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Post by bigbombr on Oct 21, 2017 4:55:10 GMT
If the mass of the ship is around 1-10 Mt, then regular NTRs would be enough to provide reasonable acceleration and Delta-V. Ah, the ol' standard! Mass is also reduced a bit by some applied phlebetonium materials (plasteel, arachnite, etc), though their usefulness isn't too much of an improvement because they're used to make larger crew spaces. For structural component: graphene, carbon nanotubes, boron nitride nanotubes, borophene, diamond nanothreads, carbyne and ring carbon (ring carbon is purely theoretical AFAIK) all have extremely high strength-to-weigh ratios. There might be no need for phlebetonium materials.
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Post by srbrant on Oct 21, 2017 5:02:00 GMT
Ah, the ol' standard! Mass is also reduced a bit by some applied phlebetonium materials (plasteel, arachnite, etc), though their usefulness isn't too much of an improvement because they're used to make larger crew spaces. For structural component: graphene, carbon nanotubes, boron nitride nanotubes, borophene, diamond nanothreads, carbyne and ring carbon (ring carbon is purely theoretical AFAIK) all have extremely high strength-to-weigh ratios. There might be no need for phlebetonium materials. Interesting... Maybe the phleb materials could be modified versions of these?
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Post by bigbombr on Oct 21, 2017 5:07:33 GMT
For structural component: graphene, carbon nanotubes, boron nitride nanotubes, borophene, diamond nanothreads, carbyne and ring carbon (ring carbon is purely theoretical AFAIK) all have extremely high strength-to-weigh ratios. There might be no need for phlebetonium materials. Interesting... Maybe the phleb materials could be modified versions of these? Also interesting to note: graphene becomes a superconductor when sandwiched between superconductors, is self-annealing and can easily be doped to produce microchips, sensors or PV panels. Boron nitride nanotubes are slightly less strong than CNT's, but are more temperature resistant. Carbon is one of the most common elements in the universe, so being able to tap into it as a building material seems useful.
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Post by srbrant on Oct 21, 2017 5:44:24 GMT
Interesting... Maybe the phleb materials could be modified versions of these? Also interesting to note: graphene becomes a superconductor when sandwiched between superconductors, is self-annealing and can easily be doped to produce microchips, sensors or PV panels. Boron nitride nanotubes are slightly less strong than CNT's, but are more temperature resistant. Carbon is one of the most common elements in the universe, so being able to tap into it as a building material seems useful. Fascinating... Still wondering just how much habitat space I can cram into the ship before it starts to affect its Delta-V in a significant way. There are corridors and rooms like on a cruise liner, but its more compact of course. Trying to find the right balance is key. Would an auditorium be out of the question? Atmosphere is not much of an issue because of wall-mounted oxygen scrubbers the size of microwaves, but even with that nipped in the bud, high overheads are out of the question unless they play some sort of role.
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Post by RiftandRend on Oct 21, 2017 23:25:52 GMT
Also interesting to note: graphene becomes a superconductor when sandwiched between superconductors, is self-annealing and can easily be doped to produce microchips, sensors or PV panels. Boron nitride nanotubes are slightly less strong than CNT's, but are more temperature resistant. Carbon is one of the most common elements in the universe, so being able to tap into it as a building material seems useful. Fascinating... Still wondering just how much habitat space I can cram into the ship before it starts to affect its Delta-V in a significant way. There are corridors and rooms like on a cruise liner, but its more compact of course. Trying to find the right balance is key. Would an auditorium be out of the question? Atmosphere is not much of an issue because of wall-mounted oxygen scrubbers the size of microwaves, but even with that nipped in the bud, high overheads are out of the question unless they play some sort of role. You can probably carry huge habitats with little mass cost. Atmosphere is light, and food and water can be recycled with a small mass investment.
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Post by apophys on Oct 22, 2017 3:40:08 GMT
Borophene is quite interesting. It has multiple forms, all pure boron, and one of those only conducts electricity along one of its axes (what this could be applied to is still unknown). That axis also has strength comparable to, and possibly exceeding, the strength of graphene. Borophene also superconducts at low temperature.
Graphene and carbon nanotubes can make logic gates for extremely tiny electronics. Boron nitride is an insulator, and with nanosheets of that as a substrate, you have more or less everything you need. As a bonus, these materials are quite robust and temperature-resistant. Boron nitride and graphene have a hybrid in between: borocarbonitride sheets; this allows you to bond all the parts together into what is more or less one huge molecule.
When your exhaust velocity is high, like with fusion, adding mass isn't very problematic. See ingame MPD craft for an example.
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Post by srbrant on Oct 22, 2017 6:10:53 GMT
Borophene is quite interesting. It has multiple forms, all pure boron, and one of those only conducts electricity along one of its axes (what this could be applied to is still unknown). That axis also has strength comparable to, and possibly exceeding, the strength of graphene. Borophene also superconducts at low temperature. Graphene and carbon nanotubes can make logic gates for extremely tiny electronics. Boron nitride is an insulator, and with nanosheets of that as a substrate, you have more or less everything you need. As a bonus, these materials are quite robust and temperature-resistant. Boron nitride and graphene have a hybrid in between: borocarbonitride sheets; this allows you to bond all the parts together into what is more or less one huge molecule. When your exhaust velocity is high, like with fusion, adding mass isn't very problematic. See ingame MPD craft for an example. Yeah. Fusion engines can really haul some ass as I can imagine. I'm thinking that the huge habitats on these ships help reduce Delta-V to a level commonly seen in CDE so that, if they were to crash, they do so with relatively minimal damage to the planet because of the lowered velocity. Because these ships can be pretty big!
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Post by srbrant on Oct 23, 2017 4:22:18 GMT
Then there's the issue of the shape. My primary image of the Heinleiner is a massive, whale-like shell pinched on both ends like the shape of an almond (if that makes sense). With a long rat-like "tail" with heat radiators at the end like the fins of a fish, smaller ships docking at ports built along its length. It's great, but feels a little...basic.
As for the inside, expect rooms and corridors that snake and weave around each enormous remass tank.
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Post by srbrant on Nov 4, 2017 21:13:52 GMT
Although I'm wondering how I can make the habitat lightweight and sturdy enough to sprawl all over the ship. I was thinking of an aluminum-beryllium shell lined with aramid fiber and carbon-fiber with the interior wall being titanium. Maybe even throw in a little fiberglass in there. I was thinking of just having "plasteel", but then I remembered that phlebetonium gives you guys anaphylactic shock, so...I skipped that.
EDIT: Forgot about your answer above. Ugh, I hate being sick!
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Post by matterbeam on Nov 5, 2017 2:12:12 GMT
It's space. The ship doesn't have to enclosed. Large, exposed structures help save weight. For the propellant tanks, you want spheres. They have the lowest tank mass to propellant mass ratio. For the structure support, you want to use tension wires. The propellant tank spheres will look like they're caught in a spider's web or a hammock. Habitats are best concentrated underneath a propellant tank or on a stick that separates them from the engines if they are radioactive. Your inspiration should be blimps and airships, but without the aerodynamic shapes.
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Post by srbrant on Nov 6, 2017 4:15:58 GMT
It's space. The ship doesn't have to enclosed. Large, exposed structures help save weight. For the propellant tanks, you want spheres. They have the lowest tank mass to propellant mass ratio. For the structure support, you want to use tension wires. The propellant tank spheres will look like they're caught in a spider's web or a hammock. Habitats are best concentrated underneath a propellant tank or on a stick that separates them from the engines if they are radioactive. Your inspiration should be blimps and airships, but without the aerodynamic shapes. The setting's futuristic nature allows for more liberties to be taken. And yeah, airships are an inspiration - including the Prydwen. Although a standard Heinleiner itself resembles more of a whale shark than a zeppelin.
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