Is it possible for NASA to build a big spacecraft?

Question

I love Star Wars. I always see huge ships like Imperial Star Destroyers, Republic Cruisers, and The Invisible Hand then I wonder if it is possible to build spacecraft that big. I know that ships that big would be too heavy to be built on Earth so it would have to be built in space but is that possible?

Answer 1

Of course it is possible, merely incredibly difficult.

Currently it costs about $75/lb to put something into space. If we are talking about a multi-ton star destroyer then we are talking about billions just to get the supplies into space. Then imagine the cost to transport, supply, feed and house the work crew to build it. I am talking more money then the entire US budget and national debt combined!

We need to get the cost of space flight down so that we can start space industry.

There is a way to build a relativity cheap space craft; use an asteroid. In the year 2029 there is an asteroid on its way to Earth that will get so close it will come under some of our satellites. Now if you could capture that asteroid then you would have tons of iron, nickel and valuable metals like iridium right there in orbit. You might have to shave the asteroid down a lot to create a star destroyer, but if you didn’t mind an ugly looking one, you could just hollow the asteroid out and attach a space drive to it.

If you build your spacecraft on the moon then it takes 1/6th the thrust to launch it. The moon doesn’t have a lot of good raw material that would be useful, but it would make a good base, and it is close to a steady supply of man power (like the nation of India).

If you want to create a Death Star then you should go out to Jupiter and steal its small moon Io. Hollow an inner shell and use the hot molten core for a power supply.

The ideas to create things like you see in Star Wars are there, but the technology is lacking, sorely lacking. We need to create a cheaper way to get something into space. I answered a question a few days ago about why NASA doesn’t use a plant program in space. My basic response was water. It just costs too much to get the water up into space that all the food and air renewal you can get from plants don’t make it worth doing. Clearly, a long term space base is going to need plants to create a new ecology, because resupply is just too expensive. Now you know why NASA is so carefully searching (and hoping) to find water on Mars or the moon. The simple presence of water could be the difference between a sustainable base and one that can only be visited for a short time. Of course if you are looking for water you can just try to catch a comet, they are made up of mostly ice. Some of them come very close to the earth. It is all a mater of application and development.

I think that Star Wars technology is a few thousand years away from our current technology. But, if we really tried hard then we could create a star destroyer like ship in only 200 years. It wouldn’t be able to go faster than the speed of light (we don’t know how to do that) and our rockets are really inefficient, but it sure would look cool.

Answer 2

In the 1960s, NASA spent quite a bit of time on the Orion vehicle (see link below). This was powered by nuclear explosives and it was a very large vehicle. While not a Star Wars type vehicle, it was big compared to anything we are talking about today. Some of the world's greatest minds worked on it (Freeman Dyson, Ted Taylor, Stan Ulam, etc).

Answer 3

Now: no. In the future: hell yes!

It just isn't feasible yet, due mostly to the costs of such a thing. Also, humanity really doesn't have much need for such a large ship (yet). However, when we have the technology to finally build space elevators it will be much much easier and more cost effective. I'm betting that if you are young you have a pretty good chance to see such a ship in your lifetime or, if you're lucky, even ride in one.

Edit: technically, the ISS isn't a spacecraft...

Answer 4

That is possible for NASA to do if they do it in space.

I sincerely hope they don't do it with this taxpayer's dollars. They have screwed up a lot of things in their bureaucratic way of working and that would be a super-sized money sucking project.

Answer 5

It currently costs $20,000 to lift 1 lb into space and that price is going up. The Space Shuttle is the most costly lifting vehicle ever and it's costs are rising.

Answer 6

Possible - yes. Practical - no.
If we ever do build anything that large in space, we're likely to have to mine & refine materials from nickel/iron asteroids.
We're nowhere near ready for a project of that magnitude.

Answer 7

i am disappointed that no responders have called your attention to mass and size of the international space station currently in orbit and assembled by NASA. construction was begun in 2001 and it is already quite large with more to come.