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Jim Phaserman

What kind of vessel would take us to Mars?

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So, if we go to Mars, what kind of ship could get us there? Certainly, there is no shortage of designs. one thing it must have is enough food and water to last the WHOLE trip. Food could be kept aboard in the form of the MRE, or Meal Ready to Eat. another method would be freeze-dried food. carrying enough water to last a crew of 15 for 2 years would certainly take up alot of space, so I imagine some form of water purifyer to clean...and I know this sounds nasty, but it is a real possibility....Urine. Urine is 97-99 percent water, so the removal of the nasty stuff in it won't be that hard. if we can do it with Seawater, we can do it with Urine. for a larger crew, say 50-60, a ship might need to be 100-150 meters in length, probably 20 meters wide, and 5 decks tall, to accomodate not only the crew, but all of the equipment, engines, fuel and foodstuffs. a nearly perfect design exists already, though it would need to be modified slightly. the Ballistic Missile Submarine's basic overall design would be nearly Ideal, I think. there are many things in a Ballistic Missile Submarine that lend it to being used as a space ship. Number one is it's design. relatively easy to build, it is essentially a long tube. many things found on SSBNs, such as the Sonar Array and weapons systems, could be removed, providing space for criticals such as food. the Missile Tubes could be replaced with a holding space for a Mars Lander, and also escape pods. the Engines would probably be either a Nuclear Rocket, or an Ion Engine. Neither consumes great deals of fuel. electricity could be provided by Solar Arrays. the Arrays could be fitted to the craft's exterior hull. what is your opinion and idea for a design?

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So, if we go to Mars, what kind of ship could get us there?

Nuclear Wessels.....

 

Click for Spoiler:

:o Sorry I couldn't resist... though I do believe Nuclear power is something to look into.

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Ya know, Nasa has done research into Nuclear rocket propulsion. I'm not sure of their findings, but it would be interesting.

Yeah, I know they have sent some Nuclear powered things up (I believe). I think the biggest draw back is the environmentalists that raise concerns about the possibility of an accident that would spread radiation down here on earth.

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I would think that the vessel would either be assembled in orbit from premade parts, or if wholly constructed on Earth, launched up using conventional rockets, then igniting the Nuclear engines once in a predesignated safe zone. however, the risks of a Nuclear disaster are probably no greater than with a Nuclear powered Submarine or Aircraft Carrier.

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Well there's a theoretical design with plasma-based propulsion.... Excellent

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this is my design for a possible ship. yes, that is what I call an Enterprise Class Orbiter.

 

 

Click for Spoiler:

photo-709.jpg Edited by Ensign Jim Phaserman

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I forgot to mention, the big empty space is a cargo bay and the green stuff is fuel. there is a forward radar array, A Pilot house that has 6 stations forward, with the Officer of the Day, and the senior Bridge officer behind them.

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You said Jim: "the Ballistic Missile Submarine's basic overall design would be nearly Ideal, I think. there are many things in a Ballistic Missile Submarine that lend it to being used as a space ship. Number one is it's design. relatively easy to build, it is essentially a long tube. many things found on SSBNs, such as the Sonar Array and weapons systems, could be removed, providing space for criticals such as food. the Missile Tubes could be replaced with a holding space for a Mars Lander, and also escape pods. the Engines would probably be either a Nuclear Rocket, or an Ion Engine. Neither consumes great deals of fuel. electricity could be provided by Solar Arrays. the Arrays could be fitted to the craft's exterior hull. what is your opinion and idea for a design?"

 

 

Well, I have it on good authority that women are not allowed aboard submarines. :o If this ship is based off of a submarine's design, then everything will be tight, close. And a "submarine in outerspace" is pretty much the same idea as one in the sea. Wouldn't we run into the same problems as a vessel buried in the ocean waters? I mean with having women on board...

 

 

:o

 

Jaina

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you bring up a good point. but, I will counter with another. Submarines are about 10 times as crowded as space exploration vehicles, because Submarines carry all sorts of weaponry and related items, and also have a crew of around 200. this thing would have a crew of around 50-60 in a larger ship. an Ohio class SSBN is only 3 decks tall. this ship is 5. had I added in the front view, you would have undoubtably noted the fact that this vessel is also somewhat wider. Maybe the US Navy's policies are outdated about women on subs, though? I mean, it wasn't until the mid 1990's when the US Navy finally told a Navy Chief Petty Officer to work with the Army's integration Manual and write the book on how to put females on ships. it may yet be a few years before we see women on submarines.

 

 

P.S., some of you know this Navy CPO as "Papa Phaser"

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Thank you for clearing that up for me. It would be interesting to see how things change in future years.

 

You know, I do not believe I've had the pleasure of meeting "Papa Phaser." Any idea if I'll ever meet the father of the famous Phaserman clan?

 

:o

 

Jaina

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I don't know, Jaina. Send him an E-mail, I am sure he has plenty of embarrasing stories to tell you. But, more on the topic, I doubt the crew of this ship would resemble a Starship as far as it's Ranks are concerned. with a crew of 60, you can expect MAYBE 10 Officers. the rest would be enlisted, plus civilian scientists. Considering how much involvement the Military has with NASA, I could picture the crew of such a ship being derived primarily from the Navy. they are, after all, the only people with any experience driving something that big in a 3 Dimensional environment.

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When looking at the design, there is no doubt to me that Jim was a Submariner at one point. tack a conning tower and a screw prop on there and I'd almost mistake it for a Ballistic Missile Submarine.

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Well that's kind of sad that NASA doesn't let us regular Trekkies or Trekkers design ships!

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Actually, if you check the Demographics, the "Regular Trekkies" ARE the ones designing these things! Star Trek's average regular viewership has the highest education level on average of any Television and/or Movie Franchise EVER!

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i believe engine wise that a nuclear or "consumable" fuel is pretty unwise

 

a nuclear ship could explode and a consumable fuel would take up 2 much space

 

I wait for an efficent solor/plasma engine or some sort of "impulse engine" capable of at least 1/2 c

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A nuclear engine would be only a slight modification of those used aboard Nuclear powered Aircraft Carriers and Submarines. they have a very good safety rcord. more so, dare I say, than a conventional liquid or solid fuel rocket. also, a nuclear reactor is the most powerful form of rocket engine we have to date.

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The Nuclear Engine for Space Vehicle application or NERVA as well "Project Orion" and the English project "Daedalus" is indeed very different than a nuclear re-actor on a sub...Jim. They involve the use of a large dish on the rear of the space ship-(called a pusher plate) and exploding nuclear bombs behind the ship and being pushed by the shock-wave. The magno-plasma engines are very advanced concepts which would require a nuclear reactor to generate the electro-magnetic containment for the plasma, and probably would be limited to un-manned

smaller vehicles. Check out these links: www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/D/Daedalus.html

http://spacescience.nasa.gov/missions/prometheus.htm

Edited by headborg

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