Question by Paulita: Could laser propulsion or microwave propulsion be the next big thing like the combustion engine?
When the technology gets better could laser propulsion or microwave propulsion be the next big thing like the combustion engine ?
Quote I’m saying it is energy problem why laser propulsion and microwave propulsion is scfi and no one is working on it. How does a craft hold that much energy? Well I guess craft could burn a fuel and use that to to heat up the laser or microwave . Quote
What is he saying? What are the engineering problems making this scfi .
May be in 50 years from now or 100 years from now when the technology gets better NASA will be using laser propulsion or microwave propulsion .
Best answer:
Answer by Starrysky
You should realize that those ideas incorporate an external power source–lasers or microwave antennas on a fixed location like the Moon or an asteroid. Beams from them would hit a space vehicle and propel it out from the solar system.
Ion discharge engines offer good efficiency for the fuel on board. But thrust level is low, so the duration of the firing must be very long.
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