Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon
Well, a rocket works by tossing out reaction mass, so that's true, but we're not talking about rocket engines per se. At least, I don't think we are.
For an anti-matter powerplant, the author is more or less correct in postulating that lithium/antilithium would be a more energetic fuel given the greater number of particles composing it relative to hydrogen/antihydrogen and that's what I was unpacking for OP.
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The blog post is quite expressly about rockets, not powerplants, and so is the OP.
It's
not remotely true that that's how reaction mass tanks really work. Real reaction mass tanks have dry mass, and generally require considerably more of it for less dense reaction mass types. (And containing reactive or otherwise touchy substances may have further penalties.) Plus a voluminous tank means you've got to wrap any armor over more area. But it is how Spaceships works.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon
How one would go about representing that more energetic fuel in terms of Spaceships is a different problem.
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It's not a particularly difficult one, but it's got little if any bearing here.