You get the impression that all the Spacex craft use conventional drives, rockets basically. To go anywhere out of the solar system, you're going to have to get around the light speed limit. Possible ways would be to bend the space between ship and destination ( warp drive), or possibly take a shortcut (hyperspace), or reduce the mass of the ship (like the Hooded Swan does).
No! No, no,no,n'nono NO! There is nothing in NASA's projected pootling-about-the-Solar-System range that could hold a candle to the Millennium Falcon if it had dirty fuel and the hairier member of the crew pulling wires out of its bowels!
Now I included the Spacex Needle Probe in the Squaring the Circle tale 'Coldhearted'. It was the test bed for a revolutionary translight drive which could easily outstrip the Falcon!
Love that translight drive! Beam me up Scotty! When I posed the question I did wonder if one of the bigger SWORD craft might be capable of warp speed: the Nuclear Ferry, Zero X and in particular the Booster Rocket. I'd have to check the TV21 and SOLO strips to see if they ever went warp. Who 'invented' warp drive anyway? An author? Or Gene Roddenbery?
I always considered Sword craft to be chemical engine powered, or at best atomic fusion, so sublight. But without being a techno-pedant, they are toys after all. I always loved the black shaped engines on the task and scout force, which looked immensley powerful. Booster Rocket is the exception as its clearly fitted with an ion drive, which would approach near light speeds, but not exceed them. Zero X and Nuclear Ferry are obviously, atomic powered fusion.
Spacex are a little less obvious, Space Patrol 1 has what appears to be an exotic drive system, the nacelles look more like a field generator system, as opposed to a nozzle or thruster. Booster Rocket again has a flared ion drive, Needle Probe on the other hand, has a big bulbous engine situated far from the crew cabin and suggestive of an exotic drive, such as an ehanced ion or field generated warp drive.
Sounds good to me Professor! I think NASA should take you on! By the way, do you remember that strange sheath that's emitted from the Booster Rocket in the SOLO SWORD comic strip? Like a bag of light [ that's light! ]. Would have made an interesting accessory to the toy!
0oohhh don't get me started on the silly pulp sco fi stories in Solo. That ridiculous condom them fitted over the booster rocket was clearly just a feeble attempt to put a 'sword in a sheath' and continue the daft inclusion of all things related to bladed weapons. The practicality of extending a physical sheath over a ship almost half a kilometre long to use as some kind of propulsion is almost Vernesque. Nah, true Sword starts with the grittiness of the annual and TV21 stories, Bill Janson rules!
Woodsy - Despite Herr kameron's idiotic announcemnet of a UK spaceport, I would imaging they will end up in deserts, a long way from people...Arizona, Gobi, Woomera, Iran/Iraq, Namibia and the cold, high deserts of South America...not thinking of the Branson era, but when we get interstellar space ships?
You get the impression that all the Spacex craft use conventional drives, rockets basically. To go anywhere out of the solar system, you're going to have to get around the light speed limit. Possible ways would be to bend the space between ship and destination ( warp drive), or possibly take a shortcut (hyperspace), or reduce the mass of the ship (like the Hooded Swan does).
ReplyDeleteNo! No, no,no,n'nono NO! There is nothing in NASA's projected pootling-about-the-Solar-System range that could hold a candle to the Millennium Falcon if it had dirty fuel and the hairier member of the crew pulling wires out of its bowels!
ReplyDeleteNow I included the Spacex Needle Probe in the Squaring the Circle tale 'Coldhearted'. It was the test bed for a revolutionary translight drive which could easily outstrip the Falcon!
ReplyDeleteLove that translight drive! Beam me up Scotty! When I posed the question I did wonder if one of the bigger SWORD craft might be capable of warp speed: the Nuclear Ferry, Zero X and in particular the Booster Rocket. I'd have to check the TV21 and SOLO strips to see if they ever went warp. Who 'invented' warp drive anyway? An author? Or Gene Roddenbery?
ReplyDeleteI always considered Sword craft to be chemical engine powered, or at best atomic fusion, so sublight. But without being a techno-pedant, they are toys after all. I always loved the black shaped engines on the task and scout force, which looked immensley powerful. Booster Rocket is the exception as its clearly fitted with an ion drive, which would approach near light speeds, but not exceed them. Zero X and Nuclear Ferry are obviously, atomic powered fusion.
ReplyDeleteSpacex are a little less obvious, Space Patrol 1 has what appears to be an exotic drive system, the nacelles look more like a field generator system, as opposed to a nozzle or thruster. Booster Rocket again has a flared ion drive, Needle Probe on the other hand, has a big bulbous engine situated far from the crew cabin and suggestive of an exotic drive, such as an ehanced ion or field generated warp drive.
But thats just speculation!
Sounds good to me Professor! I think NASA should take you on! By the way, do you remember that strange sheath that's emitted from the Booster Rocket in the SOLO SWORD comic strip? Like a bag of light [ that's light! ]. Would have made an interesting accessory to the toy!
DeleteCan't help wondering if there was a Millennium Falcon waiting to be boarded, where would Mos Eisly be on Earth? Cape Kennedy? Or is that too normal?
ReplyDelete0oohhh don't get me started on the silly pulp sco fi stories in Solo. That ridiculous condom them fitted over the booster rocket was clearly just a feeble attempt to put a 'sword in a sheath' and continue the daft inclusion of all things related to bladed weapons. The practicality of extending a physical sheath over a ship almost half a kilometre long to use as some kind of propulsion is almost Vernesque. Nah, true Sword starts with the grittiness of the annual and TV21 stories, Bill Janson rules!
ReplyDeleteWoodsy - Despite Herr kameron's idiotic announcemnet of a UK spaceport, I would imaging they will end up in deserts, a long way from people...Arizona, Gobi, Woomera, Iran/Iraq, Namibia and the cold, high deserts of South America...not thinking of the Branson era, but when we get interstellar space ships?
ReplyDelete