Awesome Spaceships

The Colonial Viper Mark II from Battlestar Galactica is one of our favorite science fiction spaceships. Demonstrating his dedication to BSG fandom, Builds by Baz created a life-size replica of the iconic fighter that battled in the First Cylon War. Baz built it over the course of seven years and hopes to take it around to conventions and fundraisers.

xkcd’s What If? is back with another hypothetical question. This time, a follower asked: “How long could a nuclear submarine last in orbit?” Along the way, you’ll learn if a sub’s hull could withstand the conditions in space, and more importantly, what might happen to its occupants and nuclear reactor.

The guys from FliteTest created a small aircraft called the Orbit. They have since been commissioned to build a much larger version of the round-winged aircraft. In this video, you’ll see how they took the design and scaled it up using foam and curved plywood ribs to reinforce its unconventional wing.

The physics of Star Wars aren’t the same as our reality, so you have to take this video from RED SIDE with a grain of salt. But they did their best to convert science fiction to reality and calculate the relative speeds of various vehicles and spacecraft. Place your bets now on the fastest way to travel in a galaxy far, far away.

This amazing book is loaded with more than 100 cross-sections of vehicles and spaceships from the Star Wars universe. Each image features call-outs detailing the inner workings of the vehicles from every Star Wars feature film. Highlights include Boba Fett’s Slave I, Vader’s TIE Advanced X1, and a Republic Gunship.

There are hundreds of unique ships and vehicles in the Star Wars universe, yet the vast majority seem cohesive and make sense as a collection. Spaceship fanatic EC Henry offers his thoughts on the secret sauce that holds Star Wars design together and offers guidelines you can follow for designing your own ships.

Star Trek’s starships have been warping through space since The Original Series debuted back in 1966. John DiMarco put together this compilation that shows how warp speed jumps have changed over the years, starting with the 1979 release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture through today’s series like Lower Decks and Picard.

Star Wars fans can dive deep into three iconic spacecraft with these Haynes Owners Workshop Manuals. The books delve into the design, engineering, and inner workings of the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing Fighter, and TIE Fighter. There’s also a Death Star manual.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is one of the greatest places we’ve ever visited. Recently, Adam Savage stopped by and got an up-close look at the full-scale T-70 X-Wing fighter they’re currently restoring. Lucasfilm loaned them the screen-used spaceship, which will soon go on display at the museum.

The Galaxy Grill is an unofficial tribute to Darth Vader’s fighter ship, the TIE Advanced X1. It’s made from steel and coated with heat-resistant paint. It uses the power of The Force, along with wood, kindling, and a lighter to heat foods up to 800º, the surface temperature of Mustafar. It’s a bit smaller than you might think.

The Mandalorian’s gunship, the Razor Crest, didn’t fare very well by the end of season two, but it still has a place in our hearts. A group of dedicated Star Wars fans in Yakutsk, Siberia built a 13-foot-tall replica of the ship out of wood and foam panels, and while it’s not likely to be space-worthy, it does look awesome.

Season two of The Mandalorian has been quite a thrill so far, though the Razor Crest has seen more than its share of abuse along the way. ILM looks back at the creation of Mando’s ship, from its earliest conceptual designs through its production as both a digital object and an intricate real-world model for in-camera shots.

MetaBallStudios revisits their earlier starship size comparison with significantly more ships from the worlds of science fiction and fantasy. Just about every imaginable class of ship is represented, from the teensy Hocotate ship flown by the Pikmin to the Planet Express ship from Futurama to the gargantuan Ringworld.

Richard Branson revealed details of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo’s sleek interior cabin. Each of the six reclining passenger seats minimize g-forces during boost and re-entry, relays flight data on a personal screen, has a pilot communication system, and comes with an out-of-this-world ticket price: $250,000.

Good news everyone! There’s a sweet light-up replica of the Planet Express spaceship from Futurama. Quantum Mechanix’s collectible measures about 12″x 4″ x 4″ and has lights on its cockpit, portholes and exhaust. It also has magnets that make it easy to mount it on its stand.

She may not look like much, but she lights up where it counts. This 1:180 scale replica of Han Solo’s ship floats at the end of an adjustable Angelpoise-style base. You’ll want to grab the TIE Fighter lamp for the other side of your desk so they can do battle. Both lamps offer bright LED illumination, and are USB-powered.