Showing posts sorted by relevance for query phoenix. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query phoenix. Sort by date Show all posts

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Phoenix Warp Ship

Dr Zefram Cochrane revolutionised space travel with the invention of the warp drive in 2061. This technology was integrated into Earth's first Warpship Protype built by the doctor and engineer Lilly Sloane. The story goes it was Cochrane's vision that inspired a handful of scientists and engineers to meet him in North America where they found an abandoned intercontinental ballistic missile silo in Montana.

The Phoenix was born using Earth's limited resources left over from WWIII and converted from an old Titan V nuclear missile, similar to Titan II. The warpship prototype, Phoenix became a symbol of hope for Earths beleaguered ball of beings and a springboard of salvation for all humanity.


Copyright Belongs to Paramount Pictures.
Voyager Drone.
Memory Alpha.

Galactic history was made on April 5th 2063, when Cochranes Phoenix launched from earth, she was the first spaceship to reach warp speed in earthling history. She travelled faster than light which successfully demonstrated to all extraterrestrials, earths knowledge of warpdrive technology and light speed.

The Phoenix was repaired by the Enterprise E engineering teams after the Borg's ship attacked with the intension to change the timeline. Cochrane's marvel of technology reached for the stars on schedule and escaped the earths gravity without any further Borg occurences from its North American, Montana launchpad.

Geordi La Forge was stationed at the Engineering console , Commander Riker was seated directly behind the pilots chair.

Zefram Cochrane controlled the ship as pilot with the warp drive activation unit on standby and monitored the ships systems using the pilots monitor.


This is the Phoenix Cockpit. The ship was one man's dream. Zefram Cochranes.

Length of Titan V Rocket prior to liftoff 35 meters. The rocket in the picture includes the Phoenix in two stages. Encased in titanium casing which Data described as imperfect, its outstanding features are easily identifyed by the cylindrical shape and painted star on its side.


Image Copyright Belongs to Paramount Pictures.
First Contact. Memory Alpha.

The first stage of the rocket (lower) carries the liquid fuel, such as liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Using a combination of fuel can give a rocket more blast-off power which once ignited cases flames and pushes the Phoenix into Outerspace. The second stage of the rocket (top) carries the crew inside the Phoenix . Once in space the casing protecting the warp nacelles is discarded along with the second stage of the rocket which has run out of liquid fuel by now.


Image Copyright belongs to Paramount Pictures.
First Contact. Memory Alpha.

Length of Phoenix after seperation 20 meters. This pioneering technological advance of human engineering is now ready for its first historic spaceflight. Geordi, William and Doc are excited. The twin warp nacelles are deployed and charged. Their range will bring the spacecraft to the outersolar system and back before returning to sublight speeds in a controlled safe approach to earth.

In First Contact, Zefram Cochrane left Deanna's ears ringing goodo at liftoff and he actually did a Picard! or is it Picard doing a Zefram?


Various ship systems and criteria had to be checked and met before engaging the Phoenix's engines at warpspeed in the Star Trek movie, First Contact. These included:

1. Extending the Warp Nacelles.

2. Making sure the Plasma Injectors were online.

3."Everythings looking good. I think we're ready" Geordi making good on other system checks which he does'nt have time to mention.

4."We've got to break the warp barrier in the next five minutes if we're going to get their attension" - Commander Riker.

5. Nacelles charged and ready. This is the all systems operational and on standby signal to the pilot. The last of the initial checks before Cochrane did the Picard. He gave the verbal instruction "Engage" to alert the crew that he was activating the Warpdrive. To make it so.

6.Warp Field looking good - Geordi.

7.Structural Integretity holding - Geordi.

8. Speed 20,000 Kilometers Per Second - Commander Riker.

9. Thirty seconds to warp threshold - Commander Riker.

10. Approaching lightspeed, we're at critical velocity - C.R.

11 Warp. Horray!! Little did the Phoenix crew know that the borg Queen wanted nothing more than to blow them to smithereens.


Image Copyright Belongs to
Paramount Pictures.

Heres the Borg Timeship that tried to destroy the Montana Missle launch site and alter the course of earths history. Hero worshipped by Geordi La Forge and Reginald Barclay, Dr Cochrane confessed to Commander Riker as they sat in the Phoenix cockpit prior to the launch sequence.

"You want to know what my vision is? Dollar signs, money. I did'nt build this ship to usher in a new era for humanity. You think I want to go to the stars? I do'nt even like to fly, I take trains."
Commander Riker is enjoying the moment as the Zefran continues.
" I built this ship so I could retire to some tropical island filled with n---d women. Thats Zefram Cochrane. Thats his vision. This other guy, this historical figure, I never met him. I can't imagine I ever will."
Commander Riker makes a suggestion.
" Don't try to be a great man, just be a man and let history make its own judgements."
The good doctor is unconvinced.
" Thats rhetorical nonsense, who said that?"
"You did Doc."

Live Long and Prosper, Trekkers!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Top 100 Sci-Fi Spaceships?

This week I found a video with a cool slideshow of 100 'Top' science fiction spaceships. Most of these 100 'spaceships' originated from various science fiction movies and tv shows. A few others emerged from cartoon shows and comic Sci-Fi spoofs like the Thunderbirds, Spaceballs and Galaxy Quest. So sit back and enjoy the spaceship sideshow. A couple of space stations are included which is fine but why Eagle 5 (Spaceballs) made no. 45 is a mystery.

How does your geek feel about the sequencing of these starships and starfighters? Watching the video is certainly a good way of testing your sci-fi knowledge in a showdown with some friends. So let the battle of wits begin and hey...

Which side really deserves to emerge victorious from a firefight, Quantum torpedoes or laser cannons?


1. The Milenium Falcon
2. Eagle Transporter
3. Imperial Star Destroyer
4. USS Enterprise NCC 1701
5. USSC Discovery 1 XD-1
6. Battlestar Galactica
7. Zarkov's Rocketship
8. CE3K Mothership
9. X-Wing Fighter
10. U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D
11. White Star
12. Death Star
13. TIE Fighters
14. U.S.S. Sulaco and UDL Cheyenne dropship
15. Slave-1
16. Babylon 5
17. Tardis
18. Klingon Bird of Prey
19. Borg Cube
20. Serenity
21. Red Dwarf
22. Deep Space Nine
23. Cylon Mk IX Raider
24. Minbari Sharlin WarCruiser
25. Klingon D-7 Attack Cruiser
26. Battlestar Pegasus
27. SA-43 Endo/Exo- Atmospheric Attack Jet (Hammerhead)
28. Moonbase Interceptor (UFO)
29. Planet Express ship (Futurama)
30. United Planets Cruiser c-57D
31. U.S.S. Defiant NX 74205
32. Colonial Vipers
33. Space Battleship Yamato
34. Shadow Vessel
35. Romulan D'deridex-Class Warbird
36. Nostromo 180924609
37. SA-23E Aurora class Starfury
38. Earth Starfighter 1314
39. Romulan Bird of Prey
40. Gunstar
41. Eagle 5
42. The Executor
43. Y-Wing Fighter
44. Starbug
45. The Roger Young
46. The Leonov
47. The Valley Forge
48. Guild Transporter
49. Narn G'Quan class heavy cruiser
50. ID4 Motherships
51. Event Horizon
52. Dark Star
53. Jedi Starfighter
54. The Daedalus
55. Liberator (Blake 7)
56. EVA Pod
57. Cylon Basestars
58. Omega Class Destroyer
59. Colonial Shuttle
60. Jedi Starfighter Interceptor
61. Raptors
62. U.S.S. Reliant NCC 1864
63. Tantive IV
64. Thunderbird 3
65. Earth vs the Flying Saucers
66. Icarus
67. U.S.S. Voyager NCC NCC-74656
68. Moya (Farscape)
69. Phoenix (G-Force)
70. Heart of Gold
71. Excalibur
72. Enterprise NX-01
73. Martian War Machine
74. The Swinetrek
75. Andromeda Ascendant
76. Antares
77. Jupiter 2
78. NSEA Protector
79. Visitor Motherships
80. Fireball XL-5
81. Lexx
82. EF76-B Nebulon-class escort frigate
83. The Betty (Alien Resurrection)
84. Quark's Garbage Scow (United Galaxy Sanitation Patrol)
85. Satellite of Love (S.O.L.) - MST3K
86. Spaceball One
87. Klaatu's Ship
88. Geonosian Solar Sailer
89. J Type Diplomatic Barge
90. Cygnus
91. Mining Shuttle (outland)
92. Lambda-Class Shuttle
93. Aries 1-B
94. Hunter-Gratzner (Pitch Black)
95. Deep Space Station K-7
96. Ventor Class Star Destroyer
97. Salvage-1
98. Super Dimension Fortress One (SDF-1) Macross
99. Starlost Ark
100. Surak Shuttle

Monday, May 23, 2011

Obama's Roots.

Monday 23rd May began with AirForce One flying into Dublin airport. Marine One took the President towards Phoenix Park where Barack Obama planted a tree before meeting Mary MacAleese and her husband Martin. The 44th President of the United States accompanied by his lovely wife Michelle visited his ancestral home, Moneygall in Ireland, which was the main event during their whole visit. Mr Obama was finally at home when he popped into Ollie Hayes's pub to drink some of the black stuff, Guinness and paid for it slapping a fifty down on the counter.

"I just want you guys to know the President pays his bartab"

The first couple were met by smiling faces, laughter and nearly everyone had a Guinness in their hand to sip. Seeing the most powerful man in the whole universe reaching out to ordinary irish folks was touching. For a moment I thought he might flash the vulcan salute. How illogical of me. The first family of America spent 3/4 of an hour meeting and greeting 4,000 folks in the crowded streets of Moneygall. The little village was totally spruced up with flags, freshly painted homes and a bust of the president in Ollies pub. One little house was even painted in the American stars and stripes!





Sunday, November 12, 2006

Pulsar Star Movie

Following up on my last Pulsar post I felt compelled to share this discovery. Here is an image of an artists creation which shows the interstellar remains of space debris, orbiting around the pulsar called 4u 0142+61. Over 100,000 years ago a massive star blew up giving birth to a baby pulsar. The explosion spewed forth a fallback disk of rocks and space dust captured in the orbit of the reborn pulsar. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope discovered this space marvel 13,000 light years away in the Northern Constellation Cassiopeia.


Image Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH.

In Pulsar Rubble you will find fascinating details about the physics of this enticing space phenomenon, star composition, death and re-birth of planets plus a thrilling little space movie! Why didn't the supernova blast disperse all the planets debris and space dust? find out.

Its an awesome inspirational short movie giving an uptake on the unfolding of a giant star in our universe, beyond imagination. It can take 5 minutes to download in Quicktime player, but it is well worth the wait believe me.

How it works. You can see the short movie animation by clicking on the four thumbprint images within the above link, marked the birth of the "Phoenix Planets." Watch for yourself an electrifying rotating radiant super giant star..... well you didn't expect me to tell you the rest of it, did you?

Enjoy the movie, Live Long and Prosper!

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