i'm reading some sf where there's this whole solar system economy and part of it involves shipping food between planets and moons. i just want to confirm - this is not remotely plausible right? fuel costs should be way too high?
Conversation
not that fuel is ever discussed at all, this is soft space opera stuff we're talking about, but it's still jarring whenever it comes up and the food isn't a luxury item
Replying to
If propulsion technology can be advanced and made cheaper, then the cost wouldn't obviously be an issue.
For example: If we had electro-magnetic propulsion that can accelerate more than chemical propulsion, then it wouldn't be an issue.
1
Replying to
sooo out of my range here but I always thought a magnetic kinetic type of energy
1
Replying to
Moon to planet sounds more feasible since launch costs would be lower to get off of a moon. Infrastructure like space tethers could alleviate some of the fuel requirements - just get cargo into orbit and yeet it to the destination.
2
Replying to
I know you’ve never gone hungry a day in your life, but food is a prerequisite for economic activity of any kind
If you can’t get basic rations to a place, humans can’t produce anything there
Any sort of interplanetary economy in our solar system will require a food network
1
Because of this, food can’t be a luxury, because if it isn’t affordable demand will just be 0
GOOD food can be a luxury, basic edible slop that’s adequate for survival can’t be