Need some info to explain some 'science things' in my fantasy novel.

[ChrisShield]

Hi all,

 

In short, I'm writing a fantasy novel set 20,000 years in the future, focusing on a group of magical humans who escaped Earth on a colony ship to a planet where they could evade persecution. In the present day they have reverted to a medieval lifestyle but the futuristic element remains, as the rest of the galaxy has been colonised in some form of 'human empire'. There is no contact between the planet and the outside world.

Initially I had no connections between the futuristic tech of the 'Earthlings' and the settlers on this planet, then it dawned on me.

What happened to the colony ship they originally used to escape Earth?

To avoid a plot hole, I did some digging and current-tech rockets are made with aluminium and titanium. 5,000 years have passed since the magical humans landed on this planet, and aluminium degrades in around 500 years. I couldn't find an answer for titanium though. In terms of powering the thing, modern solar panels last around 50 years, and nuclear reactors typically are expected to last a similar time.

Would it therefore be a stretch to assume the ship could survive 5,000 years without simply decomposing into the ground? Especially since it will not be maintained. I don't want to say the ship has survived 'because magic'. Perhaps future technology will allow for metals to be varnished somehow to prevent them decomposing for thousands of years? Perhaps nuclear reactors can in this timeline last much longer, so the ship would technically still be powered (this may be straying into the physics realm but my primary concern is the shi's composition and it's ability to withstand decomposition).

Essentially what I'm looking for is a scientific explanation, even if it allows for some wiggle room for future tech advancements, to explain why there would be a giant metal ship still standing on a planet where people are using bows and arrows and have done for 5,000 years.

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by ChrisShield
Added some info

[Prometheus]

Unless it's hard sci-fi (which it doesn't sound like) i don't think readers will question a spaceship surviving 5000 years. Unless you need it to remain functional and /or in good condition? 

[Phi for All]

I'd go with an organic component. Some kind of bacteria or plant that keeps metals from oxidizing, or eats what eats away at metals.  

[Ghideon]

59 minutes ago, ChrisShield said:

Would it therefore be a stretch to assume the ship could survive 5,000 years without simply decomposing into the ground?

I would start by thinking about how the fiction ship survived the trip and how it landed. If the ship had some futuristic properties or features allowing it to cope with radiation, micro meteorites or other hazards in space then the plot may allow for such features to make the ship resistant to the conditions on the planet's surface.

My personal opinion: a possible plot hole is why the passengers did not use whatever they could salvage from the ship to make buildings, tools, weapons or whatever.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Ghideon

[ChrisShield]

I'm not even certain that the ship will be included in the book, it's more of a plot point I want to address in my own mind before I go too far in and realise it isn't feasbile.

In terms of the 'why didn't they use ship parts to build' etc, perhaps they did, but it was one relatively small ship of max 100 people and now there are cities all across the planet so unlikely the materials would have gotten far!

[Ghideon]

46 minutes ago, ChrisShield said:

I'm not even certain that the ship will be included in the book, it's more of a plot point I want to address in my own mind before I go too far in and realise it isn't feasbile.

I think* that is an important part to decide: is the ship included or not? What would benefit the plot most? Once decided there are probably viable options for both cases: 

A preserved ship due to some circumstances (see for instance answer of @Phi for All). The ship could have been preserved as part of culture or emerging religious movement. Or it could be seen as an important resource; some ruling class of the passengers will guard the ship and try to maintain power by controlling the resources (medicine, metal, knowledge, other ...)

Or the ship could be gone because all of it was used (leaning behind old relics, valuable in the current medieval setting). Other options are to let the ship be lost rather than decayed. The landing could have taken place in water or in some mountains where the ship is lost, covered by snow and ice. 

In the context of chemistry AFAIK the climate have an impact on decay of materials. So one option is to have some property of the planet and the landing spot explain the fate of the ship. For instance an extremely dry desert vs some very humid conditions. For instance acidic** rain could explain how decay of the ship progresses. 

The above are just some intentionally wildly different examples intended to show that whatever benefits the plot (ship left vs ship destroyed) could be supported by something plausible-looking scenarios without referring to magics.

 

4 hours ago, ChrisShield said:

a group of magical humans

Side note: In a setting where magic is possible there will inherently be events, powers or artefacts that science can't explain? 

 

*) Without detailed knowledge about the plot I can only give some rough guesses.
**) Not acid, just acidic enough to have a scientifically established effect on the materials of the ship.

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by Ghideon
added chemistry note

[Sensei]

Large spacecrafts capable of interplanetary travel rarely land on a planet. They remain in orbit and only small landers are sent to the surface.