General Question Realism

[Procyon]

I noticed that I can get a 100 kps escape speed from the solar system with most nuclear powered ships, including the orion and Vasimr (provided the LEO boost). The Descartes gets about 60 k. The Discovery, however, gets about 1600 kps. It also acellerates at about 2 g's. Do gas core reactors really provide that?

 

[the.punk]

I know that the Discovery(2001) has a little bit toooo much fuel.:rofl:

 

[EtherDragon]

No current technology provides that kind of thrust with any where near that kind if specific impulse (fuel economy).

Large rockets are terrible at using the inherent energy in the matter they consume for thrust - so a round trip to the moon requires about a 4:5 fuel:mass ratio.

Much more efficient engines exist - but they are feebly weak (by comparison to Rockets) for their mass. A round trip to the Moon would take months, but the fuel:mass ratio is way more forgiving.

 

[Space Ace]

Winchell Chung has a great overview of the available rocket technologies on his Atomic Rocket site: http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3c2.html

Generally, high-ISP technologies will be low-thrust and vice-versa.

 

[Sky Captain]

There are some feasible rocket engines like nuclear salt water rocket or nuclear pulse rocket that potentially could have acceleration of several G`s and ISP of several hundred km/s. Only trouble is their exhaust is radioactive.

 

[bradfirj92]

I suppose radiation wouldn't be a problem if the craft was assembled in orbit, if we haven't destroyed all our o3 layer by then.