High Guard 2e Missing Component Details?

[AnotherDilbert]

Doing the maths - to get the performance of the MgT reaction engines you are pushing out reaction mass at greater than c.

Relativistic momentum:

As the velocity v approaches c, the divisor approaches 0 and the momentum approaches infinity.

 

[phavoc]

The problem is we don't know mass. Traveller fighters are running around with armor factor 15 and collapsed matter armor. Collapsed matter is gonna mass just a wee bit more than say aluminum or some some exotic carbon fiber mix. Reaction thrusters have to deal with mass even more so than fancy science M-drives.

Basically as structures they are rather silly to be able to add that much G output on even multi million ton (mass) ships.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

The problem is we don't know mass.

We can estimate mass with e.g. MT.

Basically as structures they are rather silly to be able to add that much G output on even multi million ton (mass) ships.

Yes, but that decision was made long ago...

 

[Sigtrygg]

Relativistic momentum:

As the velocity v approaches c, the divisor approaches 0 and the momentum approaches infinity.

And the energy required to accelerate the mass also approaches infinity. The problem isn't getting a few particles to near c - we can do that now in the LHC, the problem is to have a steady stream of reaction mass flying out the back of your spacecraft imparting an acceleration on said spacecraft. The LHC makes a lousy spacecraft engine.

The physics of chemically fueled rockets and nuclear rockets are very well understood, MgT reaction drives are way beyond the energies of even fusion torch rockets.

But take fusion fuel, heat it with lasers and confine it with artificial gravity fields with a field strength of the order of the thousands of g required for the grav focussing of lasers, you may just get a very handwavy but setting plausable nuclear pulse drive - each 'pellet or squirt' of fuel produces a nuclear explosion. Now you could be approaching the exhaust velocities needed to get a reaction drive up to the performance of the MgT reaction drive.

At higher TLs damper technology and improved gravitics could make your reaction drive even more efficient.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

And the energy required to accelerate the mass also approaches infinity. The problem isn't getting a few particles to near c - we can do that now in the LHC, the problem is to have a steady stream of reaction mass flying out the back of your spacecraft imparting an acceleration on said spacecraft.

I agree that the energy requirements are very high and that we certainly do not know how to build such reaction drives today, but they are not theoretically impossible.

 

[Reynard]

"I assumed that was to support other franchises from the same basic rules, like Judge Dredd."

They seem to mimic Star Trek, Star Wars, Dune, Babylon 5 and Dr. Who so well.