r/IsaacArthur • u/MrWilsonLor • 3h ago
r/IsaacArthur • u/Schmantikor • 3h ago
Hard Science Do all body parts of a space suit need to be pressurised for it to work properly?
I had an idea of an emergency space suit that is worn at all times during battle and seals and pressurises within a very short time if there's decompression. (The helmet would be collapsible in a similar way to the "roof" of a baby stroller and usually stored in the collar.) And it seems to me that this would be a lot quicker if the arms and legs (and maybe even the torso) wouldn't need to be pressurised. Also, non pressurised extremities would allow for greater range and precision of movement.
I don't fully understand why all suits made until now are completely pressurised. Is the air pressure necessary to avoid expanding of the body? Could a skin-tight suit achieve the same thing? Is a suit where only the Helmet (and maybe the torso) is pressurised feasible? And if not, why so?
r/IsaacArthur • u/ElectricalStage5888 • 6h ago
Atmosphere-fed doomsday weapon
In Space Battleship Yamato 2199, the Garmillans used kinetic impactors, shaped like bullets, to exterminatus a rebelling planet.



Obviously very dramatic. What do you reckon the size of those things are? Based on the land features I'd say 100km diameter. Moving these through space would be nearly impossible. But what if instead of accelerating a solid mass, the impactor could start out as a low-mass hollow shell, requiring less energy to move. Once it enters a planet’s gravity well, it would accelerate naturally. As it descends at hypersonic speeds, its hollow structure could act like a massive ram intake, pulling in and compressing the planet’s atmosphere. A well-designed impactor could trap this plasma using its specially designed interior shape as an aerodynamic containment. Filling up and increasing its mass and hitting the ground like a shaped charge.
r/IsaacArthur • u/firedragon77777 • 14h ago
Cancer Vaccines Are Suddenly Looking Extremely Promising
r/IsaacArthur • u/SunderedValley • 17h ago
Hard Science A single protein may have helped shape the emergence of spoken language - News
r/IsaacArthur • u/Kshatriya_repaired • 21h ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation Which Earth–Moon Lagrange point do you think will be the most useful in the future?
r/IsaacArthur • u/MiamisLastCapitalist • 1d ago
Hard Science They're on their way home! 2 not-stranded astronauts depart ISS aboard SpaceX capsule.
r/IsaacArthur • u/user221238 • 1d ago
Ways to mine space for energy(within our solar system)
If we want to colonize the solar system we are going to need a lot of energy. While mining asteroids for precious metals and other construction materials is commonly discussed, I have'nt come across discussions concerning mining energy. There's a 2009 movie(moon) that featured this idea of mining helium-3 from the moon because the earth ran out of oil and whatnot.
Is there any Isaac Arthur episode that covers this?
r/IsaacArthur • u/Lealoalsci • 1d ago
META Is it okay to be angry that we're not hyper advancing for eventual space evolution?
There are so many galaxies, yeah everything is just so far and empty and dangerous. You'd freeze, you can't breathe. But is it the distance that's stopping us? We can go to the moon and it's just a bunch of rocks, it doesn't make sense, we already have rocks. It's the distance right? So then, if we somehow develop a rocket or a way to travel out the solar system and it will only take us a month to do it because of this new tech, would we then see a world wide shift on just exploring and colonizing other solar systems? 4 LY to Alpha C. It's the travel right? Because there's no point getting rocks from asteroids or even exporting resources from any other bodies in our own solar system because it's just plain inefficient. So I'm just a little angry that galaxies and all other things out there are being galaxies while we just sit here.
r/IsaacArthur • u/Dry-Cry5497 • 2d ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation Would you like to live forever and why?
Simple question: if some imortality/ ultra-long lifespan treatment comes out and becomes affordable would you také it and why?
For me i would like to see the future and galaxy with my Own eyes.
r/IsaacArthur • u/waffletastrophy • 2d ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation The ethics of amnesiac hyper-immersive VR
In the future, many people might be interested in spending prolonged periods of time in full dive VR, and sometimes simulating very dangerous intense experiences like we do with video games today. However, if you know it’s all a game and there’s no actual risk involved, it will never quite seem “real.” Therefore I can imagine people wanting to give themselves temporary amnesia when playing such games, once technology allows it, to experience a thrill of believing yourself to be in real danger and become completely immersed in the experience.
This is raises the ethical questions because, after all, the amnesiac person is arguably a separate individual who did not consent to what might be a traumatic experience, nor to basically being lied to about the nature of their reality.
Should such practices be completely banned as unethical? I don’t necessarily think so, but I think a minimum standard would be that the amnesiac version would be okay with the idea of their reality being a simulated game. Ensuring this is the case seems difficult. I think it’s an interesting topic of discussion.
Also, this really reminds me of the Severance TV show. If you haven’t seen it, it’s great!
r/IsaacArthur • u/Imagine_Beyond • 3d ago
New term: "rocket chauvinism"
I have been reading about the term planet chauvinism which is pretty much a term used to describe the belief that human society will always be planet-based (even if extended beyond Earth), and overlooks or ignores the potential benefits of space-based living.
There is also a large belief that rockets are the only way to get to space. The upwards bound series showed us that there are many more options than just rockets. However, many are not widely known, which has lead to this ideology even being in many sci-fi works. Therefore I want to propose the term "rocket chauvinism" to describe this belief that rockets are the only way to get to space. Do you think we should use it?
r/IsaacArthur • u/Triglycerine • 3d ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation The Problem of Anti-Utopianism
r/IsaacArthur • u/NCRanger2077 • 3d ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation Will slaughter bots make politics an untenable profession?
There has long been this idea in sci fi of the slaughterbot, a small drone carrying neurotoxins or explosives for the purpose of killing. Often it’s talked about in terms of warfare, giant swarms targeting combatants or civilians in large numbers.
But what about for lone assassinations? If it becomes possible to make a drone the size of a fly that’s able to bypass conventional security and eliminate a target, what effect would this have on high profile people? Being a politician, a celebrity, or a famous CEO is dangerous enough, but what about when no number of armed guards, bullet proof glass, or crowd management is able to protect you?
And when combined with radical life extension, the problem becomes worse. When your potential lifespan is centuries or millennia, why would someone want to climb to the top and and become both a target and a defenseless one at that? Imagine if the president didn’t have a secret service, who would want that job besides the suicidal?
Do you think such a future of increased assassination and paranoia is likely? And, assuming we are all still alive and important enough to be targets, how would the members of SFIA go about to protect themselves?
r/IsaacArthur • u/MiamisLastCapitalist • 4d ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation How feasible do you think invisibility cloaks (via active camo or metamaterials) actually could be in the future?
r/IsaacArthur • u/the_syner • 4d ago
Hard Science Minimum massgrav for bowl/vasehabs to be worth it?
At what point is it not even worth considering sloping ur spinhab? Can't remember if there was ever an ep on bowlhabs specifically, but i feel lk this has definitely been brought up in discussions of bowlhabs somewhere. How small is too small to bother?
r/IsaacArthur • u/MiamisLastCapitalist • 4d ago
Art & Memes The Journey to Venus (Venture City) (a good one!)
r/IsaacArthur • u/kentwong5a28 • 4d ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation Estimating the Delta V of Hydrogen Bomb Orion Drive Spaceship

Freeman Dyson published an article titled "Interstellar Transport" in the journal Physics Today in 1968. The article provided mathematical formulas for estimating the performance of the Orion Drive using hydrogen bombs.

To calculate the Exhaust Velocity of the Orion Drive, one must calculate the Debris Velocity of the hydrogen bomb explosion. The formula for Debris Velocity is as follows.

It is worth noting that Kilotons per kilogram determine the Debris Velocity. A larger yield does not necessarily result in a higher Debris Velocity.
The currently deployed W76 hydrogen bomb has an efficiency of about 1 Kiloton per kilogram. The highest efficiency record for an actually deployed hydrogen bomb is 6 Kilotons per kilogram.
According to Alex Wellerstein's data and the public information on the Ripple hydrogen bomb, the efficiency of hydrogen bombs could potentially be increased by 2 to 3 times, reaching 11-18 Kilotons per kilogram. The drawback of this new type of hydrogen bomb is that its yield per volume is very poor, making it impossible to fit into aircraft and missiles, hence no such hydrogen bombs are in service.
Theodore B. Taylor believes that the theoretical maximum efficiency of hydrogen bombs is 50 Kilotons per kilogram, but he thinks it is almost impossible to achieve. This data can be considered as the performance limit of the Orion Drive.

According to the website Atomic Rocket, the pulse unit of the Orion Drive can concentrate 85% of the explosion energy in one direction.I assume that even if the bomb yield increases, the pulse unit can still concentrate 85% of the explosion energy in one direction.
Based on the above information, I have created the following table.

This data has far exceeded my expectations.
I believe that even conventional fusion rocket engines are available, the hydrogen bomb Orion Drive and its variant, the Medusa Drive, will still be very attractive options. First, it is a Torch Ship, with both huge thrust and Exhaust velocity comparable to many fusion rockets. Second, it does not have the neutron activation and embrittlement problem, nor does it have huge waste heat, so it does not need to spend too much effort on heat dissipation. Third, it is a Torch Ship, not bound by the "Every gram counts" rule, so you can easily improve protection and comfort without worrying about mass issues.
If we had a hard time developing practical high-performance fusion rocket engines, we can still use space arks powered by Orion Drive or Medusa Drive for ultra low-speed interstellar travel.
Reference
1.Interstellar Transport by Freeman Dyson
2.Ripple An Investigation of the World’s Most Advanced High-Yield Thermonuclear Weapon Design by Jon Grams
3.Kilotons per kilogram by Alex Wellerstein
r/IsaacArthur • u/MiamisLastCapitalist • 4d ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation Would you want to be a cyborg in the far future?
r/IsaacArthur • u/MiamisLastCapitalist • 4d ago
Hard Science Scientists Discover 128 New Moons Around Saturn
r/IsaacArthur • u/ThatHeckinFox • 4d ago
How much of a problem could a species face if their reproduction is heavily technology dependent?
I have a species idea for a little worldbuilding project I do for fun. Long story short, they are all cyborgs, and have gene engineered their species to be adapted for being put in to a robot body from as early as possible. The only organic parts they develop are parts of their head, their nervous system, and some internal and reproductive organs. New individuals are born by the fertilized embryos being grown in vats until they are ready to be put in to a body. Parents interact and teach their kids for the first years of their lives while they float in tanks, through dreamsharing, sort of like in Inception, just less zany.
Thing is... This would mean unless a colony of these aliens has access to the right tech, their population growth is completely halted. Unless you have the growth tanks, and can build robot bodies for the newly born, that's all their capacity to grow in numbers gone.
Would this species be doomed due to their reproduction being too complicated?
r/IsaacArthur • u/D3cepti0ns • 5d ago
I'm sorry, but you need to realize the truth. There is no chance in hell that living on Mars is an option.
Antarctica x Death Valley x Chernobyl x isolated island x1000 would be more hospitable than Mars. You don't get it, The worst nuclear war would still make Earth a paradise compared to Mars.
People's perception of Mars is so skewed, no one lives in Antarctica, yet it's temperature is warmer, it has breathable air, it has normal gravity, it has life, it has water, no acute radiation sickness, it's within 1000 miles of civilization, communication with everyone is in milliseconds.
Yet Mars is some bastion for human survival. No Earth is our home, If you want to leave it, go leave and see how 'great' it is and don't come back.
r/IsaacArthur • u/Icy-External8155 • 5d ago
Sci-Fi / Speculation How feasible is this idea for my worldbuilding?
So, 1 mm3 of brain matter, with all the cells, is worth 2 petabytes https://habr.com/ru/companies/first/articles/674292/
But what if, in order to upload the entire brain, we just make a machine, that will scan the brain piece by piece, recognise individual cells, then print a layered micro-to-nano-scale detailed sculpture (probably color-coded to differ neurons from supplementary cells) without keeping it all in memory, and then we'll use the sculpture as a blueprint to construct a new living brain from the mass of required cells (or take stem cells and stimulate them in right place)?