The naval architecture team have begun exploring designs for the exterior of the ISDC’s interstellar vessel, with a couple of rounds of design concepts already completed.

The team is guided by the ISDC’s vessel design principles which outline factors such as how long the vessel should be expected to stay in deep space, what she could expect to have to defend herself against and the conditions that her crew should expect aboard.

The design principles essentially describe a “shirt-sleeves” environment for the crew with Earth-normal atmosphere and gravity conditions. Which makes a lot of sense from a crew comfort point of view and is also a huge relief for producers, who don’t have to worry about simulating zero-G conditions all the time.

The vessel is expected to be both a scientific exploration platform and a military asset. Providing enough volume for labs, weapons systems and the crew who manage both is a key consideration for the design process. The interior layout is a major influence on the exterior design.

Defence considerations are also important. It is unknown what kind of threats might be faced in deep space so the vessel must be capable of defending itself, actively (with weapons) and passively (with armour, speed and/or deflection capabilities).

Inevitably compromises will need to be made between these competing requirements and your input will be invaluable. You can follow the vessel design process at the Naval Architecture Blog.

After all, how many people can say they helped design a starship?