For the forthcoming “nuclear pulse propulsion” book, one of the later chapters will deal with post-Orion projects. One such concept is the “Enzmann starship,” which called for a vast ball of solid hydrogen to serve as the fuel for a nuclear-pulse starship. While a lot of the numbers for it do not currently make a lick of sense (you couldn’t physically cram the mass of hydrogen into the volume available… the density is off; and the performance of a fusion pulse vehicle is inadequate to attain the 0.9C velocities often touted for the concept), it’s nevertheless an interesting and engaging concept.
All of the designs discussed in the book will be diagrammed, as accurately as possible. There are actually three different “Enzmann Starship” concepts that will be shown; this is an in-progress diagram of the second (and best known) design.
7 Responses to “Enzmann starship diagram”
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The volume/density thing actually came from what they thought they could do with frozen deuterium at the time (if I recall correctly). Turns out the stuff doesn’t act like the ice they wanted but something like jello.
If I remember correctly. :p
Also you should do a big ass poster of Battleship Orion. Hang it on the wall and impress the ladies. B)
its frozen deuterium fuel, not hydrogene
nice littel webpage about this space ship class
http://enzmannstarship.com/
Quote:
“Also you should do a big ass poster of Battleship Orion. Hang it on the wall and impress the ladies.”
+1
There was a illustration of that as a cover painting on Analog magazine as well:
http://enzmannstarship.com/Page_2.html
I didn’t realize the design has its own website.
I still like Daedalus; the idea of a two-stage starship is strange enough to appeal to me.
Somewhere, I’ve seen a painting of that thing with the deuterium sphere covered with something that looks like crinkled red metallic foil.
Hi Guys
The comment about the cruising speed and mass of propellant mirrors my own frustration with the source material on the idea – namely Harry Stine’s “Analog” article, which is just about the only thing in print with any kind of detail. Does anyone know any other article on the concept that’s by Enzmann? I’ve corresponded with both his collaborators, Don Davis and Rick Sternbach, but to no avail.
Incidentally the Enzmann was meant to cruise at ~0.1-0.15c. Stine stated 0.3c as its cruise speed in the “analog” essay, which is ridiculous for fusion pulse rockets with reasonable mass-ratios – about ~100 from the figures quoted in the essay. Problem is that frozen deuterium isn’t dense enough for the sphere size quoted (1,000′) to mass 12 million tons. It needs to be ~1570′, but that’s just a quibble.