?) that details why, but it's behind a paywall last time I found a reference to it (so I skipped trying to find it).
Jan 21, 2015 at 8:12	comment	added	user3082		Saturn V churned out equivalent power to 85 Hoover Dams. So, I'd say more than 1-3 seconds. But not 10,000-30,000 seconds worth of the world's power.
Jan 21, 2015 at 3:07	history	edited	user3652621	CC BY-SA 3.0	added 111 characters in body
Jan 21, 2015 at 2:59	comment	added	Shokhet		I do it all the time. There's even a dedicated check-box for it when you ask a question, so you can post the question and answer at the same time, if you want.
Jan 21, 2015 at 2:50	history	edited	user3652621	CC BY-SA 3.0	added 3 characters in body
Jan 21, 2015 at 2:48	comment	added	user3652621		@Shokhet, oh, cool!
Jan 21, 2015 at 2:43	comment	added	Shokhet		It's not bad form to answer your own question, not at all. It's explicitly encouraged.
Jan 21, 2015 at 2:41	history	answered	user3652621	CC BY-SA 3.0