Space Warship Design IV: Complete Examples

In this post, we'll use the numbers we've put together so far, and the baseline spaceship from the last post, to create three 'complete' space warship designs.

Space Warship Design III: Final Considerations

In this post, we'll look at some final considerations required to complete out baseline warship.

Space Warship Design II: Guns and Shields

We will continue looking at the vital systems you need to design to complete your space warship.

Space Warship Design: A Process

In these posts, we'll go through the process of designing a space warship from A to Z. We'll start from the initial brainstorming session, and end with multiple models easily derived from our baseline.

Of course, many methods exist. Even if you apply the exact same steps described here, you might end up with a very different result. Nonetheless, please use this as a 'worked example' from which you can build your own method, or simply as inspiration if you find yourself in a tight spot!

You are wrong about nanotechnology

Nanotechnology. The foremost buzzword of the 2000s, holding the promise of a technology that could make anything, with little input other than raw materials. A liquid factory, in a sense. Others saw it as the precursor to the singularity, with resource scarcity becoming a thing of the past.

Let's take a closer look at this mainstay of science fiction.

A Constellation of Warships II

Here, we will continue the discussion on space fleet composition and formations.

A Constellation of Warships

So, you've designed a spaceship to fight your wars in space. It can travel between planets, perform multiple missions and is based on NASA reports and real, hard science. You've estimated your nation's military budget, and come out with a fleet capacity and a number of spaceships.

But then... your glorious collection of spaceships fly out in Napoleonic square formation. Or was it pre-WWI lines of battle? Maybe it's Star-Wars-esque clumps of capital ships with space fighters swarming around them. No, you need the ToughSF approach.

Gun Fusion: Two barrels to the stars

To start a fusion reaction, you have to create extreme conditions. A combination of stellar temperatures, incredible pressures and lightning-quick energy dumps have all been tried to create these conditions, with varying degrees of success.

In this post, we'll look at a low-cost, low-energy method of achieving nuclear fusion. It's not Cold Fusion, it's Gun Fusion.

The Nuclear Spear: Casaba Howitzer

When a nuclear technology has been kept classified since the 60s, you know that it is worth looking into. The Casaba Howitzer is one configuration for a nuclear shaped charge, that can concentrate the power of an atom bomb into a narrow cone.

In this post, we'll look at its potential configurations, its advantages and limits, and how it can be applied to both propulsion and warfare.

Saving the planet with alcohol: An Ethanol Energy Economy

In this post, we'll detail how an ethanol economy might arise, its advantages and its effects on the environment and the world economy.