To be completely honest, having a jetpack in my scifi series, never crossed my mind. But now if they spontaneously show up somewhere, I'll blame you (JK) 😉🚀🚀
Okay, I did some thought experiments on this with the help of Google Gemini. A jetpack powered with antimatter fuel would be good for approximately 200,000 years without refuelling of continuous motion at 200 km per hour. An alternative strategy is to fill the atmosphere with little globules of peroxide fuel which the jet pack could gather in motion. This would require the jetpack to catch and capture 173 kg of such capsules per hour of flight or roughly 3 kg a minute. The final option I considered was to supply the necessary 30 kW of power to the jetpack by means of a microwave beam trekking the jet pack from a balloon tethered at 5000 m say. This carries some risks, notably that anything straying into the beam such as an aeroplane or human would have its electronics fried or its eyesight destroyed. However, Gemini assures me that real, sensible engineers are doing studies on this at this very moment. Although to save embarrassment, they don't refer to jetpacks, but instead use a respectable three-letter acronym!
I remember jet packs at fairs when I was a kid in the 1960's. The show lasted about a minute while the guy jetted up into the sky and landing before he ran out of fuel. Fortunately, they never went "splat".
The jet pack is like the Jetson's cars. Not reality in any way. In some cases maybe we're asking the wrong question or chasing the wrong technology. Personal quadcopters will soon be here.
I like your reference to Star Trek. It's amazing how much of the original Star Trek is true today.
"It reminds me of what Louis Armstrong, famous jazz musician, said when asked about his fear of flying. “Say you in a car or a boat, and the motor quits. Well, there you is. Say you in an airplane, and the motor quits. Well, there you ain’t!”"
Leave it to Satchmo to put it in the most logical terms. People afraid of flying and people afraid of potentially dying if a motor quits are the main reason why we do not yet have either jetpacks or flying cars.
To be completely honest, having a jetpack in my scifi series, never crossed my mind. But now if they spontaneously show up somewhere, I'll blame you (JK) 😉🚀🚀
Okay, I did some thought experiments on this with the help of Google Gemini. A jetpack powered with antimatter fuel would be good for approximately 200,000 years without refuelling of continuous motion at 200 km per hour. An alternative strategy is to fill the atmosphere with little globules of peroxide fuel which the jet pack could gather in motion. This would require the jetpack to catch and capture 173 kg of such capsules per hour of flight or roughly 3 kg a minute. The final option I considered was to supply the necessary 30 kW of power to the jetpack by means of a microwave beam trekking the jet pack from a balloon tethered at 5000 m say. This carries some risks, notably that anything straying into the beam such as an aeroplane or human would have its electronics fried or its eyesight destroyed. However, Gemini assures me that real, sensible engineers are doing studies on this at this very moment. Although to save embarrassment, they don't refer to jetpacks, but instead use a respectable three-letter acronym!
When will your venture be going IPO?
More likely to go BOM! than IPO I think
Wow. Brainstorming, barnstorming, A twofer. You are doing (or at least at the drawing board) doing the Lord's work. Huzzah!
Just be careful you don't run afoul of the EPA, FAA, U.S. DOT, NHTSA, TSA, FAMS, DHS, USSF or your HOA.
I remember jet packs at fairs when I was a kid in the 1960's. The show lasted about a minute while the guy jetted up into the sky and landing before he ran out of fuel. Fortunately, they never went "splat".
The jet pack is like the Jetson's cars. Not reality in any way. In some cases maybe we're asking the wrong question or chasing the wrong technology. Personal quadcopters will soon be here.
I like your reference to Star Trek. It's amazing how much of the original Star Trek is true today.
Thanks for posing an entertaining question.
"It reminds me of what Louis Armstrong, famous jazz musician, said when asked about his fear of flying. “Say you in a car or a boat, and the motor quits. Well, there you is. Say you in an airplane, and the motor quits. Well, there you ain’t!”"
Leave it to Satchmo to put it in the most logical terms. People afraid of flying and people afraid of potentially dying if a motor quits are the main reason why we do not yet have either jetpacks or flying cars.
Great reminder that we didn't get here by following the signs. Now, seriously...I want a jetpack, too!