Open Spacecraft Flown With Vacc Suit?

[Anonymous]

What do people think of an open space craft you can fly with a vacc suit?

Would be a pleasure craft, without jump. Obviously a windscreen is required for micrometeor impacts. Apart from that, and maybe stellar radiation which they can probably predict, any other problems?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

How much air supply?

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

Go for it, sounds like fun!

As for life support duration, it could be meant for short trips (using vacc suit supply only) or it could have an area below-decks that’s pressurized. Or do it like the scout grav bike in JTAS: it’s equipped with life support despite being an open-topped vehicle, explained in the text that the user can connect their vacc suit to the vehicle to use its reserves rather than the suit’s.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

What do people think of an open space craft you can fly with a vacc suit?

It would be impractical, but why not? It's what the air/raft is after all.

 

[Anonymous]

Figured it mght also be useful for repairs or some industrial task, to support EVA workers. Butt hose uses probaly won't need to fly about much. Really thinking pleasure craft is the major user?

 

[Linwood]

I think there’s a substantial number of recreational and utility niches for craft like this, although some may go away at higher TLs.

On the utility side, a simple vehicle for EVA support would be useful for space stations, Highports, and exterior facilities on vacuum worlds. Maybe even megafreighters and Tigress-class dreadnoughts might have a few for hull maintenance and the like. Explorers might find them handy to support scouting and surveying asteroids, planetoids and airless moons. You probably won’t have the range or thrust to go from one asteroid to another though - that’s best left to real spacecraft.

On the recreational side - maybe they’d fill the same niche as personal watercraft, snowmobiles, and sport bikes do now. Racing through the twisted canyons of a fractured moon might be a competitive sport! Outfit them with heat shielding for diving into atmosphere (for the more suicidal/thrill seekers).

 

[Gentleman John]

Perhaps something like one of these designs?

http://www.astronautix.com/l/lunarflyers.html

 

[phavoc]

I don't recall where, but there was a design (not formal) for a space "broomstick" that had seating for two and they used it for in orbit transfer. Individuals had to wear space suits, but for a barebones vehicle it worked well. Seating was straddling the main axis, and there was an engine fore and aft, with a fuel tank

 

[Prodromoi]

I can see a role for a repair/maintenance vehicle where a low-tonnage craft could be open. It would allow for the transport of more tools than a guy in a EVA suit could conveniently carry, and a power source to run some power-hungry tools. The work that the crew would be doing would need them to be in suits getting their (gloved) hands-on to carry out the work, so doing away with that pesky expensive pressure hull, life-support and airlock would make for a much cheaper and lower-maintenance vehicle.

Keeping it small allows for easier access to tight areas, and the crew can keep the craft close to where they're working for convenience. I see possibilities for different sizes; single crew ones, and slightly larger ones for maybe up to three or four crew. It would probably have a protective cage framework, reminiscent of a fork-lift truck (or the Aliens powerloader).

 

[NOLATrav]

Consider all of this yoinked. Great ideas, thanks all!

 

[Prodromoi]

Consider all of this yoinked. Great ideas, thanks all!

Out of curiosity, I'm interested to know what prompted the enquiry? Did a player, or one of them, just fancy something open-topped to feel the solar-wind in his/her hair? Or was it an urge to make something for a specific task?

Let us know how it turned out...

 

[paltrysum]

Possibly inspired by SpaceX's Spaceman?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

No air tank.

 

[Anonymous]

No air tank.

The tyres.

edit: And the central tyre inflation system that adjusts their pressure from a control on the dash.

 

[Gentleman John]

That's just life imitating art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_KXgFpguE0

 

[SSWarlock]

Two issues with this..1) solar flares, and 2) micro-meteoroid impacts. Both can easily be dealt with by high tech-based early warning systems and knowledge of the local star system.

 

[Condottiere]

Leaving aside the default Heavy Metal artwork.

1. You have minimum ten tonnes that needs assigning.

2. With or without gravitational plating and inertial compensation, especially on the open section.

3. Could be a convertible, essentially the cockpit canopy.

4.

 

[Linwood]

A 10-dton min displacement would provide space for things like grappling arms and other useful items, which would be handy for a general utility craft.

 

[Condottiere]

It really should be the equivalent of frog men doing frog things under water.

Like planting limpet mines.

 

[Linwood]

Or looking for said mines?

For operations like that I would imagine these craft would need to be highly stealthy. Maybe not so much if one is targeting civilian ships (or space stations?) and not military craft. Pirates might use something like this to sabotage a high-value target. If life support systems are readily accessible from the exterior hull, maybe they can arrange for the ship to be flooded with a knockout gas (or something more lethal) and then take the whole ship. LEOs or Intelligence agents might do something similar to plant a tracking beacon or data collection device on a targeted ship.