--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's easy to reckon that the oomph to…" description: "\"It's easy to reckon that the oomph to hurl even a Smart Car-size spacecraft to another star at, say, 20 percent the speed of light (and land it when it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/seth-shostak-2047_another_it-s-easy-to-reckon-that-the-oomph-to-hu_2315553.png" --- # It's easy to reckon that the oomph to hurl even a Smart… ![“It's easy to reckon that the oomph to hurl even a Smart Car-size spacecraft to another star at, say, 20 percent the speed of light (and land it when it arrives) is the energy contained in 50 billion gallons of gasoline. The tank's not big enough.” quote by Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/seth-shostak-2047_another_it-s-easy-to-reckon-that-the-oomph-to-hu_2315553.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/seth-shostak-2047_another_it-s-easy-to-reckon-that-the-oomph-to-hu_2315553.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/seth-shostak-2047_another_it-s-easy-to-reckon-that-the-oomph-to-hu_2315553.png) > “It's easy to reckon that the oomph to hurl even a Smart Car-size spacecraft to another star at, say, 20 percent the speed of light (and land it when it arrives) is the energy contained in 50 billion gallons of gasoline. The tank's not big enough.” [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Propelling a spacecraft to 20% light speed needs far more energy than 50 billion gallons of gasoline can provide. **In simple terms:** Space travel at high speed requires massive energy beyond gasoline. Key Takeaway Explore alternative energy sources for interstellar travel. Themes science energy space exploration Mood inquisitive hopeful Type scientific speculative When to use this quote - spacecraft design - fuel research - budget planning - public outreach Key Concepts energy density propulsion limits interstellar travel Questions to Reflect On - What breakthroughs could make high‑speed travel feasible? - How can we realistically fund massive energy projects? A Different Perspective Current technology is insufficient for such missions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another/) [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Big enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-enough/) [Billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billion/) [Contained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contained/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Contained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-contained-2642947/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Gallons Gasoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gallons-gasoline-5516444/) [Gasoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gasoline/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent/) [Reckon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reckon/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Size Spacecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/size-spacecraft-5516445/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Spacecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spacecraft/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Speed of light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed-of-light/) [Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star/) [Tank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tank/) ## Related quotes > [I am trying to awake the energy contained in the air. 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