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Nuclear Pulse Propulsion

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Fri, 2009-08-21 00:14

GregH

Nuclear Pulse Propulsion

This may be more technical than what you planned on for the spacecraft section but after re-reading George Dyson's excellent "Project Orion" I thought I'd ask anyway. Are there any Nuclear Pulse Propulsion (Orion or Medusa for example) type craft in the EP universe? Given morphs and the available technology I'd think, barring something better, it would be seen as a possible form of transport (and Synthmorphs don't have to worry about that whole sterility thing anyway).

Sun, 2009-09-13 01:19

Slith

Even flats wouldn't have to

Even flats wouldn't have to worry about sterility with a properly designed Orion spacecraft, since the pusher plate, fuel payload, life support, and equipment storage is all going to be between the crew and the nuclear explosions.

There is no evidence however, to Orion-type spacecraft existing in EP. They ought to, but there is no mention of them at all anywhere in the rulebook.

Sun, 2009-09-13 13:01

GregH

Maybe they were used and

Maybe they were used and became obsolete? They could be the "muscle cars" of the Transhuman era! People who are die-hard collectors and have the resources to get enough nukes... er... "propulsion units" may be blasting their way across the solar system!

Sun, 2009-09-13 22:00

jackgraham jackgraham's picture

We do mention that the

We do mention that the Titanians have funded research into gateless interstellar travel, including sending a probe to Alpha Centauri. Whether Orion-style propulsion systems are a component of this will be left to individual GMs for now... but Titan is an antimatter-producing power, so there are some interesting possibilities for what they might be cooking up.

—

J A C K G R A H A M :: Hooray for Earth! http://eclipsephase.com :: twitter @jackgraham @faketsr :: Google+Jack Graham

Wed, 2009-09-23 07:27

Blupe

Re: We do mention that the

FWIW, I put an Orion-style spacecraft in my play by post Scum character's background. Then again, the spacecraft is a huge ship named "The City of Carcosa"-- and I felt a ship named after a mythical city from classical horror literature should have an unusual drive system! (To be honest, I had the idea for the ship before I even heard of the game. Its been fermenting for some time.)

Wed, 2009-09-23 21:45

jackgraham jackgraham's picture

Dread Carcosa

Mashing up the Carnival of the Goat with _The King in Yellow_ to yield a scum barge full of deranged artist/singularity seekers? Nice. :D

—

J A C K G R A H A M :: Hooray for Earth! http://eclipsephase.com :: twitter @jackgraham @faketsr :: Google+Jack Graham

Thu, 2009-09-24 04:32

Blupe

Re: Dread Carcosa

Thanks. I came up with it after watching the second or third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and around the time I was reading Eden Studios' All Tomorrow's Zombies. When I read the bit about Carnival of the Goat I remembered the idea. In the background stuff I wrote for the character, I made the ship carrying about 100,000 living people, and an unknown amount in virtual reality. I haven't decided if the ship looks like it has come right out of the late 1950s to early 1960s, or from some time around the late 1800s to early 1900s. Or maybe a mixture of both those eras and/or others. It is run by an unelected, largely anonymous City Council (rumored to be five people), thought they are not involved much in the day-today running of the ship. The King needs to be in there somewhere-- maybe as a "Big Brother" sort of entity. If I get a hard copy version of the game sometime soon, and the nerve to run a game, I might write up more information on it. (Or, if my ambition rises, I might write up more on it just for the fun of it!)