Nuclear powered airplane hotel is a stupid idea

avatar

I was sitting and talking to someone the other day and he brought up the fact that some investors are talking about making a 5000 passenger, nuclear powered sky hotel that has shopping malls, guestrooms, pools, and an observation deck. I'm not an aerospace engineer or anything but this all seems like a really terrible idea.

For one thing: Who really enjoys flying? Also, even though I am not a nervous passenger and don't worry about the planes crashing because I look at statistics I think I would be very reluctant to get on board an untested NUCLEAR flying hotel.


image.png
src

These are not images of an existing thing. Nothing has been built and this is just a concept CGI video that was made in an attempt to showcase what it could be like if it was ever built. The videos have gone viral and a lot of people are talking about it.


image.png
src

There are a lot of issues that I have with this that extend beyond the fact that if it were to crash that it would not just destroy the plane but could destroy entire cities in the process. For one, who really enjoys flying? I would imagine that the people in first class have a much better trip than I do back in economy class but honestly - given the choice of sitting somewhere luxurious or being 30,000 feet above the earth looking into the sky would you really choose the latter?

Plus, other things haven't been addressed such as the fact that having potable water for 5000 customers and probably a ton of crew would be a nightmare. What are you going to do with the wastewater? Dump it out of the side of the plane? Where are you going to get new water from?

The story is that this plane wouldn't ever need to refuel and I guess that is an interesting concept but they would need to get new supplies if they had any customers. Food and water would run out and sewage deposits would fill up. I have been a cruise ship once in my life and we were actually going to exotic places where you could see things off the balconies that were interesting to look at and that got boring to me after a couple of days. I found myself just drinking all day long for the last 3 days of the cruise.


image.png
src

Even though it is just some sketches and a single video at this point aerospace engineers have weighed in with almost comical statements about the proposed plane calling is preposterous. They make statements like "there is no way that a structure of this sort would be able to take off, let alone stay in the air" and "the external elevators would be almost immediately ripped off the plane and crash to the earth."

I kind of wonder how it is that anyone can just get their hands on uranium too. I was under the impression that this tech was something that was a carefully guarded secret. If this ever comes to fruition, and I don't think it will, I wouldn't go on this journey even if it was offered to me for free.

What do you think?



0
0
0.000
5 comments
avatar

There was an attempt to build a nuclear powered airplane. The engines are on display at Idaho National Laboratory in the 1950s.

The project failed to include a hotel.

0
0
0.000
avatar

interesting. I wouldn't have known about this if not for you so thank you for that. I don't know if a plane being capable of staying airborne for long periods of time is really a tactical advantage anymore but when they were working on this plane it certainly would have been.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I would give this a big miss as well as this does not sound like a fun filled trip. Planes are meant to get you from A to B and have no intention of living on one for an extended period of time. I look for the shortest fastest way when travelling as being tall you are always compromised somehow. Same would go for a nuclear sub hotel as you can shove that bad idea where it came from. Then again a structure underwater would most likely intrigue me enough to want to visit.

0
0
0.000
avatar

a nuclear powered sub hotel sounds like something out of a nightmare to me. I agree with your talk about how a plane is a method of getting somewhere. I would find the entire idea terrifying and even if the views were amazing, once you look at them a dozen times, what are you going to do now? Look out a different window? So much fun!

0
0
0.000
avatar

I couldn't agree more as I feel far safer with my feet on the ground than in the air. Not forgetting the cabin pressure and the effect sit has on your body. I read somewhere airline pilots don't have along retirement as many don't live that long compared to the rest of the population. Maybe it is absolute rubbish or there could be some truth somewhere I don't know.

0
0
0.000