Bussard Ramjet by starbase1
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
For those who don't know, this was considered a serious design for a starship, one that would harvest interstellar hydrogen in a generated magnetic ramscoop, which would then be fused and the ejected to propel the craft forwards.
Unfortunately on closer inspection it was found that the friction from collecting the hydrogen must outweigh the force of the engine. Plus you would need to get up to a sizable fraction of light speed for it to have a chance of bump starting anyway...

Comments (5)
Awesome image! I believe traveling more out in space will be possible very soon.
Excellent image. I never saw this concept as terribly practical mainly because the scoop was so impractically large (Larger in diameter than earth at one point) even when considering the time period for which this concept was intended.
Brilliant! Brilliant!! Nick, I was really hoping you'd tackle this subject some day. Really nice details, and I love the way the scoop mesh just gets thinner and thinner. Beautifully done!
great model:)
Fantastic creation!