> I read somewhere (don't remember where) that if a ship constantly accelerates in space, it can reach another star system in a few decades and another galaxy in less than a century.
The problem is, it also has to slow down and stop at the destination. To do that, it would have to take all the deceleration fuel with it, and the amount of fuel needed goes up exponentially with the amount of deceleration required.[1] There’s no known or even theoretical form of propulsion with the specific impulse needed to get us to the next star system in under 600 years.
The problem is, it also has to slow down and stop at the destination. To do that, it would have to take all the deceleration fuel with it, and the amount of fuel needed goes up exponentially with the amount of deceleration required.[1] There’s no known or even theoretical form of propulsion with the specific impulse needed to get us to the next star system in under 600 years.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation