Lizardian Stellar Engine
Lizardian Stellar Engine
Class
| Type | Interstellar Vehicle (ISV) |
|---|
Other
| Affiliations | |
|---|---|
| Role | Interstellar Transport |
| Top Speed | 0.7 C= 130,200 mi/s= 209,537 km/s=469,431,640 mph= 755,476,994 kph. |
| Weight | 678 Gross tonnes |
The Lizardian Stellar Engine (also known as the LSE [Star System], or simply LSE) refers to the thirteen thousand stellar engines that collectively form a vast orbital correction system for the Elkska Galaxy's stars. These engines ensure precise positioning and stabilization of stellar orbits within the galaxy.
Designed for deep-space operation, the LSEs never approach Pepper's accretion disk. Instead, they maintain an orbital trajectory around Pepper, carefully adjusting the paths of entire star systems to synchronize with the galaxy's long-term gravitational framework.
Each LSE is a megastructure of immense scale, engineered to function autonomously for eons. The LSE Lizard-953, for instance, is one such stellar engine crucial to the stability of its respective system. The fleet of stellar engines arrived in the Elkska Galaxy after more than five Earth years in transit, maneuvering over a hundred celestial objects into stable orbits upon arrival.
A critical component in the construction of LSEs is Neodymium, an element essential for containing matter-antimatter reactions within the engine's power core. This material enables the precise magnetic confinement needed to harness antimatter energy safely and efficiently
Propulsion
A Lizardian Stellar Engine (LSE) has two matter-antimatter engines arranged symmetrically in a tractor configuration that pulls the star behind them. They are angled slightly away from the star, a few degrees off the Engine's longitudinal axis, so their exhaust plumes bypass the star. This results in a mild loss of thrust efficiency because the engines push toward each other slightly. The lost thrust is deemed acceptable because the angling distances the habitable zone of the star from the immense thermal radiation emitted by the engines' exhaust plumes. Scientists had initially considered placing the engines at the back of the engine instead, but the mass-savings advantage of a tensile structure going around the star as in the current design outweighed the disadvantages of shielding. Since a very long truss is needed to separate the habitable zone of the star from the engines' radiation, such a structure would be prohibitively massive if it were a conventional space-frame truss designed for compressive loading with engines at the back of the ship. The carbon-nanotube composite tensile-truss creates the necessary stand-off distance at one-tenth of the mass. Essentially, an LSE is designed like current truck-trailer configurations; it is a rigid, extremely strong tow cable with the engines, the "truck," at one end of the Truss and the habitable zone at the other end, forming the "trailer."
The antimatter fuel (in this case, anti-hydrogen) is contained by the magnetic field of the star in a near-perfect vacuum in which it circulates as a high-density cloud of atoms cooled to near-absolute-zero temperature. When antimatter and matter (normal hydrogen) are brought together, they annihilate and release an enormous amount of energy, which is then directed by an ultra-powerful magnetic field of the star to form the exhaust plume. These photons of energy, although without mass, possess momentum, and their ejection provides the thrust to accelerate the star. Additional thrust is obtained by injecting hydrogen atoms into the plasma before it leaves the nozzle. The exhaust flare is an incandescent plasma a million times brighter than a welding arc and over thirty million kilometers long. The plume is considered to be one of the most spectacular Lizard-made sights in history.
At the back of the trailer, a high-energy particle accelerator propels a hydrogen jet back toward the star, utilizing a relativistic momentum exchange system. The hydrogen jet transfers momentum to the star, subtly pushing it forward while counteracting the drag caused by the star's own gravitational resistance. This process significantly enhances thrust efficiency, preventing energy losses that would otherwise limit acceleration. The hydrogen used in this jet can be harvested from interstellar space, ensuring a continuous and self-sustaining fuel source.
Trivia
- If pushed enough, the LSE can move a star the size of Betelgeuse
- An LSE can get a star system up to 0.7 c in about five and a half months