Could Organic Ships be a possiblitiy?

[TEH BABA]

Just asking the science nerds.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Well, anything is a "possibility" when you're that vague about it. Did you have a specific kind of organic ship in mind?

 

[Jadzia]

200 years ago, they were regularly made with a timber hull and cotton sails, held together with natural fibered rope, and water proofed with dough made from hair and animal fats. How much more organic do you want it?

 

[B.J.]

^

 

[Meredith]

I would say the surface of the ship would have to be scaly like covered in some sorta keratin type material.

 

[Jadzia]

I would say the surface of the ship would have to be scaly like covered in some sorta keratin type material.

barnacles

 

[Leroy]

The problem with organic ships is that you have to put in all that energy just to keep the ship alive, as opposed to a metal hull where the energy was put into production and you don't have to worry about keeping it alive.

 

[Silvercrest]

No one said the ship had to be alive, only organic.

 

[Leroy]

^ True, although if the ship doesn't have to be kept alive then you won't have to worry about the hull getting radiation sickness, but you'd lose the advantage of self repair, I wonder how strong a hull made from bone or chitin would be in comparison to metal, and how well it would be at blocking radiation.

 

[Silvercrest]

^ True, although if the ship doesn't have to be kept alive then you won't have to worry about the hull getting radiation sickness, but you'd lose the advantage of self repair, I wonder how strong a hull made from bone or chitin would be in comparison to metal, and how well it would be at blocking radiation.

Your ship would develop radiation sickness. Or cancer.

 

[Meredith]

^ True, although if the ship doesn't have to be kept alive then you won't have to worry about the hull getting radiation sickness, but you'd lose the advantage of self repair, I wonder how strong a hull made from bone or chitin would be in comparison to metal, and how well it would be at blocking radiation.

Your ship would develop radiation sickness. Or cancer.

You wouldd maybe have to have a dead layer of cells on the outside that is radiation proof or something....


Moya from farscape is a good example of a living ship.

 

[Leroy]

Silvercrest said:
Your ship would develop radiation sickness. Or cancer.

Not if it's made from dead bone or chitin, as was pointed out alive and organic don't have to be the same thing.