The Enzmann starship is a concept for a crewed interstellar spacecraft proposed in 1964 by Dr. Robert Enzmann. A three million

ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...

ball of frozen

deuterium Deuterium (hydrogen-2, symbol H or D, also known as heavy hydrogen) is one of two stable isotopes of hydrogen; the other is protium, or hydrogen-1, H. The deuterium nucleus (deuteron) contains one proton and one neutron, whereas the far more c ...

would fuel nuclear

fusion rocket A fusion rocket is a theoretical design for a rocket driven by nuclear fusion, fusion propulsion that could provide efficient and sustained Spacecraft propulsion, acceleration in space without the need to carry a large fuel supply. The design requ ...

engines contained in a cylindrical section behind that ball with the crew quarters. The craft would be about long overall.

Design

The ball of frozen deuterium would fuel thermonuclear-powered pulse propulsion units, similar to Project Orion engines. The spacecraft would be assembled in Earth orbit as part of a larger project preceded by

interstellar probe An interstellar probe is a space probe that has left—or is expected to leave—the Solar System and enter interstellar medium, interstellar space, which is typically defined as the region beyond the Heliopause (astronomy), heliopause. It also r ...

s and telescopic observation of target star systems. The rest of the spacecraft would be attached behind the ball as a seamless metallic fuel tank. The proposed method of tank construction would be to expand a plastic balloon in space and coat it with metal. The spacecraft would be modular, and the main living area would be three identical wide and long cylindrical modules. The Enzmann could function as an

interstellar ark An interstellar ark is a conceptual starship designed for interstellar travel. Interstellar arks may be the most economically feasible method of traveling such distances. The ark has also been proposed as a potential habitat to preserve civiliz ...

, supporting a crew of 200 but with space for expansion. The Enzmann starship was detailed in the October 1973 issue of ''

Analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

'', with a cover by space artist

Rick Sternbach Richard Michael Sternbach (born July 6, 1951) is an illustrator who is best known for his space illustrations and his work on the ''Star Trek'' television series. Early years Born July 6, 1951, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1969 Sternbach enr ...

. The spacecraft described in that issue had some differences compared to the 1960s proposal, such as using a 12,000,000 ton (11,000,000

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

s) ball of frozen

. Enzmanns have been depicted by many space artists including Don Dixon, David A. Hardy,

Syd Mead Sydney Jay Mead (July 18, 1933 – December 30, 2019) was an American industrial designer and Neo-futurism, neo-futurist concept artist. Initially known for his influential futuristic design work for industrial clients such as U.S. Steel, Phili ...

Bob Eggleton Bob Eggleton (born September 13, 1960) is an American science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction, horror artist. Eggleton is a nine-time Hugo Award–winner for Best Pro Artist in science fiction and fantasy, first winning in 1994. He won the Hu ...

, and

. Sources conflict about the projected speed, perhaps 30% of the

speed of light The speed of light in vacuum, commonly denoted , is a universal physical constant exactly equal to ). It is exact because, by international agreement, a metre is defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time i ...

, ''c'', but 9% may be more likely. At 30%, relativistic effects between people on Earth and on the spacecraft, such as

time dilation Time dilation is the difference in elapsed time as measured by two clocks, either because of a relative velocity between them (special relativity), or a difference in gravitational potential between their locations (general relativity). When unsp ...

would become more noticeable, such as the shipboard time being less than the Earth observed time. Overall specifications have varied somewhat, but the design has nuclear pulse engines at the rear, then cylinders for human habitation, then closer the front a large ball of fuel. Early versions were said to have 8 engines and later 24 nuclear rocket engines, which would be powered by the fusing of deuterium into helium-3. A common feature was that the crew area was replicated 3 times for redundancy, and a common core pillar ran the length of the spacecraft and through the center of each habitation unit.

References

External links

{{commonscat, Enzmann starships
The Enzmann Starship: History & Engineering Appraisal
Interstellar travel 1964 in science

Design

Further reading

See also

References

External links