Question

Which of the following best explains why an interstellar ramjet could, in theory, achieve continuous acceleration?

A) It uses fuel that is more efficient than any other known fuel.
B) It collects its fuel as it goes, rather than having to carry the weight of fuel along with it.
C) It takes advantage of theoretically possible loopholes in Einstein's theory of relativity.
D) It has such a large fuel tank that it will essentially never use up all the fuel it carries.
E) Its speed always gets faster because the effects of time dilation change the rate at which time flows

Answer 1

An interstellar ramjet could theoretically achieve continuous acceleration because it collects its fuel from the interstellar medium as it travels, this allows for prolonged propulsion without the weight limitations of carrying all the fuel onboard.

Step-by-step explanation:

The interstellar ramjet concept is predicated on the idea that it could achieve continuous acceleration because it collects its fuel as it goes, rather than having to carry all of the fuel's weight with it from the start (B). By utilizing the interstellar medium as fuel, the spacecraft avoids the enormous weight that would be associated with carrying fuel for the entire journey. This not only reduces mass but also allows for prolonged propulsion as long as there is interstellar material to be collected.

Conventional rockets need to carry all of their fuel from the outset, which makes them heavy and limits how much velocity they can gain. Moreover, since the energy requirements for space travel are exceedingly high, as illustrated by Bernard Oliver's calculations, carrying enough fuel for interstellar travel is impractical with current technology. Therefore, an interstellar ramjet, by continually collecting fuel throughout its journey, could maintain acceleration towards higher velocities without the mass limitations of carrying all of its fuel onboard.