How fast impulse power

Each engine has four parts; the impulse reaction chamber, the accelerator, the driver coil, and the vectored exhaust director powered by a proton-antiproton fusion reaction.

Cryogenic deuterium is stored in primary and auxiliary fuel tanks in both saucer and engineering sections of the ship. Once the reaction or explosion has occurred in the reaction chambers, the destination for the resulting high-energy plasma depends on whether the energy generated was needed to move the ship or power the systems. According to the department, the main and saucer impulse propulsion systems were off-line.

TNG : " Conundrum ". In , after the Battle of Veridian III , the Enterprise -D's engine room had been hit, causing a coolant leak , which became a warp core breach , and after the saucer separated from the stardrive section , Deanna Troi engaged the saucer impulse drives. Star Trek Generations. Several ships, including Jem'Hadar fighters , Galileo -type shuttlecraft , Danube -class runabouts , the Delta Flyer , and class V planetary probes used impulse thrusters for sublight propulsion. DS9 : " The Assignment ".

Early drafts of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Emissary " included the proviso for vessels that wanted to use the Bajoran wormhole had to stop at Deep Space 9 to have energy buffers installed on their impulse engines to mitigate the effects on the Prophets. Judith Reeves-Stevens and Garfield Reeves-Stevens suggested several reasons why this aspect was dropped: " If, to pass through the wormhole into the Gamma Quadrant , a ship needs special upgrading available only at DS9, then how could ships from the Gamma Quadrant ever come through from the other side?

Part of Deep Space Nine's appeal is that unknown Gamma Quadrant aliens can emerge from the wormhole at any moment. With this condition still in place, they'd never make it. The elimination of this idea also removes the nagging inconsistency of entities with godlike powers being subject to destruction by mere human technology.

Besides, if they exist in all times at once, why didn't they see this coming? Better they should just be disturbed by the human concept of linear time, rather than be threatened by human machines. Then their decision to stay out of sight becomes an emotional one that is not subject to human intervention ". Dialogue from several episodes, including " Where No Man Has Gone Before " and " The Doomsday Machine ", suggests that the impulse drive could be used in some manner to propel a ship at faster than light speeds, albeit with a lower maximum speed and a higher rate of fuel consumption than the main warp drive.

This could possibly make the relationship between impulse and warp drive analogous to the relationship between electric motors and internal combustion engines in a modern hybrid car. Because traveling at impulse speeds for extended periods of time wreaks havoc for subspace communications, computer clocks, and calendar synchronization, Starfleet places a speed limit of 0. How much of a difference is that?

Some 3D plots will help visualize the result. On the left axis, we have fractions of light speed up to 0. The right axis shows traveler time. A person taking a 10 year round trip at 0. But it is definitely a step in the right direction. While we may not have futuristic drives yet, they could happen. With further development, who knows? Maybe impulse drives like those depicted in movies will one day be a reality.

Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.

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