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Star Trek Enterprise Tested to Mach 5
Sporkinum writes "University of Queensland Laser Diagnostics Dept
has a page
where they put the Enterprise through the gauntlet in a mach 5 wind tunnel. It did surprisingly well."
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...can be found here.
Fair warning - the linked-to page contains an applet, so be prepared for the usual "computer freezes for 10 seconds" effect if you're running Windows.
The Army reading list
I was planning to use a scale model of the Enterprise as a hood ornament for my SR-71 Blackbird.
All that wind resistance in space could have meant certain doom for the crew!
We all know that simply rerouting the EPS conduit to emit a low level anti-tachyon beam will nullify any damage space junk will create.
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
More to the point, there is no Starship Enterprise, freak.
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Nice to see some up-to-date stuff here on Slashdot.
This is like an uber-geek/nerd role call.
Oh, come on, FK. You know as well as I do that there are innumerable reasons to allow something like this to be done: Training, morale, fostering intellectual curiosity, testing equipment, and probably a few more.
Like, oh, boosting PR for the site, to attract new personnel. (Note the "what else we do" link at the bottom of the page.)
Now the NCC-1701D whoulc have been the one to test, after all, we know it actually made planetfall.
Did they use containment forcefields in the test?
How did the plasma conduits hold up to the stress?
(Questions Geeks REALLY want to know!)
For a second I misread it and thought that the article would be about Star Trek OS, Enterprise Edition running on a Mach 5 Microkernel. Imagine my disappointment.
Badass Resumes
...cause you're starting to sound stupid.
/.'ers:
/.'ers who check this website every 15 minutes, every day, for the rest of their lives?
Two comments from
(1) Yeah, but there's no atmosphere in space.
No sh**. They acknowledge that in the second paragraph of their description and then proceed to suggest that mach 5 in an atmosphere may be similar to warp 5 in a vacuum (where you are pushing against the fabric of space). This isn't a scientific journal -- it's just some fun they're having after doing real work.
(2) What a waste of time.
This from the first couple dozen posters -- who really is wasting their time: the kids who did the experiment in an afternoon, or the
Get a life.
Allow me to begin the second phase of stock Slashdot comments. Phase I has already taken place: "what a waste of taxpayer/foundation/whatever dollars!" Phase II begins now:
Lighten up! It is clear from a very quick look at the rest of the site that the "Enterprise" simulation is just a fun application of some very serious science. It's clear that no special apparatuses (apparati?) were constructed to provide a real simulation of the Enterprise -- in fact, it's pretty obvious that the model used came out of a cereal box, or something.
Day in and day out, it looks like these guys are engaged in cutting-edge wind tunnel science, testing object against forces so strong, they can only be simulated for tiny fractions of a second. This means that someone spends hours setting up everything within rigorous parameters, then pushes a button. "Bam!", and it's over. If the object under test was mispositioned by a fraction of a millimeter, the team gets to do it all over again.
Once -- just once -- they'd like to have a chance to do something fun with the equipment. Someone has an old Enterprise model (actually, it may be from a snow globe). After a long day (probably unpaid) of testing the frontiers of science and boredom, they load up the (already warmed up) machine and have a little fun.
Thanks to the 'net, we get to share their fun. And in another few decades, we may get to enjoy the results of their hard work when we book that vacation on Luna.
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
I know it's an actual starship, it says so in the historical documents ;-)
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
All the comments seem to be of the type "Wow, what a waste of research time/money, -EVERYONE- knows there is no air in space."
What ever happened to "Because its there."? You've got the capacity of generating Mach 5 winds... So you take your Enterprise model, and bolt it in and give it a go.
OF COURSE the Enterprise isn't designed to enter atmosphere. Its also a fictional vehicle.
People who do things like this, do it Because They Can.
I sure as hell would. Ever build a kaleidoscope, and shine a laser into it? What about with one of those clear crystal isocahedrons inside it as well... I know for a fact that there was no New Science being done. I also know it was fucking cool as shit. Yes, I proved nothing with my shiny thing, except it looked good, and was fun.
The Enterprise test was perhaps just that. Dicking around with shit. It just happened that the experiment returned "Its surprisingly aerodynamic". And they wished to share their results. Its geeky news, and so it made it onto Slashdot.
Relax, science doesn't always have to have a purpose. That's how discoveries are often made. Not by "That proves my theory." but "Hey, That's funny..."
This looks like the opposite of what you're advocating. I think you meant the line should be kept clear.
Now pardon me while I try to get this holodeck simulation to terminate.
"Computer, End program!"
"Computer!"
"Computer!?"
"End this simulation, NOW!"
-- "This world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel."
Of course it blew up. They didn't have the deflector dish or the shields activated. Any idiot would know without them that it would blow up as soon as it started moving at any significant speed.
I'd like to see them retest with shields and deflector - then let's see how well it performs!
On the other hand, this has interesting implications for the physics of star trek weapons technology. No phasers at warp drive, and firing, never mind aiming, photon torpedoes could be a royal pain.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"