Why Build On Earth?
- Thread starter FlightCntrl
- Start date
One builds where it's easiest, most cost-effective, and most practical. It would be impractical, though not impossible to build a ship at sea. The nub of the debate here is whether or not it's more practical to build a starship on land or in space.
Also, construction is space is a reality today. Even talk of entire factories in space is taken seriously as part of our future.
Still, we are certainly tying our shorts in knots over a trivial subject, aren't we (all of us posting here)? It's interesting that almost anything Enteprise or starship-related sparks such debate.
The biggest practical plus for doing most of the construction in space that I can think of is gravity is out of the equation [OK, mostly]. It would be much easier to move and fix into place heavy materials up there.
There's no need to support components like the saucer and such, that while they can certainly tolerate 1 g., they still aren't balanced in way that let's them stand stable without supports in 1 g.
It would seem practical to store resources in space in orbiting warehouses, or on the moon, rather than take up real estate here on Earth.
Parts of the ship could be built on Earth, but the heaviest and most awkward pieces may be built in space because it's more economical to build them there than to send them up. Even anti-gravity technology has to cost money. It's got to be cheaper and less risky to send up smaller bits to be assembled in space than to send up a finished or nearly finished ship.
And, as I posted before, does anyone believe that the bulk of Starfleet Command, that HUGE space station, was built on land? That had to be built largely or totally in space. So, the facilities to build in space have to be up there. Why not use them for starships?
[I should say that I'm approaching this topic in good humor, not trying to ruffle feathers or start heated arguments. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But I'm not.
]
Also, construction is space is a reality today. Even talk of entire factories in space is taken seriously as part of our future.
Still, we are certainly tying our shorts in knots over a trivial subject, aren't we (all of us posting here)? It's interesting that almost anything Enteprise or starship-related sparks such debate.
The biggest practical plus for doing most of the construction in space that I can think of is gravity is out of the equation [OK, mostly]. It would be much easier to move and fix into place heavy materials up there.
There's no need to support components like the saucer and such, that while they can certainly tolerate 1 g., they still aren't balanced in way that let's them stand stable without supports in 1 g.
It would seem practical to store resources in space in orbiting warehouses, or on the moon, rather than take up real estate here on Earth.
Parts of the ship could be built on Earth, but the heaviest and most awkward pieces may be built in space because it's more economical to build them there than to send them up. Even anti-gravity technology has to cost money. It's got to be cheaper and less risky to send up smaller bits to be assembled in space than to send up a finished or nearly finished ship.
And, as I posted before, does anyone believe that the bulk of Starfleet Command, that HUGE space station, was built on land? That had to be built largely or totally in space. So, the facilities to build in space have to be up there. Why not use them for starships?
[I should say that I'm approaching this topic in good humor, not trying to ruffle feathers or start heated arguments. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But I'm not.
]
The humber bridge is near where I live, its central span is over a mile long, it wasn't built where it stands, the towers were, the cables where, but the bridge pieces where built on a field, then put on a barge, sailed to under the bridge, and lifted into place.
Now substitute barge for space tub, and bridge for space station, and you have some idea how something could be built on earth and assembled in space.
Now substitute barge for space tub, and bridge for space station, and you have some idea how something could be built on earth and assembled in space.
Uhmm... no.
I'm not sure I buy this argument. I believe there are at least as many negatives associated with 'weightlessness' as there are positives, so I don't beleive there is any clear advantage there.
The fact is, regardless of what our personal feelings on the matter are, that the Enterprise's major components will be constructed on Earth. We know this because we all saw it on the Internet (, and so it must be true.)
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I don't think anyone is getting knotted up over this, it just seems that way. I for one like to discuss things like this, or I wouldn't come into this thread.
Anyway, there is no clear advantage to be had from building the ship in orbit. There may be fewer support towers needed, but then again, you need a support station instead, which is probably more expensive to operate.
Most of the arguments regarding this are centered around personal expectations...or just an excuse to bitch.
Anyway, there is no clear advantage to be had from building the ship in orbit. There may be fewer support towers needed, but then again, you need a support station instead, which is probably more expensive to operate.
Most of the arguments regarding this are centered around personal expectations...or just an excuse to bitch.
Okay. Now THAT'S just crazy talk!!!
Read my post above...
You don't build ocean-going ships in Montana either.
All ship yards for ocean-going ships are on the coasts of the oceans.
If you were building a spaceship that's primary purpose was to go
from the planet to space (low or high orbit) it could make sense
to build it anywhere, planet-side or in orbit.
The purpose of the big E is interstellar space flight. In the same
way that ocean-going ships are built on the edges of the oceans,
interstellar spaceships will be built on the edge of interstellar
space - In Space!
Anything else is not 'realistic'.
For a culture that lives and works in space as comfortably in space
as the Federation and Star Fleet that's just the way it would be.
MAC
Use THEIR imaginations? Hell no!
There's certainly no right answer. That's part of what makes an argument like this fun and harmless. Would most folks agree that factories and construction in space is indeed likely sometime in the future?
In a way, I'd have an easier time seeing the Enterprise being built on the moon than on Earth. The best of both worlds, so to speak.
I'd also like to know why some would consider working in space so dangerous compared to working on the ground in a society where space flight and living in space stations, moon bases, and such is ordinary.
They don't build ships in the ocean.
It would make more sense to build componants on Earth then ferry them to orbit for assembly.
I'm assuming by TNG era the orbiting shipyards are mostly shirt sleeve environments which would then make more sense to do some componant work in space although raw material-->product would still be done planet side unless of course you're mining asteroids for the materials.
My .02 cents worth..
It would make more sense to build componants on Earth then ferry them to orbit for assembly.
I'm assuming by TNG era the orbiting shipyards are mostly shirt sleeve environments which would then make more sense to do some componant work in space although raw material-->product would still be done planet side unless of course you're mining asteroids for the materials.
My .02 cents worth..
Well we know theres a lunar coleny. Although the name escapes me at the moment. Riker or someone had a relative there. Maybe they dug a giant hole on the dark side, hallowed it out, and built a ship building facility.
Yeah, probably a little far out there, kind of a neet idea in my opinion though.
Yeah, probably a little far out there, kind of a neet idea in my opinion though.
Has anyone considered the Enterprise was built on Earth because of Union Rules?
/Damn you, WGA!
/Damn you, WGA!
I think that makes more sense than building it on Earth.
Not a lot, but some...
My point is that the Enterprise is an interstellar spaceship.
Its whole purpose for existence is to cart people from
one planet in orbit around one star to another planet
in orbit around another star. They have shown over and
over that they have several methods of getting the people
on the ship up and down to the surface of the planet and
none of them involve bringing the Enterprise into the
atmosphere to land it.
Also, these people are as comfortable living and working
in space as we are living on Earth. Its not dangerous
to them in any way. Its not difficult for them. Its
not even unusual or strange. They would hop in a shuttle
and pop up to some station as easily as we would go to
the 7/11 for a pint of ice cream.
And as for building out at the edge of interstellar
space, sure - if that was where the raw materials and
best conditions were present, why not. After all, its
only a couple minutes ride with the impulse engines
at half speed. With how we know that they can do inter-
planetary flight, I probably have a longer commute to
get to work than someone going to a construction facility
that far out. Who knows, maybe that far out from the
gravity well of the Sun would be the best place to
construct a warp core or a phase inverter.
Finally, to those that say its Science Fiction, they can
do anything they want. Wrong. Its Fantasy where they can
do anything they want. I have been reading SF for decades.
I won't say that I read everything ever published like
this, but I have read hundreds of books and stories and
its excepted across the whole of the field that if you
have an interstellar society and they have some kind of
interstellar spaceships that they use to move between
stars, those ships are constructed in space.
Hell, when we go to Mars, most of the components of the
ship that just takes us on that short jaunt will be
assembled in space...
I makes sense here in the real world to build in space.
It makes sense in the fictional world. It used to make
sense in the Star Trek universe...
...and then the revisionists got control of the place.
MAC
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