Starflight

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Starflight is a catch-all term for any attempt to travel in space beyond a star system.

Library Data Referral Tree[edit]

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

  • Speed of Travel

  • Description (Specifications)[edit]

    Overall velocity in normal space is limited by the speed of light [1], and crossing the vast distances between star systems is the major hindrance to starflight.

    The most common means of overcoming this limitation is through the use of Jump Drive technology. Jump Drive allows Faster-than-light travel by opening a transition to jumpspace, a separate but parallel universe where velocity is relative to something other than the speed of light, and the exact amount of energy imparted at the jump transition allows the ship to move a specific distance and direction in normal space. [2] Jump Drive allows a ship to move approximately 20 light years in a single week, representing, at its maximum, a 1000 fold increase in the efficiency of time vs. distance travelled.

    Cultures that lack knowledge of the Jump Drive or are incapable of creating jump-capable starships, can attempt starflight by means of NAFAL (Not-as-fast-as-light) drives. Normal M-Drives are inefficient in deep space, so another type of drive is needed for interstellar travel. The exact system varies from Ion Drives to HEPlaR drives, or N-Drives. [3] These can accelerate a vessel gradually over a long period, then decelerate them just as gradually to reach a destination point. Such journeys take years, if not generations, so this is commonly seen in generation ships, or sleeper ships. There are many hazards on such a long journey, but there are several examples of races that have visited and colonized other worlds by these means.

    Travel Formulae[edit]

    Travelling in Charted Space: The travel formulae and diagram used by the Imperial Navy and Scout Service show a typical interplanetary journey, and equations which can determine time required (if distance and acceleration are known), acceleration required (if distance and time are known), and distance travelled (if time and acceleration are known]. All of the formulae use the MKS (meters, kilograms, seconds) unit system, and assume that the ship is undertaking a journey from rest, that it accelerates continuously to midpoint of the trip, and then decelerates to rest again. [4]

    Trav-Travel-Formulas.jpg

    History & Background (Dossier)[edit]

    The Ancients are the first known sophont race to discover Jump Drive. They used this technology to spread throughout Charted Space and beyond. Since they disappeared the technology was independently developed by the Vilani, the Droyne, the Zhodani, the Hiver, the K’Kree, the Vargr, the Solomani, and finally by the Aslan. No other species has been proven to have invented the Jump Drive without having witnessed or examined one.

    Many races have utilized NAFAL generation ships to explore and colonize space prior to discovering the Jump Drive. These include the Vilani [5], the Suerrat [6], the Solomani [7], the Hhkar, [8] and the Kursae [9].

    The enigmatic Jgd-ll-jagd still use STL travel, as they are physiologically incapable of surviving jumpspace. [10]

    Expected Technological Progression of Starcraft Development[edit]

    References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]

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