family psychology 

Spaceship fold. How spaceships travel through the stars. Antimatter to the rescue

Last November, during the TVIW (Tennessee Astronomy Seminar on Interstellar Travel), Rob Sweeney - former Royal Air Force Squadron Leader, engineer and MSc in charge of the Icarus project - presented a report on the work done on the project for Lately. Sweeney has refreshed the public's mind on the history of Icarus, from being inspired by the ideas of the Daedalus project highlighted in a BIS (British Interplanetary Society - the oldest organization supporting space research) report in 1978, to the joint decision of the BIS and the Tau Zero enthusiast company to resume research in 2009 year, and until the latest news about the project, dated 2014.

The original project of 1978 had a simple, but difficult to implement goal - to answer the question posed by Enrique Fermi: "If there is intelligent life outside the Earth, and interstellar flights are possible, then why is there no evidence of other alien civilizations?". The Daedalus research aimed to develop an interstellar spacecraft design using existing technology in reasonable extrapolations. And the results of the work thundered throughout the scientific world: the creation of such a ship is really possible. The report on the project was supported by a detailed plan of a ship using deuterium-helium-3 thermonuclear fusion from pre-harvested pellets. The Daedalus then served as the benchmark for all subsequent developments in interstellar travel for 30 years.

However, after such a long period of time, it was necessary to review the ideas and technical solutions adopted at Daedalus in order to assess how they stood the test of time. In addition, new discoveries were made during this period, a design change in accordance with them would improve the overall performance of the ship. The organizers also wanted to interest the younger generation in astronomy and the construction of interstellar space stations. The new project was named after Icarus, the son of Daedalus, which, despite the negative connotation of the name, corresponded to the first words in the report of the 78th year:

“We hope that this variant will replace the future design, similar to Icarus, which will reflect the latest discoveries and technical innovations, so that Icarus can reach heights not yet conquered by Daedalus. We hope that thanks to the development of our ideas, the day will come when humanity literally touches the stars.”

So, Icarus was created precisely as a continuation of Daedalus. The indicators of the old project to this day look very promising, but still need to be finalized and updated:

1) Daedalus used relativistic electron beams to compress fuel pellets, but subsequent studies showed that this method was not capable of providing the necessary impulse. Instead, ion beams are used in laboratories for thermonuclear fusion. However, such a miscalculation, which cost the National Fusion Complex 20 years of operation and $4 billion, showed the difficulty of handling fusion even under ideal conditions.

2) The main obstacle faced by the Daedalus is Helium-3. It does not exist on Earth, and therefore it must be mined from gas giants distant from our planet. This process is too expensive and complicated.

3) Another problem that Icarus will have to solve is the marriage of information about nuclear reactions. It was the lack of information that made it possible 30 years ago to make very optimistic calculations of the impact of irradiating the entire ship with gamma rays and neutrons, without the release of which a thermonuclear fusion engine cannot do.

4) Tritium was used in fuel pellets for ignition, but too much heat was released from the decay of its atoms. Without a proper cooling system, the ignition of the fuel will be accompanied by the ignition of everything else.

5) Decompression of fuel tanks due to emptying can cause an explosion in the combustion chamber. To solve this problem, weights have been added to the tank design to balance the pressure in different parts of the mechanism.

6) The last difficulty is the maintenance of the ship. According to the project, the ship is equipped with a pair of robots similar to R2D2, which, using diagnostic algorithms, will identify and repair possible damage. Such technologies seem very complex even now, in the computer era, to say nothing of the 70s.

The new design team is no longer limited to building an agile ship. To study objects, Icarus uses probes carried on board the ship. This not only simplifies the task of designers, but also significantly reduces the time for studying star systems. Instead of deuterium-helium-3, the new spacecraft runs on pure deuterium-deuterium. Despite the greater release of neutrons, the new fuel will not only increase the efficiency of engines, but also eliminate the need to extract resources from the surface of other planets. Deuterium is actively mined from the oceans and used in heavy water nuclear power plants.

However, mankind has not yet been able to obtain a controlled decay reaction with the release of energy. The protracted race of laboratories around the world for exothermic nuclear fusion slows down the design of the ship. So the question of the optimal fuel for an interstellar vessel remains open. In an attempt to find a solution, in 2013 an internal competition was held among BIS units. The WWAR Ghost team from the University of Munich won. Their design is based on thermonuclear fusion using a laser, which ensures that the fuel is quickly heated to the required temperature.

Despite the originality of the idea and some engineering moves, the contestants could not solve the main dilemma - the choice of fuel. In addition, the winning ship is huge. It is 4-5 times larger than the Daedalus, and other fusion methods may need less space.

Accordingly, it was decided to promote 2 types of engines: based on thermonuclear fusion and based on the Bennett pinch (plasma engine). In addition, in parallel with deuterium-deuterium, the old version with tritium-helium-3 is also being considered. In fact, helium-3 gives the best results in any kind of propulsion, so scientists are working on ways to get it.

An interesting relationship can be traced in the works of all participants in the competition: some structural elements (probes for environmental research, fuel storage, secondary power supply systems, etc.) of any ship remain unchanged. The following can be unequivocally stated:

  1. The ship will be hot. Any method of burning any of the presented types of fuel is accompanied by the release of a large amount of heat. Deuterium requires a massive cooling system due to the direct release of thermal energy during the reaction. The magnetic plasma engine will create eddy currents in the surrounding metals, also heating them. Radiators of sufficient power already exist on Earth to effectively cool bodies with temperatures above 1000 C, it remains to adapt them to the needs and conditions of a starship.
  2. The ship will be colossal. One of the main tasks assigned to the Icarus project was to reduce the size, but over time it became clear that a lot of space is required for thermonuclear reactions. Even the smallest mass design options weigh tens of thousands of tons.
  3. The ship will be long. "Dedalus" was very compact, each part of it was combined with another, like a nesting doll. In Icarus, attempts to minimize the radioactive impact on the ship led to its lengthening (this is well demonstrated in the Firefly project by Robert Freeland).

Rob Sweeney said that a group from Drexel University has joined the Icarus project. The "newcomers" are promoting the idea of ​​using PJMIF (a system based on a jet of plasma using magnets, while the plasma is stratified, providing conditions for nuclear reactions). This principle is currently the most effective. In fact, this is a symbiosis of two methods of nuclear reactions, it has absorbed all the advantages of inertial and magnetic thermonuclear fusion, such as a reduction in the mass of the structure, and a significant reduction in cost. Their project is called Zeus.

This meeting was followed by TVIW, where Sweeney set a tentative completion date for the Icarus project of August 2015. The final report will include references to modifications to old Daedalus designs and innovations entirely created by the new team. The seminar ended with a monologue by Rob Sweeney, in which he said: “The mysteries of the Universe are waiting for us somewhere out there! Time to get out of here!"

Interestingly, the new project is inextricably linked with its predecessor. The transport for delivering parts and fuel to a small Earth orbit during the construction of the Icarus could be the Cyclops, a short-range spacecraft that is being developed under the leadership of Alan Bond (one of the engineers who worked on the Daedalus).

Popular Mechanics magazine is designing a ship capable of delivering a crew to a distant star. The launch date is 2112. Not so long ago, in 2012, scientists, researchers and just optimists gathered in Houston to take part in the second annual symposium 100 Year Starship (“Starship in a hundred years”). Such symposia are held with the support of the Pentagon and NASA, their purpose is to discuss the technologies on the basis of which an interstellar spacecraft can be created. Inspired by the bold project, the editors of Popular Mechanics sketched out their own sketch of the spacecraft. It will carry 200 passengers on a 90-year journey to Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf located 4.24 light-years from Earth. Astronomers are constantly discovering habitable planets in the universe. We just have to find ways to get to them.

Michael Belfiore


Official name: Hofvarpnir, in honor of the character of Scandinavian myths - a horse galloping over the waters Working name: Hof Crew: 200 people Gravity: 1/3 of the earth's Power plant: nuclear-fueled plasma engine



Creation of an ecosystem

Interstellar travel requires a revolutionary leap in the development of the food industry. In outer space, one detail is missing - sunlight. Scientists at the Space Center Kennedy carefully select the wavelength of LEDs for the ripening of certain crops. Farming in space requires a thorough study of the micro-organisms that support plants. "How will you renew the soil?" asks former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, whose foundation runs the government's 100 Year Starship project. To find out, astronauts use a special camera on the ISS to determine the most comfortable conditions for plants, microorganisms and insects.

General information

“All the knowledge that will be required to fly to the stars will be useful to us for survival on Earth.” Mae Jemison, former NASA astronaut

Determine destination

What is the purpose of this grand adventure? Using powerful orbiting telescopes, astronomers discover hundreds of exoplanets every year. It is estimated that half of the 150,000 stars surveyed by the Kepler space telescope have planets the size of Earth or slightly larger.

However, scientists still have not figured out whether such planets revolve around the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our solar system. Perhaps the answer to this question will be found after the launch of NASA's James Webb space telescope into orbit in 2018. This device will be able to catch the slightest changes in the intensity of the star's light, indicating the presence of planets.

Engine

Hof is equipped with a plasma engine with a fusion reactor. High hopes are pinned on plasma engines. Last year, Texas-based Ad Astra signed an agreement with NASA to test a sample of such a solar-powered engine. Tests are scheduled for 2015 on the ISS. In the hope of mastering the energy of thermonuclear fusion in the future, we include a thermonuclear reactor in the design of a starship. (On the prospects of thermonuclear energy for interstellar travel, see the article "Starships", "PM" No. 4'2013.)

The principle of operation of the plasma engine

(pictures with indicated numbers are on the left)

Microwave (1) heat hydrogen isotopes to 600 million kelvins, thus creating a plasma. Powerful magnets (2) hold superhot plasma and compress it so that the fusion reaction begins. This releases an enormous amount of energy. Magnetic fields direct a powerful stream of synthesis products to magnetic nozzles (3) , accelerating the ship to an incredible 12% of the speed of light.

Landing on an alien planet

The ship's crew launches small high-speed research probes to find out details about the planets of Proxima Centauri. Data is exchanged with the help of lasers operating at frequencies in the visible region of the spectrum. The key question is whether there is life in this planetary system. For a long time, scientists have believed that red dwarfs and habitable planets are incompatible, since the former emit deadly X-rays that destroy the atmosphere.

And yet in 2012, using the European spectrograph HARPS, 102 red dwarfs were studied and it was found that 41% of them may have habitable planets. And the satellites of large planets orbiting red dwarfs may be large enough to hold an atmosphere. Who knows, maybe humans won't be doomed to extinction when our Sun's resources run out. We will have a chance to become permanent residents of the universe.

56 years ago, on April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly into outer space. Over the past half century, people, with the help of cinema, have managed to send their spaceships with a crew much further than the earth's orbit, meet aliens, evacuate from Earth on ark ships, and so on. Our selection contains several excellent spaceships from world cinema, with which it is a pleasure to conquer the expanses of the Universe.

Carefully! Spoilers!

Flying Saucers from Mars Attacks!

Classic "flying saucers" with crab legs, embodied in the movie by Tim Burton. In fact, an ordinary ship for traveling through space with a standard set of amenities in the cabins. On the first level there is karaoke and a bar with panoramic windows. Some of the dishes are also rumored to be equipped with laboratories where sinister head transplant experiments can be performed. In the extended configuration, they are equipped with a combat laser that incinerates living organisms. However, due to the fact that the “flying saucer” model is outdated, it is almost impossible to cause fear in modern earthlings - only laughter and a pathological desire to take a selfie.

A warning: the attendants (aliens with cans on their heads) cannot stand the song "Indian Love Call" - in 1996, because of this, they were defeated when they tried to take over the Earth.

"Axiom" from the cartoon "Wall-E"

Achieving the space industry of the future from the Disney studio: an ark ship to rescue especially cunning and irresponsible people from a dying home planet (so that their descendants deal with the consequences). In fact, "Axiom" is a mini-city with schools, kindergartens, swimming pools, cafes, sports centers, residential "districts" and other amenities. No one works on the ark (except for the captain, although he shirks), all the work is done by robots and on-board systems. The movement of people takes place in chairs, from where you can use the remote control at hand to set the destination, change the color of the suit, or call a robot assistant who will wash, make up, comb, tell a story, feed - anything, in general.

A warning: long stay on the ark is fraught with overweight and chronic procrastination. And the captain's assistant is a very suspicious type.

Star cruiser "Galaxy" from the films and TV series of the same name

A warship built specifically for the war against the Cylons - intelligent machines that rebelled against humanity. Due to the fact that the Cylons are able to hack into complex computer systems, the Galaxy is equipped with rather primitive software, which is compensated by powerful armor and weapons (nuclear missiles, kinetic weapons, raptors, etc.).

A warning: make sure you're not a Cylon.

Enterprise D from Star Trek

One of the most popular and recognizable movie ships in the world. It consists of two parts: the main, motor - at the bottom, and residential - at the top, similar to a plate. While diplomatic disputes are being conducted in the command unit, meetings of representatives of different civilizations are being held and other important issues are being resolved, on the “plate”, a kind of mini-city with its own bars, hospitals, schools, etc., the life of passengers goes on as usual. The living quarters can be "unfastened" if, for example, a "Borg Cube" (see below) is coming towards them and people need to be left "in the rear", or it can be used as an evacuation ark. Since the Enterprise is mainly a research ship, and on board for the most part scientists and diplomats, it should be borne in mind that both the crew and the ship itself are poorly prepared for combat (the best tactic is to leave the battlefield in English). Later versions of the ship (D) have reflective shields, while the first starships of this type were protected solely by faith and hope.

A warning: Captain Jean-Luc Picard does not like children very much.

Borg Cube from Star Trek

Looking at this cube, one remembers not only Kazimir Malevich, but also all sorts of tricks of aircraft designers regarding the streamlined shape of the ship to develop greater speed, which the creators of this cube completely forgot about. The size of the side of the cube is 3 km by 3 km. Weight - 9 billion tons. Speed ​​- 110 light years per day. The standard greeting emitted by the ship is "Resistance is useless" and it seems to even be a recommendation, because the "Cube" is equipped and protected so impressively (lasers, emitters, missiles, shields, field) that you only want to contact him if you look at him through the scope of the Death Star. However, it is worth considering that the "Cube" is able to self-repair due to nanotechnology (the same ones), and the triumph of victory may not be long. The Enterprise team had already fallen for this - they barely carried the engines out of the system where the Cube was then.

A warning: will only be produced from 2360. The drones serving the ship do not know what diplomacy is and do not make contact (although, maybe deep inside the motherboard they are sensitive and vulnerable creatures - who knows?).

"Prometheus" from "Prometheus"

The ship from Ridley Scott's Prometheus is basically a standard research vessel. On board the ship there are capsules where you can fall into suspended animation, a screen to watch "Lawrence of Arabia", medical modules where you can perform a complex surgical operation to extract a mini-Alien, laboratories to examine suspicious black liquid cylinders, and so on. The main attraction is the fatally curious android David with the face of Michael Fassbender comes as standard.

A warning: there is an opportunity, in the end, to run into those who created the Aliens, because something similar to them has already been noticed on the Prometheus. And yes, keep an eye on David.

Alien space stations from Independence Day

An ideal model from Roland Emmerich for a leisurely, but high-quality capture of a city or a small country. The relatively low speed of movement is compensated by the strong impression that the station makes, and the power of the destructive beam emitted. On board the station, depending on the size, the size of the regular crew is up to 2 million people (aliens). Up to 30,000 space combat vehicles of various classes and purposes are also placed on board. The station is surrounded by a force field, which is controlled from the central cabin using standard software (updating to the latest version is free). Created to order in accordance with the desired dimensions, the standard color is mysterious gray. The laconic case design will emphasize your villainous ambitions.

A warning: keep Will Smith away from the ship and install a good antivirus (the standard one in the first film did not cope with the task).

The ship, commissioned by Steven Spielberg, will delight connoisseurs of high alien shipbuilding fashion. An ideal model for peaceful explorers of the universe who are eager to meet representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations and impress them with their intricate space vessel (after all, as you know, they are met by the skin). Nothing is reliably known about the combat capability of the ship, however, up to a hundred reconnaissance ships and five thousand people (aliens) of the regular crew can be placed on board. It is equipped with a light and music universal translator located on the ship's hull, so that immediately upon arrival on some planet, you can arrange an organ concert and at the same time talk about life.

A warning: it is quite possible that Roy Neri, who flew away with aliens in 1977, is still on board.

Rocket from a short film by Georges Méliès

Whatever you say, the very first spacecraft that landed on the moon was French. It "starts" and takes off according to the famous law of Baron Munchausen - with the help of a shot from a cannon. The crew is a maximum of 5 people, the ship is controlled by the will of fate. To the Moon from the Earth (384.3 thousand km), apparently, it flies in 3-4 seconds, that is, it can compete with the Millennium Falcon in speed (sorry, Khan).

A warning: the most extreme ship among all listed - no security system, no brakes, not even a control system.

"Nostromo" from "Alien"

In fact, this ship does not differ in anything special - it is generally a kind of barge that drags an ore processing plant behind it. The on-board computer called “Mom” is not smart and quick-witted (frankly, it’s dumb), but it will take you out of suspended animation at exactly the moment when you are right next to the ancient ship on which the eggs of the bloodthirsty Aliens are located. And then the space “Fort Boyard”: you have two hours (according to the rules of the insidious old man Ridley Scott in the tower) to run through the maze of corridors and dead ends, building up nutritious muscle mass, which will go to lunch (or dinner) for the Alien. There will be no gold, but there will be a shuttle where you can escape. Only Ellen Ripley made it to this round in 1979.

A warning: In the basic configuration, the Nostromo comes with Jones the cat, who will survive by default. Everyone loves cats.

"Death Star 2"

An indispensable station if you have already conquered the Earth and are now thinking about conquering the Universe. It was invented by George Lucas - and partly with the help of it, captured the minds of millions of people, turning them into Star Wars fans. In diameter, the width of the Death Star is about 900 km, the station is equipped with two hyperspace engines, in addition to the central super-powerful laser, which is capable of destroying entire planets, the Death Star also has eight smaller lasers, thousands of different guns (from ion to laser) and other military gadgets. The ability to accommodate up to 50 thousand spacecraft on board - from tanks to fighters. The crew is more than 8 million people. Protected by a powerful force field powered by a generator. Comments, as they say, are superfluous - how the Empire missed the Universe, having such a trump card in its hands, is not clear.

By default, "Imperial March" plays as background music on the station.

  • viewpoints offer great views for selfies,
  • Comes with Darth Vader plastic armor in various colors
  • some saw the sad ghost of Emperor Palpatine in the corridors.

A warning: if you place a bunker with protective force field generators on a planet where cute fluffy natives with spears live, first enlist their support - otherwise your opponents will make friends with them, who will also find out from them where you have a poorly guarded secret entrance to the bunker.

Millennium Falcon from Star Wars

An old but timeless classic from director George Lucas, who constructed the Millennium Falcon from a bitten hamburger and an olive nailed to the side. Once upon a time, Han Solo won the Falcon by playing cards, slightly finished the resulting rattletrap on trifles (guns, ventilation, etc.), fitted a hyperdrive for jumping around the Universe (to hide from everyone to whom he owes). The result was one of the fastest ships in all the galaxies combined (a speed of 5 light years per hour), but also one of the most unsafe - in 4-6 episodes of Star Wars, the Falcon broke down more often than it flew. However, as Chewbacca amply demonstrated in Return of the Jedi, the hyperdrive is repaired with a precise blow of a wrench on the dashboard - the main thing is that with all the Force. If necessary, you can concentrate and embed again - so sure and for a long time. Crew - up to 6 people. Lots of room for smuggling. It will be convenient to use after the conquest of the Universe - and bargain, and keep your eyes open with the rebels.

A warning: May the Force be with you. And a wrench.

It would seem, what does Eagle 5 have to do with it, if there is an indecently long Spaceball 1 with an unforgettable inscription “We do not slow down in front of anyone”? Yes, because the Eagle 5, the ship of the Lone Star, is a great choice for a space weekend! Get into such a space bus, ride off somewhere to Mercury, bask in the rays of the Sun, admiring the high mountains of Venus and its famous thunderstorms, and then drift along the rings of Saturn and visit the "Martian" Mark Watney on Mars, chewing local potatoes. And on Earth with such a space bus there are no traffic jams and no rules. Plus a great sound system with subwoofers.

A warning: incoming calls can track the ship, so the Eagle 5 is not well suited for lurking smugglers-talkers.

This is a truly unique spaceship, which is actually a flying Zhiguli in the form of a bucket (the same technical characteristics) and at the same time a satire on the post-perestroika era from Georgy Danelia. But if you suddenly meet aliens (or someone from Hollywood), they will either immediately burst with laughter, or they will not take you seriously and let you go. In the meantime, you'll board the Death Star and play the Imperial March on the lascannon flute.

A warning: stock up on spare parts, fuel-lutz, patience and a sense of humor. And still, install, nevertheless, a gravitap to be transported closer to the workshop at any moment, and not to push the “viper with wheels” manually from the other end of the Galaxy. Pepelac is a delicate matter. Very thin...

Strictly speaking, this is a living being, a time machine and a spaceship at the same time. Once grown on Gallifrey, the planet of the Time Lords, using energy from an artificial black hole, the TARDIS was borrowed by the First Doctor. Through mimicry, the TARDIS can disguise itself as the environment it enters, but the Doctor's ship always looks like a police box due to a broken mechanism. The Ninth Doctor claimed that the TARDIS was over 900 years old (but this figure is likely greatly reduced). Inside the TARDIS, according to the Eleventh Doctor, it is infinite - in addition to the control room and living quarters, there is an art gallery, a swimming pool, a library, and a hospital compartment ... Of the abilities that the TARDIS has, the most important are movement in space and time , telepathic and computer functions. The protection module is impressive: when the doors are closed, external enemies are almost not scary. With the intervention of the Time Lords, human incarnations of the TARDIS are possible, as, for example, was the case with the Eleventh Doctor, who met his TARDIS in the form of a woman.

A warning: appearances are deceptive. This is not Pepelac for you.

The legendary ship, which, although it looks like a top with legs, but in terms of functionality and experienced adventures, will plug everyone on this list into the asteroid belt. Inspired by Kir Bulychev's book Alice and the Three Captains, the Pegasus was designed by director Roman Kachanov in 1981. In just 50 minutes of the cartoon, with his crew of 3 people, he visited the planets Bluk, Shelezyaka and the Third Planet of the Medusa system, where, as a result, an insidious conspiracy of intergalactic criminals led by Veselchak was revealed.

A warning: the Govorun bird is smart and quick-witted.

"Stevenson's Legacy" from "Treasure Planet"

For romantics and lovers of classic literature, another dream spaceship from the Disney studio. It surfs the expanses of the Universe no worse than all the spacecraft mentioned in the selection, only this one is a truly “ship” ship, with sails, spars, rigging and other things. The crew is standard (captain, assistants, boatswain, sailors, cabin boys ...), navigation by compass and maps, control by shouting “Hang up on the yards!”, Even seasickness - everything is like on “earthly” ships. Here you can even fall overboard and meet pirates - still, this is open space.

A warning: if you see a suspicious cyborg cook in the kitchen of the ship, make a suspicious face.

Rogue Jedi

Why are the ships in Star Wars so ridiculously easy to steal?

In both cases, we often see ships being exceptionally easy to steal, as they appear to rarely get locked out and don't require keys, passwords, etc. for them to fly.

A few examples:

  • In the series " Knights of the Old Republic» Blackhawk is infiltrated or hacked by a stowaway, a maid, and a gang of outlaws, respectively.
  • IN "The Phantom Menace" Anakin and R2-D2 are able to jump on the star gunner, who apparently has such a weak security system that by chance flies away.
  • In the pilot movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars» Anakin and Ashoka can easily take over "Dust" if the door is already open.
  • In the episode " Twilight if a student" from " Star Wars: Rebels» Chopper can enter and control the Eighth Brother's ship and

    Maul can steal TIE Advanced.

  • IN "Return of the Jedi" Luke can take the Imperial Shuttle and fly away.

    (Anakin was dead at this point, so he couldn't help.)

  • IN "The Force Awakens" Finn and Poe were able to steal an Elite TIE-Fighter (although this one was at least wired, it still clearly didn't have better security systems than a pen in a can). We also learn that the Millennium Falcon has been abducted four times since return of the jedi .

Why are the ships in " Star Wars" locked? And why can anyone fly them? Won't there be people like Khan, who obviously takes great care of his ship, adds some advanced security systems, or at least makes the ship require keys or something?

VZZ

I guess the biggest hurdle would require knowing how to even start a thing. This doesn't seem to be a problem in the SW universe, where any random scavenger can just hop on a completely unknown spaceship and instantly learn how to start it, how to operate it, and how to maintain it. In real life, if you don't train on a type of aircraft, you will have difficulty simply turning on the engine on an unfamiliar aircraft, even if you are a professional pilot otherwise. And we're not even talking about spaceships.

Luan

Locks don't really help people trying to steal your car. Or burglary of your house. Their effect is mainly psychological - they prevent "honest people" from messing around. They can also help you get better insurance :P But any intruder will be able to bypass most practical locks very quickly without much effort. The limitation of car theft is the ease with which you can turn stolen cars into cash, and it doesn't get any easier. Even for your personal use, it's only a matter of time before someone notices that the dude has parked a prototype TIE fighter in the local cantina...

Turion

Probably the plan for the uprising was to steal death star, not destroy her!

Mandalorian

In the Phantom Menace, the ship already had predetermined coordinates, and R2-D2 likely had the codes needed to start it, as those starfighters were supposed to have astromech on their socket.

Ellesedil

There is a slight counterpoint to a certain part of the premise of your question. Finn can access TIE Fighter. He could start it. But he could not fly. That's why he saved Po. Finn needed Poe to fly the fighter.

Answers

Probst

Many of your examples are military. In a real army, many cars don't require a key to start. They rely on base security to prevent unauthorized use. I'll try to find a link later, but I read about an incident last year where a man somehow got into a military base and took a tank for a fun ride using the start button.

Other things, such as construction equipment, also usually don't require keys to start, so even civilian spaceships can be considered more construction equipment than a car. The equivalent of cars Star Wars" there would be a ground speeder, which probably has stronger theft protection since we see open top speeders parked on the streets in movies.

Yakk

The "won't start" security is a design flaw in a warship as it is an additional point of failure (key loss, wrong keys, key port, key management ports, key detection system failures) that can cost lives.

Probst

Yes, exactly in a combat situation, if the driver dies, then someone else should be able to drive the vehicle in an emergency without looking in his body (which may be inaccessible) for keys.

Deolater

When I was a kid, I caused a momentary panic by starting a hummer that was constantly on display at some Independence Day parade.

Emery

The launch code for US nuclear weapons is "00000000". Keep it. Anyone who breaks into a secure nuclear facility can launch a nuclear weapon by entering this code. Don't let that knowledge fall into the hands of ISIS.

IMSoP

@emory This is awesome! I have the same combination in my luggage!

Anthony H

Let's start with a real analogy...

From what I can remember from my flight training experience, all the school planes were parked unlocked with keys. I never had to pick up a key to enter or run it. I must assume that the area had sufficient access control that it would be unnecessary and a source of inconvenience to secure the aircraft by locking it out and removing the keys. On the other hand, private and unattended aircraft have always been locked up by their owners.

Now let's extend this to other "fleet craft" scenarios...

Presumably the ships of the fleet are always "visited" in some way (security patrols, under dispatcher supervision, etc.) so locking them down would be an unnecessary precaution and inconvenience, assuming all known penetration routes are protected in some way.

IN Star Wars or any other history of the universe...

A typical scenario is that a fleet infiltrator finds some way to evade surveillance, or uses the Force to force a guard, etc., to not notice him until it's too late.

As for Khan's ship, you can go with an in-universe explanation like: it's like a lot of real people who don't lock their houses or cars for various reasons - they don't expect anything to happen while it's left unattended; You could also go with an out-of-universe explanation: the scenes depicting the collision and destruction of the castle could ruin the film's intended pace.

Pwassonne

Who would steal a piece of trash anyway? Oh wait xD

Joshua

It is possible that only Han or Chui could start the engines due to the specialized know-how of all modifications.

TED

@Joshua - The spaceships you have to launch are the worst...

Random832

"so locking them out would be an unnecessary precaution" - AIUI, even military ground vehicles in real life don't have an ignition key.

jpmc26

Of course Khan won't block Falcon. Those five extra seconds could cost Han and Chewie their lives on any normal day of running from evil criminals, law enforcement or mobs!

Ehryk

What makes cars so hard to steal?

Not much, physically. There are some decent security systems, but before ~2000 all that was required was a basic knowledge of wiring and circuits, or just a pry bar on ignition.

The reason they don't get stolen the most is because their difficulty with registering or selling said vehicle is quite high - you can cut it into parts or use it for recreation, sure, but you'll never get close to it. up to the full market value of the stolen car.

And our cars don't have galactic beacons yet

Which, since it's hinted that all ships are handing over their signature and location when Khan swoops in to intercept the Millennium Falcon at "The Force Awakens", this further perpetuates the cycle of why there's no reason to try to steal - every ship can be found and restored before the thief gets too far, and they're likely to have a small resale value in the same way that a stolen Ferrari doesn't get $400,000, how could I get a clean title.

Such a situation would make theft unlikely, especially with something like the Galactic Empire being able to easily harass, seize and recover a ship. So why block them?

Also, they make handy plot devices when people need to run and don't necessarily look for resale value on a ship or have the skills and/or support to avoid capture.

bardo

IMHO the best answer so far...

David Richerby

"You'll never get close to the full market value of a stolen car." You don't have to: it doesn't mean you paid for it.

@DavidRicherby True, but you took a pretty big risk to get it.

Crow T Robot

The Falcon having a galactic locator beacon makes the scenes in the Empire where he hides from the Star Destroyer's hull rather odd, and I'm sure Khan will always hide from at least one person, which makes him a bad idea in General.

Kevin

If the ships pass on their signature and location, why can't the Khan find the MF when she's still docked on Jakku? Why did he have to ask who had it?

Zibelas

Imagine that you have to distribute the keys to X thousand military personnel in an emergency, and then they also need to find their fighter. Or parking management. If you can get on the first available fighter and start right away, you'll just be able to react faster.

thegreatjedi

Most of the cases you mentioned have one main point. It's not that stormtroopers are bad marksmen, it's just that every time you pay attention, they are up against opponents who are much better shots. Likewise, it's not that ships are so easy to steal, it's just that every time you pay attention, thieves have something going on that works for them.

Most of the examples given are from Grand Theft Auto:

  • In the example, KotOR Ebon Hawk was stolen by a criminal gang. Given the predominance of starships in the Star Wars galaxy and the danger of planets being abandoned when they are on the run from the law, ship hijacking should be a common skill for any criminal.
  • In the case of young Anakin, only one thing can be said: The Force was with him. Yes, that's a lame excuse for what George Lucas made too comedic, but in all seriousness, one could say for once that it's nothing short of that.
  • Jedi can be considered a form of special agent. As peacekeepers for the Republic, they are sent on a wide variety of missions requiring expertise in all sorts of non-Force skills, from martial arts to mechanical understanding of spaceships and other technology. Given their frequent underworld encounters and the occasional undercover mission, knowledge of shipping should also be part of their repertoire.
  • Chopper is a rebellious astronomer droid and war veteran. The Chopper was also frequently used to infiltrate Imperial Star Destroyers - alone - to hack into their systems. Considering that astromechs were known to be capable of interfacing with friendly and hostile systems, it would probably not be too difficult for such a person with Chopper's experience and knowledge to get a ship even to an Inquisitor's ship.
  • Maul is a former Sith Lord and Sidious trained him well. What else can I say?
  • The Death Star hangar was supposed to be considered a safe place, free from the presence of the enemy (Luke was considered captive and alone), and being in the middle of a battle, it is likely that the starships could be unlocked for quick access. Also, during Luke's escape, a general evacuation order was issued, so no one was particularly worried about the Rebels escaping - everyone knew what happened to the last Death Star, if an evacuation order was issued during the battle with the Rebels, better follow it.
  • Finn is the best stormtrooper in his party and he should have gone to officer school. He either has or can easily get access codes for TIE Fighter. Poe is one of the best starfighter pilots in the galaxy - I wouldn't be surprised if he knows about First Order technology or if he just knows how to recognize the controls.
  • By the time Rey and Finn were in control of the Millennium Falcon, it had been stolen and re-stolen, changing hands so many times, no one knew exactly what it was anymore. As a smuggler, I would suggest that Khan's modifications to the ship should not be explicit - meaning there is no specific blocking of the ship other than that of a regular Corellian freighter on the surface - it all depends on the risk/reward ratio. , eventually.

Like I said, in all the examples you've given, there's some specific reason why a normal ship block isn't particularly effective. It may be that ships are ridiculously easy to steal - this may simply be due to the fact that we've seen cases where the thief had an above-average evasive or hacking ability, or the defensive structures simply didn't exist back then.

If the authorities/shipowners really intend, they go so far as to block the ship. At times like these, astronomers are also helpful in breaking codes.

Martin Carney

One more thing to add to this: ships, especially (relatively) larger ships like " Millennium Falcon", often served as a crew home. At any given time, there is a chance that someone is on board and will be able to try to fight off the hijacker. In such cases, it is more like stealing a mobile home than a car, without first checking that the owners were not inside.

CommaToast

In addition to the correct answer above, also consider the following reasons why they are easy to steal in your examples.

No AAA in space

One of the reasons ships in Star Wars might not have locked doors is because if you've locked yourself out of your spaceship in the middle of nowhere, you can't call AAA to open it for you. You would just starve to death cursing yourself.

Stealing a ship would be dangerous

Another reason people might feel okay leaving their ships unlocked is that very few people will be willing to take the risk of actually stealing a ship due to the inherent risks: ships in Star Wars are widely known to have built-in long range computers. communications systems, dangerous and potentially ruddy astromech droids, covert tracking devices, and/or poison gas systems. (There's no reason why they couldn't integrate self-destruct systems like the Imperial Probe Droid had in "The Empire Strikes Back", but if the owner can just turn off the life support with the remote or track you down and kill you, why bother?)

Also, your examples are mostly highly trained Jedi command ships, while in this case it may have been their last resort. These are not ordinary people waltzing into a vessel. These Jedi are highly experienced and trained in all sorts of specialized operations that will drastically reduce the risks associated with hacking and stealing a random ship and successfully piloting it. The same can be said about organized crime groups.

It's just a graphics device

That being said, I think what you noticed might just be a classic example deus ex machina similar to the usual trail where in movies and TV the house keys are always under the rug and the car keys are always behind the sun visor. In other words, it is merely a convenient plot device for entertaining viewers, and should probably not be interpreted as a statement about what should actually look like Universe star wars .

In other words, even if we don't actually see Anakin prepping the wiring for the car he takes, do you have any doubt that he could connect it? The writers want their stories to show up well on screen, so they skip roles like this (although I'm not sure how much that helped "The Phantom Menace").

If I were preparing a role-playing campaign for " Star Wars", I wouldn't let players use your examples as an argument for why they steal random ships, just like I wouldn't let them use the bad aim of stormtroopers in the movies as an excuse why they shouldn't just get shot . It's really a trail and nothing more, IMHO.

Deek

It's not just a plot device; in industry, racing, construction, the military, etc., it's not uncommon to leave keys in equipment all the time and use start buttons. No one wants to spend 30 minutes tailing a crane operator who left his keys in a cafe.

CommaToast

deek - I prefaced my answer with "In addition to the correct answer above" which means I included the meaning you just said in my answer. That being said, several examples of easy theft (such as the Millennium Falcon in chapter 7) do not fall into the category you mention (industrial, racing, construction, military).

ron

Most of the answers attempt to compare modern era technology with that of the interstellar age. Even today, image recognition technology can automate human recognition, and it goes without saying that by then, a machine capable of moving faster than light will by default have the means to recognize and at least detain unwanted visitors.

The truth is much easier. Star Wars doesn't actually take place in the interstellar era. It takes place in the 1950s, just with a little more magic. Do you think it's not? The return of the Sith was set in World War I.

Technology determines what you can do and what problems you need to deal with. These problems, therefore, change our perception of reality and the way we think about life.

There is a significant difference between our world today and what it was in the 1940s, the problems we are dealing with now may have similarities, but they are completely different tasks. For example, not to start a debate, but the whole issue of the migration of Middle Eastern peoples to Europe was not possible even 30 years ago. No, unless you were dealing with an extremely well organized military backed by significant government funding. The resources and methods of distribution simply did not exist to support this for a large number of unorganized, unarmed and untrained men and women.

TL/DR: Because 1960s California cars used to leave keys in the ignition.

An incredible plan to send humans to another star in the next 100 years has received the backing of former US President Bill Clinton today.
The 100 Year Starship project, which was developed by the US military, involves the development of huge ships to send people to other star systems.
Next week there will be a meeting to discuss the project and start preparing for its implementation. This is the first serious attempt to create a ship capable of reaching the nearest stars.

The problem of creating a spacecraft capable of overcoming interstellar distances is considered unsolvable at the current level of science and technology. Despite this, there is an organization with the beautiful name "Tau Zero Foundation", which on the main page of the site http://www.tauzerofoundation.org/ makes the following policy statement:

Imagine the historic moment when the first Earth-like planet was discovered in the depths of interstellar space. Like an inaccessible treasure, it will draw us like the light of a distant beacon. Is this not the future home of mankind? What forms of life already exist there? What will happen when we get there? Based on today's technology, traveling to the stars is a very long-term undertaking. While the existing space agencies are fighting to send astronauts beyond the earth's orbit, and commercial firms are helping people experience the excitement and thrill of space travel, so far no one has risen to the challenge of reaching other habitable worlds.

The Tau Zero Community Foundation is a volunteer group of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and writers who have agreed to work together towards practical interstellar flight and use the search for a solution to this problem in order to expand your knowledge of science, technology and our place in the universe. By publishing the latest achievements and yet-to-be-finished results, we give students the starting material to start their own discoveries. By showing how terrifying and incredible this challenge is, we hope to increase the focus on protecting our Earth's habitability as travel to the galaxy is planned. As we strive to reach for the stars, we will benefit from every step along the way. You could help us in this endeavor. With sufficient support, we will be able to provide grants and scholarships on a competitive basis. Help us create a future worth fighting for, where humanity can survive and grow into the skies. Let's make this dream a reality together.

The founder of the Tau Zero Foundation, Mark Millis, worked at NASA in the 90s and was involved in futuristic interstellar spacecraft projects there. NASA pays some attention to spacecraft projects that use physical principles that do not yet exist. Within reasonable limits, projects that look absolutely fantastic are supported. It's called Horizon Mission Methodology. Sometimes it is useful to get off the ground and fly without wings, as happens in a dream. However, it looks like things are getting serious!

Widely known in narrow circles, the organization DARPA - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, together with NASA, which does not need to decipher, established a 100-year research project towards the creation of an interstellar spacecraft at the beginning of last year. It's called "100 Year Starship" and it's really about promising scientific research that can last 100 years. To ultimately result in knowledge that will help fulfill the dream of Alpha Centauri!

It was supposed to create an autonomous organization of the same name by the symbolic date of November 11, 2011 and provide it with a grant of $ 500,000. In addition to scientific and technical issues, the task was to actively involve the film industry and the media in promoting the idea of ​​interstellar flight. Mankind undoubtedly needs a new meaning of being, so the efforts of DARPA & NASA in this direction are important and interesting. However, with a beautiful date 11/11/11. didn't work out a bit. Only in early January of this year, DARPA decided on the leader of the 100 Year Starship project: astronaut Mae Jemison, who became the first black woman in space in 1992, was chosen as the captain of the project. Her personal foundation, the Dorothy Jemisson Foundation for Excellence, received $500,000 for a start-up project. DARPA's somewhat unexpected choice seems sensible, given the mission of 100 Year Starship: raising extrabudgetary funding to ensure the ship's 100-year voyage to distant horizons. But in addition to finding sources of funding, the new organization is faced with the task of strategic planning of scientific research. In this respect, Mae Jemison's abilities have yet to stand the test of time.


Astronaut Mae Jemison. Snapshot of the early 90s

"We will go on a journey through time and space."

"If you can hear my voice trembling, know it's because this project is monumental. And I'm very proud to be a part of this project. And our DARPA trusted team is dedicated to making interstellar travel a reality."

Project "Daedelous" ("Daedalus") - the first complete development of an interstellar ship of the British Interplanetary Society (1970). Icarus Interstellar, partner of 100 Year Starship, is developing the Icarus project as a successor to the Daedalus. Ongoing research will no doubt be discussed at length in Houston.


Project Daedelous is the first serious attempt to create a ship capable of reaching the nearest stars. The weight of such a ship is 50,000 tons, it is powered by nuclear fusion, its speed is 12% of the speed of light.
The project involved the construction of a powerful two-stage unmanned spacecraft with thermonuclear engines in orbit around Jupiter. According to calculations, Daedelous was supposed to fly to Barnard's Star (one of the nearest stars) in 50 years, without slowing down, pass it along a flyby trajectory, collect information about the star and planets, and then transmit the research results to Earth via radio channel. The real merit of the Daedelous project was that it broke the stereotype of starships as something distant and super-fantastic.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dedalus_(project)

The 100 Year Starship project and Icarus have teamed up to create a common fund for the development of the Daedelous project.

Adam Crawl, director of the Icarus Interstellar Project, said: "Project Icarus will produce complex designs and research for the common goal of establishing the technical base necessary for successful interstellar flight."

The team began work on the project with an assessment of the task. At the moment, a list of what needs to be done has already been drawn up.

Such a journey will require a revolutionary way of generating energy, its storage and control systems, advanced propulsion systems, a radical advance in the field of closed loop, life support systems, as well as a new look at human development, health, behavior and learning, advances in robotics, automation, intelligent systems and manufacturing technologies.

Programs to create a human presence on the Moon, Mars or anywhere else in our solar system will be the first steps on the way to other stars.

The Houston event will run September 13-16, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency. Detailed information is available on the 100 Year Starship project website (