Simple math. A warship with a mass of 3,500 tons, plus a 500 ton Nuclear Salt Water Reactor engine with an ISP of 67,000 seconds and a thrust of 12.9 Meganewtons (12900000 Newton’s) could reach 0.15% the speed of light with 4000 tons of fuel (and a dry mass of 4000 tons) when traveling on a one-way trip, or 0.075% the speed of light if it decelerated at its target. At 0.075% the speed of light, our ship could travel 30 AU (the distance from Neptune to the Sun) in just 8 months. Said vehicle would be able to thrust at 1.6 m/s^2, or 1/6th Gee with a full tank, and 3 m/s^2 with an empty tank (1/3rd gee).
VEHICLE STATS
MASS: 4000 tons dry. 3500 ton Warship plus 500 ton engine/reactor
MASS WHEN LOADED: 8000 tons. 4000 tons of propellant used.
ENGINE THRUST: 12.9 Meganewtons
ENGINE ISP: 67,000 seconds
VEHICLE DELTA V: 454,000 m/s
VEHICLE TOP SPEED WITH DECELERATION: 227,000 m/s, or 0.075% the speed of light
Delta V calculator
>http://www.strout.net/info/science/delta-v/Warship Mass Estimate (very rough)
>https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom-class_littoral_combat_shipAny advice would be appreciated.
