Hey there! Thanks for tuning with TMC.
It's has been long since I last posted! anyways I am back again with this mind blowing post!
So here's a brief description: ever thought of reaching 1/4 the speed of light? NO, right??! well it might be possible in the near future!
It may sound like a Science Fiction, right? but wait! , don't you think everything we see around us was once a Sci-Fi? The computers , the Internet all those gadgets and the most important of all - ELECTRICITY, which is like the boss of everything.Okay , let's get back to the point.
So, what is PHOTONIC PROPULSION ? The term sounds like a photon driven launching system i.e. a mechanism in which the momentum of photons would be used to drive spaceships and rovers through the sea of space (I will come back to this later) . You might think what the hell am I saying , that's what is , the principle behind such a propulsion system is to reduce the time taken to travel through space and to make the space programs more money efficient. Currently it costs about $10,000 to transport 1kg of anything to LEO( Low Earth Orbit). And around 95% of this cost is of just fuel! , so if we could find a way to eliminate chemical propulsion which requires fuel we could cut down the costs of space missions by a huge amount.
For such a propulsion system we need to build a laser that could is so powerful that it can accelerate a spacecraft attached to a space sail. The laser should be 10 km wide on each side! and it would require a highly productive solar cell that could trigger the light beam. The space-sail too has its own terms and conditions! it says that it will exist only if it is around 1 micron(1/10000 of a millimetre!!) also it should be strong enough to withstand the fast and furious motion of the spacecraft.
So for now that's it, I will get back to this topic again because needs so much discussion! till then tell me what do you think about such a revolutionising idea that could change the way we used to sail through the universe!!
Written By: Aviral Srivastava
Find me on Instagram : avirals_22
email me at : aviralsrivastava12@gmail.com
It's has been long since I last posted! anyways I am back again with this mind blowing post!
So here's a brief description: ever thought of reaching 1/4 the speed of light? NO, right??! well it might be possible in the near future!
It may sound like a Science Fiction, right? but wait! , don't you think everything we see around us was once a Sci-Fi? The computers , the Internet all those gadgets and the most important of all - ELECTRICITY, which is like the boss of everything.Okay , let's get back to the point.
So, what is PHOTONIC PROPULSION ? The term sounds like a photon driven launching system i.e. a mechanism in which the momentum of photons would be used to drive spaceships and rovers through the sea of space (I will come back to this later) . You might think what the hell am I saying , that's what is , the principle behind such a propulsion system is to reduce the time taken to travel through space and to make the space programs more money efficient. Currently it costs about $10,000 to transport 1kg of anything to LEO( Low Earth Orbit). And around 95% of this cost is of just fuel! , so if we could find a way to eliminate chemical propulsion which requires fuel we could cut down the costs of space missions by a huge amount.
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| Artists conception of a laser thruster. |
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| Diagram depicting the working of a laser thruster. |
Written By: Aviral Srivastava
Find me on Instagram : avirals_22
email me at : aviralsrivastava12@gmail.com