Antimatter is the most potent fuel source
known to humanity.
And it could be the secret
to faster-than-light space travel.
Every particle of matter
created in the Big Bang
has an equal and opposite particle
of antimatter.
Uh, theoretically.
These antimatter particles
have the same mass and lifetime
as the regular matter particles.
Only they have a different electric charge.
And if antimatter
ever came in contact with regular matter,
there would be a big boom.
The particles would annihilate each other.
And this would produce energy.
Lots of it.
This destruction of particles
could be about 10 billion times
more powerful than chemical combustion.
Or around 1,000 times more powerful
than nuclear fission.
For a trip to Mars,
you’d only need an amount of antimatter
equal to about one one-thousandth
of an M&M.
So let’s grab some and hit the road.
But wait, where is it?
Imagine you were aiming
for the closest star system,
Alpha Centauri.
With current chemical-based fuels,
that trip would take you
about 30,000 years.
Using a rocket
propelled by antimatter, though,
and you could really crank up the speed.
You could zip through space
at 116 million km/h (72 million mph).
Or, as some promising studies would suggest,
maybe as fast as 72% the speed of light.
That would make
the journey to Alpha Centauri
a mere six years.
Ok, so what are you waiting for?
If matter and antimatter particles
were both created
in our early Universe as a pair,
finding antimatter
should be pretty simple, right?
Well, think again.
Researchers have struggled to find
much antimatter anywhere.
But that doesn’t mean
that producing our own antimatter
would be completely out of the question.
Scientists have observed
antimatter production
in CERN’s particle accelerator experiments
and during thunderstorms.
Even, wait for it,
in one of your favorite fruits.
The energy density of antimatter is so high
that you wouldn’t need very much
in order to harness a lot of power.
One gram (0.04 oz) would be as powerful
as a nuclear bomb.
Except that making this much antimatter
would cost over one quadrillion dollars.
So with a price tag like that,
you shouldn't be surprised to learn
the amount of antimatter
we’ve managed to produce at this point
wouldn’t be enough to boil a cup of water,
let alone get us into space.
And if we did manage
to produce this antimatter,
you’d face another challenge
Ordinary matter and antimatter
need to be separated.
Otherwise, they’d annihilate each other,
remember?
Your spaceship would need to be equipped
with magnetic storage rings
that would be able to keep
the antimatter separate until it’s needed.
Then, you’d be able to redirect
some of the antimatter to produce thrust.
Alternatively, you could base your rocket
on the antiparticles of electrons,
called positrons.
You’d just need to equip your ship
with a source that
continuously emits positrons
as its isotopes decay,
such as krypton.
Once emitted, these positrons are hotter
than the core of the Sun.
But if you could keep them cool
while you extract them,
you’d be onboard one fast ship.
A single loop around Earth
would take just three seconds.
And a trip to Mars
would only take you a couple weeks.
And should you ever run out
of your krypton isotope source,
your backup positron source would be
no further away
than the nearest fruit bowl.
Yeah that’s right.
There's antimatter in bananas.
That's bananas!
Bananas contain small amounts
of potassium-40,
which is a naturally occurring isotope of,
yeah you guessed it, potassium.
As it decays,
it produces one positron
about every 75 minutes.
No matter what source of antimatter
you chose to use,
there would be some significant dangers
to keep an eye out for.
The reaction between
matter and antimatter
would produce enormous amounts
of high-energy gamma radiation.
This would be extremely dangerous
and could damage your DNA.
So you’d need to find a way
to protect yourself
from something that can penetrate
almost anything.
And you’d have to make sure
the antimatter containment
is never breached.
Maybe one or two positrons from a banana
wouldn’t kill you.
But the more reactions that occur,
the more likely your own annihilation
would become.
You wouldn’t want to be
the one responsible
for accidentally detonating
an antimatter bomb
here on Earth, would you?
Well, that’s a story for another WHAT IF.