What is the best design for a Interstallar Ship and how would you begin to build it?

Question

Give details.

Answer 1

Check out this neat design for a Bussard Interstellar Ramjet. It scoops up stray hydrogen to keep its fusion reactor going.

Answer 2

It depends on what kind of propulsion system you are using. For interstellar travel you would need to approach the speed of light (a feat we are still working on) otherwise the trip would take longer than your pilots could live. The closest star would take around 5 or 6 years going just under the speed of light.

To achieve these speeds you would most likely have an antimatter or fusion engine. Another possibility is a ship with solar sails that is propelled by lasers. Pick an engine and design the rest of the ship around that.

Answer 3

First of all it has to be big enough to be self sustaining, able to support the many generations of people that will be required to make the journey. That means growing food reusing all resources water etc.. You could start out nuclear to get things going but you probably want to use a hydrogen funnel to capture the free hydrogen molecules present throughout the universe to keep the ship fueled. Titanium would be the metal of choice for all areas prone to heat exposure. You would want a double hull with a layer of protective gel between to absorb meteorite strikes.
you would want redundant systems essentially three separate ships that are all interconnected yet separated by air locks in the event of catastrophic damage to any one area. The speeds we could achieve would not even begin to approach the speed of light. Let's say we can achieve 10,000,000 mph with known technologies. The closest star is Alpha Centauri 4 light years away or 26 trillion miles. I would take 297 years to reach our destination. It would be too large to launch from earth, so it would need to be assembled in space like the space station. It would be a monumental task, probably beyond our grasp for the foreseeable future.

Answer 4

I would first make a mock up from old plastic model parts.
something sleek and fast looking with big engines. Then I would write a paper and try and get some funding using photographs of the model and some mumbo jumbo about magnetic gravitational drive using rotating superconductors. I would then rent a cool lab with air conditioning where I could hang out during the week until the funding ran out.