I wonder if there is any estimate, no matter how rough it may be, of the friction between interstellar dust and the projectile?
Asked
Active
Viewed 182 times
3
-
1Why just dust? At the speeds where friction becomes relevant you also need to account for interstellar gas, and at highly relativistic speeds even the momentum of the photons has an effect. – PM 2Ring Sep 17 '22 at 21:07
-
1different but related: If a spacecraft travels at 10% c will it be destroyed by interstellar dust and particles? – uhoh Sep 18 '22 at 22:05
1 Answers
5
At sufficiently high speeds, which you will need for an interstellar spacecraft, particles will just crash into the cross section and transfer all of their momentum.
$$F_{drag} = v^2 \rho A$$
Where $v$ is the velocity relative to the medium, $\rho$ is the density of the interstellar medium, and $A$ is the cross section area of the spacecraft.
SE - stop firing the good guys
- 43,384
- 3
- 143
- 244
-
1See further calculations and comments in answer(s) to If a spacecraft travels at 10% c will it be destroyed by interstellar dust and particles? – uhoh Sep 18 '22 at 22:04