Leap Drive

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The Leap Drive is a hypothetical future technological enhancement on the Jump Drive which has a performance measured in thousands of parsecs of travel. It is a 3rd Order of Magnitude Jump Space Drive.

Description (Specifications)[edit]

Leap Drives have a high scatter (potentially 1000 parsecs) and thus must be supplemented with lower order drives for safe operation.

FTL Drive Specifications[edit]

FTL Drive Specifications (Starship Propulsion)
Category Specifications Remarks
Name Leap Drive 1-9 x 10^3, min Leap is 1,000 parsecs
Drive Type FTL Leap Drive At least TL-22 is the projected TL of acquisition.
Velocity 1-9 x 10^3 / 168hours at leap one this is .168 parsecs/hour!!!
Duration 168 +/- 10% T5.0 has Leap Duration as 30 Minutes
Hazards Scatter Random hex within leap Number x 20 Sectors distant
Physical
Constraints
Minkowski (Special relativity) Four-dimensional travel (3 of space, 1 of time) known as Space-time.
  • Not purely Euclidean in nature.
Geometry Hyperbolic (Lobachevsky) J-Space does not seem to be constrained by conventional space-time limitations.
Levels 90+ It is conjectured that higher Other-Space levels have tighter weaves.
  • This is conjectured to allow exponentially faster travel.
  • J-6 drives can only travel through the first six levels.
  • It is hypothesized that J-9 drives will be feasible in the near future.
FTL
Calculations
30 minutes to
24 hours estimated
Jump calculations can differ greatly depending on the skill of the astrogator, the quality of the astrogational computer & related astronics, and a variety of other factors.
  • The Ancients are conjectured to have been restrained by none of these limitations. It is thought that they could make near-instantaneous jumps over distances utterly impossible with TL-15 jump technology.
Entry Non-determinant (not fixed)
  • (Non-gravitic space)
Entry into Jump Space has a (100 diameter constraint of a gravity well).
Exit Non-determinant (not fixed)
  • (Non-gravitic space)
Exit from Jump Space has a (100 diameter constraint of a gravity well).
Fuel Fusion Plus powerplants are used in most starships for electrical power generation.
  • Higher rated jump drives require much larger fuel supplies.
  • A basic rule of thumb is that a starship requires fuel storage equal to its rating as a percentage of mass.
  • Thus, a J-6 equipped starship will require 60% of its mass in fuel while a J-1 only requires 10%.
  • Collectors possible at TL-14+
  • Antimatter conjectured to be available at TL-19+
Resource
Requirements
Strategic resources vital to the manufacture of Jump Drives.
  • While lanthanum and Zuchai Crystals are common to most starships, some races have experimented with other strategic materials.
  • The Vargr, for instance, have experimented with Barium jump drives with some success.
Inventor Schilrathen Some believe that this hypothetical technology was invented by a precursor race called the Schilrathen.
Characteristics Transgalactic It is believed that these drives will open up travel to new galaxies in the future.

History & Background[edit]

Some researchers and studiers of the artifacts of precursors believe that some earlier civilizations may have had this technology. The post Imperial known space first interaction with the Leap Drive is the species "Schilrathen" of Poros 3 Due to the scatter of the drive the Schilrathen pilots were lost and were having to plot large detours to arrive back at their home.

See also[edit]

Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:
Starship:

Jump Space Drives:


Expected Drive Development Sequence: NAFAL to FTL

References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.