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Warp drive is a technology that allows space travel at faster-than-light speeds. It does this by generating warp fields to form a subspace bubble that envelops the starship, distorting the local spacetime continuum and moving the starship at velocities that exceed the speed of light. These velocities are referred to as warp factors. | Warp drive is a technology that allows space travel at faster-than-light speeds. It does this by generating warp fields to form a subspace bubble that envelops the starship, distorting the local spacetime continuum and moving the starship at velocities that exceed the speed of light. These velocities are referred to as warp factors. | ||
The main propulsion system for most starships. The core of the warp drive uses dilithium crystals to control the annihilation of matter and antimatter. This controlled explosion is what generates the tremendous power required to warp space and travel faster than light. Warp drive was invented in 2061 by noted scientist Zefram Cochrane. | |||
The main propulsion system for most starships. The core of the warp drive uses | |||
It is one of many jobs of [[Engineering|Engineers]] onboard a [[Federation]] [[starship]] to make sure the ship's warp drive is running correctly. | It is one of many jobs of [[Engineering Staff|Engineers]] onboard a [[Federation]] [[starship]] to make sure the ship's warp drive is running correctly. | ||
Warp drive is by far the most widespread method of faster than light travel used in the alpha quadrant. Invented in 2063 by [[Zephram Cochrane]] of Earth (and later of Alpha Centuri). | Warp drive is by far the most widespread method of faster than light travel used in the alpha quadrant. Invented in 2063 by [[Zephram Cochrane]] of Earth (and later of Alpha Centuri). | ||
Humans subsequently sold warp drive ships to many other cultures, and this technology has become common within the quadrant with over 2,000 species using it. The present day state of the art is not fundamentally different from Cochranes original system; ships today generally use [[ | Humans subsequently sold warp drive ships to many other cultures, and this technology has become common within the quadrant with over 2,000 species using it. The present day state of the art is not fundamentally different from Cochranes original system; ships today generally use [[matter]] / [[antimatter]] reactors rather than [[fusion]] ones, and [[dilithium]] has allowed far higher efficiencies. The [[warp coils]] themselves have also become more numerous and complex in design. | ||
For the future, many developments are possible. Over a century since it was first envisaged, transwarp drive remains seemingly just beyond the reach of Federation science. other lines of research involve co-axial warp cores, which allow instantaneous travel over sizeable distances, and slipstream technology, which could theoretically allow travel at hundreds of light years per second. If this latter technology ever came to pass, it would make travel on an intergalactic scale easily feasible. On the other hand, the idea of generating stable artificial | For the future, many developments are possible. Over a century since it was first envisaged, transwarp drive remains seemingly just beyond the reach of Federation science. other lines of research involve co-axial warp cores, which allow instantaneous travel over sizeable distances, and slipstream technology, which could theoretically allow travel at hundreds of light years per second. If this latter technology ever came to pass, it would make travel on an intergalactic scale easily feasible. On the other hand, the idea of generating stable artificial wormholes for interstellar travel is also being researched and if successful this may render warp drive totally obsolete. | ||
There are two distinct fuel storage systems on board any starship; the matter storage is generally a single large fuel tank holding a large amount of slush [[Deuterium]]- in the case of the [[Galaxy class]] there is 62,500 m3 of actual Deuterium within 63,200 m3 of tankage space - the rest being accounted for by internal compartmentalisation of the fuel tank. The ship thus carries 12,500 metric tons of fuel, sufficient for a mission period of three years assuming normal use of warp and impulse drive, orbiting of planets, etc. | |||
There are two distinct fuel storage systems on board any starship; the matter storage is generally a single large fuel tank holding a large amount of slush [[Deuterium]]- in the case of the [[Galaxy | |||
The antimatter is contained within much smaller pods; the standard starship antimatter pod is capable of holding 100 m3 of fuel for a total of 3,000 m3 in a Galaxy class Starship. Starfleet is somewhat reticent about revealing exactly how much antimatter is kept on board its starships, as this would allow threat forces to make detailed estimates of the total output of a ships power systems. It is known that the antimatter used in the Galaxy class is antihydrogen, and that it is kept stored within magnetic fields. In the event of a systems failure which threatens antimatter containment, the pods can be thrown clear of the ship by emergency systems of considerable reliability. | The antimatter is contained within much smaller pods; the standard starship antimatter pod is capable of holding 100 m3 of fuel for a total of 3,000 m3 in a Galaxy class Starship. Starfleet is somewhat reticent about revealing exactly how much antimatter is kept on board its starships, as this would allow threat forces to make detailed estimates of the total output of a ships power systems. It is known that the antimatter used in the Galaxy class is antihydrogen, and that it is kept stored within magnetic fields. In the event of a systems failure which threatens antimatter containment, the pods can be thrown clear of the ship by emergency systems of considerable reliability. | ||
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Starfleet safety protocols require that should any nozzle fail, the combiner can continue to supply the remaining nozzles which would dialate to accomodate the increased fuel flow. The present generation of nozzles are constructed of frumium-copper-yttrium 2343. | Starfleet safety protocols require that should any nozzle fail, the combiner can continue to supply the remaining nozzles which would dialate to accomodate the increased fuel flow. The present generation of nozzles are constructed of frumium-copper-yttrium 2343. | ||
The antimatter injector lies at the lower end of the warp core. Its internal design is | The antimatter injector lies at the lower end of the warp core. Its internal design is distincly different from that of the matter injector owing to the dangerous nature of antimatter fuel; every step in manipulating the antihydrogen must use magnetic to keep the material from Physically touching any part of the structure. In some ways the ARI is a simpler device requiring fewer moving components. It uses the same basic structural housing and shock attenuation as the matter system, with adaptions for magnetic suspension fuel tunnels. The structure contains three pulsed antimatter gas flow separators; these serve to break up the incoming antihydrogen into small managable packets and send them up into the constriction segments. Each flow separator leads to an injector nozzle and each nozzle cycles open in response to computer control signals. Nozzle firing can follow highly complicated sequences resulting from the varying demands of reaction pressures and temperatures and desired power output, amongst other factors. | ||
The magnetic constrictors make up the bulk of the warp core. They provide Physical support to the reaction chamber, pressure containment for the whole core and, most importantly, guide and align the fuel flow onto the desired location within the reaction chamber. | The magnetic constrictors make up the bulk of the warp core. They provide Physical support to the reaction chamber, pressure containment for the whole core and, most importantly, guide and align the fuel flow onto the desired location within the reaction chamber. | ||
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Because of the relatively low accuracy with which the plasma flow is usually controlled by a PTC, the plasma injector system must often be designed to re-condition the fuel flow in order to dampen down turbulence and so ensure a smooth flow through the warp coils. In many Starfleet designs, most especially those systems with the highest raw power output, the plasma flow from the PTC is split into two parts and sent through swirl dampers before being recombined during the injection process. Long experience has found that this method reduces the size of the required hardware to a reasonable minimum. | Because of the relatively low accuracy with which the plasma flow is usually controlled by a PTC, the plasma injector system must often be designed to re-condition the fuel flow in order to dampen down turbulence and so ensure a smooth flow through the warp coils. In many Starfleet designs, most especially those systems with the highest raw power output, the plasma flow from the PTC is split into two parts and sent through swirl dampers before being recombined during the injection process. Long experience has found that this method reduces the size of the required hardware to a reasonable minimum. | ||