Astronomy question.... please help?

[Anthony A]

The amount of energy that would be needed to accelerate a large spaceship to half the speed of light is

A)about 100 as much energy as is needed to launch the Space Shuttle.

B)more than 2,000 times the current world annual energy consumption

C) more than the amount of energy released by a supernova

[rhainor]

To get a specific answer, you'd need to know the exact mass of the ship, but offhand, I'd say "B" is the closest.

I'm no astrophysicist though, so I may be way off. I know it'd take a hell of a lot of energy.

[Michael Steen]

Yes, I'd agree that B is the closest. A is woefully woefully underpowered.
Good question, though. So many people think that getting to the speed of light is just a matter of "going faster." But at relativistic speeds the mass of the ship increases, and then you need a lot more fuel, which adds more mass, which means you need more fuel, which adds more mass . . .