HG Spacecraft Options Solar Sail TL

[snrdg121408]

Hello again all,

What is the base TL of a Solar Sail?

TNE/T4 have solar sails starting at TL8, while GT: Starships and GURPS VE
shows TL7. Personal preference is TL 7.

 

[BP]

Hi snrdg121408,

I'd actually go with TL-8. According to Core pg. 4, TL-7 hasn't gotten to interplanetary travel yet - so why would they have solar sails.

TL-7 is where we are today - no footprints on other planets, no viable fusion power plants, and no solar sails!

 

[AndrewW]

Hi snrdg121408,

I'd actually go with TL-8. According to Core pg. 4, TL-7 hasn't gotten to interplanetary travel yet - so why would they have solar sails.

TL-7 is where we are today - no footprints on other planets, no viable fusion power plants, and no solar sails!

Solar sails are being worked on...

For reference:

http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/solar_sailing/

 

[BP]

True - but they are not implemented yet and they are not ready for reliable use nor interplanetary travel. Technically we have fusion power as well - but again, not practically.

Nice link BTW - though I notice the article is dated April 1 :shock:

 

[snrdg121408]

Hello BP,

I'd actually go with TL-8. According to Core pg. 4, TL-7 hasn't gotten to interplanetary travel yet - so why would they have solar sails.

TL-7 is where we are today - no footprints on other planets, no viable fusion power plants, and no solar sails!

Thanks for another interpretation of the TL-7 text. My take is that a solar
sail, based on the text in GT: Starships, GURPS VE, and TNE/T4, could
be used as means to move a craft from point to point requiring fuel only
for the power plant. Of course I did combine the parts I liked and left
the bits out that didn't mesh with my TU view at the time.

Of course TNE/T4 also list solar sails as TL-8. :wink:

Well technically speaking the footprints and equipment left by the Apollo
lunar landings are not on another planet. :lol:

 

[snrdg121408]

Howdy AndrewW,

Solar sails are being worked on...

For reference:

http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/solar_sailing/

I agree with BP about the nice link on the subject of solar sails. From the
article Murphy, or maybe Grandfather, sabotaged the test. :wink:

 

[BP]

Well technically speaking the footprints and equipment left by the Apollo lunar landings are not on another planet. :lol:

Unless otherwise noted, I'm always speaking (well, er, posting) technically! :wink:

I generally like the MgT levels up to TL-10 - excepting the text for TL-9 stating colonize other worlds without being more precise (I believe it should be colonizing worlds of other star systems - to be technical).

Some of the higher TL seem out of whack (specifically cloning of body parts - this should be TL-9, -10 at the most; AI as well; and battle dress at 13 seems way high), but that is probably from fitting existing data back to the TL levels and using them as examples. These are still no big deal.

I can accept less 'realistic' TLs. The only thing I have a real problem with is when the rules are inconsistent. Such as with the Gravitic Manouevre drive set at TL-7 (as I mentioned on another post).

I would also have liked more consistency in providing TL, cost and dtons (and mass on personal items). This would have allowed easy generic TL modifiers to be applied to cost and displacement/mass.