Photon Rocket - Revision history

Highscore at 05:43, 23 May 2026

2026-05-23T05:43:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:43, 22 May 2026
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	==In Fiction==		==In Fiction==

	'The Land of Crimson Clouds' by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky<ref> https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D1%85_%D1%82%D1%83%D1%87 <br/> "Страна багровых туч" </ref> is set around a prototype photon rocket's mission to Venus. Where nuclear rockets have failed to consistently survive the Venusian environment, due largely to their limited ~~freedom of spare~~ acceleration, the spacecraft Khius is meant to overpower the planet with a hyper-efficient and powerful photon torch.		===The Land of Crimson Clouds===

			'The Land of Crimson Clouds' by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky<ref> https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D1%85_%D1%82%D1%83%D1%87 <br/> "Страна багровых туч" </ref> is set around a prototype photon rocket's mission to Venus. Where nuclear rockets have failed to consistently survive the Venusian environment, due largely to their limited delta-v and acceleration, the spacecraft Khius is meant to overpower the planet with a hyper-efficient and hyper-powerful photon torch.

	Khius uses an 'absolute mirror' of mesa-matter to reflect all forms of emitted radiation away from the craft. Khius possesses five fusion rockets around the primary antimatter photon drive, primarily designed for earth-side landings that don't allow for the photon drive's collateral. During the cross-system flight from Earth to Venus, the craft abuses its excessive freedom of motion to set a speed record, at which point the crew experience anomalous behavior in their equipment, attributed to relativistic distortion.		Khius uses an 'absolute mirror' of mesa-matter to reflect all forms of emitted radiation away from the craft. Khius possesses five fusion rockets around the primary antimatter photon drive, primarily designed for earth-side landings that don't allow for the photon drive's collateral. During the cross-system flight from Earth to Venus, the craft abuses its excessive freedom of motion to set a speed record, at which point the crew experience anomalous behavior in their equipment, attributed to relativistic distortion.

	Previous prototypes had a history of failing mirrors and instant vaporization. Later stories - "Way to Amalthea" and "Probationers" - note the insanity of the prototype's single-layer mirror, which, upon failing at even a single crack or fault, would have vaporized the entire craft. In "Way to Amalthea", a photon rocket freighter falls into Jupiter. After re-calibration of a partially broken mirror and drive, the captain risks igniting a chain fusion reaction, with a possibility of turning Jupiter into star, in order to escape.		Previous prototypes had a history of failing mirrors and instant vaporization. Later stories - "Way to Amalthea" and "Probationers" - note the insanity of the prototype's single-layer mirror, which, upon failing at even a single crack or fault, would have vaporized the entire craft. In "Way to Amalthea", a photon rocket freighter falls into Jupiter. After re-calibration of a partially broken mirror and drive, the captain risks igniting a chain fusion reaction, with a possibility of turning Jupiter into star, in order to escape.

			===Project Hail Mary===

			'Project Hail Mary' by Andy Weir <ref> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Hail_Mary <br/> "Project Hail Mary" </ref> sprinkles in a healthy dose of handwavium to allow for a photon drive that doesn't rely on antimatter - healthy, because the setting relies on this one consistent piece of handwavium, and follows its rules with admirable strictness. The handwavium/photon torch in question is a species of bacteria - 'Astrophage' - that is capable of converting sunlight into neutrinos, and then back into light. That last part is critical - Astrophage converts its onboard neutrino supply into light, to act as a one-bacteria photon rocket in service of its planet-star life cycle. The technological application of this is simple - grow a bunch of Astrophage, stuff it into fuel tanks, and then selectively trigger their migratory instinct in an 'engine' to generate controlled thrust.

			If antimatter storage is plausible, then Astrophage as described is fantasy - a method for photon-neutrino-photon conversion, no less as a bio-chemical mechanism, is unknown.


	==References==		==References==

	[[Category:Transportation & Infrastructure‏‎]][[Category:Transportation]][[Category:Propulsion]]		[[Category:Transportation & Infrastructure‏‎]][[Category:Transportation]][[Category:Propulsion]]

Tshhmon at 21:47, 23 April 2024

2024-04-23T21:47:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:47, 23 April 2024
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	==References==		==References==

	[[Category:~~Spacecraft~~ & Infrastructure‏‎]]		[[Category:Transportation & Infrastructure‏‎]][[Category:Transportation]][[Category:Propulsion]]

Lwcamp at 19:16, 26 August 2022

2022-08-26T19:16:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:16, 26 August 2022
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	==References==		==References==

			[[Category:Spacecraft & Infrastructure‏‎]]

Tshhmon at 21:51, 15 January 2022

2022-01-15T21:51:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:51, 15 January 2022
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	{{PlausibleBanner}}		{{PlausibleBanner}}

	This is it - the be-all and end-all of reaction drives. No other drive competes with a photon rocket's metrics of output, efficiency, and complexity. Effectively a flashlight of sufficient power to generate practical thrust, the photon rocket is of the same species as chemical and nuclear rockets, but evolved beyond either. Instead of chemical bonds or nuclear fusion and fission, a photon rocket uses one-to-one antimatter-matter annihilation to convert the fuel's mass into radiation. Directed in a single direction, this light is sufficient to create thrust.		This is it - the be-all and end-all of reaction drives. No other drive competes with a photon rocket's metrics of output, efficiency, and complexity. Effectively a flashlight of sufficient power to generate practical thrust, the photon rocket is of the same species as chemical and nuclear rockets, but evolved beyond either. Instead of chemical bonds or nuclear fusion and fission, a photon rocket uses one-to-one antimatter-matter annihilation to convert the fuel's mass into radiation. Directed in a single direction, this light is sufficient to create thrust.

Tshhmon at 21:51, 15 January 2022

2022-01-15T21:51:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:51, 15 January 2022
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			{{PlausibleBanner}}

	This is it - the be-all and end-all of reaction drives. No other drive competes with a photon rocket's metrics of output, efficiency, and complexity. Effectively a flashlight of sufficient power to generate practical thrust, the photon rocket is of the same species as chemical and nuclear rockets, but evolved beyond either. Instead of chemical bonds or nuclear fusion and fission, a photon rocket uses one-to-one antimatter-matter annihilation to convert the fuel's mass into radiation. Directed in a single direction, this light is sufficient to create thrust.		This is it - the be-all and end-all of reaction drives. No other drive competes with a photon rocket's metrics of output, efficiency, and complexity. Effectively a flashlight of sufficient power to generate practical thrust, the photon rocket is of the same species as chemical and nuclear rockets, but evolved beyond either. Instead of chemical bonds or nuclear fusion and fission, a photon rocket uses one-to-one antimatter-matter annihilation to convert the fuel's mass into radiation. Directed in a single direction, this light is sufficient to create thrust.

Highscore at 20:06, 16 October 2021

2021-10-16T20:06:29Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:06, 16 October 2021
Line 1:		Line 1:
	This is it - the be-all and end-all of reaction drives. No other drive competes with a photon rocket's metrics of output, efficiency, and complexity. Effectively a flashlight of sufficient power to generate practical thrust, the photon rocket is of the same species as chemical and nuclear rockets, but evolved beyond either. Instead of chemical bonds or nuclear fusion and fission, a photon rocket uses one-to-one antimatter-matter annihilation to convert the fuel's mass into radiation. Directed in a single direction, this light is sufficient to create thrust.		This is it - the be-all and end-all of reaction drives. No other drive competes with a photon rocket's metrics of output, efficiency, and complexity. Effectively a flashlight of sufficient power to generate practical thrust, the photon rocket is of the same species as chemical and nuclear rockets, but evolved beyond either. Instead of chemical bonds or nuclear fusion and fission, a photon rocket uses one-to-one antimatter-matter annihilation to convert the fuel's mass into radiation. Directed in a single direction, this light is sufficient to create thrust.

	The rule for any torch drive is - "Don't point this at planets and other friendly objects." For photon rockets, the rule ~~is - "DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES POINT THIS AT ANYTHING THAT SHOULD NOT BE PLASMA!"~~		The rule for any torch drive is - "Don't point this at planets and other friendly objects." For photon rockets, the rule the same, but in all capitals.

	==Introduction==		==Introduction==

Highscore at 20:00, 16 October 2021

2021-10-16T20:00:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:00, 16 October 2021
Line 1:		Line 1:
	This is it - the be-all and end-all of reaction drives. No other drive competes with a photon rocket's metrics of output, efficiency, and complexity. Effectively a flashlight of sufficient power to generate practical thrust, the photon rocket is of the same species as chemical and nuclear rockets, but evolved beyond either. Instead of chemical bonds or nuclear fusion and fission, a photon rocket uses one-to-one antimatter-matter annihilation to convert the fuel's mass into radiation. Directed in a single direction, this light is sufficient to create thrust.		This is it - the be-all and end-all of reaction drives. No other drive competes with a photon rocket's metrics of output, efficiency, and complexity. Effectively a flashlight of sufficient power to generate practical thrust, the photon rocket is of the same species as chemical and nuclear rockets, but evolved beyond either. Instead of chemical bonds or nuclear fusion and fission, a photon rocket uses one-to-one antimatter-matter annihilation to convert the fuel's mass into radiation. Directed in a single direction, this light is sufficient to create thrust.

			The rule for any torch drive is - "Don't point this at planets and other friendly objects." For photon rockets, the rule is - "DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES POINT THIS AT ANYTHING THAT SHOULD NOT BE PLASMA!"

	==Introduction==		==Introduction==

Highscore: Added "In Ficiton" section.

2021-10-16T19:26:29Z

Added "In Ficiton" section.

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:26, 16 October 2021
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	An antimatter rocket as we know it would never be used in an atmosphere. Not because of our unwillingness to irradiate continents, but because excess of gasses in such an environment would tend to flood reaction chambers and risk annihilation with the antimatter at inopportune times.		An antimatter rocket as we know it would never be used in an atmosphere. Not because of our unwillingness to irradiate continents, but because excess of gasses in such an environment would tend to flood reaction chambers and risk annihilation with the antimatter at inopportune times.

			==In Fiction==

			'The Land of Crimson Clouds' by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky<ref> https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D1%85_%D1%82%D1%83%D1%87 <br/> "Страна багровых туч" </ref> is set around a prototype photon rocket's mission to Venus. Where nuclear rockets have failed to consistently survive the Venusian environment, due largely to their limited freedom of spare acceleration, the spacecraft Khius is meant to overpower the planet with a hyper-efficient and powerful photon torch.

			Khius uses an 'absolute mirror' of mesa-matter to reflect all forms of emitted radiation away from the craft. Khius possesses five fusion rockets around the primary antimatter photon drive, primarily designed for earth-side landings that don't allow for the photon drive's collateral. During the cross-system flight from Earth to Venus, the craft abuses its excessive freedom of motion to set a speed record, at which point the crew experience anomalous behavior in their equipment, attributed to relativistic distortion.

			Previous prototypes had a history of failing mirrors and instant vaporization. Later stories - "Way to Amalthea" and "Probationers" - note the insanity of the prototype's single-layer mirror, which, upon failing at even a single crack or fault, would have vaporized the entire craft. In "Way to Amalthea", a photon rocket freighter falls into Jupiter. After re-calibration of a partially broken mirror and drive, the captain risks igniting a chain fusion reaction, with a possibility of turning Jupiter into star, in order to escape.

	==References==		==References==

Highscore at 21:13, 9 October 2021

2021-10-09T21:13:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:13, 9 October 2021
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	===Performance / Capabilities / Applications===		===Performance / Capabilities / Applications===

			An antimatter rocket as we know it would never be used in an atmosphere. Not because of our unwillingness to irradiate continents, but because excess of gasses in such an environment would tend to flood reaction chambers and risk annihilation with the antimatter at inopportune times.

	==References==		==References==

Highscore at 05:53, 6 October 2021

2021-10-06T05:53:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:53, 5 October 2021
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	===Reflection and Direction===		===Reflection and Direction===



	===Storage===		===Storage===

			By its nature, antimatter containment is unlike any other form of storage imaginable. The fuel tank itself cannot be allowed to touch the fuel it stores. Air, loose particles, evaporation and unfortunate dust coming into contact with the fuel would cause the same reaction as is meant to be within the engine's focus - annihilation. If your vessel is meant to have significant acceleration or withstand sizable impacts, your antimatter containment needs to reflect that with a huge margin of error.

			Perfect vacuum, near-zero-kelvin temperature and acceleration resistance are a must.

			The primary theorized means of antimatter storage is based around electromagnetic levitation. For this, the antimatter in question has to be both paramagnetic, and cold enough not to evaporate too much.

			That's where hydrogen ice comes in. Hydrogen has a melting point of 14.01 Kelvin. You've probably met more people named Kelvin than the degrees required to keep hydrogen solid. However the act of electromagnetic levitation injects energies into the frozen anti-hydrogen, while the only way of cooling it remains black-body radiation. Levitating your anti-hydrogen will cause it to heat up and melt or evaporate, becoming non-paramagnetic and escaping containment.

			A possible solution is keeping pellets of anti-hydrogen ice wrapped in a thin later of anti-lithium, preventing evaporation and sublimation.<ref> https://nets2021.ornl.gov/wp-content/uploads/gravity_forms/12-b63a96649a525ab5aa39d607840d9d9f/2021/04/jackson_exoplanet_202104261.pdf <br/> "Antimatter-Based Propulsion for Exoplanet Exploration" by Dr. Gerald P. Jackson </ref>

	===Performance / Capabilities / Applications===		===Performance / Capabilities / Applications===

	==References==		==References==