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From: john@x.UUCP (John Woods)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Matter/Antimatter drive
Message-ID: <524@x.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 31-May-85 17:10:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: x.524
Posted: Fri May 31 17:10:20 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Jun-85 20:19:36 EDT
References: <1993@mordor.UUCP>
Organization: Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA
Lines: 32

> From: Anthony J. Courtemanche <AC%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA>
> On the last episode of PBS's Space Flight last night, some futurist
							[ O'Neill, I think ]
> said that in order to make a resonable flight to another star, we
> would need the technology for a matter/anitmatter drive, which I think
> he indicated would be available within the next 100 to 200 years.
> Could someone who understands particle physics please explain what the
> idea is behind a matter/antimatter drive.  Specifically, what does it
> take to make the antimatter and how would one turn the energy from a
> matter/anitmatter explosion into thrust?
> 
To make antimatter, the current technology is to bash high-speed particles
(protons are popular) into a target, which creates "lots" of particle--anti-
particle pairs, some of which are separated by magnets (before they
recombine).  These can be stored (currently) in vacuum chambers with huge
magnets of appropriate configurations (i.e., particle accelerator storage
rings).  SUMMARY -- right now, antimatter is tough to mass produce.

To use antimatter, once you have it (and have it bottled appropriately in
magnetic fields), one idea proposed has been to eject small bits of frozen
anti-hydrogen (relatively easy to make given quantities of anti-electrons
and anti-protons) into a reaction chamber filled with water.  The anti-matter
reacts with matter to form quite a bit of energy, much of which is transferred
to the surrounding water -- which boils instantly, creating pressure that
exits out the nozzle, and voila! a rocket.

The ideas are quite simple.  The engineering may be a tad tough...
-- 
John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (617) 626-1101
...!decvax!frog!john, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw%mit-ccc@MIT-XX.ARPA

"MU" said the Sacred Chao...