What would YOU want powering YOUR rocket?

[mdatspace]

A chem rocket is basicaly a bomb going of behind you.

Orions just bigger

And not tested. And nuclear.

I will not open this can of beans further.

[Sillychris]

I vote antimatter drive. Nuclear reactions convert <1% of the fuel into energy. Matter-Antimatter annihilation converts 100% of the fuel into energy. That's 2-3 orders of magnitude improvement in efficiency! Plus antimatter was in the final episode of Exo-Squad which is probably the best kid's cartoon in history.

[cziken20]

That super awesome engine i love called *"Alcubierre drive"* . Well it's not an engine.

[mythbusters844]

Monopropellant. Why? Because when you simply vent gas out of a port, what can possibly go wrong?

[KOCOUR]

Magic so i dont have to care about laws of physics.

[sjwt]

What would you want powering your rocket?

Physics, for the win!!

[Rocketscience101]

Well are we already in space, because if we are, I want an antimatter drive. It works very similar to a solar sail, but it blasts antimatter at the sail in small amounts and pushes it forward slowly. You get a ton of ∆V with the downside of a slow acceleration. So you can switch it on and start sailing off and go and begin working on your experiments in the back, or go take a nap.

[Rocketscience101]

And not tested. And nuclear.

I will not open this can of beans further.

Actually they did test a small model but not with nukes with dynamite.

[Whirligig Girl]

*Fart Combustion Drive (FCD)* A great way to re-use waste.

*TARDIS*

or

*Alcubbierre Drive*

[Sillychris]

Well are we already in space, because if we are, I want an antimatter drive. It works very similar to a solar sail, but it blasts antimatter at the sail in small amounts and pushes it forward slowly. You get a ton of ∆V with the downside of a slow acceleration. So you can switch it on and start sailing off and go and begin working on your experiments in the back, or go take a nap.

That doesn't work... you can't stand on the deck of a ship and blow on the sails to get propulsion. Due to Newton's third law, your wind has to come from somewhere else (In other words, conservation of momentum).

Plus the antimatter would annihilate with the ordinary matter that the sail is made out of... unless your sail is made of antimatter, too. (which kind of makes the whole use of antimatter pointless)

I like the idea of an anti-matter fueled photon rocket. One tank of hydrogen and one tank of anti-hydrogen. Mix them together inside your engine and focus the gamma photons out the back. Just don't point them at Kerbal.

For anyone who's wondering how a photon would impart thrust, photons do have momentum. Weird, I know.

[Kryten]

That doesn't work... you can't stand on the deck of a ship and blow on the sails to get propulsion. Due to Newton's third law, your wind has to come from somewhere else (In other words, conservation of momentum).

Plus the antimatter would annihilate with the ordinary matter that the sail is made out of... unless your sail is made of antimatter, too. (which kind of makes the whole use of antimatter pointless)

These points invalidate each other. The antimatter annihilates on the sail, providing forward thrust.

[Wahgineer]

Warp drive*

It's plausible. And it leaves other ships in it's dust.

You can obviously guess what I'd name ship, right? (Hint: "Khaaaaaan!")

[spaceman1999]

Improbability warp drive. I know where my towel is. Do you?

[Nuke]

i want a polywell running p-b11 fusion with direct conversion and an array of mpd thrusters, probibly running hydrogen for maximum isp.

[Iforgotthis]

I know many have said it, but definitely *Warp Drive* most likely powered by negative energy, once we find it... I'd go to Gliese 667Cc first, or maybe Gliese 581g (if it exists...).

[KASASpace]

I vote antimatter drive. Nuclear reactions convert <1% of the fuel into energy. Matter-Antimatter annihilation converts 100% of the fuel into energy. That's 2-3 orders of magnitude improvement in efficiency! Plus antimatter was in the final episode of Exo-Squad which is probably the best kid's cartoon in history.

However most of it is gamma rays and is not usable.

[KASASpace]

For anyone who's wondering how a photon would impart thrust, photons do have momentum. Weird, I know.

How would you point them the right way?

[Ralathon]

How would you point them the right way?

Mirrors?

Photons are light. Not hard to make a lamp shine in the right direction.

[Zuni]

NERVAs. Super efficient, powerful, etc. Very very good good engine.

[Transits]

Depends where I am going.

*Interstellar - An interstellar ramjet or antimatter

Throughout the solar system with time to waste - Ion or Solar Sails

Throughout the solar system quickly - Chemical rockets/*Space Elevators/*Mass drivers

[78stonewobble]

This might be a bit OT, but regarding the Polywell...

To put it bluntly. Does it work? Can it work, as a power source? Is Bussard brilliant or did he just become old n crazy (it happens!)?

[KASASpace]

Mirrors?

Photons are light. Not hard to make a lamp shine in the right direction.

Sillychris said GAMMA photons.

[cantab]

Well while I'd like an Orion drive on my rocket, I wouldn't like one on YOUR rocket! The same, for that matter, goes for the otherwise excellent mass driver.

So I think I'll settle for a nuclear electric rocket. One with decent enough thrust that I can make a normal planetary transfer, and good enough Isp that I never need worry about fuel. It'll stay in space, and I'll have a little SSTO tender with a SABRE/RAPIER engine to get on and off planets and moons.

[PhaserArray]

Nuclear pulse propulsion, also, artificial gravity (rotating cylinder) would be nice.

[kento10]

I want a *Tardis* that can go anywhere Since it time travel and go anywhere