A Comparison of Interstellar Ships in SciFi

[JimBowie1958]

It also includes some scifi games like Eve online, but it is still interesting IMO

 

[ScienceRocks]

When do you think we're going to build one for real? I am thinking it will take a global approach with 3 or 4 difference space agencies to do it. Agree?

What kind of "engine"/propulsion do you think is the best?

 

[JimBowie1958]

When do you think we're going to build one for real? I am thinking it will take a global approach with 3 or 4 difference space agencies to do it. Agree?

What kind of "engine"/propulsion do you think is the best?

Well, speaking as a total amateur, I think we need to develop our tech in 4 areas:

1. Source of power has to be more efficient. Nano-fusion like LENR or something similar has to be developed, maybe anti-matter engines. We already produce anit-matter but we dont make it in large quantity, so it would seem that we could upscale that if need be and LENR and other forms of nano-fusion do not develop.

2. We need better drives than the ion drives. Something like the massive plasma drives or perhaps the theoretical warp drives that use space-time warp to get a geometric advantage from gravity. The experimental magnetic drives could be used for 'cruising speed' perhaps? By the time the fuel is developed we may have even better options provided by strong AI in a tech singularity scenario.

3. We need to have better ways of quartering the ship crew and settlers, like cryonic storage of some sort, with a robotic maintenance crew that would awaken the passengers. This would seem to suggest the need for strong AI once again.

4. We need to have better 'shielding' to spare the crew from cosmic rays and other deadly forms of radiation that probably sweep the galaxy from any number of nearby quazars and black holes. Maybe a combination of magnetic shielding and armored hull? Read somewhere a while back that such a protective magnetic field would not have to be very strong, but about 100 MeV like the Van Allen Belt.

Question to you; why do most artistic depictions of black holes show them as black? Wouldnt the event horizon cover the entire hole and make it look vividly white and radiant?

 

[ScienceRocks]

I agree I really like your suggestions and anti-matter is a really good choice. If not "cold fusion then fusion may have to do. Black holes can't be seen unless they're feeding on a star or material that falls into them! Of course, we can know they're there based on the motion of the stars and objects around them as they have extremely high gravity. This is how we discovered the one at the center of our milky way

 

[JimBowie1958]

I agree I really like your suggestions and anti-matter is a really good choice. If not "cold fusion then fusion may have to do. Black holes can't be seen unless they're feeding on a star or material that falls into them! Of course, we can know they're there based on the motion of the stars and objects around them as they have extremely high gravity. This is how we discovered the one at the center of our milky way

I thought all black holes had event horizons and those gave off energy and actually spawn matter, sort of a bleed off from the black hole? Wouldnt this be luminant instead of black?

And I think we may have to make do with fission engines for the near future if we truly get serious. Why not breedr reactors and never run out of fuel?

 

[Synthaholic]

They left out the Romulan Scimitar from Star Trek: Nemesis and the Romulan Narada from the Star Trek reboot. Both were huge compared to the Enterprise.

 

[Mr. H.]

Build it, and they will go. To where no transgender cis gender tri-hormonal has gone before.

Space-... the final frontier of the nego-sexes.

 

[Synthaholic]

Build it, and they will go. To where no transgender cis gender tri-hormonal has gone before.

Space-... the final frontier of the nego-sexes.

Who you calling a "nego"?