Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Anti-matter has been moving more and more from theory into a working technology. The video below shows a physicist who specializes in anti-matter describe a pebble of anti-matter as having the equivalent of 10million liters of Liquid Natural Gas (go to 5:28).
So would you guys see this as a feasible replacement for nuclear energy? or even, for rocket travel as the guy is describing, or is it still much a theory.
The problem in trying to speculate about things like this, is that, we the public, do not have access to all the data, We can only base opinions on the data we are privy to (anything that is not top secret or classified), With regards to anti-matter Im quite sure there is PLENTY, that is classified and withheld from the public, so its difficult to really discuss, would be like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
Anti-matter has been moving more and more from theory into a working technology. The video below shows a physicist who specializes in anti-matter describe a pebble of anti-matter as having the equivalent of 10million liters of Liquid Natural Gas (go to 5:28).
So would you guys see this as a feasible replacement for nuclear energy? or even, for rocket travel as the guy is describing, or is it still much a theory.
Not at present. The cost of producing even minute amounts of anti-matter make anti-matter propulsion or as a replacement for nuclear energy for power production prohibitive.
Cost
Scientists claim that antimatter is the costliest material to make.[65] In 2006, Gerald Smith estimated $250 million could produce 10 milligrams of positrons[66] (equivalent to $25 billion per gram); in 1999, NASA gave a figure of $62.5 trillion per gram of antihydrogen.[65] This is because production is difficult (only very few antiprotons are produced in reactions in particle accelerators), and because there is higher demand for other uses of particle accelerators. According to CERN, it has cost a few hundred million Swiss francs to produce about 1 billionth of a gram (the amount used so far for particle/antiparticle collisions).[67] In comparison, to produce the first atomic weapon, the cost of the Manhattan Project was estimated at $23 billion with inflation during 2007.[68]
It's too expensive to make and far too dangerous to store in any quantity. Antiprotons might be useful as a trigger for miniature nuclear weapons. A minuscule amount (nanograms) could replace the bulky fission triggers used today.
The problem in trying to speculate about things like this, is that, we the public, do not have access to all the data, We can only base opinions on the data we are privy to (anything that is not top secret or classified), With regards to anti-matter Im quite sure there is PLENTY, that is classified and withheld from the public, so its difficult to really discuss, would be like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
I actually agree. Especially the tech needed to make it cheap and practical. That kind of power could trigger another arms race.
I think that it would be a viable way to pull off interstellar travel, but the price, of it could be solved if scientist lower prices and give priority to the project. Another issue is storage, I suggest that we build a shipyard in space or by another planet, of course this would take time and money and an international efforts. It would be a good investment in the long run though, as a catastrophe would wipe off all humans on earth, we need to expand and not keep our eggs in one basket
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
