• Proposed Interstellar Spacecraft
    115 replies, posted
[Thread music: [MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svwqHhTQC5E[/MEDIA] Thanks mercurius for the link. In loving memory of Carl Sagan.] The other day I was reading [URL=http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=889978&highlight=Teleport+Energy]this thread[/URL]. As it turns out, a scientist figured out how to teleport energy. So I thought "Cool, now we can create solar collectors near Mercury's orbit and relay the energy to Earth!". Then I thought that it could also be used for interstellar travel. A trip to Alpha Centauri, for example, would require several hundreds of times the energy used by Earth in a year. It would work like this: Space stations (Unmanned) with huge solar panels are built to orbit the Sun, and their energy is teleported to the spacecraft, which uses the energy to power a laser which is fired at a photon sail. I know, photon sails are shit for interstellar travel, but if you can fire a constant laser they can be quite useful. The ship would have a constant acceleration of 1.5 gravities, or something. At that speed, it would reach relativistic speeds in less than a year. A trip to the core of the Galaxy would take 25 subjective (Ship-time, due to time dilation) years, and you could visit the whole of the observable universe in less than a hundred years. Of course, it will take time until they figure out how to use energy teleportation on a large scale, but when we do that this ship could be easily built in orbit. Here's the mandatory MS Paint explanation: [IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/2vxk5mx.png[/IMG]
Fuck physics, we'll invent something sometime that says a huge ''Fuck you'' to any laws of speed and other bullshit. We'll conquer the galaxy, baby. :smug:
This is less flawed than I expected on reading the thread title. Though tbh it would be more efficient to create a huge fusion plant on mars or something.
[QUOTE=Paravin;20593411]Fuck physics, we'll invent something sometime that says a huge ''Fuck you'' to any laws of speed and other bullshit. We'll conquer the galaxy, baby. :smug:[/QUOTE] Right now the Alcubierre drive and wormholes are still theories. If they turn out to require fucking huge amounts of energy, then we'll have to stick to subluminal spacecraft like an antimatter Valkyrie.
Ok two different things. -snip-
That's not a bad idea, but it wasn't quite talking about transporting electricity, it was all quantum-level stuff. Also, the Oort cloud and Kuiper belt are the names of two specific things in our solar system. Not all asteroid belts and clouds are called that.
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;20593449]Right now the Alcubierre drive and wormholes are still theories. If they turn out to require fucking huge amounts of energy, then we'll have to stick to subluminal spacecraft like an antimatter Valkyrie.[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/stl10.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE=ASmellyOgre;20593518]That's not a bad idea, but it wasn't quite talking about transporting electricity, it was all quantum-level stuff. Also, the Oort cloud and Kuiper belt are the names of two specific things in our solar system. Not all asteroid belts and clouds are called that.[/QUOTE] I'm aware, but if Alpha Centauri has a cloud of coments, we would probably call it "Centaurian Oort Cloud" or something until we come up with something more creative.
Fucking Einstein was a dick, if he hadn't decided to make FTL travel impossible we would be good to go.
How would the photon sail work? Photons hit it and push it a small amount? If that's the case it wouldn't work. You are having lasers on the ship produce the photons, which would push the ship backwards, and then they hit the photon sail and applies the same force in the opposite direction. It would be like moving a boat by throwing a ball from one end to the other. Throwing it would move it backwards, and catching it would stop the boat.
[QUOTE=Fredo;20593899]How would the photon sail work? Photons hit it and push it a small amount? If that's the case it wouldn't work. You are having lasers on the ship produce the photons, which would push the ship backwards, and then they hit the photon sail and applies the same force in the opposite direction. It would be like moving a boat by throwing a ball from one end to the other. Throwing it would move it backwards, and catching it would stop the boat.[/QUOTE] Well, fuck.
[QUOTE=Fredo;20593899]How would the photon sail work? Photons hit it and push it a small amount? If that's the case it wouldn't work. You are having lasers on the ship produce the photons, which would push the ship backwards, and then they hit the photon sail and applies the same force in the opposite direction. It would be like moving a boat by throwing a ball from one end to the other. Throwing it would move it backwards, and catching it would stop the boat.[/QUOTE] The laser won't necessarily push it back.
[QUOTE=ASmellyOgre;20593975]The laser won't necessarily push it back.[/QUOTE] It could, just a bit though. Also: [IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/yi7io.png[/IMG] Add mirrors.
[QUOTE=Fredo;20593899]How would the photon sail work? Photons hit it and push it a small amount? If that's the case it wouldn't work. You are having lasers on the ship produce the photons, which would push the ship backwards, and then they hit the photon sail and applies the same force in the opposite direction. It would be like moving a boat by throwing a ball from one end to the other. Throwing it would move it backwards, and catching it would stop the boat.[/QUOTE] Drop the sail and just start shooting photons backwards?
[QUOTE=Clavus;20594031]Drop the sail and just start shooting photons backwards?[/QUOTE] I think the sail would be more efficient, I should look it up.
I think the currently existing technology of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_thruster]ion thrusters[/url] would be the way to go if we could teleport energy.
[QUOTE=Clavus;20594081]I think the currently existing technology of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_thruster]ion thrusters[/url] would be the way to go if we could teleport energy.[/QUOTE] Probably, if we could perfect the magnetoplasmadynamic thruster.
[QUOTE=Clavus;20594031]Drop the sail and just start shooting photons backwards?[/QUOTE] We already fucking do this and it's way more efficient than any rocket
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;20594145]We already fucking do this and it's way more efficient than any rocket[/QUOTE] Photon sails are not really efficient away from a star.
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;20594023]It could, just a bit though. Also: [IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/yi7io.png[/IMG] Add mirrors.[/QUOTE] What about the laws of motion? well newton laws of motion. A force has an equal and opposite reaction. For example, the photons exiting the laser emitter would push back on the laser whilst also pushing the ship forward. you would get no movement at all. and having mirrors would still not solve this problem as the photons would push against the mirrors. sorry but it wouldn't really work. You could however have a laser mounted on a satellite that would "shoot" at the ships sail from earth. no problems with newton there as the ship itself isn't having to shoot the photons. In theory, given enough time you could possible accelerate a ship to near the speed of light, maybe 80% ? but give it time.
I saw this and thought of Pern
Has anyone heard of a micro black hole motor? This concept could revolutionize space travel. A small black hole emits hawking radiation. the smaller it is the more it emits and more violently. we could (in theory) create a black hole by focusing a very powerful laser at a point and waiting for all the photons to build up until you have a critical mass and BAM, small black hole. (i think anyway) You would then hold it using magnetic field at the focal point of a parabolic mirror. the radiation would be directed away from the ship in a concentrated beam. Using this you could accelerate a ship to near the speed of light in say about ten years. And then reach the nearest stars in about 50. That's within a bloody human lifetime!
[QUOTE=cherry gmod;20594234]What about the laws of motion? well newton laws of motion. A force has an equal and opposite reaction. For example, the photons exiting the laser emitter would push back on the laser whilst also pushing the ship forward. you would get no movement at all. and having mirrors would still not solve this problem as the photons would push against the mirrors. sorry but it wouldn't really work. You could however have a laser mounted on a satellite that would "shoot" at the ships sail from earth. no problems with newton there as the ship itself isn't having to shoot the photons. In theory, given enough time you could possible accelerate a ship to near the speed of light, maybe 80% ? but give it time.[/QUOTE] While I'm sure the lasers (In the first design on the OP) would move the ship backwards, I believe the photon sail would get the job done and push the ship in the right direction. It might not accelerate fast enough but it can get it done.
The laws of physics are only theories, anyway. Theories that might or might not get knocked on their asses by something completely new and currently undiscovered, like the existence of extradimensional planes or some shit like that.
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;20594301]While I'm sure the lasers (In the first design on the OP) would move the ship backwards, I believe the photon sail would get the job done and push the ship in the right direction. It might not accelerate fast enough but it can get it done.[/QUOTE] But you can't create something from nothing. all the momentum in <--- this direction would be transferred into momentum in -----> this direction. Its like the idea of using a fan pointing upwards to make a parachute go up. just doesn't work. [editline]07:42PM[/editline] [QUOTE=ironman17;20594314]The laws of physics are only theories, anyway. Theories that might or might not get knocked on their asses by something completely new and currently undiscovered, like the existence of extradimensional planes or some shit like that.[/QUOTE] but until we can come up with something better they are all we have to work with. and they do seem to work pretty damn well. I mean, we wouldn't have all the technology around us today if it didn't work.
isnt this all an internal system [editline]07:44PM[/editline] internal systems for propulsion don't work
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;20594216]Photon sails are not really efficient away from a star.[/QUOTE] Uhh I was talking about shooting photons out the arse of a spacecraft not a sail [editline]02:54PM[/editline] [QUOTE=ironman17;20594314]The laws of physics are only theories, anyway. Theories that might or might not get knocked on their asses by something completely new and currently undiscovered, like the existence of extradimensional planes or some shit like that.[/QUOTE] Gravity is only a theory so we can prove it wrong and start floating BRILLIANT why not actually think it through before you start to argue a VERY well established theory? You don't even know what a theory is.
lasers shooting ur own sail = putting a fan on a sailboat it don't work sorry about your design
I always believed that by doing something like in the first post and transferring energy from the sun, it would be possible to generate and/or stabilize a wormhole long enough for spacecraft to use it. But then, you would have to be able to control the destination. Black holes and white holes theoretically link for a split second, the black hole sucking in matter and the white hole expelling it. It is not likely that a ship would be able to cross the event horizon though without being ripped apart. I liked the idea of a micro black hole, it would indeed create the energy needed. Most of what I just said was theory though. XD I'm best at biology, not physics.
nasa already figured this out in like the 50s all you do is drop hundreds of nukes out the back of your ship and soak up the explosion
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