Plugging in, we get 1/2kg * 7.500.000m^2/s^2 = 28 Terajoules per second, or in other words, 28 TERAwatt.Ĭompare that to the figures given for the power plants and engines in ED. In order to squeeze out the propellant at this velocity, we need to charge it up with the appropriate amount of energy. Now this isn't too grotesque for a far-future SF I guess well within the theoretical capabilities of fusion drives. In order to get 7.5MN of thrust out of 1kg of propellant, we'd have to speed the propellant up to 7.500km/s (2.5%c). Let's say the ship uses 3.6t of fuel per hour (again, KISS), or 1kg/s straight. Disclaimer: I'm a bit rusty with this kind of calculations, but I'll do my best to get the units right and not mix in too many tenfold errors:Īcceleration - for simplicity's sake - 1G = 10m/s^2

the kinetic energy of the exhaust can't be greater than the energy put into them, or we'd be looking at a perpetuum mobile machine of the first kind. This opens not one but several cans of worms:ġ. For that tiny, tiny amount of fusion ash created by those power plants (something like 1-3t/h) to create that kind of thrust that can accelerate (in realspace) a ~1000t-ship at the rates we observe, the drives would have to accelerate these particles to extreme velocities.

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