Firefly Mechanics 101

POSTED BY: Zoot
UPDATED: Sunday, June 19, 2005 16:46
VIEWED: 8802
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DRONGO

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 7:45 AM

Hotpoint,

>Well if the ships need "Core containment" because of radiation they are likely nuclear.

I remember fusion being mentioned in one of the later episodes.

Hotpoints Theory

>If we rule out something really esoteric like FTL

I really don't see how we can.

>You can get up to a decent percentage of the speed of light with this method

In days, years, lifetimes?

>Engines like this could push you around the Solar System with travel times measured in days or weeks

Maybe across a solar system, but how about between stars? Even if it was possible to travel at 95% of light speed, it would still take over 5 years to get to our nearest star. Most stars are an average of about 10 or more light years apart, if I remember correctly.

I will venture the possibility that plasma electrodynamics powered by fusion might be one solution. And maybe the speed limits imposed by relativity are flawed.

Drongo

ZOOT

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 8:06 AM

oh dear god, I've really started something now (and bear in mind I am not following any of this) ....

All I wanted to know about was the "starter handle" but the whole "how the hell do they travel so quickly through space?" thing is I guess way more fundamental .... am thinking a whole "suspend disbelief" provision is required ....

***************************************

Okay, I'm lost, I'm angry, and I'm
armed.

HOTPOINT

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 8:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Drongo:
>If we rule out something really esoteric like FTL

I really don't see how we can.

Easy. Single system (which could be a binary or trinary if you don't think a single star has a big enough Goldilocks zone for that many worlds

Quote:
Originally posted by Drongo:

>You can get up to a decent percentage of the speed of light with this method

In days, years, lifetimes?

How long it would take to accelerate depends on how much fuel you wanted to burn and how fast you wanted to get up to.

The 1970's thought experiment "Project Daedalus" talked of a 4 year acceleration to get up to 12% of light speed.

Quote:
Originally posted by Drongo:

>Engines like this could push you around the Solar System with travel times measured in days or weeks

Maybe across a solar system, but how about between stars? Even if it was possible to travel at 95% of light speed, it would still take over 5 years to get to our nearest star.

But if we're thinking single system that's not an issue and there isn't any indication of interstellar travel on Firefly other than the initial move to whichever system they're in (which could have taken decades)

...................................
Hurrah, hurrah, when things are at their worst
With cries of “Death or Glory” comes the mighty Twenty-First

VETERAN

Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:26 AM

Quote:
Easy. Single system (which could be a binary or trinary if you don't think a single star has a big enough Goldilocks zone for that many worlds

Maybe, but don't forget terraforming (is that a word?) moons.

DRONGO

Thursday, June 16, 2005 6:42 AM

24 planets mentioned in the database. I truly doubt all of them could orbit in one solar system.
If these planets are spread among several systems, then how long would it take Firefly to travel among them?

I've met both Dysons on multiple occasions. An Orion style system still doesn't approach relevant speeds without cryosleep or handwavium. Cryosleep was shown to be possible with River, and may be standard equipment enabling them to bridge the time needed to travel between systems.

Does anything in the new movie shed any light on these questions?

DRONGO

Thursday, June 16, 2005 6:47 AM

Actually gentlefolk,

I think we're back to the answer JMS gave when asked how fast ships in the B5 universe travel:

"At the speed of plot."

HOTPOINT

Thursday, June 16, 2005 6:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Drongo:
24 planets mentioned in the database. I truly doubt all of them could orbit in one solar system.
If these planets are spread among several systems, then how long would it take Firefly to travel among them?

Actually if the planets are arranged in a Kempler Rosette you can have a lot more worlds than that in a single system

http://burtleburtle.net/bob/physics/kempler.html

Quote:
Originally posted by Drongo:

I've met both Dysons on multiple occasions. An Orion style system still doesn't approach relevant speeds without cryosleep or handwavium. Cryosleep was shown to be possible with River, and may be standard equipment enabling them to bridge the time needed to travel between systems.

I'd certainly buy cryosleep as the means for the initial flight away from Earth

Quote:
Originally posted by Drongo:

Does anything in the new movie shed any light on these questions?

Please highlight below *spoiler*

Select to view spoiler:

In the movie it says a single system

...................................
Hurrah, hurrah, when things are at their worst
With cries of “Death or Glory” comes the mighty Twenty-First

DAIKATH

Thursday, June 16, 2005 9:36 AM

In Serenity however they had this special thing to get away from the feds.

The butt of the Firefly would light up and there it would go. In the special features it talked of a way of making it go for really fast travel.

I think that was faster then light speed. Besides if everything had to be within a single system the number of planets they can visit are finite. If you can do it with several systems there is always an extra moon, planet or etc they can visit making the series more dynamic and helps to keep it fresh over 7 years.

edit: Besides even if we would cram all the planets and moons mentioned in the series into one solar system... they were just 13 episodes.. Not enough for a full series. And with Serenity I mean the pilot.

MAJORCLOD

Thursday, June 16, 2005 11:32 AM

I guess its nit picky, but its annoying when basic stuff like that isn't established, especially in sci-fi.

Revenge of the Sith was really bad when it came to interplanetary travel, especially in a universe that has established a few days travelling time between planets.

Main characters, especially Yoda and Obiwan and travelling here there everywhere, fair enough it could be a few days in between. A whole bunch of characters travel between Coruscant and Mustafar, an outer rim planet. Already established in the films that they are at least a few days travel in between.

One could argue that they don't show the time in between, which is pretty damn obvious, however main characters are doing almost exactly the same thing when the people arrive. I'd hardly imagine Anakin would have stayed on Mustafar for a few days doing jack shit, and I highly doubt he would have spent a few days crawling up an embankment when the emperor arrives to rescue him.

As to what the handle does... well it looks cooler than just pressing a button to start the engine. I like the idea of being a clutch, works for me.

DRONGO

Thursday, June 16, 2005 5:15 PM

>As to what the handle does... well it looks cooler than just pressing a button to start the engine. I like the idea of being a clutch, works for me.

the commentary for whatever ep introduces the real engineer, explains how "off the cuff" and expedient are the design of these critical engine parts.

As for SW Hyperspace(R) anomaliesia: I'm still not recovered from the presentation that anyone could survive the heat for more than a few minutes on a volcano planet, nevermind the sulfurous atmo.

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