First-Generation Earth Starships

[Archaeis]

I'm trying to get some ideas in designing some ships for Earth's first steps into space. A lot I've based on the BSG ships, but there is also the NX-class and Prometheus that I can think of.

Can anyone point me in the direction of similar types of ships in other franchises?

[Crazy Tom]

I'm trying to get some ideas in designing some ships for Earth's first steps into space. A lot I've based on the BSG ships, but there is also the NX-class and Prometheus that I can think of.

Can anyone point me in the direction of similar types of ships in other franchises?

Wow guy, you are going in the exact oposite direction of the one you should be.

Hope this helps: http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/index.html

[knowles2]

I would look at stuff like 2001: A Space Odyssey for you ideas. I also look up many projects like Project Prometheus. Take a look at the space ship in Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets which had a very near technology space ship. Also various mission to mars films has quite convincing ships to.

[AvatarIII]

also the ship in "sunshine", "event horizon", "alien" etc

[eviladam]

Earth's first trip into space? Well you're going to need something with ftl drive, but I would try and base it as much on current tech as possiblle. Actually if you read the Halo prequel Fall of Reach the ships in there are a lot like how I'd imagine earth ships in the future. They have to have spinning sections to provide gravity stuff like that.

[maneth]

For a first interstellar flight, I doubt ftl would be necessary, even if it's proven to be possible. Some form of the Bussard ramjet with an electrostatic scoop to minimize drag might be a possible answer. Accelerate long enough and it's at least theoretically possible attain speeds of a respectable fraction of the speed of light if you can keep drag low enough. Obviously this won't take relativistic effects into account, so even though it might only take a few decades to get to the nearest stars, centuries would have passed on Earth.

[jds1982]

For interstellar I'd go with an Orion drive, or maybe even the Heim drive (if you want FTL).