First picture of the Enterprise in Star Trek ( XI ) - Spoiler!

[tonyg]

Just strap some antigravity pods on it and float it up into space...

That's true. Once you can mess with gravity the "ballon" approach to litoff and landing applies. Negate the pull of gravity and you don't need constant acceleration for list off but could just take a leisurely walking pace.

So zero out the gravity and send it up with a tractor beam at a subsonic speed to prevent heat build up. At a constant 60mph/100kph it could be in low orbit in 5 hours or so. At 600mph/1000kph, you could do it in under an hour.

Not to shabby.

[IceGiant]

In my opinion it's still a bad way to build a ship that size. Gravity plays hell with materials. Makes more sense to have it built in orbit *shrugs*

[Dan Gurden]

In my opinion it's still a bad way to build a ship that size. Gravity plays hell with materials. Makes more sense to have it built in orbit *shrugs*

I think that opinions about a fictional starship should really wait until we actuall start to build starship that size. At which point the best way of building it will become clear. Until that point you are just arguing over something thats particularly insignificant.

If it helps, JJ Abrams was asked about the footage in a recent web-chat (apparently) and in response he said that while construction began on Earth, it did not necesarily mean that this was also true of assembly...

[tonyg]

In my opinion it's still a bad way to build a ship that size. Gravity plays hell with materials. Makes more sense to have it built in orbit *shrugs*

Probably. THere are some advtnages for the crew and ease of work.

But keep in mind the idea that the ship needs it's sturcutal integrity field to hold it together was a TNG era thing. Not a TOS era one. And the Enterprise did operate in an atomposhere at least one in TOS, even though it is designed to do so.

I susect that the Connie can be launched and take off, but like a naval ship leaving drydock, it lacks any way to get back on land safely.


Of course, based on what we've seen, they could be building it inside something like a an enclosed Spacedock, and just have the gavirty turned on locally, or they crew could be wearing "gravity" boots. Zero G is harder clean up, so weling in a gravity field, even a low one would keep the debris to a small area.

So they could be building her inside someplace and then just open the dooors and send her off into space.

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I'd like to point out that Trek starships use magical supertech just to hold them together...

[tonyg]

I'd like to point out that Trek starships use magical supertech just to hold them together...

Super Glue and inertial dampeners sounds better, though.

[First of Two]

I guess it's your "precious"?

Nah, I just won "most obscure Monty Python sketch reference ever," is all.

[Liquidator Queeg]

And for that First of Two ...

Biggles! Put him in the Comfy Chair!