children's author needs sci-fi advice

Unlike a NASA space shuttle, I don't think his ship will need external rockets for escaping the Earth's atmosphere, not while his engine involves nuclear fusion.

If you want his lift-off to concern only his fusion engine, he'll need hydrogen fuel, and his ship's engine will need components that involve smashing the nuclei of hydrogen atoms together to make helium atoms. I only know it must occur at very high temperatures and pressures, like at the core of the sun. In this case, his search will be for enough hydrogen fuel to take him back to his planet and perhaps a very efficient coolant.

However, if you're determined to have him build rockets, perhaps we can come up with some reason why he can't use fusion during take off, and must resort to more Earthly matters until he can get into space. In that case, you'll probably want to draw parallels to NASA rockets.



On either side, the long, thin external rocket boosters -- called solid-fuel rocket boosters -- use aluminium and ammonium perchlorate. The aluminium acts a fuel when burned in the presence of the oxidizer ammonium perchlorate. These are what give the shuttle most of its total thrust when launching. They're jettisoned before space is reached.

On the shuttle itself, the main engine rockets -- called thrusters -- combust liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, fuels derived from the large tank on the underside of the shuttle. The thrusters give the shuttle a little of its total thrust when launching and are used to direct its movement in space.

I hope I was helpful. If you're yet to be satisfied, I'm only an amateur, maybe someone else more qualified will be able to help you more.

Good luck.

I'm about as far from a scientist as you can get, but I doubt it, Carlotta. I don't know a single adult who could produce an automobile engine in any reasonable length of time, and at least the background technology for that does exist.

I'm afraid you're going to have to invent a new technology, which is doable for one person. In other words, a gimmick.

Well, naturally an alien with a fusion engine is in itself a gimmick, but I'm sure she doesn't want to describe the construction of anything in this children's book. The alien needs an objective, something keeping him away from his planet. Something reality based. I proposed some fuels for two different cases.

Re: children's author needs sci-fi advice


If it's a children's book, I think you need to avoid specifics, otherwise you're going to have to start talking about relativity and light speed barriers and the massive distance between stars and such.

From an adult perspective, you've already boxed yourself in by saying things like "rocket ship" and "fusion", which are both clunky technologies for anyone who is really planning on moving between stars in reasonably short lifespans (and I'm assuming your little alien isn't pining away to get back into his ship and spend the next million years puttering along trying to reach home).

I think your story needs to assume that the "ship" or whetever it is, has some mysterious technology which will allow the little tyke to get home. His problem is that it's been damaged in some way, and he's going to have to go on a quest to try to find some mysterious "gadget" here on Earth to make the ship go again.

If you want to put some actual science into your book, and still assume that your alien can get from one star to the next in a reasonable time (without generations passing on his planet), then you're going to have to assume that the ship has some capacity to warp space, or to move dimensionally, or something like that. We don't have any science that can actually *do* that yet, but at least it's vague enough so that it doesn't lead you into a conflict with *known* science.

If you want some ideas, there are two "kid" movies that I would recommend for inspiration and information. _Flight of the Navigator_, and _Explorers_. Both involve vaguely defined technologies which they try to support with at least a few shreds of basic science.

Yeah rosborne, great point about the timeframe needed for space travel, but as you said, that's something from the adult perspective. A child is familiar with the concept of cars using fuel, and the author wants some scientific basis, so I think it's better to take liberties with time needed to travel. Especially if the author wants to be more detailed about the search for whatever is needed -- a fuel, a coolant -- rather than inventing a technology with no basis at all.

If you're really concerned about addressing the length of the alien's journey in a fusion based ship, you could vaguely describe cryotechnology he uses to freeze himself or something of that sort.

Let me ask this: what is your target age? I was originally thinking of maybe a 10 to 12 year old. I think using terms with real scientific basis like fusion and hydrogen fuel, while taking liberties with the distance of his world, is safe with someone 10-12 years old, but if we're talking 6 or 7 year old, it's clear you'll need to go with rosborne's suggestion and be as vague as possible about an "advanced gadget" he needs.

Thanks for the input!

My novel is definitely for the 9-12 age group. It will run about 300 pages. I do see (and always suspected) that I will have to invent a gimmick. And yes, I do realize that fusion power already is a gimmick! I read somewhere that it is a far-out theory, and theories are good enough for me. I probably should tell you that the alien kid never does get off of Earth. Whatever method I end up using - it is doomed to failure.

On the other hand, kids are quite sophisticated. I don't want to insult their intelligence on this space travel stuff. If the story is good enough, and I think it is, my young readers won't let a few inventive fudges bother them. I am disappointed however that you both seem to agree that it will be impossible for a "kid", no matter how brilliant, to gather the equipment and materials needed to send his little ship out of Earth's atmosphere. Although I am not a bit surprised. Kids would be shooting rockets into space all the time if they could.

I am not at all concerned about the space/time thing. Sci-fi fans are used to accepting space travel and I do not set any part of story in space. The story is completely Earth-bound, and if there is a movie analogy it would be ET.

I do thank you so much for your attention to problem.

Carlotta

Sorry, but let me ask a question. How an alien child could be here on Earth at the outset? There must be a clue, or did the child lose everything about the "outer world"?

He could hitch a ride on a Vogon Constructor Fleet vessel.... no, wait - that's been done.

carlotta says:

I was asked how the alien kid got here in the first place - he and his older brothers crashed their spacecraft in the Rocky Mountains. Kinda your ordinary Sci-fi senario. They used 'what's-its" and "gismos" to get here. No need to explain. The brothers are killed (too bad, they're smarter than the kid). The sub-plot of the book is his quest to repair his spaceship and go home.

If I can't create a reasonable way (using the laws of physics) for him to blast off of Earth, I'll have to invent something that sounds good enough. In the end, the essential mechanical power drive of the ship (I'll call it fusion, at least for now) is unrepairable.

The kid is stranded on Earth. He has incredible knowledge and some limited psychic ability and the question is: does he use his gifts for good or evil? Or, will the need to leave earth drive all his thoughts and actions in an amoral and destructive way?

As you can see, this is plot of a thousand space operas.

Thank you for all suggestions.

Just rent "October Sky". You will learn all you want about rocketry for young adults. Good movie too.

Carlotta says:

Thanks. "October Sky" (great movie) was one of my inspirations. I should view it again.

If he has limited psychic ability, you could link that ability in some vague way to their technology and have the kid seek some type of special friend (with similar thought power) to try to drive the ship (we'll assume that a pair of psychic brains are needed to drive the ship). Just a suggestion.

It must depend on where the boy came from. If he came from around the Solar system, then a solar sail technique may be available. Otherwise some kind of "warp" techniques may be needed, which is unknown. And it also depends on how long the boy can live, or on the way of reproduction during the voyage.

I like the psychic drive, myself. I think I once read a short story called "The Pusher and the Stars" that used a similar theme.

First an error. The problem is not to escape from the atmosphere... many airplanes can do that. The problem is to escape from thr gravitational field of the earth.

Secondally fusion still holds promise, both cold and hot fusion. It is concievable to me that people more advanced than us may have power sources based on these technologies.

carlotta again-

Wow! Intriguing suggestions! I hadn't thought of using his psychic ability, which he uses mainly to "persuade" Earth people to do things for him, as an ability to mind-control his space ship. Huh! I'll have to chew on that for a while.

Actually, Owl, is closest to my vision. When I said "atmosphere" I actually did mean "gravitational pull." And I did mean to suggest that once out of the gravitational pull that he could ignite his fusion power source (hot or cold) and zip right home. Obviously the fusion device defies all known laws of physics! I'm not worried about that part.

The alien boy is about 15. I've already described in the book how the life-span on his planet is 3 times ours. (approx. 225 yrs.) He comes from another galaxy, rather than another solar system.

I still don't know how to get the alien, and his ship, out of Earth's gravitational pull?Using earth materials that he could actually get his hands on. Could he fly an airplane, like the recent winner of a contest? Perhaps he could modify his space ship to fly, it needs a lot of repair anyway.

Thanks again, you guys have given me a lot of food for thought.

Getting a spaceship out of the gravity pull of the Earth (or the Sun) itself is not very hard. You can search "escape velocity" on the surface of the Earth (or at the distance of 1 AU from the Sun).
It means the velocity, without acceleration, needed to escape from the gravity pull of the Earth (or the Sun).

Re: children's author needs sci-fi advice


http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/nuclear_power_030117.html
http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/

If his planet is compatable with ours, which it would have to be for him to survive 30 seconds, then the answer lies there, right above this statement, in the hyper text you bum....
If he has any spare nuclear material, use the first one. If not use the second.
Of course his science would have taken a different path than ours, but he would be familuer with these ingredients. Of course, much like the coke recipe, some aspects of this engine are an industry secret. A secret that can be as easely gotten around as making pepsi.
Also using only ingredients found in a human corpse, one can make high explosives. That has nothing to do with the subject at hand, I just like pointing it out.
All a rocket is, is a controlled explosion. Also he could use a variety of other propulsion methods http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/bgp.html
But please don't take their word for it http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1366648.stm

Heres some useful info, if its a simple childrens book your writing.... well this stuff is a good start. http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/kinth.html . Just think of the gas which drives the bullet. "All a gun does is focus an explosion in one direction." Thats also what a rocket does, its a sustained state of explosion. Now of course this could go terribly wrong. You could use that http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553371010/104-2783041-4581522?v=glance
Space Ship One uses the safest method, which is to create a composite explosive one the spot. Mixing it as needed. The two ingredients are inert, when alone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inert And explosive when mixed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_material . But only when started by a high tempeture. Burning magnesium lighting thermite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite will start the controlled explosion. To small of a hole for the building pressure to escape, and you blow, to big and you get nothing. Now the only question is this, are you going to use a rocket, or a jet? Both are feisible with the given mixture. Ones a little more dangerous, but easier (less moving parts to tinker with, and a higher yield).
I suggest studying this http://science.howstuffworks.com/spaceshipone5.htm
Also would it be alright for him to steal a plane?

P.S. I was just kidding about the thermite, that would destroy the ship, and send are little friend into another heaven One which only exist in fiction.

Laughing gas and rubber will ignite with a spark, when compressed. The trick is to find the right level of compression, thats the industy secret.
Maybe if you write to virgin, they will answer all your questions. Laughing gas and rubber are cheap. Ht metals are obtainible at a scrapyard near you. The most expensive parts of corporate space programs, is research and development, and insurance. He doesn't have the luxery of one, or the need for the other.
Nasa spent billions of dollors developing a pen. http://www.thespacestore.com/fisppe.html Lipstick would have worked. Just sharpen it to a point. Is this why we need the girl scouts?
Your tax dollars at work people.
I have many explosives recipes, some of which could be used as rocket fuel. I probably shouldn't be giving them out for a childrens book, but if you want them just ask.