NAFAL Drive

The NAFAL Drive or Not As Fast As Light (NAFAL) Drives are energy-efficient gravity-based interstellar drives suitable for long-term acceleration to near-light speeds.

• N-Drives are manufactured with performance levels from 0.1G to 0.9G (drive potential 1 for NAFAL = 0.1G).
• They are most famously used by Generation Ships and Sleeper Ships.

Library Data Referral Tree

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

• Speed of Travel
  • Astronomical Unit (AU)
  • FTL
  • Light Speed (c)
  • Light-week (lw)
  • Light-year (ly)
  • NAFAL (STL)
  • Parsec (pc)

• Spacecraft Drives (Interplanetary Drives or Impulse Drives)
  • G-Drive (Gravity Drive)
  • M-Drive (Maneuver Drive or Thruster Plate)
  • N-Drive (NAFAL Drive)
  • Reaction Rocket
    • HEPlaR Drive (High Efficiency Plasma Recombustion)
    • O-Drive (Orion Drive)
    • R-Drive (Rocket Drive)
  • T-Drive (Reactionless Thruster or Dean Drive)
  • Z-Drive (Lifter)

• Starship Drives (Interstellar Drives)
  • N-Drive (NAFAL Drive)
  • J-Drive (Jump Drive)
  • Alternative FTL Drives

Description (Specifications)

A ship operating with NAFAL accelerates to a fraction of light-speed and travels to a nearby star system. The N-Drive operates on the same general gravity manipulation principles as the G-Drive and M-Drive.

NAFAL can only accelerate within about one-eighth light-year (or about 51 weeks of acceleration) of a gravity source. It can similarly decelerate only within the one-eighth light year distance (also about 51 weeks).

STL Drive Specifications

STL Drive Specifications (Starship Propulsion)

Category	Specifications	Remarks
Name	TBD	TBD
Drive Type	TBD	TBD
Velocity	TBD	TBD
Duration	TBD	TBD
Hazards	TBD	TBD
Physical Constraints	TBD	TBD
Geometry	TBD	TBD
Levels	TBD	TBD
Entry	TBD	TBD
Exit	TBD	TBD
Fuel	TBD	TBD
Resource Requirements	TBD	TBD
Inventor	TBD	TBD
Characteristics	TBD	TBD

History & Background (Dossier)

For example, the Long Range Survey Ship Pride of Yothola with NAFAL-1 Drive accelerates within its home system for 51 weeks at 0.1G. At that point, it is traveling at 0.1C. It crosses the one-parsec (3.26 light years) to its neighbor star in 1,700 weeks. Time dilation effects at high speed mean the travellers have spent only 1, 680 weeks in travel. The ship then decelerates for 51 weeks and proceeds to explore the nearby system.

For example, the Colony Ship Nirst with NAFAL-9 Drive can achieve 90% of light speed. Aimed at a system 10 parsecs distant, it accelerates for a year (51 weeks or so) within the home system, at which time it is at 0.9C. The Nirst travels the ten parsecs in (10 x 188=) 1,880 weeks. Within the new system the ship decelerates for 51 weeks to investigate the newfound mainworld. The voyage of 10 parsecs (32 lightyears) endures for (51+51+1880 weeks =) about 38 years. The time dilation effects of 0.9C mean that the ship’s travelers experience only about half that time (51+51+820 weeks=) about 18 years.

References & Contributors (Sources)

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.

• Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 323-327.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science