[ExI] Use Fusion Drive To Get To Proxima Centauri
spike at rainier66.com
spike at rainier66.com
Mon Jul 7 14:18:41 UTC 2025
-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of
BillK via extropy-chat
Sent: Monday, 7 July, 2025 4:02 AM
To: Extropy Chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Cc: BillK <pharos at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [ExI] Use Fusion Drive To Get To Proxima Centauri
On Sun, 6 Jul 2025 at 21:32, <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:
>
> A system like this is plausible, but getting there in 57 years strains my
imagination. I will look over the thesis, see if I see anything obvious.
Dropping into Prox' orbit after a few hundred years is more believable than
getting into orbit of one of its planets.
>
> spike
> -------------------------------------
>...I asked Perplexity to review the thesis.
Perplexity pointed out the speculative nature of the thesis.
i.e. Fusion Drive has not been invented yet, D-He3 fuel is rare on Earth and
the problems of long-duration missions.
However, the conclusion was that the thesis demonstrates that, with
optimistic but not implausible advances in fusion technology, a large-scale
interstellar mission to Proxima b could be feasible within a human lifetime.
-------------------
>...So, "speculative but not implausible" - Sounds good to me!
BillK
_______________________________________________
Ja. Deuterium isn't rare, and the He3 is generated in route with the
breakdown of tritium. The big problem is storing enough tritium, because it
has a half-life of about 12.5 yrs. This would make it only useful for the
acceleration phase. The more I have thought about that problem, the more I
think this will be a few thousand year mission, with lower top speed, but
with a more plausible scheme to slow down on the other end. This influenced
my comment that I can see getting into Prox orbit a lot easier than I can
see a particular planet there.
Interstellar travel is a damn tough problem.
spike
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