Can hydrogen and helium be used as an energy source for spacecraft?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the potential use of hydrogen and helium as energy sources for spacecraft, exploring the feasibility of harvesting these elements from space and the technological requirements for their utilization. The scope includes theoretical considerations and speculative technologies.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks clarification on what can be harvested from space for energy, prompting questions about specific locations in space.
  • Another participant mentions existing spacecraft technologies, such as solar panels and radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), and references a theoretical concept known as the Bussard ramjet.
  • Some participants propose that hydrogen and helium are abundant in the universe, constituting over 80% of all atoms, but note that they are sparsely distributed in interstellar space.
  • Concerns are raised about the practicality of collecting hydrogen and helium effectively due to their thin distribution, and the need for advanced fusion technology to utilize them as a power source is emphasized, suggesting current technology is insufficient.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of using hydrogen and helium as energy sources, with some acknowledging their abundance while others highlight significant technological challenges and limitations in current capabilities. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the practicality of these ideas.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the assumptions about the efficiency of potential fusion technologies or the specific methods for harvesting hydrogen and helium from various space environments.

Marian246
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Hi.

Does anyone advise me what I can get out from space and use it as energy for spacecraft ?

Thank.

By.
 
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Your question is a little unclear. Are you asking what you can harvest from space to use as an energy source for a spacecraft ? If so, then where in space are you asking about? Interplanetary space? Interstellar space? Nebulae? Do you want to know what you can harvest from gas giants, asteroids, comets, etc?
 
Last edited:
Hydrogen and helium, and a lot of it. (It makes over 80% of all atoms in the universe).
 
Isaac0427 said:
Hydrogen and helium, and a lot of it. (It makes over 80% of all atoms in the universe).
It's pretty thinly spread out in interstellar space though, not enough there be able to collect it very effectively.
Even if there was enough, in order to use it as a power source you would need some kind of very efficient but light weight fusion technology,
certainly way beyond any technology we can presently foresee.
 
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