What would YOU want powering YOUR rocket?

[Aghanim]

Woodward drive* powered by compact fusion reactor*

With no propellant needed a fighter jet that could go SSTO and go to the moon seems exciting...

[42undead2]

Rockets rely on heat right? So what about a thermite rocket?

Sun powered rocket. That's heat for ya!

[Aghanim]

Sun powered rocket. That's heat for ya!

Well, there is such thing as a solar thermal rocket...

[Streetwind]

Nuclear Lightbulb engines.

This, honestly. It's the NERVA project taken to it's logical conclusion, the highest efficiency nuclear thermal rocket without radioactive exhaust. It's a theory at this point, but not because it's impossible to build. Much rather, it's pointless to build because no government would commit to legalizing it. If that was not a hindrance, we'd have this flying already today.

[SunJumper]

For the moon or below, I would want either a chemical or nuclear propulsion system. For the solar system, perhaps a torch-ship of some kind or a slower-than-light Alcubierre drive. Anywhere further would probably require an advanced K-Drive, a faster-than-light Alcubierre drive, or maybe something with teleportation.

[ArmchairGravy]

Orion is still my favorite because a) we could build one right now if we wanted, and I can't think of anything more badass than riding nuclear explosions into orbit.

[vetrox]

Squirrels. Mash em up, put into combustion chamber, add oxidiser. Hey presto squirrel powered propulsion.

[RuBisCO]

*sitting on Santa Claus's lap*

I want a rotating core nuclear thermal rocket, 3800 C core temps and specific impulses over 1000 on LH2, thrust to weight ratio of 30. Plus a Helium/Xenon Closed Brayton cycle power conversion system.

Oh and I also want a dense plasma focus fusion engine capable of fusing protons and boron aneutronically and a specific impulse in excess of 100,000.

*Santa Claus looks confused*

[Bilfr3d]

A deuterium oxide, neutron blaster fusion engine.

[Aghanim]

I think this is what you actually meant when you say you want that rocket...

Edited February 18, 2014 by Aghanim

[MrZayas1]

Well what I would love is a much better ion engine* because it's isp is very high and it's delta V is in massive amounts. If somehow we could make a more efficient ion engine, or one with better thrust, i would much rather use that but since we don't have those, it would probably be NERVA.

[crazyewok]

Orion is still my favorite because a) we could build one right now if we wanted, and I can't think of anything more badass than riding nuclear explosions into orbit.

Hell yeah!

And the fact idea offends people too, gives it even greater appeal

[asmi]

Rockets rely on heat right? So what about a thermite rocket?

No they are not - they rely on expansion of reaction mass that accelerates said mass through the nozzle. How exactly this expansion is achieved is immaterial (for example Soyuz DM RCS system uses hydrogen peroxide decomposed over catalyst with no heat involved).

[TheBeardyMan]

A *Quantum Jet*. A very strong electric field separates quantum foam particle-antiparticle pairs, and another electric field accelerates them and uses them as reaction mass. Some of the energy used to separate the pairs is recovered when they annihilate. Not truly reactionless, but doesn't need to carry its reaction mass around.

Edited February 18, 2014 by TheBeardyMan

[LordOfTheOrbits]

Obviously a nuclear pulse rocket. High thrust, high specific impulse and badass.

[CleverClothe]

The Improbability Drive.

The Infinite Improbability Drive.

[Naten]

Just have a bunch of people in a big container that they can see out of the bottom of, and then under that, a container of Justin Bieber.

[palioxis1248]

Just have a bunch of people in a big container that they can see out of the bottom of, and then under that, a container of Justin Bieber.

Why aren't we funding this????

[crazyewok]

I say we should make a BS drive.

Bascialy it runs on BS and lies.

Scientists say its a renewable source and there huge deposits in washington DC (USA), Westminster (UK), Brussels (Belgium) and North Korea is made of it.

[Soda Popinski]

I was thinking of a "miniature" Orion drive. Orion drives need to be huge because the minimum fission bomb size is constrained to critical mass of the nuclear fuel in each bomb.

What about using laser initiated fusion bombs of much smaller size. Sure we don't have the lasers capable of doing this now, but if we're talking Alcubierre drives...why not?

[Everten P.]

NUCLEAR FREAKING MISSILES IS WHAT I WOULD WANT POWERING MY ROCKET

I would fly over my my enemies watching them BUUUUURRRRNNN lol jk ,no not kidding

[TheCanadianVendingMachine]

Witchcraft

[m4rt14n]

I loved the idea of Orion drive when I was little. Now that I've read more about it though it seems pretty dangerous. I mean, thousands of little bombs exploding behind you to propel forward... yeah..

[m4rt14n]

Witchcraft

Noooo... Ion drive is too slow...

[crazyewok]

I loved the idea of Orion drive when I was little. Now that I've read more about it though it seems pretty dangerous. I mean, thousands of little bombs exploding behind you to propel forward... yeah..

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

Orions just bigger