Who needs LCARS displays? My star cruiser will use these:https://themerkle.com/scientists-create-a-nano-hologram-visible-to-the-naked-eye/
Consumer devices could one day generate holograms
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23431264-500-plasma-jet-engines-that-could-take-you-from-the-ground-to-space/ground to orbit plasma engine. A few enabling techs need to some work; but the engine works at appropriate thrust levels even at one atmosphere of ambient air pressure to be able to do it already.
https://www.nature.com/articles/n-12310766It's still pretty cool (and developed here in my home town).. but is a long way from what you might think it is.
"A few enabling techs" basically sums up to "light-weight, high-volume energy generation and storage", if I'm not mistaken. Which seems to be the same problem we have with all these other awesome engines. Very frustrating.
Quote from: Ithirahad on 05/31/2017 11:11 pm"A few enabling techs" basically sums up to "light-weight, high-volume energy generation and storage", if I'm not mistaken. Which seems to be the same problem we have with all these other awesome engines. Very frustrating.My kingdom for a battery with the energy density of gasoline... heck, I'd take a battery with the energy density of sugar.
Volts don't really tell you much, just how many cells are used. Can get arbitrarily high voltage by using a bunch of teeny tiny cells in series. It's watt-hours we care about.
heck, I'd take a battery with the energy density of sugar.
hmmmm. maybe this is the hull plating for mah star cruiser? https://phys.org/news/2017-06-carbon-harder-diamond-flexible-rubber.htmlbendy and stretchy as rubber but harder than diamond?
Quote from: Stormbringer on 06/27/2017 08:12 amhmmmm. maybe this is the hull plating for mah star cruiser? https://phys.org/news/2017-06-carbon-harder-diamond-flexible-rubber.htmlbendy and stretchy as rubber but harder than diamond?Hardness is good against abrasion, but not as useful as structural strength.
Generally- flour particle sized or below rocky or metallic grains with a incident rate of one impact per square meter of frontal cross section per day. Possible sand grain sized and (barely possible) larger than sand grain sized at a much reduced frequency. However, in the event of even larger impactors, the shielding should be capable or reducing or eliminating penetration to the habitable portions of the ship or the vitals of an unmanned probe.A probe or ship that must spend years or centuries at relativistic speeds will encounter thousands and thousands of particles of grit. Rather like being sand blasted or being caressed by a power grinder.Anywhere in the local bubble within ten or 20 light years or so. (Outer Spaaaaaaaaaaaace)
Quote from: Stormbringer on 06/28/2017 09:23 amGenerally- flour particle sized or below rocky or metallic grains with a incident rate of one impact per square meter of frontal cross section per day. Possible sand grain sized and (barely possible) larger than sand grain sized at a much reduced frequency. However, in the event of even larger impactors, the shielding should be capable or reducing or eliminating penetration to the habitable portions of the ship or the vitals of an unmanned probe.A probe or ship that must spend years or centuries at relativistic speeds will encounter thousands and thousands of particles of grit. Rather like being sand blasted or being caressed by a power grinder.Anywhere in the local bubble within ten or 20 light years or so. (Outer Spaaaaaaaaaaaace)The energies involved in orbital velocity collisions are several orders of magnitude higher than sandblasting or grinding. Not sure that hardness is really what you want.