Space Voyage #1

[Kayra]

Maybe I should apply for the position of resident hot chick. :confused: (slaps Pyrotex)

 

Janus. SMOKIN images my Friend

 

Here comes the rain.

 

As I see it, the problem is how to get enough reaction mass to propel it. I suspect she is a hefty babe (especially considering the massive shield and shock absorber system that a pulsed nuclear propulsion system will demand), so the required amount of energy to get her to .1 G is going to be considerable. even without fuel, this lady is gonna be a brute.

 

I doubt we could contain the explosions from a pulsed nuclear engine. The resulting explosions would have to occur outside the rear of the ship, allowing us to harvest 50% (at most) of the energy for propulsion, and likely much much less. With that in mind, there would be no plasma to contain and draw power from.

 

Lasers require MASSIVE power to initiate fission or fusion. Unless you are receiving your energy from outside the ship, I suspect it would be difficult to power them sufficiently to achieve fission or fusion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inertial_confinement_fusion

 

In order to have enough mass for propulsion, we will either have to propel a LOT of mass at high velocity, or propel a small amount of mass at damn near light speed. The energy required to propel a large mass at a good percent of light speed would easily generate heat that would exceed any known or theoretical substance, and so the explosions have to occur in space behind the ship.

 

Nuclear waste is useless to us, except perhaps as reaction mass. The only nuclear fuel that will work for us is the good stuff. (U235 or plutonium). The rest might as well be water, sewage, liquid hydrogen, or anything else that we can throw out the back and heat up.

 

The efficiency at which we convert matter to energy is really insignificant for our purposes. Sufficient nuclear fuel is not the issue, sufficient reaction mass for all of that released energy to heat up is. Causing a nuclear explosion behind the ship will cause a smallish push, and a MASSIVE load of radiation. if you can not soak up that energy, convert it to heat, apply the heat to a mass, and expel it in the opposite direction you want to go in, than all you have is a relatively slow moving nuclear powered torch. The heat would be so great, that no known material would be able to withstand it. this would force us to move the explosions farther away from the ship, with would drastically reduce the efficiency, and increase the amount of propulsion mass required.

 

The energy from The Hiroshima bomb heated up atmosphere, earth, and people to cause the hell storm we are now so familiar with. Without something to heat up, a nuclear explosion is quite useless for propulsion.

 

The entire propulsion system is incredibly chaotic. A sustained series of nuclear explosions directly behind the ship will have a wear and tear that will have to be factored into the mix. How do you repair an engine should something fall off or break? It is massively radioactive, massively massive, and incredibly hot.

 

 

 

WHEW!!!

Sorry folks, rough day at work.

 

OK, now that I found this thread and exploded on it, I apologize.

 

Changing course is a piece of cake. Use the Gyro effect to make maneuvers. Simply apply thrust to the rotating ring at 90 degrees to the direction you desire to turn in. Timed thrusters on the rings should be able to do it.

 

There are some options that should be considered. Slower in this case is better. Traveling at .1 G is perfectly adequate for our Solar Jaunts. With that in mind, Might i suggest we look at non-nuclear explosion types of propulsion? (this includes fusion, fission, and antimatter explosions).

 

There are a considerable number of options in that case, and if we choose one that can use materials at hand as propulsion mass, so very much the better.

 

I have made some suggestion in the other thread, but here is another for consideration.

 

Laser Ablative propulsion could work nicely for us. Since we are not trying to heat something up to fusion temps, massive laser systems should not be required. It would require considerable power, but once a nuclear power plant is installed, it can run for years. A series of 8 Pebble bed reactors should do nicely.

 

Grab a big chunk of metal, and mount it in front (or in the middle) of the ship. Pulse lasers to ablate some of it, then use the lasers to heat it up to propulsion temps, expelling it out of the rear. It is a plasma, so some power could be leached from it if required. All you require is enough reaction mass to get to your destination. There you pick up a rock, asteroid, whatever. The system is not specific about what is required as a reaction mass, although metals will work exceedingly well. Since we are creating a plasma, the lasers can be protected using methods suggested by Pyrotex.

 

I have to head out, sorry for the long and mostly negative post :estrange:

[TheBigDog]

Wells, the days are passing quickly as we approach our launch. While we are sorting out the propulsion system we need to consider some of the other things we may need onboard the ship.

 

Food is intended to come from our agricultural areas and be self sustained. I would like to think we could do the same with medicine too, but I am not as optimistic. And how about more mudane things that we are accustomed to being disposable, such as toilet paper. How can we make this a renewable resource aboard the ship? How about toothbrushes and floss? Soap? Deodorant? Any ideas in this area? This will be very important for the progression to interstellar missions.

 

Kayra & Boerseun! Welcome aboard the Prophesy!

 

We launch on June 1st for our space trials to the moon. After that we are looking at Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and back again. Perhaps some encounters with comets and asteroids along the way. Research and fun are the orders of the day.

 

Pyro, if you are incharge of rating our hot chicks, and you are settling for androids we may need to move you back to engineering. Some things are best in their natural form. :shrug:

 

Bill (t-22)

[Jay-qu]

Pyro, if you are incharge of rating our hot chicks, and you are settling for androids we may need to move you back to engineering. Some things are best in their natural form. :shrug:

 

and some things can be recreated and improved on - they wouldnt be programmed to talk back for a start :eek2:

 

as for the other stuff.. I have drawn a blank! might just have to stock up - its not like we are going to find any leafy trees on other planets :)

[Racoon]

Wells, the days are passing quickly as we approach our launch. While we are sorting out the propulsion system we need to consider some of the other things we may need onboard the ship.

 

Food is intended to come from our agricultural areas and be self sustained. I would like to think we could do the same with medicine too, but I am not as optimistic

 

Kayra & Boerseun! Welcome aboard the Prophesy!

 

We launch on June 1st for our space trials to the moon.

 

Good thinking BigDog!

What kind of light and irrigation systems are we going to need? :confused:

Oh , thats where I come in...

 

Medicine. We take all we might need. not really that heavy

In a Hermetically sealed vessel, I doubt we'll need too much.

Problem becomes if there needs to be a surgery...

 

Plus Lets bring lots of fishing nets to grab all the things that will be floating around.

 

Diversion is as important as technology. Or we risk sabotage.

I like Pyro's pleasure Android constructions. (like in Serenity)

give me a #12 model :)

 

Don't forget we need to bring all the files of Earthly Wisdom and Accomplishment...(InfiniteNow could start on that)

And gifts for the new Alien Friends we'll be making...

 

Plus cages, test tubes, beakers, lab analysis equipment, furniture, etc...

 

Sorry to have to Max out your Interstellar Cred Card Pyro! :( :naughty:

But Aliens only accept Visa.:)

[GAHD]

For o2 recycling, food, and generic organic recycling having vats of water with GM agae woud be a good option I guess. have a few vats of bacteria for whatever medicine production we need.

[TheFaithfulStone]

There's a definite lack of representation from members of the opposite sex on this vessel...

 

Hasn't been a problem in submarines or prisons.

 

Wait... on second thought... I'm not going until we get a girl.

 

But wait - this is the INTERNET! It's hopeless! Wait, wait, I just got an email from some girl name Candy who wants me to look at her webcam... think she'd be interested in a space voyage?

 

TFS

[Jay-qu]

Wait, wait, I just got an email from some girl name Candy who wants me to look at her webcam...

 

whats wrong with it? is it broken :lol:

[Boerseun]

welcome aboard boerseun, so what will you be contributing to our crew?

Weeeeell... let's see, now:

 

Had a farm a couple 'o years ago, and I farmed tomatoes hydroponically.

Apart from bringing hydroponic farming to the ship, I also dig cooking!

I'll take care of food production and cooking!

 

(I don't wash dishes, though - we'll have to get one of the gratuitous hot chicks to help me with that department...)

[Jay-qu]

(I don't wash dishes, though - we'll have to get one of the gratuitous hot chicks to help me with that department...)

 

done and done :) I will be looking forward to your 'different' cooking :lol: oxtail potjie here I come

[Jay-qu]

its ok I will just invent some dish washing bot :lol:

[Boerseun]

NNOOOOAHH

Now there's a guy nobody listened to, either... And he was also building a ship of sorts...

 

:hyper:

[Jay-qu]

and at least his ship had a male to female ratio of 1:1!

[TheFaithfulStone]

Still looking at that nuclear rocket problem?

 

http://www.npl.washington.edu/AV/altvw56.html

 

Of COURSE, it's Robert Zubrin's idea!

 

Problem solved.

 

TFS

[InfiniteNow]

Hasn't been a problem in submarines or prisons.

 

Wait... on second thought... I'm not going until we get a girl.

 

But wait - this is the INTERNET! It's hopeless! Wait, wait, I just got an email from some girl name Candy who wants me to look at her webcam... think she'd be interested in a space voyage?

 

TFS

Bhwahahahaha.... <breath> hahahahahahaha <ow, my cheeks hurt> hahahahaha...

 

:thumbs_up

[Pyrotex]

Maybe I should apply for the position of resident hot chick. :thumbs_up (slaps Pyrotex)...

Ouch! Faux wench abuse! Faux wench abuse! :eek_big:

 

I don't suppose I will ever live this down, hunh?? :hihi:

[Pyrotex]

Pyro's already the cook, B

You know that too many cooks spoil the broth. :thumbs_up ...

Well, if he wants to cook, let him cook.

Now that I think of it, I might be better placed in Navigation and External Sensors. As long as I can visit the kitchen once in a while and make Little Apple Birdies in Pinot Noir Sauce with lemon steamed asparagus.

PyroNav

[Boerseun]

Excerpt from "Lessons learnt in circumnavigation" by Captain James R. Smith of the East India Company:

 

Lesson #1:

BE NICE TO THE COOK UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES