Pontryagin's maximum principle is applied to relativistic rocket equations of motion to determine characteristics of minimum time and fuel interstellar trajectories with acceleration-limited rockets; number of rocket types are examined for possible application to interstellar travel based on assumed flight time and mass ratio limitations; ideal photon rocket is capable of traveling large interstellar distances on these minimum time and minimum fuel trajectories; rockets using ideal nuclear fusion or fission as power sources appear to be capable of traveling only to nearest stars on minimum fuel trajectories. (40070)
Optimal interstellar trajectories with acceleration-limited relativistic rockets
J Astronaut Sci
Journal of the Astonautical Sciences ; 15 , n 6 ; p 313-318
1968
6 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
© Metadata Copyright Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.
Antimatter rockets and interstellar propulsion
AIAA | 1993
|Closed-Form Thrust Acceleration for Optimal Power-Limited Trajectories
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1996
|Optimization of relativistic antimatter rockets
AIAA | 1983
|