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All known interstellar transportation methods encounter monumentaltechnological or engineering roadblocks, or even rely on speculative unknownscience. In particular light of the recent public excitement and ensuingdisappointment regarding the exotic "EM drive" it is worthwhile to point outthat propellantless space travel is eminently possible based on wellestablished physical principles. Here a new mode of transport is proposed whichrelies on electric-field moderated momentum exchange with the ionized particlesin the interstellar medium. The application of this mechanism faces significantchallenges requiring industrial-scale exploitation of space but thetechnological roadblocks are different than those presented by light sails orparticle beam powered craft, and may be more easily addressed depending on theuncertain march of technology. This mode of space travel is well suited toenergy efficient travel at velocities less than or of order 0.05c and comparesexceptionally well to light sails on an energy expenditure basis. It thereforerepresents an extremely attractive mode of transport for slow (~multi-centurylong) voyages carrying massive payloads to nearby stellar neighbors. This wouldbe useful for missions that would otherwise be too energy intensive to carryout, such as transporting a generation ship or bulk materials for a futurecolony around Alpha Cen A.

Spacecraft With Interstellar Medium Momentum Exchange Reactions: The potential and limitations of propellantless interstellar travel