Assume that 437 days is a reasonable limit for how long a human can endure constant-velocity space

Question:

Assume that 437 days is a reasonable limit for how long a human can endure constant-velocity space travel. Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, is 4. 24 light years away from Earth. If you wanted to fly to Proxima Centauri within the 437-day limit in a rocket of mass \(2.00 \times 10^{6} \mathrm{~kg}\), how much energy would be required to accelerate the rocket to the necessary speed in the Earth reference frame? For this rough estimate, ignore the energy required to stop, and disregard the hundreds of days required at each end of the journey for acceleration.

Compare your answer with \(0.6 \times 10^{21} \mathrm{~J}\), the yearly worldwide energy consumption predicted for 2015 .

Fantastic news! We've Found the answer you've been seeking!

Step by Step Answer:

Related Book For  book-img-for-question
Question Posted: