Starships and water
- Thread starter MonkeyX
- Start date
Yatima
Cosmic Mongoose
There are so many variables that this is unanswerable - between an uncontrolled plummet into the ocean from orbit to a somewhat controlled forced landing in water anything is possible, really.
The sensible question is: does your story need an intact star ship sitting on the bottom of an ocean? If so, there are realistic scenarios that can put one there, so just put it there.
The sensible question is: does your story need an intact star ship sitting on the bottom of an ocean? If so, there are realistic scenarios that can put one there, so just put it there.
AdamWillow
Banded Mongoose
In the official Mongoose adventure is an info about starship (Scout) diving into a water.
Name of this adventure:
Name of this adventure:
High and Dry
Reisender
Cosmic Mongoose
Well, at a certain speed water becomes almost as hard as concrete. Airplanes, which are certainly more fragile than a spaceship, can land on relatively calm water in an emergency, but it is not an easy procedure for sure. The aim would be to glide on the surface to slow the airplane down. Come in too steep and the airplane will break apart on impact.
I think any streamlined spaceship would be fine if it manages to pull of a controlled emergency landing. Other hull configurations may have a much harder time.
Keep in mind that the pressure in great depth is very high, which might crush the vessel after the landing. The gravity on the world plays an important part in this as well.
As Yatima mentioned there (too) many variables to consider...
I think any streamlined spaceship would be fine if it manages to pull of a controlled emergency landing. Other hull configurations may have a much harder time.
Keep in mind that the pressure in great depth is very high, which might crush the vessel after the landing. The gravity on the world plays an important part in this as well.
As Yatima mentioned there (too) many variables to consider...
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Reynard
Cosmic Mongoose
There have been enough examples over the years that space and starships do float naturally often during fueling operations. Also check the core book under Docking and Landing in which it states a ship can land on water. Unlike under ocean vessels, they don't have the structure to alter their buoyancy and must use their drives to ascend/descend. So, you can land on a liquid routinely as a VTOL craft.
Read the rules on Atmospheric Operations as well as Landing and Docking which describe landing failure and ship damage. The referee can use this to determine how ship damage may affect a ship's integrity in water. (I am now picturing Planet of the Apes)
Read the rules on Atmospheric Operations as well as Landing and Docking which describe landing failure and ship damage. The referee can use this to determine how ship damage may affect a ship's integrity in water. (I am now picturing Planet of the Apes)
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
As long as the manoeuvre drive is somewhat functional, you shouldn't really crash.
Dry tanks should ensure buoyancy.
Dry tanks should ensure buoyancy.
Technetium 98
Banded Mongoose
Even with full tanks, you should be fine; water's ~14x as dense as liquid hydrogen. Average density for most Traveller ships is about 370kg/m³, compared to water's 1,000kg/m³; pretty much every ship should float.
(Taking 1 displacement ton = 5 metric tons, which I took from GURPS' ships, which are the only ones I'm aware of with actual mass readings.)
(Taking 1 displacement ton = 5 metric tons, which I took from GURPS' ships, which are the only ones I'm aware of with actual mass readings.)
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Speaking of water landings, if you don't have a functioning manoeuvre drive, and putting aside fully fueled rockets, steamlined hull plus aerofins and heating shielding, probably can glide down.
