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Do antenna farms on spacecraft make any sense or are they purely aesthetic?
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Antenna farm as seen on the USS Sulaco from Aliens (1986)
We often see menacing sharp communication spikes and clusters on spacecraft in movies, shows, games, and etc. It makes the ship look more utilitarian and imposing. Since I'm a big fan of accurately represented hard science fiction designs, I've always asked myself: why does it need so many antennas? Does it make sense logically and realistically to have giant antenna farms attached to spacecraft? Or is this just aesthetic? (including military, non-military, and station designs.)
science-fiction space-travel spaceships
asked 11 hours ago
zertofi
835
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up vote
9
down vote
favorite
Antenna farm as seen on the USS Sulaco from Aliens (1986)
We often see menacing sharp communication spikes and clusters on spacecraft in movies, shows, games, and etc. It makes the ship look more utilitarian and imposing. Since I'm a big fan of accurately represented hard science fiction designs, I've always asked myself: why does it need so many antennas? Does it make sense logically and realistically to have giant antenna farms attached to spacecraft? Or is this just aesthetic? (including military, non-military, and station designs.)
science-fiction space-travel spaceships
asked 11 hours ago
zertofi
835
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
Antenna farm as seen on the USS Sulaco from Aliens (1986)
We often see menacing sharp communication spikes and clusters on spacecraft in movies, shows, games, and etc. It makes the ship look more utilitarian and imposing. Since I'm a big fan of accurately represented hard science fiction designs, I've always asked myself: why does it need so many antennas? Does it make sense logically and realistically to have giant antenna farms attached to spacecraft? Or is this just aesthetic? (including military, non-military, and station designs.)
science-fiction space-travel spaceships
asked 11 hours ago
zertofi
835
Antenna farm as seen on the USS Sulaco from Aliens (1986)
We often see menacing sharp communication spikes and clusters on spacecraft in movies, shows, games, and etc. It makes the ship look more utilitarian and imposing. Since I'm a big fan of accurately represented hard science fiction designs, I've always asked myself: why does it need so many antennas? Does it make sense logically and realistically to have giant antenna farms attached to spacecraft? Or is this just aesthetic? (including military, non-military, and station designs.)
science-fiction space-travel spaceships
science-fiction space-travel spaceships
asked 11 hours ago
zertofi
835
asked 11 hours ago
zertofi
835
asked 11 hours ago
zertofi
835
asked 11 hours ago
zertofi
835
asked 11 hours ago
zertofi
835
835
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
5 Answers
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While they probably wouldn't look like menacing jumbles as in your example pic, antenna arrays definitely can have a functional purposes. Phased array antennas are used in many modern systems; check out the Aegis Combat System for a particularly sophisticated example.
Of course sci-fi spacecraft can have their own in-universe reasons (hyperspace communications needs weird looking arrays, etc.)
answered 11 hours ago
Gene
5585
1
That's the thing I'm unsure about. I'm trying to go as hard SF as possible. How many antennas does it need? Will antennas be even in common use by then? In my universe there is no FTL and comms for military purposes for example is usually done trough laser means a lot of times. But I'm unsure if this will still be the case in 100 or so years.
– zertofi
11 hours ago
1
@zertofi You will still need antennas because antennas broadcast in all directions while a laser is basically only going to be a single direction. So imagine trying to communicate with a fleet of ships, but you need to do it one by one with each ship. Same with emergency beacons and broadcasted communications. Remember that these are still electromagnetic waves which travel at the speed of light.
– Shadowzee
10 hours ago
That's true. When I said laser comms I meant more in a way were a central command ship gets info/orders from a station/installation were it then uses an antenna probably to outsource it to the whole entire drone ship fleet.
– zertofi
10 hours ago
@ Shadowzee: Antennas - at least those designed for current space probes - do not broadcast in all directions. They're designed to emit a tightly-focussed beam pointed at Earth. That's how e.g. the New Horizons probe can use a 12 watt transmitter to communicate with Earth when it's well beyond Pluto. The beam of the high-gain antenna is only 0.3 degrees wide: pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Systems-and-Components.php
– jamesqf
6 hours ago
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up vote
4
down vote
You might get some inspiration from real-world spacecraft, like the Ulysses and Gravity Probe B.
You'll notice that:
- They have multiple antennas.
- The antennas are arranged orthogonally -- pointing off in different directions.
Having a whole lot of antennas all pointed in the same direction might be a good idea if there's a need for lots of redundancy, although I can't think of any such reason off the top of my head.
Alternatively, it might make sense to arrange a set of radiators like this -- thermal or otherwise. But that might be outside the scope of your question.
answered 8 hours ago
Roger
1813
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Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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Currently designing a Trans-Lunar cargo ship which ships glass manufactured on the Moon to Mars (maybe Callisto). I was thinking it would be automated with the front portion occupied with the main control module were I think putting a small antenna farm would be suitable (would make it look a bit nicer too). The radiators need to be probably hidden within the shadow shield so they don't radiate the neutrons back onto the spacecraft.
– zertofi
7 hours ago
@zertofi This information is important for other people who want to answer your question, but not everyone reads all comments. Please edit your original question and add this information. Have a look at the tour to see how it's done.
– Elmy
4 hours ago
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up vote
2
down vote
We have real-life examples of jumbled antennas: antennas designed by Evolutionary Algorithms.
A whole ship antenna array would have a design that does not conform to any aesthetic considerations being literally function over form.
They would be complex to compensate for metal in the structure of the craft, adjust the internal phasing, having redundancy against some parts getting damaged, etc.
answered 1 hour ago
ratchet freak
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It might be because the ships aren't build one piece rather then upgraded in a progressive process.
And the reason that they all in one direction is because they suppose to be on the back, other wise they will damaged by the stardust.
answered 3 hours ago
Carmel
1
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The first part sounds plausible, but i doubt that last part (all antennae in the back). Typically, the interesting things are mostly directly in front of the ship, which it's why it's headed there. If all your antennae were in the back, they would be blind towards the direction the ship is going (due to being shielded by the ship)
– Burki
14 mins ago
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It not only makes sense, but there should likely be more antennas (although they may not be visible)
Let's take a quick look at what an antenna is. It serves one primary function: To best balance the impedance (think resistance if you're not an engineer) between the circuit producing/receiving the signal energy and free space.
(overly) Simplified explanation: If you are a photon of RF energy (yes, they are photons... and waves...) and are cruising around on a nice circuit board, zipping around at say 70% of the speed of light following nice gold or copper pathways, you're happy. There isn't much resistance. But suddenly someone gives you an energy drink x10000 (power amplifier) and throws you out in space. You're going to hit lots of shock during this transition. The antenna is kind of like a smooth transition process for you so that you can acclimate to the change.
But back to the matter at hand, why would a space ship need so many?
The answer is quite simple. The ship needs to communicate. And being in space, there is no single direction relative to the body of the ship which it needs to communicate with. It is quite likely that the ship will need to communicate in many different directions at the same time, using different frequencies.
What this means is that any antenna built on a space ship will likely be used as part of an antenna array. Using fancy digital processing, the antenna 'beam' can be steered electrically while the antennas remain in fix orientation. While an overly-broad statement, the more antennas you have pointing in different directions, the more directions you can focus the RF energy towards without having to rotate an antenna. Also, the more antennas you have, the larger your overall gain is, which in distances of even light-minutes, could very well be important in space.
Also, some of the antennas could be used for directed energy weapons, which it stands to reason may require a massive increase in size due to the power densities involved. And ships need radars and other sensors, either passive or active, which will be looking in all directions around the ship, yet another reason to have more antennas.
answered 1 min ago
ColonelPanic
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5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
While they probably wouldn't look like menacing jumbles as in your example pic, antenna arrays definitely can have a functional purposes. Phased array antennas are used in many modern systems; check out the Aegis Combat System for a particularly sophisticated example.
Of course sci-fi spacecraft can have their own in-universe reasons (hyperspace communications needs weird looking arrays, etc.)
answered 11 hours ago
Gene
5585
1
That's the thing I'm unsure about. I'm trying to go as hard SF as possible. How many antennas does it need? Will antennas be even in common use by then? In my universe there is no FTL and comms for military purposes for example is usually done trough laser means a lot of times. But I'm unsure if this will still be the case in 100 or so years.
– zertofi
11 hours ago
1
@zertofi You will still need antennas because antennas broadcast in all directions while a laser is basically only going to be a single direction. So imagine trying to communicate with a fleet of ships, but you need to do it one by one with each ship. Same with emergency beacons and broadcasted communications. Remember that these are still electromagnetic waves which travel at the speed of light.
– Shadowzee
10 hours ago
That's true. When I said laser comms I meant more in a way were a central command ship gets info/orders from a station/installation were it then uses an antenna probably to outsource it to the whole entire drone ship fleet.
– zertofi
10 hours ago
@ Shadowzee: Antennas - at least those designed for current space probes - do not broadcast in all directions. They're designed to emit a tightly-focussed beam pointed at Earth. That's how e.g. the New Horizons probe can use a 12 watt transmitter to communicate with Earth when it's well beyond Pluto. The beam of the high-gain antenna is only 0.3 degrees wide: pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Systems-and-Components.php
– jamesqf
6 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
While they probably wouldn't look like menacing jumbles as in your example pic, antenna arrays definitely can have a functional purposes. Phased array antennas are used in many modern systems; check out the Aegis Combat System for a particularly sophisticated example.
Of course sci-fi spacecraft can have their own in-universe reasons (hyperspace communications needs weird looking arrays, etc.)
answered 11 hours ago
Gene
5585
1
That's the thing I'm unsure about. I'm trying to go as hard SF as possible. How many antennas does it need? Will antennas be even in common use by then? In my universe there is no FTL and comms for military purposes for example is usually done trough laser means a lot of times. But I'm unsure if this will still be the case in 100 or so years.
– zertofi
11 hours ago
1
@zertofi You will still need antennas because antennas broadcast in all directions while a laser is basically only going to be a single direction. So imagine trying to communicate with a fleet of ships, but you need to do it one by one with each ship. Same with emergency beacons and broadcasted communications. Remember that these are still electromagnetic waves which travel at the speed of light.
– Shadowzee
10 hours ago
That's true. When I said laser comms I meant more in a way were a central command ship gets info/orders from a station/installation were it then uses an antenna probably to outsource it to the whole entire drone ship fleet.
– zertofi
10 hours ago
@ Shadowzee: Antennas - at least those designed for current space probes - do not broadcast in all directions. They're designed to emit a tightly-focussed beam pointed at Earth. That's how e.g. the New Horizons probe can use a 12 watt transmitter to communicate with Earth when it's well beyond Pluto. The beam of the high-gain antenna is only 0.3 degrees wide: pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Systems-and-Components.php
– jamesqf
6 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
While they probably wouldn't look like menacing jumbles as in your example pic, antenna arrays definitely can have a functional purposes. Phased array antennas are used in many modern systems; check out the Aegis Combat System for a particularly sophisticated example.
Of course sci-fi spacecraft can have their own in-universe reasons (hyperspace communications needs weird looking arrays, etc.)
answered 11 hours ago
Gene
5585
While they probably wouldn't look like menacing jumbles as in your example pic, antenna arrays definitely can have a functional purposes. Phased array antennas are used in many modern systems; check out the Aegis Combat System for a particularly sophisticated example.
Of course sci-fi spacecraft can have their own in-universe reasons (hyperspace communications needs weird looking arrays, etc.)
answered 11 hours ago
Gene
5585
answered 11 hours ago
Gene
5585
answered 11 hours ago
Gene
5585
answered 11 hours ago
Gene
5585
5585
1
That's the thing I'm unsure about. I'm trying to go as hard SF as possible. How many antennas does it need? Will antennas be even in common use by then? In my universe there is no FTL and comms for military purposes for example is usually done trough laser means a lot of times. But I'm unsure if this will still be the case in 100 or so years.
– zertofi
11 hours ago
1
@zertofi You will still need antennas because antennas broadcast in all directions while a laser is basically only going to be a single direction. So imagine trying to communicate with a fleet of ships, but you need to do it one by one with each ship. Same with emergency beacons and broadcasted communications. Remember that these are still electromagnetic waves which travel at the speed of light.
– Shadowzee
10 hours ago
That's true. When I said laser comms I meant more in a way were a central command ship gets info/orders from a station/installation were it then uses an antenna probably to outsource it to the whole entire drone ship fleet.
– zertofi
10 hours ago
@ Shadowzee: Antennas - at least those designed for current space probes - do not broadcast in all directions. They're designed to emit a tightly-focussed beam pointed at Earth. That's how e.g. the New Horizons probe can use a 12 watt transmitter to communicate with Earth when it's well beyond Pluto. The beam of the high-gain antenna is only 0.3 degrees wide: pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Systems-and-Components.php
– jamesqf
6 hours ago
add a comment |Â
1
That's the thing I'm unsure about. I'm trying to go as hard SF as possible. How many antennas does it need? Will antennas be even in common use by then? In my universe there is no FTL and comms for military purposes for example is usually done trough laser means a lot of times. But I'm unsure if this will still be the case in 100 or so years.
– zertofi
11 hours ago
1
@zertofi You will still need antennas because antennas broadcast in all directions while a laser is basically only going to be a single direction. So imagine trying to communicate with a fleet of ships, but you need to do it one by one with each ship. Same with emergency beacons and broadcasted communications. Remember that these are still electromagnetic waves which travel at the speed of light.
– Shadowzee
10 hours ago
That's true. When I said laser comms I meant more in a way were a central command ship gets info/orders from a station/installation were it then uses an antenna probably to outsource it to the whole entire drone ship fleet.
– zertofi
10 hours ago
@ Shadowzee: Antennas - at least those designed for current space probes - do not broadcast in all directions. They're designed to emit a tightly-focussed beam pointed at Earth. That's how e.g. the New Horizons probe can use a 12 watt transmitter to communicate with Earth when it's well beyond Pluto. The beam of the high-gain antenna is only 0.3 degrees wide: pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Systems-and-Components.php
– jamesqf
6 hours ago
1
1
That's the thing I'm unsure about. I'm trying to go as hard SF as possible. How many antennas does it need? Will antennas be even in common use by then? In my universe there is no FTL and comms for military purposes for example is usually done trough laser means a lot of times. But I'm unsure if this will still be the case in 100 or so years.
– zertofi
11 hours ago
That's the thing I'm unsure about. I'm trying to go as hard SF as possible. How many antennas does it need? Will antennas be even in common use by then? In my universe there is no FTL and comms for military purposes for example is usually done trough laser means a lot of times. But I'm unsure if this will still be the case in 100 or so years.
– zertofi
11 hours ago
1
1
@zertofi You will still need antennas because antennas broadcast in all directions while a laser is basically only going to be a single direction. So imagine trying to communicate with a fleet of ships, but you need to do it one by one with each ship. Same with emergency beacons and broadcasted communications. Remember that these are still electromagnetic waves which travel at the speed of light.
– Shadowzee
10 hours ago
@zertofi You will still need antennas because antennas broadcast in all directions while a laser is basically only going to be a single direction. So imagine trying to communicate with a fleet of ships, but you need to do it one by one with each ship. Same with emergency beacons and broadcasted communications. Remember that these are still electromagnetic waves which travel at the speed of light.
– Shadowzee
10 hours ago
That's true. When I said laser comms I meant more in a way were a central command ship gets info/orders from a station/installation were it then uses an antenna probably to outsource it to the whole entire drone ship fleet.
– zertofi
10 hours ago
That's true. When I said laser comms I meant more in a way were a central command ship gets info/orders from a station/installation were it then uses an antenna probably to outsource it to the whole entire drone ship fleet.
– zertofi
10 hours ago
@ Shadowzee: Antennas - at least those designed for current space probes - do not broadcast in all directions. They're designed to emit a tightly-focussed beam pointed at Earth. That's how e.g. the New Horizons probe can use a 12 watt transmitter to communicate with Earth when it's well beyond Pluto. The beam of the high-gain antenna is only 0.3 degrees wide: pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Systems-and-Components.php
– jamesqf
6 hours ago
@ Shadowzee: Antennas - at least those designed for current space probes - do not broadcast in all directions. They're designed to emit a tightly-focussed beam pointed at Earth. That's how e.g. the New Horizons probe can use a 12 watt transmitter to communicate with Earth when it's well beyond Pluto. The beam of the high-gain antenna is only 0.3 degrees wide: pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/Systems-and-Components.php
– jamesqf
6 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
You might get some inspiration from real-world spacecraft, like the Ulysses and Gravity Probe B.
You'll notice that:
- They have multiple antennas.
- The antennas are arranged orthogonally -- pointing off in different directions.
Having a whole lot of antennas all pointed in the same direction might be a good idea if there's a need for lots of redundancy, although I can't think of any such reason off the top of my head.
Alternatively, it might make sense to arrange a set of radiators like this -- thermal or otherwise. But that might be outside the scope of your question.
answered 8 hours ago
Roger
1813
New contributor
Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Currently designing a Trans-Lunar cargo ship which ships glass manufactured on the Moon to Mars (maybe Callisto). I was thinking it would be automated with the front portion occupied with the main control module were I think putting a small antenna farm would be suitable (would make it look a bit nicer too). The radiators need to be probably hidden within the shadow shield so they don't radiate the neutrons back onto the spacecraft.
– zertofi
7 hours ago
@zertofi This information is important for other people who want to answer your question, but not everyone reads all comments. Please edit your original question and add this information. Have a look at the tour to see how it's done.
– Elmy
4 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
You might get some inspiration from real-world spacecraft, like the Ulysses and Gravity Probe B.
You'll notice that:
- They have multiple antennas.
- The antennas are arranged orthogonally -- pointing off in different directions.
Having a whole lot of antennas all pointed in the same direction might be a good idea if there's a need for lots of redundancy, although I can't think of any such reason off the top of my head.
Alternatively, it might make sense to arrange a set of radiators like this -- thermal or otherwise. But that might be outside the scope of your question.
answered 8 hours ago
Roger
1813
New contributor
Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Currently designing a Trans-Lunar cargo ship which ships glass manufactured on the Moon to Mars (maybe Callisto). I was thinking it would be automated with the front portion occupied with the main control module were I think putting a small antenna farm would be suitable (would make it look a bit nicer too). The radiators need to be probably hidden within the shadow shield so they don't radiate the neutrons back onto the spacecraft.
– zertofi
7 hours ago
@zertofi This information is important for other people who want to answer your question, but not everyone reads all comments. Please edit your original question and add this information. Have a look at the tour to see how it's done.
– Elmy
4 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
You might get some inspiration from real-world spacecraft, like the Ulysses and Gravity Probe B.
You'll notice that:
- They have multiple antennas.
- The antennas are arranged orthogonally -- pointing off in different directions.
Having a whole lot of antennas all pointed in the same direction might be a good idea if there's a need for lots of redundancy, although I can't think of any such reason off the top of my head.
Alternatively, it might make sense to arrange a set of radiators like this -- thermal or otherwise. But that might be outside the scope of your question.
answered 8 hours ago
Roger
1813
New contributor
Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
You might get some inspiration from real-world spacecraft, like the Ulysses and Gravity Probe B.
You'll notice that:
- They have multiple antennas.
- The antennas are arranged orthogonally -- pointing off in different directions.
Having a whole lot of antennas all pointed in the same direction might be a good idea if there's a need for lots of redundancy, although I can't think of any such reason off the top of my head.
Alternatively, it might make sense to arrange a set of radiators like this -- thermal or otherwise. But that might be outside the scope of your question.
answered 8 hours ago
Roger
1813
New contributor
Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 8 hours ago
Roger
1813
New contributor
Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 8 hours ago
Roger
1813
answered 8 hours ago
Roger
1813
1813
New contributor
Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Roger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Currently designing a Trans-Lunar cargo ship which ships glass manufactured on the Moon to Mars (maybe Callisto). I was thinking it would be automated with the front portion occupied with the main control module were I think putting a small antenna farm would be suitable (would make it look a bit nicer too). The radiators need to be probably hidden within the shadow shield so they don't radiate the neutrons back onto the spacecraft.
– zertofi
7 hours ago
@zertofi This information is important for other people who want to answer your question, but not everyone reads all comments. Please edit your original question and add this information. Have a look at the tour to see how it's done.
– Elmy
4 hours ago
add a comment |Â
Currently designing a Trans-Lunar cargo ship which ships glass manufactured on the Moon to Mars (maybe Callisto). I was thinking it would be automated with the front portion occupied with the main control module were I think putting a small antenna farm would be suitable (would make it look a bit nicer too). The radiators need to be probably hidden within the shadow shield so they don't radiate the neutrons back onto the spacecraft.
– zertofi
7 hours ago
@zertofi This information is important for other people who want to answer your question, but not everyone reads all comments. Please edit your original question and add this information. Have a look at the tour to see how it's done.
– Elmy
4 hours ago
Currently designing a Trans-Lunar cargo ship which ships glass manufactured on the Moon to Mars (maybe Callisto). I was thinking it would be automated with the front portion occupied with the main control module were I think putting a small antenna farm would be suitable (would make it look a bit nicer too). The radiators need to be probably hidden within the shadow shield so they don't radiate the neutrons back onto the spacecraft.
– zertofi
7 hours ago
Currently designing a Trans-Lunar cargo ship which ships glass manufactured on the Moon to Mars (maybe Callisto). I was thinking it would be automated with the front portion occupied with the main control module were I think putting a small antenna farm would be suitable (would make it look a bit nicer too). The radiators need to be probably hidden within the shadow shield so they don't radiate the neutrons back onto the spacecraft.
– zertofi
7 hours ago
@zertofi This information is important for other people who want to answer your question, but not everyone reads all comments. Please edit your original question and add this information. Have a look at the tour to see how it's done.
– Elmy
4 hours ago
@zertofi This information is important for other people who want to answer your question, but not everyone reads all comments. Please edit your original question and add this information. Have a look at the tour to see how it's done.
– Elmy
4 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
We have real-life examples of jumbled antennas: antennas designed by Evolutionary Algorithms.
A whole ship antenna array would have a design that does not conform to any aesthetic considerations being literally function over form.
They would be complex to compensate for metal in the structure of the craft, adjust the internal phasing, having redundancy against some parts getting damaged, etc.
answered 1 hour ago
ratchet freak
2,486817
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
We have real-life examples of jumbled antennas: antennas designed by Evolutionary Algorithms.
A whole ship antenna array would have a design that does not conform to any aesthetic considerations being literally function over form.
They would be complex to compensate for metal in the structure of the craft, adjust the internal phasing, having redundancy against some parts getting damaged, etc.
answered 1 hour ago
ratchet freak
2,486817
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
We have real-life examples of jumbled antennas: antennas designed by Evolutionary Algorithms.
A whole ship antenna array would have a design that does not conform to any aesthetic considerations being literally function over form.
They would be complex to compensate for metal in the structure of the craft, adjust the internal phasing, having redundancy against some parts getting damaged, etc.
answered 1 hour ago
ratchet freak
2,486817
We have real-life examples of jumbled antennas: antennas designed by Evolutionary Algorithms.
A whole ship antenna array would have a design that does not conform to any aesthetic considerations being literally function over form.
They would be complex to compensate for metal in the structure of the craft, adjust the internal phasing, having redundancy against some parts getting damaged, etc.
answered 1 hour ago
ratchet freak
2,486817
edited 54 mins ago
answered 1 hour ago
ratchet freak
2,486817
answered 1 hour ago
ratchet freak
2,486817
answered 1 hour ago
ratchet freak
2,486817
2,486817
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
It might be because the ships aren't build one piece rather then upgraded in a progressive process.
And the reason that they all in one direction is because they suppose to be on the back, other wise they will damaged by the stardust.
answered 3 hours ago
Carmel
1
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Carmel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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The first part sounds plausible, but i doubt that last part (all antennae in the back). Typically, the interesting things are mostly directly in front of the ship, which it's why it's headed there. If all your antennae were in the back, they would be blind towards the direction the ship is going (due to being shielded by the ship)
– Burki
14 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
It might be because the ships aren't build one piece rather then upgraded in a progressive process.
And the reason that they all in one direction is because they suppose to be on the back, other wise they will damaged by the stardust.
answered 3 hours ago
Carmel
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The first part sounds plausible, but i doubt that last part (all antennae in the back). Typically, the interesting things are mostly directly in front of the ship, which it's why it's headed there. If all your antennae were in the back, they would be blind towards the direction the ship is going (due to being shielded by the ship)
– Burki
14 mins ago
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It might be because the ships aren't build one piece rather then upgraded in a progressive process.
And the reason that they all in one direction is because they suppose to be on the back, other wise they will damaged by the stardust.
answered 3 hours ago
Carmel
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It might be because the ships aren't build one piece rather then upgraded in a progressive process.
And the reason that they all in one direction is because they suppose to be on the back, other wise they will damaged by the stardust.
answered 3 hours ago
Carmel
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Carmel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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answered 3 hours ago
Carmel
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Carmel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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answered 3 hours ago
Carmel
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answered 3 hours ago
Carmel
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Carmel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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New contributor
Carmel is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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The first part sounds plausible, but i doubt that last part (all antennae in the back). Typically, the interesting things are mostly directly in front of the ship, which it's why it's headed there. If all your antennae were in the back, they would be blind towards the direction the ship is going (due to being shielded by the ship)
– Burki
14 mins ago
add a comment |Â
The first part sounds plausible, but i doubt that last part (all antennae in the back). Typically, the interesting things are mostly directly in front of the ship, which it's why it's headed there. If all your antennae were in the back, they would be blind towards the direction the ship is going (due to being shielded by the ship)
– Burki
14 mins ago
The first part sounds plausible, but i doubt that last part (all antennae in the back). Typically, the interesting things are mostly directly in front of the ship, which it's why it's headed there. If all your antennae were in the back, they would be blind towards the direction the ship is going (due to being shielded by the ship)
– Burki
14 mins ago
The first part sounds plausible, but i doubt that last part (all antennae in the back). Typically, the interesting things are mostly directly in front of the ship, which it's why it's headed there. If all your antennae were in the back, they would be blind towards the direction the ship is going (due to being shielded by the ship)
– Burki
14 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
It not only makes sense, but there should likely be more antennas (although they may not be visible)
Let's take a quick look at what an antenna is. It serves one primary function: To best balance the impedance (think resistance if you're not an engineer) between the circuit producing/receiving the signal energy and free space.
(overly) Simplified explanation: If you are a photon of RF energy (yes, they are photons... and waves...) and are cruising around on a nice circuit board, zipping around at say 70% of the speed of light following nice gold or copper pathways, you're happy. There isn't much resistance. But suddenly someone gives you an energy drink x10000 (power amplifier) and throws you out in space. You're going to hit lots of shock during this transition. The antenna is kind of like a smooth transition process for you so that you can acclimate to the change.
But back to the matter at hand, why would a space ship need so many?
The answer is quite simple. The ship needs to communicate. And being in space, there is no single direction relative to the body of the ship which it needs to communicate with. It is quite likely that the ship will need to communicate in many different directions at the same time, using different frequencies.
What this means is that any antenna built on a space ship will likely be used as part of an antenna array. Using fancy digital processing, the antenna 'beam' can be steered electrically while the antennas remain in fix orientation. While an overly-broad statement, the more antennas you have pointing in different directions, the more directions you can focus the RF energy towards without having to rotate an antenna. Also, the more antennas you have, the larger your overall gain is, which in distances of even light-minutes, could very well be important in space.
Also, some of the antennas could be used for directed energy weapons, which it stands to reason may require a massive increase in size due to the power densities involved. And ships need radars and other sensors, either passive or active, which will be looking in all directions around the ship, yet another reason to have more antennas.
answered 1 min ago
ColonelPanic
2,229211
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up vote
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It not only makes sense, but there should likely be more antennas (although they may not be visible)
Let's take a quick look at what an antenna is. It serves one primary function: To best balance the impedance (think resistance if you're not an engineer) between the circuit producing/receiving the signal energy and free space.
(overly) Simplified explanation: If you are a photon of RF energy (yes, they are photons... and waves...) and are cruising around on a nice circuit board, zipping around at say 70% of the speed of light following nice gold or copper pathways, you're happy. There isn't much resistance. But suddenly someone gives you an energy drink x10000 (power amplifier) and throws you out in space. You're going to hit lots of shock during this transition. The antenna is kind of like a smooth transition process for you so that you can acclimate to the change.
But back to the matter at hand, why would a space ship need so many?
The answer is quite simple. The ship needs to communicate. And being in space, there is no single direction relative to the body of the ship which it needs to communicate with. It is quite likely that the ship will need to communicate in many different directions at the same time, using different frequencies.
What this means is that any antenna built on a space ship will likely be used as part of an antenna array. Using fancy digital processing, the antenna 'beam' can be steered electrically while the antennas remain in fix orientation. While an overly-broad statement, the more antennas you have pointing in different directions, the more directions you can focus the RF energy towards without having to rotate an antenna. Also, the more antennas you have, the larger your overall gain is, which in distances of even light-minutes, could very well be important in space.
Also, some of the antennas could be used for directed energy weapons, which it stands to reason may require a massive increase in size due to the power densities involved. And ships need radars and other sensors, either passive or active, which will be looking in all directions around the ship, yet another reason to have more antennas.
answered 1 min ago
ColonelPanic
2,229211
add a comment |Â
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
It not only makes sense, but there should likely be more antennas (although they may not be visible)
Let's take a quick look at what an antenna is. It serves one primary function: To best balance the impedance (think resistance if you're not an engineer) between the circuit producing/receiving the signal energy and free space.
(overly) Simplified explanation: If you are a photon of RF energy (yes, they are photons... and waves...) and are cruising around on a nice circuit board, zipping around at say 70% of the speed of light following nice gold or copper pathways, you're happy. There isn't much resistance. But suddenly someone gives you an energy drink x10000 (power amplifier) and throws you out in space. You're going to hit lots of shock during this transition. The antenna is kind of like a smooth transition process for you so that you can acclimate to the change.
But back to the matter at hand, why would a space ship need so many?
The answer is quite simple. The ship needs to communicate. And being in space, there is no single direction relative to the body of the ship which it needs to communicate with. It is quite likely that the ship will need to communicate in many different directions at the same time, using different frequencies.
What this means is that any antenna built on a space ship will likely be used as part of an antenna array. Using fancy digital processing, the antenna 'beam' can be steered electrically while the antennas remain in fix orientation. While an overly-broad statement, the more antennas you have pointing in different directions, the more directions you can focus the RF energy towards without having to rotate an antenna. Also, the more antennas you have, the larger your overall gain is, which in distances of even light-minutes, could very well be important in space.
Also, some of the antennas could be used for directed energy weapons, which it stands to reason may require a massive increase in size due to the power densities involved. And ships need radars and other sensors, either passive or active, which will be looking in all directions around the ship, yet another reason to have more antennas.
answered 1 min ago
ColonelPanic
2,229211
It not only makes sense, but there should likely be more antennas (although they may not be visible)
Let's take a quick look at what an antenna is. It serves one primary function: To best balance the impedance (think resistance if you're not an engineer) between the circuit producing/receiving the signal energy and free space.
(overly) Simplified explanation: If you are a photon of RF energy (yes, they are photons... and waves...) and are cruising around on a nice circuit board, zipping around at say 70% of the speed of light following nice gold or copper pathways, you're happy. There isn't much resistance. But suddenly someone gives you an energy drink x10000 (power amplifier) and throws you out in space. You're going to hit lots of shock during this transition. The antenna is kind of like a smooth transition process for you so that you can acclimate to the change.
But back to the matter at hand, why would a space ship need so many?
The answer is quite simple. The ship needs to communicate. And being in space, there is no single direction relative to the body of the ship which it needs to communicate with. It is quite likely that the ship will need to communicate in many different directions at the same time, using different frequencies.
What this means is that any antenna built on a space ship will likely be used as part of an antenna array. Using fancy digital processing, the antenna 'beam' can be steered electrically while the antennas remain in fix orientation. While an overly-broad statement, the more antennas you have pointing in different directions, the more directions you can focus the RF energy towards without having to rotate an antenna. Also, the more antennas you have, the larger your overall gain is, which in distances of even light-minutes, could very well be important in space.
Also, some of the antennas could be used for directed energy weapons, which it stands to reason may require a massive increase in size due to the power densities involved. And ships need radars and other sensors, either passive or active, which will be looking in all directions around the ship, yet another reason to have more antennas.
answered 1 min ago
ColonelPanic
2,229211
answered 1 min ago
ColonelPanic
2,229211
answered 1 min ago
ColonelPanic
2,229211
answered 1 min ago
ColonelPanic
2,229211
2,229211
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