Nostromo Speed

[Jeff Rainer]

Crew members were on ice. How fast was the Nostromo travelling? Were they
travelling faster than light? In the story/novel they came out of sub space
which is what?

[w***@yahoo.com]

Post by Jeff Rainer
Crew members were on ice. How fast was the Nostromo travelling? Were they
travelling faster than light? In the story/novel they came out of sub space
which is what?

well, one thing to note is that the journey took a fairl while in terms
of months and by the time of the story in movie, they would have been
at least a few dozen light years away from Earth coming to Earth from
the direction of the Zeta Reticuli star system which would have been
the next majorly known star system along their passage. Going by that
idea, they would have been travelling faster than light, in the movie,
but on the other hand, the journey was not so short that they wouldn't
need cryogenic suspension.

I don't know what to say about the information in novel in relation to
the movie

[Robert]

***@yahoo.com wrote:
Going by that

Post by w***@yahoo.com
idea, they would have been travelling faster than light, in the movie,
but on the other hand, the journey was not so short that they wouldn't
need cryogenic suspension.

I seem to recall somebody on here crunching the numbers on this a while
back, and the bottom line was, as I recall....take your pick. :) ie,
one set of assumptions would require light-speed, another wouldn't.

I tend to go with sublight because a: we don't _see_ anything hinting
at FTL, and b:, I think the technology to move an enormous mass like
the refinery would have tended to have been a bigger player in the
story.

On the third hand, it's arguable that the Nostromo is basically a
tugboat, and a real-life tugboat has a ridiculous power/weight ratio -
no reason not to think that this is true of Nostromo and the existence
of a 'tugboat' doesn't really mean much except you move big heavy
things. FTL or otherwise.

[Adam Cameron]

Post by Robert

Post by w***@yahoo.com
idea, they would have been travelling faster than light, in the movie,

If there are two points on a map which are xLY apart, and one wants to
travel between those points along a straight line between them, and take
less than x years to do it (forgetting relativity for the sake of this
example), then - yes - one would need to travel faster than light. But if
you fold the map so that - in that third dimension that the map surface
does not reside in - the distance is very short, one does not need to
travel so fast at all. One just has to take a route that is not limited to
the dimensions represented on the map.

Sam Neill demonstrated this visually in Event Horizon.

Of course it's all theoretical, but currently seems a more likely
possibility than travelling FTL.

Do I recall a mention of hyperspace in Alien?

Post by Robert
I tend to go with sublight because a: we don't _see_ anything hinting
at FTL,

To reverse that... if you did see this thing that would hint at FTL, what
would it be?

[Robert]

Post by Adam Cameron
To reverse that... if you did see this thing that would hint at FTL, what
would it be?

LOL, nice trap. :) But, I never said that lack of a hint was _proof_ of
anything, it was just a point in my view. There's no real _need_ to
show anything because it's never used, so...we have to make of that
what we will. (How's that for dodging a petard? Hehehe.)

Also, as delightfully 'crunchy' (in the sense of 'hard' sf) as the sets
and such are, Alien at its heart isn't sf, it's horror, so trying to
shoe-horn too much 'real' science into it is probably a futile task.
What's the worst that can happen? Suppose we prove both that the ship
_had_ to be capable of FTL, and was also provably unable to do so.
Ooops. Doesn't really effect the story any, in my view.

But none of that makes any of this less interesting - do go on, ya'll.

[Tracy]

Robert wrote:

".......... Alien at its heart isn't sf, it's horror,........"

Isn't sf????? GASP!

[w***@yahoo.com]

Post by Robert
I seem to recall somebody on here crunching the numbers on this a while
back, and the bottom line was, as I recall....take your pick. :) ie,
one set of assumptions would require light-speed, another wouldn't.
I tend to go with sublight because a: we don't _see_ anything hinting
at FTL, and b:, I think the technology to move an enormous mass like
the refinery would have tended to have been a bigger player in the
story.
On the third hand, it's arguable that the Nostromo is basically a
tugboat, and a real-life tugboat has a ridiculous power/weight ratio -
no reason not to think that this is true of Nostromo and the existence
of a 'tugboat' doesn't really mean much except you move big heavy
things. FTL or otherwise.

I don't know anything about this conversation involving number
crunching, but in the film Lambert mentions that the Nostromo is ten
months away from Earth, and if the nearest known star system is Zeta II
Reticuli, it does seem that they'll be travelling faster to Earth than
the light from Zeta II Reticuli is known to travel.

[k***@hotmail.com]

Zeta II Reticuli is ~40 light years from Earth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta_Reticuli

Lambert said it would take ten months to get home (and that was after
already traveling "halfway there" from Thedus).

Ergo, they were traveling faster than light.

Keith

[Robert]

Post by k***@hotmail.com
Zeta II Reticuli is ~40 light years from Earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta_Reticuli
Lambert said it would take ten months to get home (and that was after
already traveling "halfway there" from Thedus).
Ergo, they were traveling faster than light.

Nope, not without proof that the distance can't be covered at
relativistic velocities in 10 months of *ship's time*, which I believe
somebody around here once showed it was. (Obviously Jimmy-lad's story
and Ripley's promise to her daughter just retcons the hell out of all
this...but it's still fun. :) )

[k***@hotmail.com]

Without FTL, a round trip from Earth to Thedus would take ~160 years
(in realtime).

Adam,

I have a hard time believing you go a day without drinking whether I'm
around or not. ;)

Keith

[Adam Cameron]

Post by k***@hotmail.com
Adam,
I have a hard time believing you go a day without drinking whether I'm
around or not. ;)

Sorry, yes. I meant to say aNOTHER drink, obviously.

[k***@hotmail.com]

Pub? Are you still living in Middle Earth? I thought you were moving
to the US.

Keith

[Adam Cameron]

Post by k***@hotmail.com
Pub? Are you still living in Middle Earth? I thought you were moving
to the US.

UK mate, UK. Still: with Tony Blair in power, he's trying to make it
amount to the same thing.

[k***@hotmail.com]

Post by Adam Cameron

Post by k***@hotmail.com
Pub? Are you still living in Middle Earth? I thought you were moving
to the US.

UK mate, UK. Still: with Tony Blair in power, he's trying to make it
amount to the same thing.

Did you follow our most recent election?

Post by Adam Cameron
(just home from the pub *again*!)

I just got home from Thanksgiving dinner. Had two heaping mugs of Bud
Light.

Envious?

Keith

[Adam Cameron]

Post by k***@hotmail.com

Post by Adam Cameron
UK mate, UK. Still: with Tony Blair in power, he's trying to make it
amount to the same thing.

Did you follow our most recent election?

Of course. Fairly pleased with the result. I hope the next full election
continues in the same direction.

Post by k***@hotmail.com

Post by Adam Cameron
(just home from the pub *again*!)

I just got home from Thanksgiving dinner. Had two heaping mugs of Bud
Light.
Envious?

Hehhehheh. Bud, huh? Well: beer's beer, I guess. Even Bud.

I myself was drinking Guinness last night. And the night before.

Anyway, this is all a bit OT, I think? I'm feeling the urge to start
talking about rugby...

[k***@hotmail.com]

Post by Adam Cameron

Post by k***@hotmail.com
Did you follow our most recent election?

Of course. Fairly pleased with the result. I hope the next full election
continues in the same direction.

It amuses me that you follow our politics.

Post by Adam Cameron

Post by k***@hotmail.com
I just got home from Thanksgiving dinner. Had two heaping mugs of Bud
Light.
Envious?

Hehhehheh. Bud, huh? Well: beer's beer, I guess. Even Bud.
I myself was drinking Guinness last night. And the night before.

I can get Guinness at my local bar. Shouldn't you be drinking some
strong local brew that gets you wasted off your Kiwi ass?

Post by Adam Cameron
Anyway, this is all a bit OT, I think? I'm feeling the urge to start
talking about rugby...

i could always start a thread about Bishop II and pointlessly argue
about whether or not he's human.

Keith

[w***@yahoo.com]

Post by k***@hotmail.com
i could always start a thread about Bishop II and pointlessly argue
about whether or not he's human.
Keith

I think if you did that, then I'd just have to think about the
possibility that he is a character presented in a way that brings us to
question whether he is human, an android or a biomechanoid and never
really have the answer, but the way they set the character up to
confuse us is the thing that interests me.

[Adam Cameron]

Post by k***@hotmail.com

Post by Adam Cameron

Post by k***@hotmail.com
Did you follow our most recent election?

Of course. Fairly pleased with the result. I hope the next full election
continues in the same direction.

It amuses me that you follow our politics.

Well in this case "our" => "the world's". Unfortunately. But we've
discussed this.

Post by k***@hotmail.com
I can get Guinness at my local bar. Shouldn't you be drinking some
strong local brew that gets you wasted off your Kiwi ass?

I was just going for a quick catch-up with a mate who lives around the
corner (indeed, in my old flat). Didn't even get there until 9pm, and only
stayed for two pints.

Post by k***@hotmail.com

Post by Adam Cameron
Anyway, this is all a bit OT, I think? I'm feeling the urge to start
talking about rugby...

i could always start a thread about Bishop II and pointlessly argue
about whether or not he's human.

Oh god, pls don't.

But getting back to the rugby... ;-)

[w***@yahoo.com]

Post by Robert
Nope, not without proof that the distance can't be covered at
relativistic velocities in 10 months of *ship's time*, which I believe
somebody around here once showed it was. (Obviously Jimmy-lad's story
and Ripley's promise to her daughter just retcons the hell out of all
this...but it's still fun. :) )

I suppose if they weren't allowing the possibility of the human race
having faster than light technology in the world of the film, when they
made the orginal Alien movie, maybe I might be interested in the
possibility of an arguement about this in relation to the movie. But
going by the ideas that people involved in the movie were having about
the ship, it had the ability to travel faster than light with it's four
Yutani T7A NLS stellar drive towers.

But what you might have as ideas in relation to this without looking at
the ideas that the people involved in the making of the movie were
having is another thing entirely

Dom

[Robert]

Post by w***@yahoo.com
But what you might have as ideas in relation to this without looking at
the ideas that the people involved in the making of the movie were
having is another thing entirely

Oh, don't imagine I have a dog in this fight, 'cause I don't, I just
like to watch people support their ideas. If you're wondering what I
think, I'd say FTL is a pretty safe assumption; actually proving it via
what's on-screen in the movie is a different matter.

But who said what about FTL? Be interested in reading that. Tanks.

[k***@hotmail.com]

Post by w***@yahoo.com
I suppose if they weren't allowing the possibility of the human race
having faster than light technology in the world of the film, when they
made the orginal Alien movie, maybe I might be interested in the
possibility of an arguement about this in relation to the movie. But
going by the ideas that people involved in the movie were having about
the ship, it had the ability to travel faster than light with it's four
Yutani T7A NLS stellar drive towers.
But what you might have as ideas in relation to this without looking at
the ideas that the people involved in the making of the movie were
having is another thing entirely

Or one could simply question the illogic of sending a commerical
starship on a ~160-year round-trip.

Then again, I've seen people defend similar absurdities around here
before so nothing would surprise me.

Keith

[w***@yahoo.com]

Post by k***@hotmail.com
Or one could simply question the illogic of sending a commerical
starship on a ~160-year round-trip.
Then again, I've seen people defend similar absurdities around here
before so nothing would surprise me.
Keith

well, I like the fact that I found a firm link between Alien and The
Swiss Family Robinson. That surprised me.

[Adam Cameron]

Post by k***@hotmail.com
so nothing would surprise me.

I didn't drink at all, today.

[k***@hotmail.com]

Post by Adam Cameron

Post by k***@hotmail.com
so nothing would surprise me.

I didn't drink at all, today.

I stand corrected.

Keith

[Adam Cameron]

Keith! Crikey! Should I use your re-appearance as an excuse to have a
drink?