Rocks Are Not Free!

[eldargal]

Rocks are NOT ‘free’, citizen.

Firstly, you must manoeuvre the Emperor’s naval vessel within the asteroid belt, almost assuredly sustaining damage to the Emperor’s ship’s paint from micrometeoroids, while expending the Emperor’s fuel.

Then the Tech Priests must inspect the rock in question to ascertain its worthiness to do the Emperor’s bidding. Should it pass muster, the Emperor’s Servitors must use the Emperor’s auto-scrapers and melta-cutters to prepare the potential ordinance for movement. Finally, the Tech Priests finished, the Emperor’s officers may begin manoeuvring the Emperor’s warship to abut the asteroid at the prepared face (expending yet more of the Emperor’s fuel), and then begin boosting the stone towards the offensive planet.

After a few days of expending a prodigious amount of the Emperor’s fuel to accelerate the asteroid into an orbit more fitting to the Emperor’s desires, the Emperor’s ship may then return to the planet via superluminous warp travel and await the arrival of the stone, still many weeks (or months) away.

After twiddling away the Emperor’s time and eating the Emperor’s food in the wasteful pursuit of making sure that the Emperor’s enemies do not launch a deflection mission, they may finally watch the ordinance impact the planet (assuming that the Emperor’s ship does not need to attempt any last-minute course correction upon the rock, using yet more of the Emperor’s fuel).


Given a typical (class Bravo-CVII) system, we have the following:

Two months, O&M, Titan class warship: 4.2 Million Imperials

Two months, rations, crew of same: 0.2 MI

Two months, Tech Priest pastor: 1.7 MI

Two months, Servitor parish: 0.3 MI

Paint, Titan class warship: 2.5 MI

Dihydrogen peroxide fuel: 0.9 MI

Total: 9.8 MI


Contrasted with the following:

5 warheads, magna-melta: 2.5 MI

One day, O&M, Titan class warship: 0.3 MI

One day, rations, crew of same: 0.0 MI

Dihydrogen peroxide fuel: 0.1 MI

Total: 2.9 MI


Given the same result with under one third of the cost, the Emperor will have saved a massive amount of His most sacred money and almost a full month of time, during which His warship may be bombarding an entirely different planet.

The Emperor, through this – His Office of Imperial Outlays – hereby orders you to attend one (1) week of therapeutic accountancy training/penance. Please report to Areicon IV, Imperial City, Administratum Building CXXI, Room 1456, where you are to sit in the BLUE chair.


For the Emperor,

Bursarius Tenathis,

Purser Level XI,

Imperial Office of Outlays.
By Patrick Marstall via Jervis Johnson & Andy Chambers in WD227. Thanks to Baphomael on Warseer for posting a link to the lexicanum article (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Rocks_Are_Not_Free!#.Ty0_lYEooZ9) and reminding me of its existence.

[Verilance]

I have this at the back of one of the older sourcebooks can't remember which one and I chuckle everytime I read it

[Slug]

Dihydrogen Peroxide
Someone is having fun with chemistry, I think we should all stick to what we know about eh. ;)

[Verilance]

Someone is having fun with chemistry, I think we should all stick to what we know about eh. ;)

you never know perhaps they use H2O2 for fuel lol

[gendoikari87]

you never know perhaps they use H2O2 for fuel lol

Di=2
Hydrgen= H
Per=1
Oxide= O

Di-hydrogen Per-oxide= H2O. Water.

[Slug]

Di=2
Hydrgen= H
Per=1
Oxide= O

Di-hydrogen Per-oxide= H2O. Water.

Water = not a fuel.

Current rockets use oxygen and hydrogen which combustes to form water releasing energy in the process, not aimed at you just figured I would clear that up for anyone unsure.

[Verilance]

Di=2
Hydrgen= H
Per=1
Oxide= O

Di-hydrogen Per-oxide= H2O. Water.

hydrogen peroxide H2O2 please understand I know what I am talking about

water is hydrogen monoxide

the per refers to a one to one ratio of hydrogen and oxygen

[gendoikari87]

hydrogen peroxide H2O2 please understand I know what I am talking about

water is hydrogen monoxide

the per refers to a one to one ratio of hydrogen and oxygen

yeah except what was written was DIhydrogen per oxide. Which is 2 hydrogens per oxygen, water. it's also gibberish.

[Verilance]

the proper name for water is dihydrogen monoxide it is most often not used that way though

just as the proper name for hydrogen peroxide is dihydrogen peroxide

it is not gibberish it is how chemicals are named there are volumes full of IUPAC names for every conceivable molecule :)

[Slug]

Verilance is right actually, still not a fuel as a fuel has to combust unless they are really clever in the future.

[eldargal]

You chaps are really overthinking it.:p

[Slug]

Most definitely. :D

[Xenith]

Have you never heard of Hydrogen powered cars? You fill them up with water, then electrolyse it to provide H for the fuel. Perfectly reasonable.

[Slug]

You can't power a spaceship with motors you need an explosion to give thrust.

Also fuel cells work by electrolyising water and you use the two components to generate electricity powering a motor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cells

[Corvus-Master-of-The-4th]

All right, so we are attempting to explain void capable engines that in current fluff(I am presuming from the frequent mentions of Plasma reactors), these ships now run on Fusion power... Which is concievable (I do like the fact the 40k is full of random joke science :L). However who wants to try and explain warp-drives :3?

[gendoikari87]

You can't power a spaceship with motors you need an explosion to give thrust.

Also fuel cells work by electrolyising water and you use the two components to generate electricity powering a motor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cells

Ion Engines...


However who wants to try and explain warp-drives :3
Easy, wormholes also exist and we know next to nothing about what lies between point A and B. However, current theory dictates that it requires negative energy to open one of these such wormholes. We don't really know what that is.

[Corvus-Master-of-The-4th]

Easy, wormholes also exist and we know next to nothing about what lies between point A and B. However, current theory dictates that it requires negative energy to open one of these such wormholes. We don't really know what that is.

True, alas I wish we knew more... Space travel of the sort mentioned in fiction is something I imagine I will never live to see... Maybe we wont ever get to that point but I'd like to think we would xD

[Slug]

Gendoikari87, my point is that you need something ejected from the end of the ship, you could use hydrogen ions, but you wouldn't have them attached to water as that is a waste of space and weight.

[doom-kitten]

Wow...never imagined an arguement like this could happen on a wargames forum, apparently it happens. Anyways who really cares how they power their ships it's a funny quote from the fluff just laugh and leave an amusing comment.

[Psychosplodge]

lol

REALLY old white dwarf?

[gendoikari87]

Gendoikari87, my point is that you need something ejected from the end of the ship, you could use hydrogen ions, but you wouldn't have them attached to water as that is a waste of space and weight.

Except, for wormholes.... and real warp drives (spacetime inflation)

[Psychosplodge]

Also, it's all clearly powered by magic, thats why the tech magi chant spells etc...

[Slug]

Except, for wormholes.... and real warp drives (spacetime inflation)

I'm just talking about the normal propulsion system here where a force is enacted on an object, small particles, resulting in an equal and opposite force which pushes the ship forward, for the rest I accept any explanation.

I agree it is a good quote, I was just poking fun at their attempt to put some chemistry which was quite wrong in there.

[Adrastos]

Gendoikari87, my point is that you need something ejected from the end of the ship, you could use hydrogen ions, but you wouldn't have them attached to water as that is a waste of space and weight.

What if you then used the oxygen to replenish air on the ship? Of course, it's still probably less efficient than just keeping the hydrogen and oxygen separate in pressurised tanks...

[lobster-overlord]

Isn't it better since water is chemically bonded as one Hydronium ion and one Hydroxide ion, in H-OH after reactions that the proper name would be hydrogen hydroxide? or even hydronium hydroxide...

Sorry to add fuel to the fire (get it... water as the fuel to the fire... ...

ack, nevermind...)

[demonllamma]

While the chemistry is over my head. Still an entertaining read. I thought the most telling thing was actually the cost of the paint. Rink about the paint being roughly equivalent to the operating costs of the ship for two months... That's one big ship. Interesting perspective on scale anyhow.

[Psychosplodge]

Nah they're just using REALLY small brushes...

[sprugly]

Replacement brushes for the emperors paint (000 size) 2.4 imperials.

Either that or the emperor only sanctions the use of citidel paints, would explain the cost lol

Sprugly

[The Madman]

lol

REALLY old white dwarf?

don't say old, it makes me feel old :(

on topic, i do like that article, still got it in both white dwarf and chapter approved form.

[Psychosplodge]

don't say old, it makes me feel old :(

on topic, i do like that article, still got it in both white dwarf and chapter approved form.
It pained me to write it....

[bfmusashi]

I like that we have a ship that generates artificial gravity that regularly travels into Imagination Land but the sticking point is whether super advanced material culture in space can run on water for fuel. Awesome. :cool: