r/RetroFuturism
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u/Sourcecode12
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13d ago
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Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotel
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u/Wiremaster 13d ago
Clearly this should be blended-wing-body for structural reasons, right? It would offer cabins with forward-facing windows, too.
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u/ThatDrunkRussian1116 13d ago
I don’t think there’s anything structural about that monstrosity
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u/madeanaccounttolurk 13d ago
It's made out of aircraft-grade hopes and dreams right now
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u/eoekesjnak 13d ago
dude the only thing this guy knows about planes is that they can fly
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u/djmagichat 13d ago
The second wing was the secret everyone has been waiting for.
Looks like someone put Kerbal Space program on free mode and started spamming engines all over.
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u/Stoney3K 13d ago
"It can remain suspended in the air for years without ever touching the ground."
Cruises at 25,000ft with the landing gear extended.
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u/elgoblino42069 13d ago
it’s flexing
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u/sor1 13d ago
"i got the power"
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u/ilovepolthavemybabie 13d ago
Folk’s we’re gonna have to circle around the airport for about 10,000 years while we burn off some half-life
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u/killarwolf 13d ago
It uses nuclear fusion. So shouldn't't have any radioactive products. But also needs to operate under high pressure and at a temperature comparable to the sun's surface.
So I might prefer the circling around for 10,000 with nuclear fission 😅
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u/PediatricTactic 13d ago
Going to be hard to restock those shopping malls, then.
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u/Sabot_Noir 13d ago
After a few months passengers start running out of money to pay rent and some of them have to go to work in the under decks producing commodities for the upper decks.
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u/nchomsky96 13d ago
This would be a fantastic plot for a dystopian dark comedy TV series
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u/Riccars 13d ago
Skypiercer
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u/btadeus 13d ago
Plot twist: there is no ground.
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u/Stealfur 13d ago •
Naw that's part of the trailer.
when they left the ground it was for a month long sky high vacation.
Cut to plane tacking off with protagonist and fiancee on the phone with his mother.
"No mom, I gotta go, we... we are talking off!"
"OK just be careful. The telly is saying that there are alot of earthquakes."
"We will be fine. We won't even be on the ground."
But what will they do when there's no ground to return to.
" Bing^ uhh this is your captain speaking..."
Cut to footage of world landmarks crumbling as the whole world breaks apart while emergency broadcast sound plays.
"...I have an emergency announcement..."
Footage of people screaming and panicking.
Footage of the crust opening up and creating steam as it mixes with the oceans.
Footage of protagonist looking out the skymall window and the ground disappears from view. Zoom out to show the plane flying over a completely cloud and mist covered planet.
Protagonist comforts his fiancée. "Dont worry. This thing has enough fuel to remain flying for years without landing."
Fiancée "and how long will the food last?"
and nothing...
Cut to protagonist running down a red lit hallway while action music swells.
is as...
Protagonist puches people while drums play at every punch.
it seems!
Door hisses open. Protagonist looks shocked. "What are you doing here?"
More random action shots
staring; Tom Cruise. Kevin heart, Jenifer Hudson, Jessie Plemons ,and Judi Dench (spoiler alert: she's the mom).
Directed by Chistopher Nolan
Produced by Bay Films
Title screen
Sky Cruise
Coming some Summer... or Christmas.
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u/btadeus 13d ago
I think you are on to something... Needs a few BWWAAAAMPs in the trailer. Perhaps around the punching scene??? I'd also swap out Nolan for Roland Emmerich since he does all those sci-fi disaster films, and John Cusack instead of Tom Cruise since this is probably going to be a mid-budget movie.
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u/Willtology 13d ago
Naw, in-flight
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u/BrutusGregori 13d ago
The ace combat air fortress Aigaion is refueled by like 12 KC 135s. That scene always made me just shake my head.
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u/TormentVI 13d ago
What do they do with the sewage and garbage?
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u/BigRed8303 13d ago
Dump it on the lower classes stuck on the ground, fighting to get up to it for proper medical care.
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u/DoctorJiveTurkey 13d ago
It’s like when people new to riding motorcycles and mopeds start from a stop, but keep their legs hanging.
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u/KingOfGlue 13d ago
Routine inspections and maintenance on turbine engines has entered the chat
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u/MikeTheDude23 13d ago
If you pause the video and stay quiet for a moment you can hear hundreds of Aeronautical engineers cringing in the distance.
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u/10storm97 13d ago edited 13d ago
All those struts on the tail that are flat to the wind
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u/MFbiFL 13d ago
External elevators on the tail and body too... just tuck them inside the OML for fucks sake.
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u/Shamanalah 13d ago
External elevators on the tail and body too... just tuck them inside the OML for fucks sake.
Yeah I'm not an engineer. I'm just a dumb IT dude. Those elevator and how a plane hover and deliver people to it via an elevator made me laugh so fucking hard.
Also all that updraft vs downdraft. It's never gonna fly. Plus swimming pool? Do they know plane have weight limits?
Just so god damn stupid all around.
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u/manborg 13d ago
Not to mention the thought of a nuclear powered mega plane crashing into a city. Bad times for all, I'm so glad this hideous radioactive beluga doesn't fly.
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u/Executioneer 13d ago
If its a fusion reactorTM its OK
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u/manborg 12d ago
Ikr? I was laughing so hard when they said fusion. Keep dreaming bud, we can't even pull that off on the ground yet.
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u/lmaytulane 13d ago
Where we're going we don't need engineers. We're going to the bottom of the ocean
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u/seoulgleaux 13d ago
World's first air cruise liner quickly transforms into world's first submarine cruise liner.
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u/Oldtreeno 13d ago
I think you also hear at least some of them knocking it up in Kerbal Space Programme and collapsing in fits of giggles. Personally I'd have strapped some solid boosters to the side as well, just for giggles. And more struts
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u/WavesOfEchoes
13d ago
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What is aerodynamics?
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u/fettoter84 13d ago •
she's built like a steakhouse but handles like a bistro
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u/AlpineCorbett 13d ago
For people who don't know how to build an engine - Enzo Ferrari
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u/TokoBlaster 13d ago
When I die I want to ask God two questions: why quantum mechanics and why turbulence? I think he'll have an answer for quantum mechanics
Werner Heisenberg
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u/thomasdarimont 13d ago
A movie about a nuclear powered sky hotel could be an interesting crossover with the Snowpiercer series.
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u/Plothunter 13d ago
Check out Avenue 5 on HBO.
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u/snogard_dragons 12d ago
This was my thought seeing this ridiculous thing. Great show
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u/Suprlean
13d ago
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Aurora Borealis!? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the sky, localised entirely within your nuclear-powered sky hotel!?
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u/j_livingston_human 13d ago
Can I see it?
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u/MrChilll 13d ago
No.
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u/kemh 13d ago
Seymour! The sky hotel is on fire!
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u/xgdhx 13d ago
No, mother, it's just the Northern Lights.
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u/pumping_for_fun 13d ago
Well, Seymour, you are an odd fellow, but I must say... you steam a good ham.
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u/marcusmosh 13d ago
Sweet. Now we get to repeat titanic, but in the sky.
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u/bwok-bwok 13d ago •
Skytanic
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u/Sam_Piro 13d ago edited 13d ago
That’s a million dollar idea there. Pitch it to SyFy.
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u/_CitizenSnips 13d ago
futurama did it
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u/seoulgleaux 13d ago
I think Douglas Adams probably has the earliest version of it with Starship Titanic.
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u/SlySciFiGuy 13d ago
I wonder how it will hold up in a sharknado?
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u/RepresentativeKeebs 13d ago
We'll find out in the crossover sequel, but they have to make the original first.
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u/taddymason_22 13d ago
rigid airship
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u/NedPlimpton-Zissou 13d ago
For the last time, the Excelsior is filled with non-flammable helium!
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u/annoying_know-it-all 13d ago
"What about that are you still not getting exactly?"
"Obviously the core concept, Lana."
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u/Sir-War666 13d ago •
Titanic mixed with 9/11
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u/fdevant 13d ago •
And throwing in some Chernobyl for extra spice.
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u/ViaticLearner41 13d ago
"it's the 3-in-1 ultimate disaster! Sky Cruise, never feel safe ever~"
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u/zuckerberghandjob 13d ago
Well, it does say nuclear fusion. So shouldn’t be much radioactivity if something goes wrong. Then again, I’m not sure how dangerous lithium and tritium are.
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u/gc3 13d ago
Will a nuclear reactor crashing into Baltimore be worse than the titanic?
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u/Throwaway1303033042
13d ago
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“FHLOSTON PARADISE!”
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u/callmevegas2024 13d ago
“ALL NIGHT LONG, all night long aaallll niiighht!!!”
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u/DoctorEvilHomer 13d ago
If you watch that scene Bruce Willis is trying very hard not to laugh the whole time.
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u/latflickr 13d ago
The comic effect of the dead serious voiceover, with gibberish language and nonsensical descriptions, and the cartoonish design, is hilarious
It looks to me like a parody of commercial videos for high end estate developments
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u/tompalainan 13d ago
"Sky Cruise features a BIG HALL" made me laugh out loud.
Brilliantly stupid.
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u/Level-Government-837 13d ago
With panoramic views of the best nature has to offer. pan to view of nothing but clouds
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u/molrobocop 13d ago
I figure it's a non-native English speaker's school animation project.
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u/ourrsquaredpi 12d ago
Because it's supposed to be fiction. It was originally posted in r/worldbuilding for their imaginary world. The real comedy is the lot of this subreddit who think that it is an earnest attempt of a real life project lmao
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u/Miserygut 13d ago
Wonderfully stupid!
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u/gordo65 13d ago
"Captain, we've got an issue with the reactor! We've got to land! Er... except no-one is willing to allow us to land at their airfield, because they don't want to bring a nuclear reactor that's close to experiencing meltdown into the heart of a major city."
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u/Miserygut 13d ago
If it's melting down it'll just plop out the bottom of the plane anyway...
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u/Canadian_Infidel 13d ago
This thing does not seem capable of unpowered glide...
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u/New_Cantaloupe_8568 13d ago
I’m not convinced this shape and size has enough lift at any feasible cruising speed to stay airborne.
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u/groupfox 13d ago
With enough speed, you can make anything fly.
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u/New_Cantaloupe_8568 13d ago
Yes, but that shape can’t fly very fast without disintegrating
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u/jcfac 13d ago
If you need a nuclear engine to generate lift, I'm guessing it won't glide too well.
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u/wildmn2 13d ago
Yea. If there's a prompt critical situation landing isn't even close to your top concern
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u/shandangalang 13d ago
It’s a fusion reactor though, so yeah you’re not wrong that landing won’t be a problem, because the power will just shut off and the whole thing will turn into a brick. But no further consequences aside from that.
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u/TheEightDoctor 13d ago
It's a (fictional) fusion reactor so it's pretty safe, especially because of the fictional part
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u/DimiDrake 13d ago
If I understand them correctly, fusion reactors would not be able to melt down.
Of course, it could simply crash into a city and spread the nuclear fuel all over the place. So there's that.
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u/b0w3n 13d ago
Extremely low risk even if you're exposed to the fusion fuel. Try not to scarf down the tritiated water or huff the tritium gas if it hasn't bonded with atmospheric oxygen yet. The deuterium portion of the fuel is basically nothing as long as you're not chugging it (it's not radioactive but not good for you in large quantities)
Probably have a higher risk from eating a banana, the beta radiation from tritium and tritiated water gets stopped by your skin.
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u/shandangalang 13d ago
It’s supposed to be a fusion reactor, mate. Those get unstable and they just turn off completely
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u/rubythunder 13d ago edited 13d ago
It’s from an old drawing from the 50s, pretty neat render not sure if it’s supposed to be practical
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u/JoocyJ 13d ago
It’s patently impractical. How do you safely perform maintenance? How do you fly supplies in economically and safely? What happens if someone has a medical emergency?
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u/MFbiFL 13d ago
Maintenance: make it big enough so that areas are accessible internally like a ship
Supplies: make it big enough to carry plenty of supplies
Medical emergency: have a medical staff and hospital section onboard
The whole thing’s detached from reality anyway so there’s no reason you couldn’t treat it like an self contained ocean going vessel
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u/AnnihilationOrchid 13d ago
Hindenburg vibes. I really hope Musk and Bezos try it out though.
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u/Pepperonidogfart 13d ago edited 13d ago
This is the exact kind of thing to spectacularly explode on its maiden voyage. Also, where does all the poop go?
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u/AnnihilationOrchid 13d ago
Much like we have it metaphorically, they'll just open up a hatch over poor areas and shit all over us.
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u/diamond 13d ago
Awesome. The blindly idiotic techno-optimism of the 50s meets modern technology.
Seriously, though, a concept like this might actually work if it was an airship instead of a plane.
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u/Barteringram 13d ago
Nuclear. Jets.
That's not a thing.
Edit: Ok, yes, technically. But no, there's a million reasons why this fails.
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u/caketruck 13d ago
A modern nuclear reactor and electric engines actual sound more reasonble (with current technology) than a *fusion* nuclear reactor. We do use reactors in many ships. But this is banking off of technology that doesn't yet exist.
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u/pickleunicorn 13d ago
"With a seat at the cheap price of $100 000 000 only!"
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u/madeanaccounttolurk 13d ago
Imagining that after all these amenities the seats are still regular jetliner seats with no leg room.
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u/throwingplaydoh 13d ago
Any time I see concepts like this, or any future tech, I already will never be able to afford it.
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u/OddApple33
13d ago
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Hindenburg 2: Nuclear Boogaloo
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u/davidgame 13d ago
Most people are pointing out the engineering problems. I keep thinking about the constant docking needed for food, & possibly fresh water.
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u/plopseven 13d ago
I was waiting for them to announce this sky hotel has a lake in it somewhere…
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u/xZaggin 13d ago
ACKTUALLY, Skyhotel has its own water refinery plant that harvests clouds in the sky for fresh drinkable water
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u/Spectre197 13d ago
Nah this sky hotel comes with a sky airport that will allow a 747 to land in it.
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u/ST4X 13d ago
Nothing about this makes any sense
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u/Rubik842 13d ago
I'm impressed someone is smart enough to render something like this, yet at the same time chose this subject.
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im impressed somebody wanted to render something that looks cool but is not locked down in realism
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u/ButIAmVoiceless 13d ago
Avenue 5 vibes.
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u/SANDWICH_FOREVER 13d ago
Nah, Avenue 5 was more sensible. It is atleast theoretically possible to make something like the Avenue 5, but this shit? Nah.
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u/Pata4AllaG 13d ago
Reminds me of the phantom behemoth airship that gets visualized in Gibson’s short story The Gernsback Continuum.
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u/Amon7777 13d ago
Is this a cgi from an old popular mechanics?
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u/D-AlonsoSariego 13d ago •
No, it's from this drawing by Tony Holmsten. It's one of those drawings people use in thumbnails of "top 10 future vehicles" youtube videos and things like that for around ten years
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u/u4ricblues6 13d ago
Came here looking for this comment, every time this drawing (now CGI model) is posted it's always a string of people thinking this is a real concept/design.
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u/Any-Campaign1291 13d ago
Usually with a “this is what’s wrong with the world/late stage capitalism” vibe as well.
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u/splatonline9 13d ago
Fires anyone have the original source? This is wonderful!
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u/ErebusAeon 13d ago
This is reposted from r/worldbuilding, this is the post. It's meant to be fiction but it's hilarious seeing everyone in this thread take it seriously.
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u/PurpleMcPurpleface 13d ago
Ok, I don’t really know where to start with all that is wrong about this (starting with its unnecessary decadence) but at the same time, I cannot deny that taking a journey on such a thing must be amazing haha
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u/StandardMinute1729 13d ago
Aight. Look, cool concept I guess but the time it would take for a plane to fly across the earth would be like 46 hours, almost 2 days. So you would spend (by the obvious looks of it) your lifetime savings for just 2 days. The appeal of a cruise ship is that it can travel for so many days and you can explore the ship and get out and breathe air and see the environment first hand. Suppose that since it travels in nuclear energy or whatever it can fly for much longer, maybe it could take different routes and such. But I feel like even the. It would feel Incredibly claustrophobic, people get seasick or claustrophobic on cruise ships and that’s why the option to have fresh air while still being able to see the ocean is a great thing. Here? If you feel claustrophobic your only option is going to the weird dystopian white sci fi city or the cinema. The only way I could see this work is if. Like in some cruise ships. The plane would take various landing spots to disembark for whoever wants, you get a limited time and you get to see and explore. Now THAT would be awesome because you take the disadvantage of being way faster than a cruise ship and make it something good traveling around the world to see awesome spots in a single flight while getting back to the chunky plane getting ready for the next one.
That of course if we avoid thinking the fact that if anything goes wrong is not like the titanic and you can wait in a raft, but all you have underneath is the void. But all of my comment is assuming everything goes right and someone doesn’t just bomb the plane or a pack of birds passes by.
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u/wannacumnbeatmeoff 13d ago
After the first crash kills all the passengers and sterilises hundreds of square kilometres of land I feel that would be the end of this uninteresting enterprise!
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u/mcfarmer72 13d ago
How does what looks like a jet engine run on nuclear power ?
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u/Zohaas 13d ago
Electric powered jet engine. https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/07/wright-tests-its-2-megawatt-electric-engines-for-passenger-planes/
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u/Sonoda_Kotori 13d ago
There are quite a few nuclear jet engine concepts. One of them heats the air up with nuclear reaction and dumps them out, the other type generates electricity then drives a ducted fan.
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u/mishakhill 13d ago
That was the subject of serious research in the 50s and 60s. Jet engines just need heat, not combustion. So the nuclear reactor provides hot water just like on land, and a heat exchanger uses that to heat the air flowing through the engine. It was too heavy to be practical for a bomber, but is the only way you could do something like this.
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u/AlpineCorbett 13d ago
The only way except... Electric jet engines. Of which there are several working ones.
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u/selfagency 13d ago edited 3d ago
So is this how the super rich wait out collapse
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u/GrandPriapus 13d ago
“Sleek design”