How big would a fusion reactor need to be to produce a constant triple digit terawattage?

And how much fuel would you need to carry? I'm trying to determine what kind of engine you'd need to accelerate a good-size spacecraft (thousands to millions of tons) at a constant 1g in a race across the solar system, and what kind of weight-to-fuel ratio you'd end up with (as well as what ratio would be ideal). Obviously fusion rockets are currently the most plausible and efficient method of propulsion we have in "harder" science fiction (aside from nuclear propulsion and lasers), so I need to know what kind of reactor you'd need to be packing to push a racing vessel equipped with crew, shielding and weapons down the cosmic cul-de-sac, so to speak.

I'd really appreciate it if anyone could tell me how to solve for this problem, because I do need to apply it to other constant rates of thrust (most of the racers are altered transhumans who can handle abnormal g-loads and one aptly-named "Machinehead" has cut himself down to a cybernetically-augmented head in a jar of suspension fluid in order to push the smallest possible craft at a constant 43gs).

posted almost 8 years ago

Z.Schroeder‭

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