Real-life modern day ship

[Wraith_Boy]

In Stargate we have seen uber advanced ships from advanced alien races. However if we (as in the world) were to pool our resources together to build such a ship to go into space right for long range travel now with all our exisiting technologies. Propulsion would be the biggest problem. Say based on a permanent crew of 50-100. What kind of stuff would it contain for all it's critical systems & components (engine, sensors, communications, power supply, hull) etc?

[Emperor Tippy]

Actually propulsion is the easiest to solve. We have had the tech to make ships the size of large cities (capable of holding a hundred thousand people) that can travel at speeds in excess of .3 c. Go look up Project Orion.

Propel a ship by making it fart nukes.

Gravity would be the hardest part.

[Jimbo-DR]

In Stargate we have seen uber advanced ships from advanced alien races. However if we (as in the world) were to pool our resources together to build such a ship to go into space right for long range travel now with all our exisiting technologies. Propulsion would be the biggest problem. Say based on a permanent crew of 50-100. What kind of stuff would it contain for all it's critical systems & components (engine, sensors, communications, power supply, hull) etc?

Who knows? We don't have the technology readily available to do such a thing, at least not in the capacity that they do it in Stargate. Scientists have said they could build a ship that would be space capable and designed for more permanent forms of space travel, but where would it go? It would take us months or years just to get to the outer planets in our solar system, thats pretty pointless considering the resources it would take to build such a ship.

[Lord batchi ball]

I say we start off with like a mini version of what you were talking about maybe 15 people and half as big to test the engiering in real space then we make the big version. if it is possible.

[Wraith_Boy]

Who knows? We don't have the technology readily available to do such a thing, at least not in the capacity that they do it in Stargate. Scientists have said they could build a ship that would be space capable and designed for more permanent forms of space travel, but where would it go? It would take us months or years just to get to the outer planets in our solar system, thats pretty pointless considering the resources it would take to build such a ship.

That's the point! I'm not talking about building a simple ship to go explore Mars or whatever & bring back rocks for study. Even to set up a base camp to check out the feasabilities of terraforming etc.

I'm talking about if everybody pooled together & the billions that it would cost would be no object. Built a ship 100/200m+ in size & used all the exisiting or soon to be exisitng technologies in every parts of it. Right from the hull all the way down to computers & displays etc. The crew is selected of physicists, scientists & all the rest. They launch & head off into deep space never planning to turn back. Say they've had enough of Earth, want to go looking for ET's or just want to restart life somewhere else. They have kids, they learn them all the stuff that they need to run/repair the ship when they are gone. Basically a generational ship, in which they leave Earth with the intention of going on & on never to return.

I know it's totally impractical & it won't be done for a long while yet, but it's just a hypothetical situation that if they were going to do it in the next 5/10 years, what kind of exisiting or soon to be existing technology would they kit it out with. It's easy to say a perfect ship with hyperdrive, shields & all the rest that won't be feasible for the forseeable future. Simply if they were planning such a task soon, what would it have using the best tech Earth has to offer now.

Actually propulsion is the easiest to solve. We have had the tech to make ships the size of large cities (capable of holding a hundred thousand people) that can travel at speeds in excess of .3 c. Go look up Project Orion.

Propel a ship by making it fart nukes.

Gravity would be the hardest part.

I don't think their method was practical for the long term. Probably a 'Solar Sail' would be the most suitable choice for such a voyage.

I think if it came down to it that they could get something whipped up within the next 5/10 years using centrifugal force or whatever to provide some artifical gravity that would be ready in time for the mission. Deadlines have a habit of making people work quicker, not to mention the hypothetical scenario of money being no object!

[marty2006]

nuclear propultion has been dismissed countless times because it would effect the people on board the ship, the main problems would be radiation from deep space and micro meteorites and as you said gravity, perhaps magnetic shielding may be some use however it can only protect a ship from so much radiation

[freyr's mother]

Actually propulsion is the easiest to solve. We have had the tech to make ships the size of large cities (capable of holding a hundred thousand people) that can travel at speeds in excess of .3 c. Go look up Project Orion.

Propel a ship by making it fart nukes.

Gravity would be the hardest part.

That would have trouble getting off the ground.

[Emperor Tippy]

I don't think their method was practical for the long term. Probably a 'Solar Sail' would be the most suitable choice for such a voyage.

I think if it came down to it that they could get something whipped up within the next 5/10 years using centrifugal force or whatever to provide some artifical gravity that would be ready in time for the mission. Deadlines have a habit of making people work quicker, not to mention the hypothetical scenario of money being no object!

It is actually the most practical way to travel into space or through space. Remember, in space you just have to accelerate to a speed and decelerate from it, you don't have to continue to add power once you reach the speed you want. Ion drives powered by a pebble bed reactor are also good.

nuclear propultion has been dismissed countless times because it would effect the people on board the ship, the main problems would be radiation from deep space and micro meteorites and as you said gravity, perhaps magnetic shielding may be some use however it can only protect a ship from so much radiation

The radiation isn't actually a problem. Micro Meteorites are a bigger problem but systems for dealing with those have been proposed that seem feasible.

That would have trouble getting off the ground.

Nope, it gets off the ground quite well. Much better than the crap we currently use. Politically it will never happen but from a physics perspective it works just fine.

[AvatarIII]

I think if it came down to it that they could get something whipped up within the next 5/10 years using centrifugal force or whatever to provide some artifical gravity that would be ready in time for the mission. Deadlines have a habit of making people work quicker, not to mention the hypothetical scenario of money being no object!

if you had enough permanent thrust, gravity could be simulated by acceleration.

[Crazy Tom]

it would never get off the ground, it has to be built in space.
nuclear pulse propulsion, pleeeze, if we pool resources we can get fusion pelets in a few years of hardcore research, if not that then antimater catalised nuclear.
as for gravity, not a problem, just stick all the dudes into deep freeze.
that way they take up less space, u don't need to consider suplies and other complications this way.
and u dpn't even need a pusher plate this way. u just stick the cryochamber over some springs and presto.

[Morrolan]

What you suggest is impossible. Why? Money. Nations are not going to dump cash into a project like that. Why not? Because there are far better things to pour money into than long range space travel. What? Well, things like foot baths in airports, a replacement for a park that was built three years ago, or even a remodeling of a senator's office. I love the idea. I think it's too bad that the leaders of our world don't share that kind of vision.

[Argosy]

Emperor Tippy speaks the truth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project..._propulsion%29

Another great benefit to this would be that they could send up multiple unmanned multi-story vessels loaded to the gills with tools, supplies & equipment and then send up several crews of manned rockets (nuclear or conventional) with personnel to assemble the modular components into one lard vessel.

All though this would be much more practical for the construction of a space station then a ship, unless of course it was a generational ship like “The Travelers” coming up in season 4 of SGA.


Quick question to the OP…Do modern technological breakthroughs that are shunned by the scientific establishment count or dose it have to be technology/scientific principles that have wide spread acceptance?

Because if we are allowed to present some of the more “fringe” science into this discussion I have a few more ideas.

[wise one]

the only way is if an unlimited supply an energy source fell onto earth and that it is 100 times more powerful than fuel or oil but if a small piece like the size of an battery that gives off huge amounts of energy could be used then..


and one other problem is that travelling very fast without the sci-fiction inertial dampners would kill people

[Crazy Tom]

BRING ON THE FRINGE!
this discusion would be more interesting that way.
speaking of wich,some dutch physicist did some mathwork or something and said that if u have a strong enough electromagnetic field u coud tear a hole into.....uguesed it! Hyperspace(or at least something loke it).

****
don't know how much credibility this actualy has.

[Xeon_1]

the main problem with current tech is that we can't get rid of all of the excess heat it generates
this is the real issue why nuclear reactors aren't in space
you can't get rid of the heat fast enough