Re:Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas: What We Know Now
by pandemic_region on Monday July 28, 2025 @05:51PM
(#44716136)
The comet having virtually unlimited fuel would be of great help.
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Re:Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas: What We Know Now
by danparsonson on Monday July 28, 2025 @07:19PM
(#44716968)
No it wouldn't because once you've matched speed with it, you stop accelerating and therefore need no more fuel. The comet isn't doing anything except following gravity.
Re:Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas: What We Know Now
by grues-dinner on Tuesday July 29, 2025 @03:47AM
(#44720329)
The comet probably doesn't have a great amount of fuel. Even if it's all ice, how are you going to split the water? Only if you have a fusion reactor that can do H-H fusion, or you can scrape enough dueterium out of it, can you use that. You will find no tritium as it has a short half life, and He-3 won't be implanted by solar wind in interstellar space, so if you need that, you have to bring it or breed it somehow.
It does have a great amount of mass, so if you you could rendezvous and start taking it apart and using it as extra reaction mass. That would allow you to essentially get a free reaction mass "refill". You will still need a lot (a lot) of power, and solar will be near zero.