Nuclear-Powered Flying Hotel - TRUE or FALSE (with images)
Overly extravagant hotels have existed for decades and decades. For a casual price of $50,000 per night, you can stay in one of the many underwater hotels in the Maldives. Or, stay aboard the galactic star cruiser at Disney World for $5,000 per weekend. Or why not join The Whimsy of the dog park in Cottonwood, Idaho, for $158 per night (breakfast included). But how much would you pay to have all the luxury of a 5-star hotel in the sky?
By Kamilė
Published: February 8, 2023
And yes, before you ask, it is nuclear-powered. We don't have a weekend rate for that just yet, but we do have an idea of what such a hotel would look like, and it's definitely something. The sky hotel was initially designed by concept Artisan designer Tony Holmsten with animation done by biotech engineer Hashem Al-Ghaili. H. Al-Ghaili recently introduced the 3D vision board of future travel and obnoxious weddings go from "I do" to "I. D. B. Cooper." The flying hotel dubbed the Sky Cruise is, in concept, a nuclear-powered plane that would be able to house 5,000 guests onboard. It would be powered by 20 electric engines, which in turn are powered by nuclear energy from a small nuclear fusion reactor which would have zero carbon footprint.
The only problem is that this kind of reactor isn't a thing.
Yet. Nuclear fusion still remains one of the great dreams of science. And the possibilities of clean, affordable renewable energy could effectively transform the planet forever. But that doesn't mean the rest of us can't imagine what nuclear fusion would make possible in the meantime.
The concept video for this "Final Fantasy 7s" luxury airship shows how sustainable energy could make a gigantic floating sky hotel possible. Much like the "Archer" episode "Skytanic," this airplane combines the luxury of a modern cruise liner with the ostentatious spaceship from "Wally."
On board this flying resort, you'd be able to enjoy a 360° view from a giant hall at the back of the plane. From there, you can stargaze or see the aurora borealis from outside the confines of your kitchen. That area connects to the main deck via elevators that travel up the back wing of the plane. In addition, the Sky Cruise would feature shopping malls, sports centers, swimming pools, 5-star restaurants, bars, playgrounds, theaters, and even its own hospital (for ravel rousers that disobey Skyla or find themselves bitten by a snake on this plane).
And if you want to get married high up in the air or just enjoy a long vacation viewing domes with balconies, make for some stunning photo ops.
One of the most impressive features of these Sky Cruises is the idea that the airplane hotel would never have to land thanks to the unlimited energy and power reactor. This would ensure the ship never runs out of fuel and could stay aloft in the air for years.
But how do you get on and off this thing?
These Sky Cruises would be able to accommodate full-size commercial planes, letting them dock on the ship and bring visitors onboard. And that really shows the comical size of this theoretical monster machine.
But what about that pesky turbulence?
Suppose you're spending your life savings to visit a literal sky mall. In that case, you don't want your 10$ can of ginger ale getting jostled about like you're on a certain airline (not to point out, but Spirit). So, according to the video, the ship would be equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system and command deck that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict air turbulence before it happens and compensate by creating its own vibrational field to counteract and soar above the rocky skies.
On top of all that, the ship will be autonomously flown, and if there's one thing that movies have taught us, it's that ship AIS legally can't betray your work every time.
Now obviously, this blog post is just conceptual, mainly because nuclear fusion is still not within our grasp, at least at the current moment. So as of today, the nuclear-powered flying hotel is a complete fiction.
But what would this look like if it were to become a reality? We've already started seeing companies like "Blue Origin" and "Virgin Galactic" pouring millions of dollars into commercial space travel. Granted, these Sky Cruises wouldn't be headed for the stars, but for this concept to become a reality, it will need a lot of money. And with Jeff Bezos already talking about entering the commercial orbital station business, it wouldn't be surprising if one of these "Fortune 500" companies investing in commercial space travel also put some funds behind this sky hotel that never ever lands.
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February 8, 2023