elt@astrovax.UUCP (12/08/83)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A recent discussion concluded that the probable diameter of the Death Star is in the range 80-160 km based on several lines of argument. umcp-cs!rene raised the question of the probable population of a "ship" of this size. A simple calculation shows that an 80 km. radius sphere has a volume of 270,000 km^3 and assuming decks separated by 3m, a total deck space area of 90 million km^2 (roughly half the land area of the Earth). If this structured were manned at the same crew density as a modern nuclear aircraft carrier (say CVN Enterprise to be specific), its population would be about 2 trillion! This figure could be brought down to about 20 billion if the crew density were reduced to a level comparable to that in a crowded country (e.g., Japan or the Netherlands). At levels comparable to a rather empty country (say Australia), the number would be down to about 200 million (i.e., comparable to the population of the US). This last number would be roughly like manning a CVN with only one person! The crew would have a hard time finding each other! If the per capita energy consumption in the Death Star were equal to that in the US today, the Death Star's surface temperature would be 2300 deg. K (3700 deg F = glowing a dull red hot), 730 deg. K (855 deg F), or 230 deg K (-45 deg F) respectively for the three population figures mentioned above. This would be required simply to radiate waste heat into space. The interior temperatures would be higher. Ed Turner astrovax!elt
tll@druxu.UUCP (12/09/83)
Ed's calculations of the surface temperature of the Death Star (temperature required to radiate heat from "normal" energy consumption) give a possible reason why the Death Star would have to be so large. In order to support a large population (such as 200 million), you would need to have a large surface area simply to radiate the waste heat, even though the population density is extremely low. Perhaps this also explains why they have passageways large enough for spaceships penetrating from the outer skin to the main reactor area: to allow heat to escape (although it wouldn't radiate out of the hole very well -- you'd probably need to allow some gases to escape to carry away heat. Obviously, the loss of a little raw materials isn't a major concern to someone who'd build something that big.). Tom Laidig AT&T Information Systems ...!ihnp4!druxu!tll
judd@umcp-cs.UUCP (12/11/83)
...............
What I want to know is why anyone would build anything so easy to shoot down!
Method 1) Nuclear Bombs - aparantly not permissable in univers of discourse
Method 2) Put 'droids on large star ship filled w/ rocks. Wait for
death star to be at edge of solar system. have ship go into hyper space
and reappear INSIDE death star ..... BOOM
Method 3) Infect person or 'droids w/ something realy nasty Bubonic
Plague, Tyfoid, aerilian death fungus.... Let same be picked up
by DS. Wait.
Method 4) Since small craft can get by defenses - send in small drones
w/ large (non nuke) bombs. Use them to dig way to reactors and blow
same.
:-)
--
Spoken: Judd Rogers
Arpa: judd.umcp-cs@CSNet-relay
Uucp:...{allegra,seismo}!umcp-cs!juddbrad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) (12/11/83)
All these predictions are silly. As anybody who watched the movie knows, a massive portion of the centre of the Death Star was empty. No scale was given but the millenium falcon looked small inside. And we don't know how many other empty spaces there were, particularly for firing tubes. A deck spacing of 3m is rediculous, of course. No modern building uses that. 6m or more is reasonable. The Death Star would no doubt contain large recreation areas. In fact there would probably be a "park" type area hundreds of metres high and just as long and wide, to simulate planetary surface, for the crew. (Why would they do this? Because they have to use the space since they don't want that many people) Don't forget hangers, ship assembly buildings etc. The population was probably closer to something like New York. -- Brad Templeton - Waterloo, Ontario (519) 886-7304