Near Light Speed Nuclear Space Propulsion Device

[sparks]

my bad.  Forgot the guide is part of what we are trying to accelerate and would run into the bullet.  Question though.  Is space plasma dense enough to use as a propellant?

[fritznien]

my bad.  Forgot the guide is part of what we are trying to accelerate and would run into the bullet.  Question though.  Is space plasma dense enough to use as a propellant?

no worries.
as for space plasma it depends what you mean by propellant and plasma. you could look up
solar sails and magnetic sails. not to mention the sci fi standby the bussard ramjet.
fritznien

[pinobot]

my bad.  Forgot the guide is part of what we are trying to accelerate and would run into the bullet.  Question though.  Is space plasma dense enough to use as a propellant?

Density doesn't matter (pun!), it's all about mass and speed when you expel propellant.

[sparks]

    I was thinking that if space has this low density plasma and your ship intakes this your engine could use this mass as a propellant.  Collect it accelerate it jet it.

[pinobot]

Not so long a ago they discovered they can create particles in a vacuum by using a powerful laser.
http://scienceblog.com/40901/theoretical-breakthrough-generating-matter-and-antimatter-from-the-vacuum/