Somewhat less snarkily, ion engine designs -- no matter what you've seen in Star Wars -- are incredibly useful and are currently in use in space
applications. But the problem is this: they are incredibly fuel-efficient, making them ideal for long-term use in space; they do not produce much actual
thrust, making them useless for anything other than zero-g environments.
To put it in perspective, the average ion drive thrust is roughly comparable to the weight of a sheet of paper lying on your hand. In zero-g, this is useful
-- if slow -- as a method of maintaining orbit or altering trajectory. Not so much at the bottom of a gravity well.
Edit: personally, I think we should be concentrating on space elevators.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
applications. But the problem is this: they are incredibly fuel-efficient, making them ideal for long-term use in space; they do not produce much actual
thrust, making them useless for anything other than zero-g environments.
To put it in perspective, the average ion drive thrust is roughly comparable to the weight of a sheet of paper lying on your hand. In zero-g, this is useful
-- if slow -- as a method of maintaining orbit or altering trajectory. Not so much at the bottom of a gravity well.
Edit: personally, I think we should be concentrating on space elevators.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs