For questions relating to worlds with a setting of common science-fiction.
5
votes
2answers
470 views
Spaceship Emission Security
In my military scifi novel the military is, obviously, very concerned with security aboard its spaceships. They don't want other people to be able to receive any information about what happens on ...
-1
votes
1answer
76 views
Peeping at Antipodes: How long would it take to peek around the sun using modern technology?
Assuming humanity was suddenly highly motivated to do it, how long would it take a probe launched from Earth to get into a position to record and broadcast images of the position in the opposite orbit ...
4
votes
4answers
91 views
Applications of Electromagnetism in “Force Fields”
Lengthy Explanation of Why I'm Here:
TLDR; "force field" made of electromagnetic radiation.
Recently, I've decided to compile a list of possible technologies available in the 22nd and 23rd centuries,...
17
votes
9answers
5k views
Why build underwater outposts, rather than ocean-surface settlements?
Suppose we've colonized a planet with 99% of the surface area covered by oceans. It has submerged continental crusts, averaging 200-500m underwater, with the average depth of open ocean being 1000-...
1
vote
2answers
86 views
Where should I place a fictional 9/11 to have it be worthy of news across the whole universe (100 billion light years)? [on hold]
(notice:some morbid language ahead)
I have thought about putting it on a planet, but planet would be too lame and of little importance to the whole universe. And such 9/11 would only have a few ...
3
votes
4answers
585 views
What purposes could a technological ruin with a half-mile sphere full of water have served? [on hold]
There is a soft sci-fi RPG called Numenera, set on the Earth a billion years in the future, where multiple technologically-advanced civilizations have risen and fallen, and a new human civilization is ...
3
votes
4answers
251 views
How many years should survivors wait before exiting a nuclear bomb shelter?
I'm writing a tale about a post apocalyptic world. I'm studying the timeline about the world history, I've planned that, using "clean" thermonuclear bombs, radioactivity should be quite lower after ...
13
votes
22answers
4k views
Plausible hypothesis on why gravity might fail on earth
I've been grappling with a story for a while, involving a scenario where gravity starts to fail. The goal of the story is mostly how people react to the knowledge that the world will end. But, I also ...
0
votes
3answers
157 views
What makes humans so special amongst the thousands of civilizations? [closed]
Alas, the galaxy has been colonized for many millenia. Hundreds, if not thousands, of advanced civilizations have emerged. Empires have risen, fallen, and the scourge of intelligent life forms ...
3
votes
5answers
128 views
Detecting Superpowered Individuals
In my story, a very small percentage of individuals develop superpowers (about 1 in every 10 million, if not less. There are about 200 billion people in this world). Everyone else in the world is ...
-3
votes
1answer
131 views
Carrying out Self replication of humanoid to create versions of itself
Premise:
I have a character that is trying to replicate himself into offsprings that will accomplish his task. He is a major character with immense levels of power/energy. My character has to create ...
-1
votes
0answers
59 views
What to use as transport while crossing a region of permanent storms? The region is used to run from a dark lord into a refuge without raising alarm [closed]
There is a region that sees never ending violent and hot dust storms, on the lines of the red/white spots on the Jupiter. It is desert-ish and stormy in the extreme.
What could be possible modes of ...
-1
votes
1answer
81 views
Planet of the Rodents: Who wins?
So, this is essentially a Rats of NIMH AU (Alternate Universe); as in canon, a group of rats are captured by scientists working for a laboratory located at the National Institute of Mental Health (...
0
votes
2answers
109 views
How to find earth's relative position anywhere in the galaxy without any markers or brute force exploration?
The idea is that is to find the ancient seat of power of humans which is earth, but no one knows where it is, there was no transmitter nor any markers that will give the relative position.
The catch ...
7
votes
3answers
236 views
Feasability of plasma based garbage recycling into pure constituent elements
Is it possible to build a garbage recycler that turns residues into its constituent elements using plasma and accelerating it through a magnetic field?
The technology level is around that of the ...
21
votes
20answers
5k views
Moving between levels in a gigantic tower-world?
In my sci-fi setting, people live in a gigantic metallic tower. For the sake of simplicity, let's say that each floor, or level, is a circle of around 200 km radius.
Levels can be either empty, full ...
3
votes
3answers
230 views
If humans descended from raptors rather than apes [closed]
In my scifi novel, all intelligent life eventually reaches what we might consider a humanoid form. Likewise, life on other worlds generally follows a semi-parallel evolutionary path, meaning that life ...
1
vote
1answer
125 views
How to move up to one million Earth-mass planets? [closed]
Inspired by The One Million Earth Solar System.
A civilization wants to create a solar system with a lot of earth-sized planets. How would they go about building it? Specifically, how would they move ...
-5
votes
2answers
154 views
How to travel between planets on the same star system in Sci-Fi? [closed]
We know, that to travel to another star systems, we need to use FTL for traveling. But if you need to travel to another planet in the same star system, what type of travel should be used? Is it worth ...
2
votes
2answers
148 views
Combat on an alien world [closed]
(I'm copy pasting the opening from my other question here )
I'm currently working on a science fiction comic about humans marooned on an alien world for generations. My question is related to what ...
-2
votes
2answers
193 views
What could be the list of top 4 superpowers of Earth by 2050, according to current state? [closed]
I design an amateur (indie) sci-fi video game and wondering about which of current states or federations (like European Union) could be the top 4 superpowers by, say 2050. I care about technology and ...
117
votes
33answers
26k views
What vehicle would be the best one to start a >1000 km travel in a post apocalyptic zombie situation?
In order to define the best vehicle these inputs have to be taken into account:
The zombies are the classical ones, "the walking dead" ones are a perfect example (definitely killed only by headshot, ...
0
votes
1answer
96 views
Possibility of a dyson sphere-esque structure with earth physics? [duplicate]
I have an idea for a DS-like world setting mostly set after the year 4200. The Earth was destroyed around 2500 and humanity moved from earth to an asteroid best and built a giant dyson sphere to live ...
1
vote
6answers
189 views
How might an economy in which multiple planets are involved function?
I created the above illustration to help convey my meaning, here is what everything means so that you can read it effectively:
E = Earth
V = Venus
M = Mars
The dots in the lower left hand corner ...
0
votes
3answers
139 views
How can I choose and combine multiple FTL systems in my Sci-Fi story? [closed]
So, I cannot decide which FTL method should I use. I can do it easy way - just call it "Jump" and that's all. But I something more. So I want to combine some methods, like jumps with stargates or ...
0
votes
2answers
127 views
Effect of 1.5g (Induced hypertension health effects?)
On this planet, gravity faces many fluctuations, but humans spend most of the time in 1.4-1.5 gravity. During these periods (usually lasting about 5-7 days) I was thinking I'd have them increase salt ...
0
votes
2answers
102 views
Could this work as an epidemic?
Essentially, I have a virus which temporarily turns people into psychopaths. This virus is being used by my antagonists to collapse a city.
I will be using a lysogenic virus which is triggered by ...
3
votes
6answers
295 views
Would a “perfect” clone ever rebel against the original? [closed]
I'm creating this character that has the ability to replicate herself. Her power works like this:
She can make a perfect copy of herself, which means that even her memories, thoughts and feelings are ...
0
votes
3answers
112 views
Effect of a positron beam on a human body
I am planning to make one of my characters in my novel have to have an ability to create positron beams as an offensive ability. I wonder what the effects on regular matter like a wall or a body of ...
4
votes
9answers
266 views
Is it possible for a character to live 17 million years?
I have a human character who had his mind transferred to a computer via a method where his brain was gradually replaced with digital parts to preserve his consciousness. (Depending on your view of the ...
6
votes
3answers
148 views
How to absorb matter and transform it to energy
I'm writing the last issue of my comic and I'm in trouble. My villain is a member of a cosmic cult that wants to absorb everything in the universe to create a conceptual/energy pangea out of space and ...
3
votes
6answers
372 views
How does a time travel paradox actually begins?
A while ago I was conceiving a story about a guy that actually creates a method for viable time travelling but gets stuck in a paradox after using the machine.
The background story for this is that ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
How could an alien mine exist under a planet's surface without humans detecting it from above?
Imagine a human observation and research facility being built on a planet in a distant solar system.
How could an alien colony exist beneath the planet's surface, staying completely invisible to ...
1
vote
5answers
329 views
If aliens exist, do you think that they ever discovered/created their own Math?
Let's say that the aliens exist, do you think that they are smart enough to create their own Mathematics? Or even their own Sciences?
49
votes
20answers
10k views
Why would people still use pump-action guns in the future?
9 out of 10 action heroes agree: Repeating a pump-action shotgun looks and feels just plain awesome.
But besides the rule of cool, why would we still use pump-action guns in a future scenario 100-200 ...
3
votes
4answers
281 views
VERY dense asteroid belt - possible?
I'm making a game which takes place in an asteroid field that is very dense - I'm talking close enough that one is able to jump between asteroids (provided you have some sort of additional thrust ...
-3
votes
1answer
190 views
What if light didn't decay by a square law, but instead by an INVERSE square? [closed]
I want to build a character that can control a light source's brightness in different ways. I want to see if instead of proportional to $1/r^2$, my light and darkness controlling character could make ...
1
vote
12answers
614 views
How to make a war to end all wars
My alien civilization is at a stage of technological development about 60 years ahead of us. A great war has broken out between the three world powers, with many smaller countries picking a side or ...
-1
votes
5answers
371 views
What would be the human population 200 years after 8 slaves escape?
Okay so in my setting, long story short, it starts off with a group of humans escaping an alien fleet they were enslaved by and conscripted into, and they find an earth-like planet that's smaller than ...
5
votes
6answers
271 views
How Could Zombies fit in a natural ecosystem?
In my world, zombies are quite common, and are considered a part of the wild life. Most of the usual flora and fauna are similar to those in IRL.
I have three key questions, but I'll put the other ...
4
votes
4answers
120 views
Is fusion a viable power source for a bio-mechanical entity?
My alien civilization is entering the space age, and have reached the point where they will be sending ships hundreds of light-years away. Instead of generation ships, my civilization is building bio-...
3
votes
2answers
132 views
What would happen if a spaceship had a total power failure in regards to the crew? [closed]
On a spaceship with a total loss of power, say for instance, because of a system failure or something, what would happen to the people aboard? Would they become hypoxic? And would it get warmer or ...
12
votes
4answers
5k views
Theoretically, can time be controlled locally?
I mean can time be controlled within an area or even a small portion of space?
I would like to mention time-bombs, which either reverse time in a radius of explosion or take time forward. Also ...
7
votes
11answers
4k views
Effects of stray bullets in space
A battle takes place on the outskirts of a colonized solar system between attacking and defending forces. Would any stray shots have a chance of hitting a ship or station closer to the center of the ...
13
votes
5answers
4k views
Would everything be miniature on a miniature Earth?
If there was a planet half the earth’s diameter, for which every other aspect of the earth was changed proportionally to keep the Earth’s perfect ratio intact (including having the perfect orbital ...
2
votes
3answers
270 views
Army composition in a “Dies the Fire” scenario
For those not familiar with these books: Dies the Fire* and the subsequent novels by S.M. Stirling are a fantasy companion to his Island in the sea of time series where Nantucket is sent back in time ...
1
vote
2answers
95 views
Is it possible to create an eternal ring of storm encircling a large portion of the earth?
I'm trying to investigate the theory behind this phenomena. I have found answers to creating eternal storms but nothing specific to my world building. I'm looking at a future earth where any known ...
-1
votes
1answer
116 views
Spherical vs Circular(planar) wormholes; possibility? [closed]
I know that 'they' are theoretical and hypothetical, but please justify deep down to your understanding and I'll try to grab-up as much
Origin of Problem:
Thanks to the fantasy and fiction, there ...
4
votes
4answers
125 views
Could charged plasma be used as a working fluid to spin a magnetic turbine to generate electricity?
As the title suggests, this is a conceptual physics kinda question.
What is the feasibility of using an electrically charged (as in not neutral) plasma as the working fluid in a turbine where the ...
-2
votes
1answer
112 views
Reason to stay on a doomed spaceship [closed]
For plot reasons, the captain must stay on the ship while his crew (including his wife) get in escape pods and leave. Unfortunately we haven't found a satisfying reason for this yet.
What engine or ...
