For starters, I'll post the actual application I sent to the magazine (minus my messed-up math related to travel times, obviously...I'll put together an improved breakdown of how that would actually work in a future post):
敖顺 / Ao-Shun
Deep-space
research vessel
Designed by Andy
Wright
Designation: Ao Shun Deep-space research
vehicle.
Type: Long-range,
interstellar transport.
Crew Compliment: 4
- 36
Duration: Indefinite
(limited food stores + supplies for self-sustainability)
Gross Tonnage: 23,000
Metric Tons
Acceleration: 10
m/s/s, ~ 1 gs
Length, Overall: 1025
meters
Main Hull: 275 meters (contains engine,
reactor, fuel, etc).
Module A 113m
x 8.25m x 8.25m, 3 decks: living quarters, control facilities
Module B 113m
x 8.25m x 8.25m, 3 decks: rec, labs, greenhouses, cargo
Bussard Collector: 750
meter long, spiral field extender array.
Bussard
Collector:
The hydrogen collector is a 750-meter-long structure made up of
electromagnets that extend a magnetic funnel about 10 kilometers out ahead of
the ship. This invisible “funnel” gathers free-floating hydrogen from deep
space and shunts it straight into the engine.
It’s constructed of a carbon fiber/carbon nanotube/titanium mesh. It needs significant amounts of titanium in
order to sustain the compression force exerted on it by the fusion rocket
during the acceleration cycles.
Main
Engine:
Fueled by Bussard hydrogen collector. First stage ionizes the
hydrogen, second stage pre-accelerates the particles, and the final stage
initiates a fusion reaction to further energize the particles as they exit out
of the back of the ship. Engine also has a “reverse gear” for use during
deceleration, which uses a magnetic sling-shot to send the pre-accelerated
particles back up to the front of the ship, where a second fusion reaction
chamber and exhaust are located.
Oracle:
Sensor package at the front of the Bussard Collector which also has
high-powered lasers and particle cannons to either vaporize or redirect
incoming debris that may threaten to damage the ship.
Gravity Compensation:
During acceleration, the ship is cross-shaped, with the
modules close to the center hull to minimize stress on supports. The floors of
the modules face the same side as the engine exhaust. The acceleration force of
the engines provides force on the floor that exactly imitates the feeling of
gravity. To shorten the trip, the ship could possibly be set to higher
acceleration rates during sleeping periods.
During cruising or orbit periods, the ship rearranges to
compensate for microgravity.
First, the
modules rotate around where they attach to the connecting corridors,
transitioning from being perpendicular to the main hull to being parallel to
it.
Next, the modules
rotate along the axis of the length of the ship, turning the floors outward,
away from the center hull.
Next, the modules
extend away from the center hull, the connecting corridors extending like
accordions. This lowers the necessary speed of rotation as well as the force
differentials between the floors and the ceilings of the modules (both of these
help minimize motion sickness from the spinning).
Finally, the
modules spin around the center hull.
During the first
half of a journey, the ship will spend the entire time accelerating. After
hitting the half-way point, the engine reverse-thrusts to decelerate during the
second half of the journey.
Range/Missions:
Short trips
(accelerating at 10 m/s):
·
2.5
days to Mars
·
12
days to Neptune
Long trips:
Ship accelerates
constantly at approximately 1 g (10 meters per second per second) for the first
half until reaching 80% of the speed of light (which takes about 11 months).
Then the ship would cruise until nearing the destination and then decelerate at
the same rate.
