That raises the question: are the Voyager probes (or anything with an RTG) considered Atompunk, or do they need random bits of sheet metal welded on to meet the aesthetic first?
Hmm. Suppose you were building a nuclear locomotive. (Setting aside, for the moment, whether this is a good idea.) Would nuke→turbine→electricity→motor be more efficient than just using the rotation of the turbine to move the train?
Wouldn’t technically nuclear power also be considered Steampunk?
Meaning there is no difference between Steampunk and Atompunk?
Nah, key difference is that in atompunk, the energy is typically converted into electricity.
A big part of steampunk is the pipes moving steam to the contraptions, compared to wires moving electricity.
That raises the question: are the Voyager probes (or anything with an RTG) considered Atompunk, or do they need random bits of sheet metal welded on to meet the aesthetic first?
Random bit of
sheetmetalHmm. Suppose you were building a nuclear locomotive. (Setting aside, for the moment, whether this is a good idea.) Would nuke→turbine→electricity→motor be more efficient than just using the rotation of the turbine to move the train?
It can’t be, right?
Diesel engine > generator > motor is frequently used for trains nowadays. Transmissions can be super inefficient, especially with discrete gear ratios
I remember playing flash game years ago that was about WW1 dog fights in nuclear powered steam biplanes.