There are many problems with travel at +99%C.
The background radiation of the universe ahead of you will be extremely blue shifted and extremely dangerous.
Rocks and asteroids are few and far between, the bigger and much more frequent issue would be microscopic grains of dust. They will smack with astonishing, vicious energy and will be extremely dangerous.
Accelerating to that speed is extremely difficult. Even harnessing large nuclear explosives to propel a craft might be good for less than 0.1C. Even antimatter, unless used extremely efficiently won't do it. There is a concept called a Bussard Interstellar ramjet, and it actually gets more efficient the faster it goes, but it is extremely difficult imagining how to build one, let alone piloting it around the galaxy.
The Space Shuttle accelerated for 2-3 Gs for ~8 minutes just to reach 17000 MPH, to reach a high percent of C requires acceleration of 1 G for a year, or 2 Gs for 6 months, or 3 Gs for 4 months, it is difficult to even imagine getting up to those speeds, and then recall you also have to take fuel to decelerate at your craft at the destination.
You're better contemplating large multi-generational ships in the 0.05C range. Then large nukes can work, and actually work well. Preliminary designs and concepts were worked out in the 60's. If you're willing to spend ~400 years building it, a multi-generational craft capable of taking 50,000 people and the materials to provision a viable colony is possible. Refueling and refurbishing (or duplicating) the craft at the destination would take some centuries, and then one or more colonizing attempts could be made, assuming the first destination was well chosen.
That technology could be used to explore and colonize our galaxy in a couple or few million years.
The background radiation of the universe ahead of you will be extremely blue shifted and extremely dangerous.
Rocks and asteroids are few and far between, the bigger and much more frequent issue would be microscopic grains of dust. They will smack with astonishing, vicious energy and will be extremely dangerous.
Accelerating to that speed is extremely difficult. Even harnessing large nuclear explosives to propel a craft might be good for less than 0.1C. Even antimatter, unless used extremely efficiently won't do it. There is a concept called a Bussard Interstellar ramjet, and it actually gets more efficient the faster it goes, but it is extremely difficult imagining how to build one, let alone piloting it around the galaxy.
The Space Shuttle accelerated for 2-3 Gs for ~8 minutes just to reach 17000 MPH, to reach a high percent of C requires acceleration of 1 G for a year, or 2 Gs for 6 months, or 3 Gs for 4 months, it is difficult to even imagine getting up to those speeds, and then recall you also have to take fuel to decelerate at your craft at the destination.
You're better contemplating large multi-generational ships in the 0.05C range. Then large nukes can work, and actually work well. Preliminary designs and concepts were worked out in the 60's. If you're willing to spend ~400 years building it, a multi-generational craft capable of taking 50,000 people and the materials to provision a viable colony is possible. Refueling and refurbishing (or duplicating) the craft at the destination would take some centuries, and then one or more colonizing attempts could be made, assuming the first destination was well chosen.
That technology could be used to explore and colonize our galaxy in a couple or few million years.
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