How bout a battlecruiser?

[Humanoid]

So pretty much anyone who has ever played a sci-fi comp. game has seen the flying bohemoth ships beyond all comprehension. For my example I'll use Starcraft's 'Battlecruiser' This thread is for anyone willing to take on the near impossible task of first off, figuring out the details, and then the real trick, getting it off the ground and into space.

The Alien Attack thread scared me so much:shudder I figured we should probably start thinking about a star fleet :D
Oh, and how are we supposed to arm the thing?

[Feanor]

In terms of arming... I'm thinking lazers. Pew pew.

[shadowcat1313]

Lasers, particle accelerators possibly, railguns possibly

very probably some sort of missiles, one of my favorite ideas being the Detonation Laser missile, which is where you take a proximity fused nuclear warhead and wrap it with a bundle of lasing rods, bomb detonates.. vaporizing the rods and creating a one shot high energy laser. this is a simple explanation
wouldnt take a huge warhead, maybe 150KT range

Railguns and massdrivers arent going to be useful for more than point defense really due to the problems of trying to hit something at high speed at much over point blank range

[shadowcat1313]

how far in the future are we talking? and what kind of available tech?

right now power generation is the biggest roadblock to some theoretical weapon systems. until we see some major breakthroughs in power generation
a lot of ideas wont be doable

didnt mean to go off on a ramble here folks, this is one of my specialties, coming at it from an RPG/Wargaming standpoint. so there are probably a lot of things I dont have access to.

now that I have seen this thread, where do you want to start on it?

[Ananda]

So pretty much anyone who has ever played a sci-fi comp. game has seen the flying bohemoth ships beyond all comprehension. For my example I'll use Starcraft's 'Battlecruiser' This thread is for anyone willing to take on the near impossible task of first off, figuring out the details, and then the real trick, getting it off the ground and into space.

How to make this 'battlecruisers' reached the stars ?? Before talking on arming it, should go first with how to propelled it to stars right ??
I bellieve human technology allready reaching on getting weapons technology..afterall plasma canon, ion warheads..etc2 at least can be reacheable within few decades...but the propulsion ??
With only rockets technology that we have..getting to mars seems still a challange..let alone getting to other planets in systems..and stars..?? we can't even comprehend how the teory should work..

Maybe we should begin to make considerable fortress earth..ie; orbital plasma canons..making moon as forward defence bases...etc2..
We might have technology to defend the earth..but to bring the offensive to the stars..?? how to do it..if humanity still groupling around on 'how to get there' :)

[shadowcat1313]

for in system propulsion, were probably talking ion or plasma/fusion drives, and the ship would likely be built in orbit to begin with. one of my favorite concepts is project Orion, which involved using focused nuclear explosions to provide thrust.

[Ananda]

for in system propulsion, were probably talking ion or plasma/fusion drives, and the ship would likely be built in orbit to begin with. one of my favorite concepts is project Orion, which involved using focused nuclear explosions to provide thrust.

But can those technology have potential on reaching the stars ? I believe those technology only developed for reaching nearby planets in our system.

[Ozzy Blizzard]

But can those technology have potential on reaching the stars ? I believe those technology only developed for reaching nearby planets in our system.

Exactly. We would need a type of field propulsion to reach the stars, and we dont even know the physics to allow that to occur. i.e. long, long, long, way off. For anyone whose interested here's a great website that explains some propulsion possibilities and challenges involved.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/technology/warp/warp.html

[Ananda]

Exactly. We would need a type of field propulsion to reach the stars, and we dont even know the physics to allow that to occur. i.e. long, long, long, way off. For anyone whose interested here's a great website that explains some propulsion possibilities and challenges involved.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/technology/warp/warp.html

Good Reading..thanks OB..
Looks at that, make you realize that comparing with mediavel guys still pondering on how to make steam propulsions work..they're much closer than current humanity on getting 'warp' propulsions..ooo well maybe my great grand children will have much luck on seeing this materialize in their life time..(assuming the civilizations still developingthiugh..:))