Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
 |
Comments on Are Black Hole Starships Possible?
Fascinating paper makes fascinating reading, particularly as an adjunct to the early fictional work done by Arthur C. Clarke. (Read
the complete story)
| "Their method for construction seems rather similar to EE 'Doc' Smith's "Negasphere" (from the Lensman novels): An initial massive energy pulse to create it, then feed it waste mass to grow it. The Negasphere had more in common with antimatter (and negative-energy matter) than a blackhole though.
Gunbuster (1988) alsojhad a drive system utilising two spinning black holes. It's name (the Tannhauser Gate) was referenced in Blade Runner." ( 12/5/2009 8:34:39 AM) |
| "Leave Hal in charge and you can feed it the crew." (Peter Jacobs 12/6/2009 2:57:19 PM) |
| "One minor correction. In Joe Hadelman's "Forever War" the humans and Taurans did not use black-hole/singularity powered ships, but Hadelman postulated the galaxy was full of black-holes or "collapsars" black holes with no accretion disk or easily visible signs, with comet or Pluto-like boies orbiting them. A spacecraft hitting one collapsar would instantly appear at another collapsar in the direction it was traveling. (Better hit the first one in exactly the right direction!) " (AJ Dual 12/6/2009 7:53:24 PM) |
| "AJ - on second thought, I think you're right. That novel referred to a 'tachyon drive' without too much explanation, along with collapsars used as gateways." (Bill Christensen 12/7/2009 9:14:14 AM) |
| "Was it me or did you completely forget the movie Event Horizon. I was pretty sure the ship there was powered by a black hole." (Brandon 12/9/2009 8:46:58 AM) |
| "Brandon, I completely forgot. I think you're right though, although I don't remember the exact details of how the black hole is used." (Bill Christensen 12/9/2009 3:18:36 PM) |
| "Peter - great idea for a space horror flick! Sorry it took me so long to comment. Also, that scenario kind of reminds me of a Robert Heinlein story in which there is a hole in a space craft (or moon habitat) and grizzled space veterans take turns sealing the hole - by sitting on it. I guess you could take turns feeding the black hole, too. I think the story was 'Gentlemen, Be Seated'." (Bill Christensen 12/9/2009 3:29:24 PM) |
| "Unfortunately Clarke's black-hole drive suffers from serious issues. Firstly, a 1000 ton black hole would probably detonate in less than a second. Second, black-hole accretion - what powers the A-drive - is Eddington limited to a mere 6.38 W/kg specific power. Hardly spectacular even if it releases ~5.7% of the infalling mass-energy." (Adam Crowl 5/5/2010 2:30:18 AM) |
Get more information on Are Black Hole Starships Possible?
Leave a comment:
Tediously, spammers have returned; if you have a comment, send it to bill at this site (include the story name) and I'll post it.
More Articles
JAXA Int Ball 2 Coming Right Along As Star Wars Remote
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
Robot Bricklayer Or Passer-By Bricklayer?
'Oscar picked up a trowel. 'I'm the tool for the mortar,' the little trowel squeaked cheerfully.'
Robot Gas Station Attendant Pumps Gas For You
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.'
Engineer Creates Crazy Motorized Track Hospital Bed
The Roujin Z system provides care to fully bedridden patients - and then some!
Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram
'Aerostat meant anything that hung in the air. This was an easy trick to pull off nowadays.'
Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable
'The Ringworld had no horizon. There was no line where the land curved away from the sky.'
TRANSFORM Dynamic Furniture Concept Becomes What You Need
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'
Harvard Metamaterials Change Structure Instantly
'Annealed in any shape for a time, and codified, the structure of that shape is retained down to the molecules.'
SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
Dino From Magical Toys An AI Companion To Children
'...the imaginary companions discovered by needful children.'
Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
''Pardon me, Struthers,' he broke in suddenly... 'haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?''
Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship
'There was no wheel, and no steersman!'
What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots?
'I opened the oblong box, where lay the automatons side by side...'
DNA Printed Book By Isaac Asimov Now Available
'They tied the memory to the bloodline and that was their record!'
AI Computer Chip Designs Passeth Human Understanding
'It seems that at one time computers were designed directly by human beings.'
Space Traffic Management (STM) Needed Now
'...the spot was a lonely one in an uncharted region, far from the normal lanes of space traffic.'
Fine-Tune Your Infinite Book The Way You Want It
'I squatted down beside the roller and tried to make some sense out of the knobs. There were thirty-nine of them...'
SpiRobs Soft Spiral Robotic Arm
'Beware the long, flexible, glittering tentacles...'
Holland Factory 3D Printing 500 Tons Of Steak Per Month
'...I don’t understand technical things — tell me, does it ever feel anything?"
Stratospheric Solar Geoengineering From Harvard
'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
