The Russian spaceship Leonov in the 2010 flim.

[aaron38]

I think that ship is my favorit from "realistic" Sci-Fi, one that we could actually build without violating the laws of physics.<br /><br />I was wondering if there was any fan work on this ship. Specifications, etc. Anything to flesh it out?<br />Thanks.

 

[Leovinus]

I liked Discovery better. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

What's wrong with ballutes? they have been flight tested for reentry and they are being considered for a range of future missions. Those on the movie Leonov evolved from discussion with Syd Mead and Richard Terrill. If you look closely the braking is a combination of active breaking and a ballute. The engines fire all the way through the aerobraking maneover, creating a plasma sheath that carries off some of the frictional heat and also protects the engines themselves. It was quite carefully thought out.<br /><br />As for stopping the centrifuge, it really depends on the thrust. if Leonov had a low thrust nuclear electric system, which appears to be the case, there would be no need to stop to centrifuge. It is stopped earlier in the fim, when Discovery is used as the firsdt stage. I spect this is because of clearence issues.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Beauty in spaceships, like steam trains, is in the eye of the beholder. I really liked the brutal functionality of Leonov and the rather dim interior of, with its large crew. The set designers wanted to to show a very different approach to spaceship design to that of those inherited from 2001, and they succeeded.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[spacefire]

discovery looks too phalic <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[north_star_rising]

Leonov. Named after cosmonaut Alexi Leonov (first spacewalker, would-be first Russian on the Moon, and commander of Apollo-Soyuz), this craft was launched by the Soviets (Clarke's timeline did not predict the downfall of the Soviet Union) to travel to Jupiter and board Discovery One. The film design of the ship differed from that in Clarke's novel. Under Hyam's direction, Leonov became a vessel mounting large, opposing habitat centrifuges and inflatable heat-shielding "ballutes" for aerobraking. Like Discovery One, it carried a fleet of EVA pods (though substantially different in design).<br /><br />Leonov or Discovery?!? Is that like Paper or Plastic!?! ;-)<br />

 

[JonClarke]

That's a good possibility. Another is that it was intended to convey a more primitive level of computer technology (reflected in the larger active crew of Leonov as well).<br /><br />Some criticism was directed at the film because of the inconsistent portrayal of zero G. I think they were trying to have the same level of portrayal as was achieved where "grip shoe" technology (velcro in the 2001 novel) provided a gravity substitute in many areas.<br /><br />One of the many things I really like about this fim is the use of genuine Russian speaking actors and the genuinely positive portray of them. Very atypical of US filsm and considerable kudos to Hyams for this, especially in the paranoia of the 80's.<br /><br />Jon<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

"Sitting on your parachute" -- you mean like putting the butt-end of the Apollo command module forward during entry? That seemed to work out ok. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[wmdragon]

"discovery looks too phalic"<br /><br />actually, I read long ago the design was like a human head/brain and its spinal chord. maybe an outward expression of the ship being an intelligence itself <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#993366"><em>The only laws of matter are those which our minds must fabricate, and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.</em> <br /> --- James Clerk Maxwell</font></p> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

I heard that Discovery was supposed to be a sperm cell. Then we had the pod going and fertilizing the monolith which created a baby. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thalion]

The <i>Leonov</i> design from the movie had a tremendous effect on my conception of deep-space transport growing up, particularly the centrifuge. I still think that, given (major) propulsion improvements, the design would be good for short space jaunts from a a few days to a few months.<br /><br /><i>Discovery</i> has always interested me as well, because that's a ship that we could conceivably build within a generation; it's basically just a crew module with a long series of fuel tanks separating it from the propulsion unit. Of course, I think the centrifuge would be too small to be workable without nausea and other upset for the crew, and the pod bay technology is some ways away, IMO. The meat-and-potatoes of the ship design, though, seems quite workable.

 

[gunsandrockets]

It wasn't until now I realized how much the Omega warships of the TV show Babylon 5 were just knockoffs of the Leonov from the movie 2010.<br /><br />http://www2.warnerbros.com/babylon5/gallery/bab5/popup.html popup number 5<br /><br />(one Omega just about to collide with another Omega)

 

[JonClarke]

I would have thought a wide ballute would have been more desirable. Of course much depends on the interaction between Hyams and terrile/Mead, balancing technical realism with artistic/aesthetic concerns. On the other hand I don't know what the shape of a ballute would be to aerobrake in the Jovian atmosphere, especially whem combined with a practical propulsive break as well. Maybe it is the right shape.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[rybanis]

Discovery used a NERVA drive.<br /><br />Also, the reactor had to be primed over several days to get ready for a burn. Most of the time the reactor was basically running on passive power generation. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Actually, in the book Discovery uses a plasma drive.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>