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In this formula Ve is the velocity of the ions exhausting from the ion drive. What if Ve=C?
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You mean what happens if you accelerate an ion to 1.00C?
Well, I'll save you the trouble: You can't. The laws of relativity forbid particles with rest mass to ever reach the speed of light, plus it demands that the amount of energy needed to aproach this speed grows geometrically.
[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]
[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]
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ok 99.0 C. Ve = 99.0 C
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We've been over this before in the accelerator thread Errorist, you can push a useful amount of ions up to this speed, but because speed requires an exponential increase in energy, and relativity causes an exponential increase in mass, then the energy required to make such an engine work will be greater then all the electricity made in the United States. The power plant for such an engine would be so huge that your rocket would be too heavy to get anywhere, and its cost would be beyond the dreams of averace.
[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]
[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]
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