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Comment by jp57

I don't have references in front of me, (EDIT: I do!) but IIRC it takes about a kilogram of mass-energy to accelerate a kilogram mass to about 0.85c. But that kilogram would have to be carrying another kilogram of matter/anti-matter fuel to decelerate again. So there is a kind of relativistic Tsiolkovsky equation for mass-energy propulsion vehicles that carry their own fuel.

Zipping around the galaxy at 0.95c, stopping at destinations and then zipping off again will require carrying a lot of antimatter with you.

EDIT: Thanks to Wolfram Alpha I was able to see that it the kinetic energy of 1 kg at 0.87c is very close to the mass energy of 1kg of matter.

parent jp57 1 year ago

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