Interstellar Travel

In “Interstellar”, movie humans travel to different Exo-planets and make a new home for civilization there. A conventional means of fuel is used in the star ship of movie. However, they travel to another star system using a naturally occurring wormhole. Naturally, occurring wormholes are not discovered yet. Scientists are hopeful that we might discover a naturally occurring wormhole in future. Even without a wormhole, there are many interstellar travel concepts which can allow us to travel from one-star system to another.

The fuel used in the journey varies along with the design of the ship. Starships powered by conventional fuel cannot take us outside our solar system. The conventional fuel is not efficient enough to take us to the nearest star but if we could use a different type of fuel, we might be able to reach different star system in human lifespan.

Supposed Theoretical Methods

While conventional methods and fuel can only take us on a journey inside solar system due to its lower speed a more theoretical method can take at high speed.

1. Nuclear pulse propulsion

Nuclear pulse propulsion might be simplest of all method. Humans have already done it on land. In this method, the starship will ride the nuclear explosion. Nuclear warheads are detonated at the bottom of rocket and a special rear mounted pad called “pusher” is used to catch the force of the explosion. The force is then used to propel the rocket forward.

A ship made with this concept can achieve 5% the speed of light

2. Fusion powered rocket

Fusion-powered rockets use fusion-powered engines. It relies on thermonuclear reactions. The fusion reactor would detonate 250 pallets per second, which will create a high-energy plasma. That plasma is redirected by a nuzzle to create thrust which will propel the rocket forward. This concept is fuel-efficient and has the advantage over the conventional source of energy.

It can propel the rocket to nearly 12% the speed of light.

3. Bussard Ramjet

Also known as fusion Ramjet. It is improved fusion rocket and is even more effective than standard fusion rocket. It compresses hydrogen fuel using a magnetic field to the point where fusion occurs. The energy is then directed to nuzzle using a magnetic field. This type of starship accumulate fuel from the interstellar medium “space around it” and dump it in a reactor as fuel. The fuel is scooped using an electromagnetic funnel.

This type of starship can reach 4% the speed of light and can go any ware without stopping for fuel. However, the drawback is that it will slow down as it collides with the dense hydrogen of the interstellar medium. Deuterium and Tritium, which can be used in the reactor, are rare in space while it is plentiful on earth. Whereas using regular hydrogen, which is plentiful in, space cannot be fused with our current technology.

It can achieve nearly 3% the speed of light

4. Solar Sail

The solar sail is considered the most cost-effective way of exploring the space. It is relatively easy and cheap to manufacture. It does not use propellant but rather a radiation from light and stars to push its large thin mirror. However for such interstellar travel to happen it would need to be driven by Lasers and Microwave to propel it forward.

In order for it to work, a laser of enormous power must be constructed and the construction of that laser in itself will present lots of problems as it will need an enormous amount of power and a clear view which means for a more yielding result such laser would be constructed on Moon.

It can reach 20% the speed of light or even more if the diameter of Solar sail is large enough

5. Antimatter engine

Antimatter is the most famous fuel of science fiction. In many movies, it is used as a main source of power for ships. It is a material composed of anti-matter particle meaning it has the same mass but opposite charge. It is the most efficient fuel ever discovered but it is hard to make and is currently considered as the most expensive matter of the world.

In anti-matter, propulsion is generated by interacting matter with anti-matter, which creates energy that energy propel the space crew forward.

The antimatter-powered ship can reach 50% the speed of light.

6. Warp Drive

Warp Drive is the fastest method of interstellar travel. All the other methods have a time dilation problem meaning, as you get closer to the speed of light, time will become slower for you and faster for the people outside starship. In warp drive, space behind the starship is warped and the ship is propelled forward while staying at the same place.