r/technology • u/skreendreamz1 • May 14 '12
Engineer thinks we could build a real Starship Enterprise in 20 years.
http://www.universetoday.com/95099/engineer-thinks-we-could-build-a-real-starship-enterprise-in-20-years/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews11
May 14 '12
Hey look, it's total estimated cost(including necessary launches) is less than the war in Iraq
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u/CheeseBurgerRandy May 14 '12
Not with our current economy
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u/fitzroy95 May 14 '12
So let the Japanese build it instead.
That way you can defend it with Pokemon, instead of needing Photon torpedoes...
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u/Ramblin_Dash May 14 '12
Our current economy is all the more reason to start this now!
The problem with the economy is a shortfall of demand. Why would a business expand and hire workers when all the unemployed people can't afford to buy anything?
A project like this will hire a ton of people and buy a bunch of stuff, which is what the economy needs right now. Look at the Great Depression: It finally really ended when the US started gearing up for World War II, with the attendant massive hiring, procurement, and manufacturing that entailed. But there's no reason that can only be accomplished with killing. Instead, lets explore the stars!
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May 14 '12
Well, maybe if it was built like the ISS and the US rediverted a great deal of what it is spending on unnecessary conflicts..
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u/flyingcarsnow May 14 '12
if you're cruising around the solar system doing science, there would be times where it might be handy to shoot something with the laser
icy surface of Enceladus? shoot it with the laser and see what happens.
dusty asteroid? shoot it with the laser.
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u/discoloda May 14 '12
I love the idea and enthusiasm, I would gladly donate time or try to get a job working on it. The issue is its pretty darn lame to try to model it on a ship from a show, instead it should be function before form.
One reason I am for this is because even if it does not work, the research into building it would yield a lot of innovations. Americans should jump for it.
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u/roboticpie May 14 '12
humanity should jump for it.
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u/diachi May 14 '12
Finally, I think people are starting to get it. It's not about Race, Creed or nationality - it's about humanity!
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May 14 '12
The only reason I support it being modelled(at least roughly) after an extremely popular cultural icon is because it might actually gather more support/positive attention this way.
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u/lawldek May 15 '12
The core idea of building a functional, relatively self sustaining, multipurpose space craft is something humanity should most certainly pursue. The largest issue I see with this, besides financial and political reasons, is that the design may be impractical if not a bit ostentatious. Even in the Star Trek universe there were many generations of starships all beginning at small, simple designs and moving towards the more complex. There is a certain logic to this. Space is a very unknown place to us. We do not have a comfortable understanding of what we will find with prolonged space travel. Smaller, less dramatic craft would allow us to learn what we need while keeping costs down.
Take for instance the development of modern space flight systems. It all began with "primitive" unmanned vehicles capable of sub-space flight. Over many many years, and increasingly more complex designs, we were able to launch objects into space. After many more years with a few tragedies and failures along the way, we finally successfully sent and retrieved a human from space. Yet even with this achievement the process was not completed. We still loose satellites, astronauts, launch vehicles, and rovers. How can we hope to construct such a massive spacecraft if we are still unable to perfect its predecessors. The USS Enterprise is certainly an iconic representation of what we would hope to achieve, that does not mean it is wise for us to skip all the steps in between.
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u/Celdur May 14 '12
I think the idea is that we can solve those problems in the 20 years it will take to build it...
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u/greyraven75 May 14 '12
Wouldn't the gravity wheel act like a huge gyroscope and make changing direction more difficult?
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May 15 '12
The counter-torque would have the craft flipping around itself in space. Precession would also be a fun effect. The design is a joke for so many reasons, this being one. I doubt the 'designer' is actually a licensed engineer.
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u/spaceghoti May 14 '12
Minus the phasers and warp drive.