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Description
From the sketchbook, ink and mixed coloured pencils. The largest sketch is about 5 centimeters long.

An assortment of spacecraft doodles. Four Twelve Planets era ships of the line in the upper left, a number of Lougheed-Kolinsky interplanetary frigates assembled from repurposed K2 modules (the ones that are significantly smaller than the rest), and four generic Bussard ramjets. The ships are not drawn to scale: The ships of the line range between two and five kilometers in length, while the frigates average around 100. Bussard ramjets can theoretically be any size, although as a rule of thumb the larger the better.

Besides the frigates these are all interstellar designs, using a similar method of propulsion. The URW and Lougheed-Kolinsky ships of the line (top and third from top) use a transit cap system where the Bussard collector(s) and deceleration fuel tanks are carried in a separate stage jettisoned upon arrival in the target system, while the Macchi designs (green) use a transforming design where a collapsible collector retracts into the core of the ship when not in interstellar transit.

These are all fictional designs, but for those not familiar with the concept, Bussard ramjets are a realistic method of interstellar spacecraft propulsion proposed in the mid-20th century. Contrary to popular belief, while there is no breathable air in space it is not truly empty, but even interstellar vacuum contains a few million molecules per cubic centimeter (compared to literal billions of billions at sea level on Earth). With a sufficient magnetic field those scattered molecules, mainly Hydrogen and Helium, can be collected and funneled until they undergo nuclear fusion similar to that within a star, releasing energy and propelling the spacecraft. A few million molecules may not sound like much, but taking into account that the area covered by a magnetic funnel is vastly larger than the actual structure that generates it, and the distance travelled every second at the speeds necessary for feasible interstellar travel, the amount of potential fuel gathered is immense. For human purposes, essentially inexhaustible.

However, a reality check is also in order. In my fiction I handwave a lot of the engineering issues of Bussard ramjets. Ships coast at between 0,5 and 0,9 c, consume any particles they come into contact with at relativistic speed, and the issues of solar wind are countered with "tacking" techniques similar to those of the age of sail. In reality there is currently no solution to the issue of particle collision other than that the base risk is very small even over long distances, and predicted speed ranges between 0,025 and 0,1 c. At this speed a best case scenario journey from Sol to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star, would take well over 40 years, with most of the journey spent accelerating and decelerating. It is also worth noting that with our current knowledge, the exoplanets of Alpha Centauri are not even considered suitable for any kind of currently proposed colonization, pushing targets for long-term habitation even further away.

These are challenges. Not impossibilities.

Description
From the sketchbook, ink and mixed coloured pencils. The largest sketch is about 5 centimeters long.

An assortment of spacecraft doodles. Four Twelve Planets era ships of the line in the upper left, a number of Lougheed-Kolinsky interplanetary frigates assembled from repurposed K2 modules (the ones that are significantly smaller than the rest), and four generic Bussard ramjets. The ships are not drawn to scale: The ships of the line range between two and five kilometers in length, while the frigates average around 100. Bussard ramjets can theoretically be any size, although as a rule of thumb the larger the better.

Besides the frigates these are all interstellar designs, using a similar method of propulsion. The URW and Lougheed-Kolinsky ships of the line (top and third from top) use a transit cap system where the Bussard collector(s) and deceleration fuel tanks are carried in a separate stage jettisoned upon arrival in the target system, while the Macchi designs (green) use a transforming design where a collapsible collector retracts into the core of the ship when not in interstellar transit.

These are all fictional designs, but for those not familiar with the concept, Bussard ramjets are a realistic method of interstellar spacecraft propulsion proposed in the mid-20th century. Contrary to popular belief, while there is no breathable air in space it is not truly empty, but even interstellar vacuum contains a few million molecules per cubic centimeter (compared to literal billions of billions at sea level on Earth). With a sufficient magnetic field those scattered molecules, mainly Hydrogen and Helium, can be collected and funneled until they undergo nuclear fusion similar to that within a star, releasing energy and propelling the spacecraft. A few million molecules may not sound like much, but taking into account that the area covered by a magnetic funnel is vastly larger than the actual structure that generates it, and the distance travelled every second at the speeds necessary for feasible interstellar travel, the amount of potential fuel gathered is immense. For human purposes, essentially inexhaustible.

However, a reality check is also in order. In my fiction I handwave a lot of the engineering issues of Bussard ramjets. Ships coast at between 0,5 and 0,9 c, consume any particles they come into contact with at relativistic speed, and the issues of solar wind are countered with "tacking" techniques similar to those of the age of sail. In reality there is currently no solution to the issue of particle collision other than that the base risk is very small even over long distances, and predicted speed ranges between 0,025 and 0,1 c. At this speed a best case scenario journey from Sol to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star, would take well over 40 years, with most of the journey spent accelerating and decelerating. It is also worth noting that with our current knowledge, the exoplanets of Alpha Centauri are not even considered suitable for any kind of currently proposed colonization, pushing targets for long-term habitation even further away.

These are challenges. Not impossibilities.