Comment BCReason (Score 2, Interesting) 266
I'm waiting for the Dirt Drive . Same concept as the Vasimir but instead of throwing Hydrogen away as propellant you use Silicon, the main component of dirt.
Why use precious hydrogen that can be used to make water when you could use dirt. The Moon has dirt, Mars has dirt, most asteroids have dirt.
(Technically it's regolith, but regolith doesn't sound as cool)
I know it will take some serious engineering to make a drive that uses a solid fuel. I'm thinking vaporize it with lasers, then everything else is pretty much the same as with the Vasimir.
Advantages over Hydrogen:
Why use precious hydrogen that can be used to make water when you could use dirt. The Moon has dirt, Mars has dirt, most asteroids have dirt.
(Technically it's regolith, but regolith doesn't sound as cool)
I know it will take some serious engineering to make a drive that uses a solid fuel. I'm thinking vaporize it with lasers, then everything else is pretty much the same as with the Vasimir.
Advantages over Hydrogen:
- Easier to obtain
- Easier to store, no pressure vessels required.
- More compact to carry.
- Has more mass, therefore more thrust.
- Safer, non flammable and not stored under pressure. No chance for an explosion.
- Safer, wont leak away if a storage container is holed.
