larry03052

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So, some time ago I was speculating about the Alcubierre warp drive concept. Basically, the idea suggests that, while we cannot move an object faster than light, we can move a volume of space faster than light - since space is basically nothing, and "nothing" can travel faster than light. The fact that any atoms hanging around inside this volume also travel faster the light does not signify - they are not doing so in their own reference frame and, as relativity points out, there is no preferred reference frame. I don't doubt my understanding is rough, what I want to use it for is to speculate about what ships might look like built to use this FTL system.

It has a number of interesting ramifications. Firstly, space is not a perfect vacuum - there are one or two hydrogen atoms per cubic centimeter outside of nebulae. This is a very hard vacuum indeed - but if you're clipping through it at several thousand times the speed of light, that one or two atoms per cubic centimeter adds up to quite a breeze. This leads right away to an odd conclusion, your ship has to be streamlined and designed to control the flow of hydrogen around and through it. If it isn't, beyond a certain speed, it will tend to melt from friction. It also suggests they could maneuver using control surfaces - yes, starships really can bank!

These thoughts suggest that the usual depiction of an Alcubierre warp drive - with big, fat annular rings - may not go very fast.  I have tried to design a ship that meets some of these requirements.

It does have a saucer, but that saucer is aerodynamic and designed to carry a centrifuge for gravity. It also has a secondary hull housing the stardrive. The saucer can probably detach and land at destinations. The stardrive could probably land as well, but rather than a helicopter-style point landing, likely it would need a long runway. Where a saucer landing vertically would not require a spaceport (or at least an airport), the stardrive would. Landing is handy since neither component requires servicing in space.

So, the saucer is round (has to be to contain the centrifuge) and aerodynamic. The stardrive is streamlined and built like a jet, with control surfaces, and intakes. It has no "navigational deflector" since you want to scoop up hydrogen, not push it out of the way, and the deflector isn't aerodynamic. The ship is essentially a Bussard ramjet, but would use the intakes to grab hydrogen rather than huge magnetic fields - in short, it looks like a jet.

So, using bagera3005's Black Knight, I mocked up a first stab at a design. Yes, it's rough, I had to rescale several components. But this might be a more plausible starship than your typical Star Trek fare. What do others think?


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I was delighted to discover today two long-time deviants...deviants? Is that the right word?! - here - Arcas-Art (arcas-art.deviantart.com/) and AbaCreative (abacreative.deviantart.com/) are actually two old friends from long ago (longer than any of us would care to admit, methinks) so I have dragged out some of Arcas-Art's jealously-guarded cache of early artwork to celebrate it. After prying the troll's teeth from my ankle I have just posted the series, and I hope people enjoy examining the early stages of the man's career, and then check out the latest stuff from both of them, it's a treat. Starfarer: First Contact (abacreative.deviantart.com/art… ) just had me in stitches. They were just so...themselves.

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In the tradition of kavinveldar, captshade, wallpaper and others, I have been working on various components for kitbashing starships - partly for Star Trek, partly for my own Star-Trek-sorta rpg, and mostly for my own amusement. I have incorporated parts of toolkits issued by all of the above and others too numerous to mention - mostly because I have been collecting graphics from the net for years now, and neglected to always include the names/userids of those I collected them from - a lapse I have recently begun trying to remedy. I have also adapted a number of graphics from other sources - kavinveldar will note a number of redrawn versions of his sonic screwdrivers masquerading as warp drive nacelles in here - a practice I defend by pointing out that sonic screwdrivers have always done a lot more than drive screws, and they very well might be able to warp space and time if you scaled 'em up. ;) (Wink). Most of these have been edited or redrawn by me, some have merely been included from others, sometimes to accompany edited versions, others just to provide an alternate source for download. I hope others will find them useful, or at least, mildly amusing.

A reconstructed list of people whose artwork provided support and inspiration (or was swiped outright) should include:

- stourangeau
- Trebuchet
- captshade
- galen82 on galen82.deviantart.com/
- "wallpaper" www.wolfsshipyard.com - go ahead, search for that one on Google images!
- kavinveldar
- Vance (of Vance's Toolkit fame)
- bagera3005 bagera3005 - many of whose planes will show up shortly as I experiment with my "new aesthetic" in Starship design.
- "Unipolar Mania" on  www.wolfsshipyard.com
- ~JohnnyMuffintop
- XRaider
- Judexavier
- CanisD
- phaeton99
anthsco

If I've missed anyone - and it would stun me if I did not - drop me a note. Also, if you dislike my kitting of some favorite part, I will be happy to remove it if you ID it for me.
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