USS Enterprise Finally Flies

apetime writes "Found on Slashdot Japan: Model builder Kaname of Kumamoto, Japan has built a flying radio controlled model of the original Star Trek's USS Enterprise. (Scroll to the bottom of the page for a video. Or go here for an mpeg, and here for a WMV.) The ship measures from 75 cm, and only weighs 16 grams. It's a wobbly flight, but makes you think what else in Star Trek might work if it were tried."

Warp

[NewtonsLaw]

I guess this adds a whole new meaning to the use of wing-warping as a control method.

big, fat clue:

[k4rm4_p0l7c3]

Uhm. I'm sure the USS Enterprise was designed to fly in a vacuum; you know.. cause.. space is a vacuum.

*ahem*

Gravity Well

[Konster]

It cannot enter warp speed in Earth's gravity well.

flying in the vacum

[bsDaemon]

is it real flying if it is not a function of lift versus gravity? You can't have lift in the vacum, so is it actually flying?

nifty...but...

[MoFoQ]

this isn't the first enterprise to fly. The first one was the space shuttle of the same name (named in honor of the show if I remember correctly).

it just needs weapons and then u'll need a few klingon ships to come too.

geeks and their toys

[bsDaemon]

Why is it that we as a community tend to delight in the most absolutly innane things that one could possibly come up with?

Yes, I am probably refering to the community of humanity in general, once all the scores are tallied, i guess we arn't any more lame than people with cardboard cutouts of LoTR Characters in their ro....
oh...wait.

Hrmm

[acehole]

Should'nt Star Trek have its own icon?

Starwars does...

Hate to be the one breaking it for you ...

[bigjocker]

makes you think what else in Star Trek might work if it were tried

But you could strap a pair of rockets to a 1000 Tons rock and it would also fly on space ... I don't get these trekkies wasting so much time worshipping a mediocre series

Re:nifty...but...

[Mongo222]

The Enterprise shuttle never went into space. It was a enginnering test vechicle. They did glide it down from a 747 a few times, but it never flew under it's own power.

Re:big, fat clue:

[LS]

Uhm. You should chill out a bit. I don't think the Enterprise was designed to fly in a vacuum. It was designed to sit in a movie studio.

*ahem*

Re:Propellor?

[Glonoinha]

-It's a demonstration of how you can make even a brick fly with the right thrust to weight ratio.

See also : F4 Phantom. That's the joke used when talking about that plane : that it is proof that with big enough engines even a brick will fly.

RIP the F4 Phantom. You were the most beautiful ugly plane I ever saw.

Re:Propellor?

[56ksucks]

The thing is, the "REAL" Enterprise wouldn't really "fly". In many episodes when the Enterprise is getting too close to a planet's atmosphere there is a danger of crashing and burning in the atmosphere. The only reason it's "Flying" is because there is no gravity in space and no ground to fall on. So the idea that other star trek technologies might work because this works is silly because on Star Trek this wouldn't even work.

Re:If only there were . . .

[larrylemur]

A cellphone does pretty much the same thing as the communicator you describe. They even make some that open up like clams.

Re:Propellor?

[Decaff]

...because there is no gravity in space

Yes there is. The point is that there is no air in space, so that things can carry on in orbit without being slowed by air resistance.

In space, this Enterprise model would work fine. If you threw it out the window of the space station it would carry on in orbit... just like the real thing!!