Science Fiction Interstellar Travel Technologies

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Saying "science fiction," in most cases we mean " space science fiction." In the sense that the future already seems almost unthinkable to us without space exploration.
And if with the development of our solar system everything looks relatively simple and clear - the methods of movement differ only in the degree of spit on the laws of momentum, inertia and astrodynamics, then with interstellar flights everything is much more interesting. There are a variety of options - from classic ones that do not offend physics with sending ships on ordinary jet thrust, loaded with either frozen carcasses or populations equipped for long stays on them for generations, to very exotic ones, like using Hell as an intermediate stop.

In this article, I tried to compile an overview of the methods for delivering shaved human bodies from one star system to another, which are used by the most popular NF works, plus one of my personal favorites.

Star Wars

Hyperdrive

Star Wars was not the work that invented hyperdrive. However, they have become the classic and most famous example of this technology, so widespread that it, in fact, is the default way to get from star A to star B.

The principle of operation is that a spaceship with the help of a certain generator or engine falls out into parallel reality, which has different laws of physics and allows the ship to either move there much faster than the speed of light, or after flying a short distance to cover light years in ordinary space.

Hyperdrive and Star Wars hyperspace, however, has its own nuance. Hyperspace and ordinary space are interconnected and affect each other. Material objects cast gravitational “shadows” into hyperspace, which should be avoided. Collision with the shadow leads to disastrous results, in the case of the ship and the populated world - this is a rather apocalyptic event that can split the crust of the planet. For this reason, all ZV ships are equipped with wired security systems that automatically and force the ship into normal space if it is too close to the gravitational shadow. Some turn off these systems, with the aim of flying in extreme conditions, but they do not predictably last long.

Star Track

Warp engine

Of all the travel methods described in this article, Warp is perhaps the only FTL technology that currently has a real chance of being implemented. Warp can be safely called the most realistic way of moving above the speed of light of all known. Let it for now remain only in the form of formulas on paper. It's about the Alcubierre engine .

The principle of action follows from a way to bypass the Special Theory of Relativity, which postulates that nothing in space can move faster than the speed of light. The "path" is that this postulate does not extend to the space itself, which can contract and stretch from various influences, for example, the gravitational field of bodies. The warp engine compresses the space in front of the ship and expands it behind the ship, moving the usual space bubble along with the ship forward.

In the Star Trek universe, such engines develop rather modest speeds by the standards of science fiction - Enterprise travels were limited to one sector of the galaxy near the Solar System (~ 1,500 light years), took years and left a bunch of white spots and unexplored areas.

Babylon 5

Bounce gate

Babylon 5 uses a network of hopping gates leading to hyperspace for communication between stars. In principle, this is a variation of the standard idea with hyperdrive, however, there are several differences that make this option more interesting.

Firstly, most ships are not able to enter hyperspace on their own, with the exception of the largest. Therefore, the network of hopping gates is highly valued in the galaxy, it is considered a neutral zone and direct attacks on the gates themselves are considered a violation of the rules of warfare and generally an extreme manifestation of rudeness, since they are necessary for all interstellar civilizations.

Secondly, hyperspace in Babylon 5 itself is extremely active and independent navigation in it is considered impossible. Ordinary signals do not reach the ships, and the constant change in gravity inside hyperspace blows the vessels themselves off course. For orientation, ships use a tachyon beam that is flown between beacons installed near the entry-exit points of hopping gates in hyperspace, and in case of loss of a signal from such a beam, the ship can be considered irretrievably lost.

However, apparently this situation only applies to “young” civilizations, since all higher species, such as the Vorlons and Shadows, use hyperspace unnecessarily in lighthouses. In hyperspace, there is also some kind of life of its own, which, however, more often than not remains indifferent to ships flying past.

Third, Babylon 5 is one of the very few who somehow touch upon the economic aspect of the interstellar network. For passage through hopping gates, a fee is charged for the ships passing through them, as well as for the governments to which these ships belong, for the very opportunity to use the gates on the territory of the charging side. Personally, I cannot recall such details in other works at all, if there is any economy, then it ends with “we bought a hyperdrive for our starship”.

Interestingly, none of the currently existing civilizations did not invent the technology of the gates themselves, but only found or bought from someone else, which makes them related to the next setting in the list.

Mass Effect

Element zero

All spaceships of the Mass Effect universe in one way or another use the Element Zero, which generates the designated Mass Effect, either reducing the mass of objects around it, or increasing it. Thus, it is possible to turn the Theory of Relativity and exceed the speed of light.

Ordinary trips between planets and nearby stars are made using FTL engines, which can only reduce the mass of the ship. For interstellar flights over long distances, Mass Relay is used - huge stations built around dense nuclei consisting of a zero element. Relays are usually tied to one or several other relays and are able to create a corridor in which the mass practically disappears, almost instantly transferring the ship for thousands of light years.

Many of these relays were initially off for some reason, and the galactic community initially actively explored where such relays could lead. This ultimately led to the fact that they came across an aggressive look of arachnids, which unleashed a ruthless war with them. Subsequently, the switched off relays were banned from being switched on, for fear of digging out worse in the abysses of the universe. Because of this, people, having found one of these relays near Pluto, subsequently initially earned a disapproving mark in the Galaxy, as they began to examine the Relay network and turn them on left and right, which resulted in a war with one of the species, the Turians, who tried to stop it disgrace.

Star Gates

Star Gates

In the setting of the Stargate, interstellar travel is somewhat atypical. In order to be on another planet, a spaceship ... is not needed. Moving between the stars is carried out with the help of the Stargate, rings of several meters in diameter, made of exotic material built by an ancient extinct civilization, and spaceships themselves are not used so often.

When activated, the stargate creates a stable one-sided wormhole between the calling ring and the called ring, allowing you to instantly move any objects of suitable size to crawl into the wormhole.

The one-sidedness of the gates stems from their mode of action: matter does not survive a wormhole transition, therefore, the sending gate is engaged in the analysis of objects passing through them into subatomic particles, and the receiving gate reconstructs the resulting material back into matter.

Each Gate has its own seven-digit number, six characters determine the coordinates of the receiving Gate, and the seventh symbol defines the transmitting Gate. The eighth symbol is used to communicate with Gates that are outside the normal network of action, usually in another galaxy.

In addition to the Stargate, ordinary classic ships are also used, for various reasons, for example, with massive attacks, or if there is simply no Stargate on the target planet. In this case, the ships use a very classic way in the form of hyperspace, only sometimes with simply indecently high efficiency (in one case, the space cruiser of the civilization Asgard was able to cover the distance between two galaxies in a few minutes) However, despite this, transportation using the Gate remains the preferred option.

Warhammer 40k

Warp

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Yes, I agree, Warhammer 40k is not that science fiction, and certainly not scientific, but there are spaceships there, and they use an unusual version of FTL movements, so it can very well be included in the list.

At the beginning of the article, I mentioned methods that use hell as an intermediate point. Actually, this is the case in Warhammer (I could use a much more realistic Event Horizon film instead of a warhammer, but the “flight through hell” was already firmly fixed to the warhammer, and there was no actual trip in the “Event Horizon”, the title ship was experimental) - Warp acts as a medium for hyperflight, which is quite similar to hell. In addition to the complex "currents" resembling a stormy river, the creatures living there are extremely hostile to the ordinary world and, with any opportunity that has turned up under the tentacle, tend to penetrate our universe, or at least to master the mind of a careless person. While traveling through a warp, ships protect themselves and their crew with Geller’s fields, preventing the creatures that inhabit the warp from being called demons and gods on board or into the brains of passengers. The warp itself can both act on the ordinary universe and be exposed to the universe itself on it - many of the most powerful inhabitants of another reality have arisen and draw their strength from the projection of the collective unconscious whole species inhabiting the galaxy, others draw energy from projections of common fears - for example, disease and decomposition.

The warp is also responsible for the presence of many types of psi-abilities, which are used in particular for navigation in the warp during flights. For this purpose, Astronomicon was established as a landmark on Earth - a lighthouse transmitting a stable and strong signal in a warp, capable of being seen at a distance of up to 80 thousand light-years from Earth. The specifics of the operation of the device is such that in order to maintain the functionality of the device, thousands of people with psi-abilities must literally earn themselves to death, feeding the Astronomicon with their psi-energy.

In addition to the presence of hostile natives, a warp can generate storms, sometimes breaking into reality. These phenomena are extremely unpredictable not only in the time and place of formation, but also in the consequences - some ships are simply destroyed, while others can be cast into the future. One of the most powerful warp storms caused the initial collapse of human interstellar civilization, cutting off numerous colonies from the mother country for many centuries.

Dune

Guild of Navigators

The relationships of the Dune universe with space travel are complex. As a result of the Butlerian jihad, all computer equipment was destroyed and banned . Therefore, flights in space have become completely dependent on the Guild of Navigators and their huge cargo ships - highliners.

To work, the highlighter needs a guild navigator and a Holtzman generator. The latter uses the Holtzmann effect, which "turns" the space, bringing two distant points closer to each other and allowing to make interstellar travels. Navigators use the drug spice obtained on Dune to expand their consciousness and gain the ability to foresee the future. This allows them to safely navigate the ship through curled space, avoiding collisions with various space bodies.

A constant overdose of spice at the same time exposes their bodies to powerful mutations, so that in the end the Navigator becomes unable to live anywhere except the atomosphere, supersaturated with spice vapors, which would be deadly for any other creature. Their psychology also undergoes deformations, which essentially allows us to classify Navigators more likely as a separate species.

Navigators, although they seem to be an independent apolitical company, are nevertheless almost the most important part of the cosmic civilization of the Dune universe, since they alone allow interplanetary and interstellar communications to exist, without which society would fall apart into separate isolated planets. Therefore, even the Padishah the Emperor communicates with the representatives of the Guild extremely carefully.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Engine of infinite incredibility

Mind, how to start ... "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is one of the most glitchy things I've ever read. This book beats you with its eccentricity and grotesqueness directly to the brain, like a golden brick wrapped in a slice of lemon - which probably explains its popularity ... An engine of infinite incredibility works by placing a spaceship at the same time in all possible places in the universe in all possible ways, after which returns everything as it was, but already in a new place ... Something like that. In any case, I don’t think anyone can describe how the engine of infinite improbability works better than Douglas Adams himself.

Avatar

Cryo-freezing and engine on antimatter.

The Venture Star, an interstellar ship from James Cameron's Avatar movie, is perhaps the most nondescript in its technical characteristics compared to the rest of the ships in this article. It takes him several years to reach a relatively nearby stellar system, and he gains only 0.7 the speed of light. But nevertheless, he does not use any fantastic assumptions, except for antimatter.

As a principle of motion, the ship uses the derivative of the annihilation of matter with antimatter (using hydrogen atoms) radiation, which is formed in the plasma with the addition of a certain amount of ordinary hydrogen atoms. This forms the brightest exhaust with a length of more than thirty kilometers. The ship uses these engines when it sets sail and brakes near Pandora. Closer to Earth, the ship is braked or accelerated by an additional photon sail, to which a powerful laser beam is sent from the Earth’s orbit.

People almost do not participate in this process - during all the long years of flight, the crew is only four people, and all other passengers, including “spare” crew members, are in a frozen state of suspended animationcryo-sleep, and awaken them only upon arrival at the destination. This is one of two options for a real journey from one solar system to another.

Interestingly, according to additional materials, in the event of a breakdown of the suspended animation system, the team is ordered to kill all passengers by euthanizing.

Knights of Sidonia

Ship of generations

Sidonia is another option for a realistic way to get to another solar system - in the form of a ship, which is a closed ecosystem that can exist independently of external supplies and for many centuries, during which it slowly crosses the interstellar void. Only the distant descendants of those who originally built and launched the ship get to their destination. Sidonia is built through an asteroid, which gives it both a source of fossil elements and additional protection, in addition to a thick layer of ice on the outer shell, sometimes reaching up to five hundred meters in thickness. The internal layout of the ship is “correct” with respect to space laws - the floor is in the direction of the engines, and the internal living space of Sidonia is built in the form of a large cylinder with a central pillar and various terraces on its walls, on which most of the buildings are built. Most of the time, Sidonia flies by inertia to save fuel, and the creators ’error closes here - gravity is still present in the residential area, despite the fact that the ship is not under acceleration. Nevertheless, maneuvers to change the trajectory are regarded as natural disasters of varying severity, because provoke a change in the gravitational vector and the destruction of part of buildings due to overloads. In such a configuration, it would be more logical to use a variant of the ship in the form of an O'Nill cylinder - a rotating cylinder simulating gravity by centrifugal force so that its walls thus become a floor. This is the structure of Rama from the novels of Arthur Clark, also being some kind of ship of generations. Most of the time, Sidonia flies by inertia to save fuel, and the creators ’error closes here - gravity is still present in the residential area, despite the fact that the ship is not under acceleration. Nevertheless, maneuvers to change the trajectory are regarded as natural disasters of varying severity, because provoke a change in the gravitational vector and the destruction of part of buildings due to overloads. In such a configuration, it would be more logical to use a variant of the ship in the form of an O'Nill cylinder - a rotating cylinder simulating gravity by centrifugal force so that its walls thus become a floor. This is the structure of Rama from the novels of Arthur Clark, also being some kind of ship of generations. Most of the time, Sidonia flies by inertia to save fuel, and the creators ’error closes here - gravity is still present in the residential area, despite the fact that the ship is not under acceleration. Nevertheless, maneuvers to change the trajectory are regarded as natural disasters of varying severity, because provoke a change in the gravitational vector and the destruction of part of buildings due to overloads. In such a configuration, it would be more logical to use a variant of the ship in the form of an O'Nill cylinder - a rotating cylinder simulating gravity by centrifugal force so that its walls thus become a floor. This is the structure of Rama from the novels of Arthur Clark, also being some kind of ship of generations. and here the mistake of the creators closes - gravity in the residential area is still present, despite the fact that the ship is not under acceleration. Nevertheless, maneuvers to change the trajectory are regarded as natural disasters of varying severity, because provoke a change in the gravitational vector and the destruction of part of buildings due to overloads. In such a configuration, it would be more logical to use a variant of the ship in the form of an O'Nill cylinder - a rotating cylinder simulating gravity by centrifugal force so that its walls thus become a floor. This is the structure of Rama from the novels of Arthur Clark, also being some kind of ship of generations. and here the mistake of the creators closes - gravity in the residential area is still present, despite the fact that the ship is not under acceleration. Nevertheless, maneuvers to change the trajectory are regarded as natural disasters of varying severity, because provoke a change in the gravitational vector and the destruction of part of buildings due to overloads. In such a configuration, it would be more logical to use a variant of the ship in the form of an O'Nill cylinder - a rotating cylinder simulating gravity by centrifugal force so that its walls thus become a floor. This is the structure of Rama from the novels of Arthur Clark, also being some kind of ship of generations. K. provoke a change in the gravitational vector and the destruction of some buildings due to overloads. In such a configuration, it would be more logical to use a variant of the ship in the form of an O'Nill cylinder - a rotating cylinder simulating gravity by centrifugal force so that its walls thus become a floor. This is the structure of Rama from the novels of Arthur Clark, also being some kind of ship of generations. K. provoke a change in the gravitational vector and the destruction of some buildings due to overloads. In such a configuration, it would be more logical to use a variant of the ship in the form of an O'Nill cylinder - a rotating cylinder simulating gravity by centrifugal force so that its walls thus become a floor. This is the structure of Rama from the novels of Arthur Clark, also being some kind of ship of generations.

Coat of arms of the universe

Flat space

I would like to highlight an anime series and a series of short stories by Hiroyuki Morioka.
This, again, is a variation on hyperspace ... But the most interesting thing is that this option provides a plausible justification for such a cosmoopera stamp as " flat space ".

The main difference between the hyperspace of the Coat of Arms of the Universe is that it is two-dimensional. Ships are able to enter it exclusively through certain static entry points, called "sord." Ships move in a flat space, generating a spherical field around them, which prevents the collapse of the third dimension. When two ships are close to each other, their bubbles merge with each other, allowing a direct attack. Matter falling into the chord without a protective bubble generator collapses into the only possible form of existence in a two-dimensional universe - a “space-time particle”. Sord located near the stars receive a constant fraction of stellar wind, which collapses into particles inside the sord, flowing out of it in two-dimensional space in the manner of flow. These streams give the space a semblance of the properties of a fluid that flows from sords receiving matter from ordinary space to sords that are far from stars. It is harder for ships to move against this "current", but the cousin along the "current" helps to gain speed. Sord, located in the center of the Galaxy, receive even more matter from a large number of nearby stars, so navigation in the center of the Galaxy is almost impossible, because the flows there are extremely strong. Bubbles of three-dimensional space generated by ships have a “spin”. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble. which flows from sords receiving matter from ordinary space to sordas that are far from stars. It is harder for ships to move against this "current", but the cousin along the "current" helps to gain speed. Sord, located in the center of the Galaxy, receive even more matter from a large number of nearby stars, so navigation in the center of the Galaxy is almost impossible, because the flows there are extremely strong. Bubbles of three-dimensional space generated by ships have a “spin”. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble. which flows from sords receiving matter from ordinary space to sordas that are far from stars. It is harder for ships to move against this "current", but the cousin along the "current" helps to gain speed. Sord, located in the center of the Galaxy, receive even more matter from a large number of nearby stars, so navigation in the center of the Galaxy is almost impossible, because the flows there are extremely strong. Bubbles of three-dimensional space generated by ships have a “spin”. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble. away from the stars. It is harder for ships to move against this "current", but the cousin along the "current" helps to gain speed. Sord, located in the center of the Galaxy, receive even more matter from a large number of nearby stars, so navigation in the center of the Galaxy is almost impossible, because the flows there are extremely strong. Bubbles of three-dimensional space generated by ships have a “spin”. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble. away from the stars. It is harder for ships to move against this "current", but the cousin along the "current" helps to gain speed. Sord, located in the center of the Galaxy, receive even more matter from a large number of nearby stars, so navigation in the center of the Galaxy is almost impossible, because the flows there are extremely strong. Bubbles of three-dimensional space generated by ships have a “spin”. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble. receive even more matter from a large number of nearby stars, so navigation in the center of the Galaxy is almost impossible, because the flows there are extremely strong. Bubbles of three-dimensional space generated by ships have a “spin”. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble. receive even more matter from a large number of nearby stars, so navigation in the center of the Galaxy is almost impossible, because the flows there are extremely strong. Bubbles of three-dimensional space generated by ships have a “spin”. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble. When the axis of their rotation is perpendicular to the Plane of the two-dimensional universe, the ship stands still, but as soon as the axis moves, the bubble begins to move in the direction of rotation, as if rolling along the plane. Conventional engines in a flat space are only suitable for maneuvering inside a bubble.

Sord can exist in our universe in two states - open and closed (juanon). When open, the cord maintains a stable passage into a flat space that looks like a spherical singularity emitting photons about a thousand kilometers in diameter. Without energy, the sord can be in this state for about twelve years, after which it goes into its low-energy state - a small particle weighing less than a proton, which nonetheless constantly emits five hundred megawatts of energy. When people first found these particles, they were initially considered extremely rare and valuable elementary particles of hypothetical " white holes""and were used as a source of energy for ships going into deep space for research and colonization. Only centuries later, people discovered their true nature and were able to open them back to the state of sords.

The two-dimensionality of flat space makes it possible to arrange full-fledged blockades of solar systems, cut them off from the main forces of the enemy and use other tactics unusual for the “classical” space, which before that looked awkward even in the mildest NF. All wars and battles under these conditions, therefore, take place inside the most flat space, since as soon as the enemy fleet enters the usual three-dimensional space, the battle can be considered lost - the specifics of changing space metrics are such that the ship passing through the sord is at a random point not far from him on the other side.

It is also one of the few universes where the battle is mainly fought with autonomous mine-drones (also equipped with bubbles) launched from ships in the manner of missiles, but this is a different story.

NB If I missed some famous or interesting way to quickly fly, tell me in the comments?