Technology in the Foundation Universe

== Overview ==
=== Nucleics ===
One example of atomic technology is a so-called nucleobulb, a nuclear powered electric light source. Atomic handgun and blasters:
=== Atom-based and other space science and technology ===
A single Imperial battlecruiser was two miles long. One such ship was adrift in space for three hundred years, presumably after a fight, and was quite repairable. It was stated to be capable of "blowing up a planet". However, this was a statement between two politicians, one of them trying to make a point, and as such, is hardly useful; no description of bombardment ever described results beyond "ruins" or "rubble". A ruler of twenty five star systems (on territories abandoned by the Empire) possessing that battlecruiser believed himself invincible so far as his neighbors were concerned. This is reminiscent of the description of a Star Destroyer's effect on a planetary civilization. The Empire had ship shields, theatre shields, as well as planetary shields, but no personal shields. Bel Riose, a Military Governor of a system had at his disposal ten ships of the line (presumably larger that a battlecruiser) with a full complement of auxiliary vessels (the system was central in a province of 25 first rate planets, but not in a sector, meaning it was less that a sector force). Three of the ships had parts salvaged from the old Imperial fleet, the rest were new, and, reputedly, of lower quality. Indeed, two ships had power generation problems before fighting started, and Riose had no people capable of repairing them (a shortage complained about for over a century by then). Reliable navigational computers didn't appear until over 50 years after the Empire's fall. As such, ships depended on known hyperspace routes, making blockade and enclosure effective even on interstellar scale.
==== Navigation ====
The navigation of hyperspatial vessels through galactic spaces is fairly complex, but not impossible for the pilot of the modern starship to master and good maps of various kinds.
The general way for navigation to take place is to use Galactographic maps.  The most commonly used are the Gravitational Contour maps of sectors, usually plotted on three standard axes; Galactic Equatorial, Sector Main Equatorial and Gravitational Reference.  The last of which is really a three-dimensional mathematical model of the relevant sector.  All maps are readily available on most worlds at prices set by Interstellar law.
The next tool is the Galactic lens; a complete model of the galaxy down to all main class stars on the Hertzprung-Russel Diagram.  The Galactic lens accepts input from the ship's navigational sensors to plot current position on the screen.  Ship's nearest view may be plotted together with the map and, when views overlap, precise location can be ascertained off the dials.  Further recognition may only be acceptable if the projected line spectrum of the star in question matches that of the Galactic lens.  By field matching, it is possible for the user of a Galactic lens to determine ship's position with the data of one star, rather than the traditional measurement of 3 stars of known luminosity and line spectra - a process which could take a ship's crew many weeks.
The location of a hyperatomic ship is quite important to navigation.  Stars perturb hyperatomic paths much in the same way that they perturb comets moving across the starry void.  Stars in real space occupy the same positions in hyperatomicspace, thus making star maps indispensable.   Ship's computers of today must be able to produce plot-outs of projection maps to be considered in any way space worthy.  Microfilmed maps are considered to be absolutely necessary on any ship. 
Perturbation is serious for the hyperatomic ship, as such perturbation may result in the ship's path being disrupted by a star in real space on re-entry, disruption of a Hyperatomic star in H0, or both. Ships tend to stay clear of stars by a factor of a parsec, if possible.  Modern gravitic vessels have the ability to calculate micro-jumps with a fair degree of precision when near a star and are the ultimate in hyperatomic transport.
==== Hyperatomic Motivator ====
Hyper-atomic motivators were developed in parallel with the hyperatomic drive in Imperial pre-history, during the time that the Earth and Spacer worlds were in conflict. The motivator is the heart of Hyperatomic physics; literally, it shifts the ship out of U0 into H0.  It does so by collapsing a virtual singularity around the ship.  By definition, all life within ceases before the virtual singularity breaks down.  The energy required for this singularity is then re-radiated.  The nature of the radiations is both an emittance and an absorption of the motivator crystal - a 99.99999% pure iridium crystal housed in a zero-gravity super evacuated tube. The motivator is critical.  To perform a jump, around 20 GW of work is required to move the smallest ship through a jump.  This power would move a vessel approximately 10 light years.  With a small, classical nuclear power plant, fuel would be exhausted within a year.  Micro-fusion plants fare no better and need overhaul in less than two years.  Imperial engines utilized super-efficient, adiabiatically-transparent collecting shells to gather as much energy from the cores of starships.  The shielding required, due to the radiations emitted, is, consequently, huge.  Imperial war vessels of the Line were known to have at least 12.5% of their overall mass devoted to shielding of the crew.  Warships intending a more stealthy appearance were known to have a shielding of not more than 35% of their mass.
Surprisingly, starships did not suffer from the problems of moving a large mass across the Universe, rather, energy was the prime concern when performing the hyperspatial jump.
=== Hyperatomic motors ===
The hyperatomic motor was developed in the Ancient period and the theory behind it was nearly lost in the Spacer period.  It was only refined once more in the period of colonisation and Empire. The theory of hyperatomics states that, in a hyperatomic field, an object basically leaves this Universe, entering Universe H1 in the field G1, where all atoms are now tachyonic in character.  Naturally, the field starts to ebb in this wild otherspace and, as it does so, the object reenters realspace.   As the object had infinite field in H1, it has moved x light years in relation to our own Universe, all in relation to the time spent in H1. The principle of the hyperatomic motor is to turn itself off, in a small moment of time, and without self destruction due to the colossal energies involved, often in the order of 1,000 gigawatts. Let L = light years, x = light years moved in realspace and t = time in femtoseconds then: for any ship in hyperspace. Hyperatomic Motivators work on the forming of a singularity encapsulating the ship and then forming another that encapsulates some realspace in H1.  A double-exchange takes place, the ship Jumps and the portion of realspace returns where the ship was, with the characteristic Cherenkov flash associated with hyperspatial travel. The motivator also causes the "inside-outness" feeling associated with hyperspatial travel due to the realspace singularity swap. Late (post 1050 FE) model starships, particularly Gravitically-powered vessels, endure very little harshness of jumps due to their Galactic inertia. 
== Imperial Technology ==
=== The Wienis (Imperial Cruiser) ===
Supposedly, an archetypical cruiser built at the height of the empire's power, It was the new flagship of the Anacreonian Navy under the command of Prince Lefkin. Two miles long, and originally a battle cruiser of the Imperial Navy, it was discovered floating derelict by a merchant ship, repaired by the First Foundation and, despite protestations from the Board of Navigation on Terminus, was presented to the Anacreonian Navy. The ship was due to lead the Anacreonian attack on the Foundation but was taken over by Theo Aporat before it could complete its task. 
== Foundation and Post-Imperial Technology ==
=== Hyper-wave relay ===
== Citations, External links and Further reading ==
* http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Foundation_Series#Military_power
* https://terminuscity.tripod.com/spacetravel/index.html (Encyclopedia Galactica fan made site)
* http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/AuthorSpecAlphaList.asp?BkNum=5
Category:Foundation Universe
Category:Fictional technologies