Discovery One - Background

Background

In the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Discovery One is described as being about 460 feet (140 m) long (the 2010 movie mentions 250 feet) and powered by "Cavradyne" gaseous core nuclear reactor engines. 275 feet (84 meters) of tankage and structure separate the spherical part of the spaceship where the crew quarters, the computer, flight controls, small auxiliary craft, and instrumentation are located. In the crew's centrifuge, the crewmen would have enjoyed Moon-like gravitational conditions. This would be where they spend most of their time, and where the three hibernating astronauts rested in their compartments. The piloting, navigation, and other occasional tasks could take place in the zero-gravity command module.

Other sections of the crewmen's sphere would include the pod bay, where three one-man repair and inspection craft would be kept, and the spaceship's primary HAL 9000 mainframe computer with its level-upon-level of memory storage and digital processing units. Because of her lack of aerodynamic design and her immense size, the Discovery One would be assembled in and launched from orbit around the Earth. As described in the novel, the Discovery One was originally intended to survey the Jovian system, but her space mission was lengthened to go all the way to Saturn to investigate the destination of the signal from the black monolith at the crater Tycho. As a result, her space mission became a one-way spaceflight to Saturn and its moon Iapetus. After investigating alien artifacts at Saturn and Iapetus, the preliminary plan is for all five members of her crew to enter suspended animation for an indefinite period of time. Eventually, it is hoped that a much larger and more powerful spaceship, Discovery Two, would be built so that it would fly from the Earth to Iapetus, rescue the five astronauts, and then make the long voyage home with everyone in hibernation.