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TechMemo:D-Warp Drive: Difference between revisions
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In 2410, after extensive testing aboard the USS Montu, the fourth generation of dimensional warp drive was depoyed in the Circe, Kirov, and Montu-class starships. The reduced power requirements of the fourth generation drive and advances in hyperspace shielding finally made broad deployment of the drive system practicle. | In 2410, after extensive testing aboard the USS Montu, the fourth generation of dimensional warp drive was depoyed in the Circe, Kirov, and Montu-class starships. The reduced power requirements of the fourth generation drive and advances in hyperspace shielding finally made broad deployment of the drive system practicle. | ||
Improvements in the shielding grid in 2435 resulted in what is called a fifth generation drive. The core drive itself is not significantly different, but the new shielding scheme allows a 50% increase in safe sustained sublight speed within the hyperspace dimensions, increasing apparent speed relative to normal space substantially. Where previous generation drives are limited to 0.5 c relative to the hyperspace dimension, generation five drives are capable of 0.75 c relative speed. | |||
The dimensional warp system is partly powered by the matter-antimatter reactor, but is otherwise completely separate from the conventional warp system and does not make use of the nacelles. Instead, the ship has a pair of dimensional warp (or hyperspace) nodes. One node is near the bow of the ship, the other near the stern. (Separable ships equipped with d-warp will often have a pair of nodes amidship so that each section of the ship will be d-warp capable while operating independently.) It is these nodes that generate the gravity sail that allows a ship to safely navigate the gravity waves of hyperspace. If the conventional warp drives are employed while the ship is in a gravity wave in hyperspace, the resulting stresses will rip the vessel apart. | The dimensional warp system is partly powered by the matter-antimatter reactor, but is otherwise completely separate from the conventional warp system and does not make use of the nacelles. Instead, the ship has a pair of dimensional warp (or hyperspace) nodes. One node is near the bow of the ship, the other near the stern. (Separable ships equipped with d-warp will often have a pair of nodes amidship so that each section of the ship will be d-warp capable while operating independently.) It is these nodes that generate the gravity sail that allows a ship to safely navigate the gravity waves of hyperspace. If the conventional warp drives are employed while the ship is in a gravity wave in hyperspace, the resulting stresses will rip the vessel apart. | ||
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Note, despite these dangers and limitations, that theta band transit is more than 28 times faster than warp 6 (standard cruise for many ships) and more than 7.4 times as fast as warp 9. Further, kappa band transit is more than 90 times as fast as warp 9! D-Warp shows its real uses in long tansits. Cruising in the theta band allows a ship to cross a sector in less than 16 hours instead of 19 days at warp 6. If a ship pushes its drives to 0.75c (which corresponds to the maximum limit of radiation shielding), then a ship in the kappa band can achieve a speed more than 136 as fast as warp 9 and over 34 times warp 9.98. | Note, despite these dangers and limitations, that theta band transit is more than 28 times faster than warp 6 (standard cruise for many ships) and more than 7.4 times as fast as warp 9. Further, kappa band transit is more than 90 times as fast as warp 9! D-Warp shows its real uses in long tansits. Cruising in the theta band allows a ship to cross a sector in less than 16 hours instead of 19 days at warp 6. If a ship pushes its drives to 0.75c (which corresponds to the maximum limit of radiation shielding), then a ship in the kappa band can achieve a speed more than 136 as fast as warp 9 and over 34 times warp 9.98. | ||
Most major alien races are known to possess dimensional warp drive systems. The systems employed by the Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians are approximately equivalent to those used by the Federation. Powers near the galactic core appear to have discovered hyperspace travel before normal space warp travel and tend to use dimensional warp technologies | Most major alien races are known to possess dimensional warp drive systems. The systems employed by the Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians are approximately equivalent to those used by the Federation. Powers near the galactic core appear to have discovered hyperspace travel before normal space warp travel and tend to use dimensional warp technologies preferentially. As would be expected, their systems are correspondingly more advanced and efficient. The Dalriadan Alliance, in particular, has a very efficient hyperspace drive system which is capable of operating over extended distances using only fusion power. It is believed that the Dalriadan hyperspace technology owes largely to technology originally developed by the Sidhe Imperium. | ||
While Federation starships are limited to travel under their own power into the Kappa band, hyperspace booster gates in normal space can help them reach the Lambda band. | While Federation starships are limited to travel under their own power into the Kappa band, hyperspace booster gates in normal space can help them reach the Lambda band. | ||
While conventional warp drives are very dangerous to use inside systems because of high particle densities, it can be fatal to use hyperspace drive inside the [[TechMemo:Warp Limit| warp limit]] of a system. Stars and other massive objects create gravitational singularities in hyperspace. It is fatal to attempt to enter or leave hyperspace inside these singularities. | While conventional warp drives are very dangerous to use inside systems because of high particle densities, it can be fatal to use hyperspace drive inside the [[TechMemo:Warp Limit| warp limit]] of a system. Stars and other massive objects create gravitational singularities in hyperspace. It is fatal to attempt to enter or leave hyperspace inside these singularities. | ||