[Fiipolera]

Engineer Thinks We Could Build a Real Starship Enterprise in 20 Years
by NANCY ATKINSON on MAY 11, 2012


In Star Trek lore, the first Starship Enterprise will be built by the year 2245. But today, an engineer has proposed — and outlined in meticulous detail – building a full-sized, ion-powered version of the Enterprise complete with 1G of gravity on board, and says it could be done with current technology, within 20 years. “We have the technological reach to build the first generation of the spaceship known as the USS Enterprise – so let’s do it,” writes the curator of the Build The Enterprise website, who goes by the name of BTE Dan.



This “Gen1” Enterprise could get to Mars in ninety days, to the Moon in three, and “could hop from planet to planet dropping off robotic probes of all sorts en masse – rovers, special-built planes, and satellites.”





Complete with conceptual designs, ship specs, a funding schedule, and almost every other imaginable detail, the BTE website was launched just this week and covers almost every aspect of how the project could be done. This Enterprise would be built entirely in space, have a rotating gravity section inside of the saucer, and be similar in size with the same look as the USS Enterprise that we know from Star Trek.

“It ends up that this ship configuration is quite functional,” writes BTE Dan, even though his design moves a few parts around for better performance with today’s technology. This version of the Enterprise would be three things in one: a spaceship, a space station, and a spaceport. A thousand people can be on board at once – either as crew members or as adventurous visitors.

While the ship will not travel at warp speed, with an ion propulsion engine powered by a 1.5GW nuclear reactor, it can travel at a constant acceleration so that the ship can easily get to key points of interest in our solar system. Three additional nuclear reactors would create all of the electricity needed for operation of the ship.

The saucer section would be a .3 mile (536 meter) diameter rotating, magnetically-suspended gravity wheel that would create 1G of gravity.





The first assignments for the Enterprise would have the ship serving as a space station and space port, but then go on to missions to the Moon, Mars, Venus, various asteroids and even Europa, where the ships’ laser would be used not for combat but for cutting through the moon’s icy crust to enable a probe to descend to the ocean below.

Of course, like all space ships today, the big “if” for such an ambitious effort would be getting Congress to provide NASA the funding to do a huge 20-year project. But BTE Dan has that all worked out, and between tax increases and spreading out budget cuts to areas like defense, health and human services, housing and urban development, education and energy, the cuts to areas of discretionary spending are not large, and the tax increases could be small. “These changes to spending and taxes will not sink the republic,” says the website. “In fact, these will barely be noticed. It’s amazing that a program as fantastic as the building a fleet of USS Enterprise spaceships can be done with so little impact.”

“The only obstacles to us doing it are the limitations we place on our collective imagination,” BTE Dan adds, and his proposal says that NASA will still receive funding for the science, astronomy and robotic missions it currently undertakes.






But he proposes not just one Enterprise-class ship, but multiple ships, one of which can be built every 33 years – once per generation – giving three new ships per century. “Each will be more advanced than the prior one. Older ships can be continually upgraded over several generations until they are eventually decommissioned.”

BTE Dan, who did not respond to emails, lists himself as a systems engineer and electrical engineer who has worked at a Fortune 500 company for the past 30 years.

The website includes a blog, a forum and a Q&A section, where BTE Dan answers the question, “What if someone can prove that building the Gen1 Enterprise is beyond our technological reach?”

Answer: “If someone can convince me that it is not technically possible (ignoring political and funding issues), then I will state on the BuildTheEnterprise site that I have been found to be wrong. In that case, building the first Enterprise will have to wait for, say, another half century. But I don’t think that anyone will be able to convince me it can’t be done. My position is that we can – and should – immediately start working on it.”

For the complete space nerd experience, check out Build The Enterprise.








http://www.universetoday.com/95099/e...e-in-20-years/

[justashonglefan]

Some nice illustrative diagrams at the link.

My thoughts?
Quite Imaginative, but there's nothing wrong with that.
Could it be done? Well this Engineer says it could, but I suppose there would be others that say it couldn't
Should we do it? Why shouldn't we do it is actually the more appropriate question, and I think that there are far more reasons why we should do it then why we shouldn't do it.

[Konservir]

Of course, like all space ships today, the big “if” for such an ambitious effort would be getting Congress to provide NASA the funding to do a huge 20-year project.
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Of course such an effort would be better at the International level, and what a way to unite human kind!





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“The only obstacles to us doing it are the limitations we place on our collective imagination,” BTE Dan adds, and his proposal says that NASA will still receive funding for the science, astronomy and robotic missions it currently undertakes.
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I like that attitude.

[urbalatte]

With Ion drive it would naturally I think be a generation type Star Ship.
[To take Man to the stars]

[Buhoutsoupfap]

Such a plan [if taken up now] would have its many detractors...But what a goal, what a vision for our children and there children.
Far better vision then the present capitalistic rubbish of us all working, eating shitting, getting rich and dying.

What a goal for mankind!
Great we do have visionaries still around that are able to come up with such scenarios.

[brulpcoersero]

Seem to have convinced yourself there B.C.

Simple question, where on earth would they get enough water to sustain 1,000 people for the duration of these flights?

[didrexx]

Seem to have convinced yourself there B.C.

Simple question, where on earth would they get enough water to sustain 1,000 people for the duration of these flights?

Hi woollybutt...Actually I don't need too much convincing... )

I'm sure Dan has this question answered if you can get to his site...Recycling is one method, and water is rather plentiful, at least in our solar system and near space.
Check out the link at the actual size of the Star Ship in comparison to the WTC towers, the Eifell Tower and other artifacts.

[Rithlilky]

Seem to have convinced yourself there B.C.

Simple question, where on earth would they get enough water to sustain 1,000 people for the duration of these flights?

You can recycle the vast majority of the water used pretty efficiently, it wouldn't be a huge problem - There's other much bigger ones, such as the daft idea of building a spacecraft the size & shape of the movie Enterprise. If you are going to build a spacecraft to travel around the solar system you'd use good engineering, not movie fantasy. The only reasons the Enterprise looks like it does is just for the movies, you would never build something like that in reality as it wouldn't be stiff enough and is a very poor use of materials for the volume required.

[qilmuz6v]

You can recycle the vast majority of the water used pretty efficiently, it wouldn't be a huge problem - There's other much bigger ones, such as the daft idea of building a spacecraft the size & shape of the movie Enterprise. If you are going to build a spacecraft to travel around the solar system you'd use good engineering, not movie fantasy. The only reasons the Enterprise looks like it does is just for the movies, you would never build something like that in reality as it wouldn't be stiff enough and is a very poor use of materials for the volume required.

Well there are plenty who would disagree with you, and this bloke is an Engineer.

The same of course seems to exist with any proposed futuristic scenario. You'll have plenty of pro reasons why it can be done, and probably a few on the pessimistic side also...That's to be expected.
With the design being "movie fantasy", in the movie "Contact", Carl Sagan sort advice from Kip Thorne on the best method for the FTL that the film entailed....
And always remember, a lot of today's Sci/Fi, [and yesterday's] is tomorrows Sci/Fact.

[verybigf]

i can't see why you would want to propose something that has no hope of being funded and is going to be really really hard to accomplish. how many heavy lift launches will be needed per year/ how many EVAs will be needed? where will these astronauts be housed while construction is going on? will launching a nuclear reactor be politically acceptable?

Far better to use existing current technology, chemical rockets and no assembly in space, to reach mars first. then use that as a base to go further.

I've been turned by zubrin.

[Ternneowns]

i can't see why you would want to propose something that has no hope of being funded and is going to be really really hard to accomplish. how many heavy lift launches will be needed per year/ how many EVAs will be needed? where will these astronauts be housed while construction is going on? will launching a nuclear reactor be politically acceptable?

Far better to use existing current technology, chemical rockets and no assembly in space, to reach mars first. then use that as a base to go further.

I've been turned by zubrin.

Read the article....
Answer: “If someone can convince me that it is not technically possible (ignoring political and funding issues), then I will state on the BuildTheEnterprise site that I have been found to be wrong.

Really to approach such a project as you have is being defeatist from the start.
I'm sure some used the same defeatist attitude with regards to the Snowy Mountain scheme when it was first proposed...and probably continued their opposition while it was being undertaken.

It just needs application, and a head down, arse up approach...Imagination and knowledge are a given according to the proposed design.

[GotActichwicy]

Really to approach such a project as you have is being defeatist from the start.
I'm sure some used the same defeatist attitude with regards to the Snowy Mountain scheme when it was first proposed...and probably continued their opposition while it was being undertaken. like i said. you need to consider the political and economic aspects for any proposal to be acceptable. might as well say "if we ignore the laws of physics lets propose such and such".

now tossing ideas around and testing the boundaries is good but to think that this is a realistic proposal isn't.

[drugsprevi]

http://www.buildtheenterprise.org/hull-structures


The site also has a forum if some would like to dispute his claim.
For some unknown reason, I'm finding it dead slow to load.

[KukkoDrukko]

like i said. you need to consider the political and economic aspects for any proposal to be acceptable. might as well say "if we ignore the laws of physics lets propose such and such".

That's silly...We are able to change "political and economical" aspects ourselves over time.
The laws of physics are fixed.



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now tossing ideas around and testing the boundaries is good but to think that this is a realistic proposal isn't.
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Like I have said before, that's one side of the argument. He puts the other which I whole-heartedly support.
You only need to change a few people's way of thinking.

[cucceevevaind]

That's silly...We are able to change "political and economical" aspects ourselves over time. he put a 20 year time frame on this proposal. so lets work with that.

[Dynasty]

My only difference with the idea proposed by BTE Dan is his seemingly obsessiveness with just NASA.
I prefer and think an International effort would be far more invigorating, uniting and visionary for mankind to undertake.

The design and its likeness to the USS Enterprise from Star Trek is also less important to me then another design [such as 2001's Discovery] if that other design is proven to be more applicable and space worthy.

[Elitiachirl]

he put a 20 year time frame on this proposal. so lets work with that.

Enough Application and it could be done in 1/4 of the time....Again, the point is the original analogy you made with "politcal and economics" and "laws of physics" is not valid.

[Figelac]

Enough Application and it could be done in 1/4 of the time.... build it in 5 years? i don't think so. look at the problems and time taken with the ISS.

[GoveMoony]

build it in 5 years? i don't think so. look at the problems and time taken with the ISS.

Ummm, No...I'm referring to changing political and economical systems, as I thought you were on about.

[Redys]

Ummm, No...I'm referring to changing political and economical systems, as I thought you were on about.

Economic systems aren't going to change within 5 to 10 years. A little thing called the GFC is going to restrict any fanciful spending for quite a while and unfortunately people like Bill Gates are too interested in saving African kiddies...