Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

120. Technological level nine restricts manoeuvre drives acceleration of factor one.

121. Cost is default two megaschmuckers per tonne, which at default for two hundred tonnes is two tonnes at four megaschmuckers, and require twenty power points.

122. Buy it at Aldi, and at twenty five percent discount, the budgetted variant is three megaschmukers.

123. The basic choice of disadvantage would either be increased size at one hundred twenty five percent or energy inefficiency at one hundred thirty percent.

124. Increased size would mean to maintain factor one acceleration, volume would be two and a half tonnes, and the actual total price tag would be three and three quarters megaschmuckers, which makes the price saving a tad questionable.

125. Energy inefficiency would require twenty six power points, which I don't think you can squeeze out of the solar panelling.

126. Apply the twenty power point allocation to the manoeuvre drive, and it runs at 76.92307692307692 percent efficiency, which is a tad above the seventy percent Terran standard gravity minimum requirement for the more or less normal functioning of a human body.

127. If you can source power from other energy creators, such as batteries or the fusion reactor meant for transitionary power, you can make up the difference and restore acceleration back to the full factor one.

128. You could make a case that 0.76 gee falls under minimal manoeuvring.

129. Or at the other end of the stick, any application of efficiently energizing the manoeuvre drive could allow for accelerations at 1.333 gravities, 2.0 gravities and with three applications, 4.0 gravities.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: 3D Printed Traveller Scout Ship - Review

The Type-S Scout/Courier has been an iconic spacecraft for Traveller players for over 40 years. Now 2nd Dynasty has teamed up with Marc Miller to bring a 3D-printable version that's to scale with 28mm miniatures. It features three decks, sliding doors, folding landing gear, a rotating turret, in 25.3 inches long, OpenLOCK compatible, and can accept a lighting kit for the engines and running lights.

Find it on their campaign page (with tons of add-ons): https://www.myminifactory.com/crowdfu...
The 2nd Dynasty Website: https://www.2nddynasty.com/
The Evan Designs lighting kit (mine is the Ice Blue): https://evandesigns.com/products/2ndd...
Don’t have a 3D Printer? Then check out a list of Officially Licensed Printers on the Campaign Page: https://www.myminifactory.com/crowdfu...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCIn30dPTnM


It's like you were there.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Traveller: Spacecraft Construction

Let's build a space ship! Join me on a detailed walkthrough and review of the Mongoose Traveller 2nd Edition (MGT2) rules as we construct a 100-ton Scout Ship. By the end, you should have the concepts down so you can begin storming the galaxy in your own custom spacecraft.
The construction rules can be found in the 2022-Update Corebook or in High Guard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylYmiTm1GV8


1. Dispersed structure - double percentages for armour.

2. Power plant fuel - minimum appears to be now one tenth of a tonne.

3. Life support costs - still unclear, in regard to other accommodation options.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Accommodations and Life Support Costs

1. Come to think of it, how much life support costs are required for the ship's cat?

2. And if there is a rat infestation onboard, how much does that cost?

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Accommodations, Life Support Costs and Low Berths

1. And while we're at that, why does using a low berth cost a hundred schmuckers?

2. Because the power is free, the equipment is covered under monthly maintenance, and we've already paid the salaries of the crew.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

130. Apparently, the minimum size of a power plant now corresponds to the output of one power point.

131. Which is great when going camping.

132. The thing about increased size discount only really works if the final price tag if the calculation is based on the original volume, not the adjusted one.

133. Exception to this is when you have a minimum volume, and you don't really need all that performance.

134. So since the diesel engine sucks too much fuel, and while atomic reactor fuel is unrealistically curtailed endurance and rather expensive.

135. We'll have to stick with fusion.

136. Since the base construction for the jump factor one skipship would be technological level nine, we can easily source an early fusion technological level eight fusion reactor.

137. Again, if you can leverage that into a cheaper wholesale cost, who knows?

138. An application of increased size ten power points over one and a quarter tonnes, at 468'750 schmuckers, saving 31'250 schmuckers at the expense of a quarter tonne.

139. Energy inefficiency would be one and a third tonne to produce ten power points, at half a megaschmuckers is basically worse than running around in circles, considering the original cost of half a megaschmucker for one tonne with ten power points; I know it doesn't make sense, but when I inquired, the insistence was that cost is always based on the final tonnage.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

140. Speaking of minimums, the skipship is based on a two hundred tonne hull configuration.

141. That's the maximum size that a ten tonne bridge can effectively control.

142. If the default displacement tonne is fifty kiloschmuckers, an additional increase of size of a quarter tonne would mean you have to allocate an twelve and a half kiloschmuckers to that quarter tonne; it's a form of opportunity cost.

143. However, since we're using an aerated ironick hull at three and three quarters kiloschmuckers per usable tonne, that's an opportunity cost of 937.50 schmuckers.

144. This is specific to the skipship concept, since the assumption is that neither the cargo nor the passenger capacity is likely ever to be filled.

145. So there's complete justification in shaving every cost and cutting every corner, since volume will never be completely utilized.

146. Minimum size for solar panelling is half a tonne, the ratio between that and the power plant is one to ten.

147. That means you could have a five tonne solar panelled supplemented early fusion power plant, fuel usage reduced by seventy five percent.

148. Half a tonne of fuel, divided by four, one eight of a tonne for four weeks endurance.

149. So a budgetted increased size technological level eight five tonne early fusion reactor produces forty power points is one and seven eighths megaschmuckers, plus half a tonne solar panelling at fifty kiloschmuckers.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

150. Since dual cockpit can control upto two kilotonnes of spacecraft, so far, seems the automatic choice for the skipship.

151. A full bridge would cost a megaschmuckers for two hundred tonnes.

152. Whereas a dual cockpit is fifteen kiloschmuckers and two and a half tonnes.

153. Which leaves us with the specific functions involved with jumping.

154. That can be done with a Specialist Control Centre, which costs the equivalent of a small bridge, which means half of that of a full bridge.

155. So, six tonnes at half a megaschmucker.

156. Basic sensors would be inherent in the dual cockpit, lidar and radar, no tonnage, but with a minus four disadvantage.

157. Sensor upgrade would require power and tonnage, but could be activated only when you require an active sweep.

158. Cheapest computer is technological level seven bandwidth five, at thirty kiloschmuckers.

159. Software would be manoeuvre zero, library and jump control one.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

160. I think I've covered the basics, so here are the add ons.

161. Fuel scoops cost a megaschmucker, but I think you can sip water with rubber hoses, or break up ice with pickaxes.

162. One tonne of fuel processors require a power point to operate, can convert twenty tonnes of unrefined fuel, and cost fifty kiloschmuckers, requiring four days to convert forty tonnes worth, enough for a monojump.

163. You can always use an additional airlock at two tonnes and two hundred kiloschmuckers.

164. Since you have an unstreamlined hull, having a smallcraft tends to be a good idea, but carefully manoeuvring on thrusters should allow a safe descent on an atmosphered world.

165. Biospheres can make use of the cheap real estate, but at least in the short term, directly purchasing life support appears to be the more economical option.

166. Chances of needing escape capsules are slim.

167. On the other hand, you probably do need to install a medical bay and an autodoc, but that's four tonnes and two megaschmuckers, and needs a power point.

168. That the same for the library, but interestingly costs double that of a medical bay; between the two, I'd opt for the medical bay.

169. I think you can have a three tonne workshop, that allows one Traveller a bonus of plus two to mechanic, would cost four hundred fifty kiloschmuckers.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

170. It seems a sort of universal understanding that starships are allowed to be armed.

171. My opinion is that one tonne turrets are tolerated, but barbettes are looked at askance.

172. Bays that resemble weapon platforms even more so.

173. I've always thought that bays are a permanent part of the hull, but apparently not.

174. That makes the fact that they have no separate cost, like turrets, from their weapon systems, literally free.

175. And we like free stuff.

176. You can utilize bays as both storage for vehicles and general cargo.

177. Proper placement of the bay(s) would allow an immediate access of whatever had been stored in there.

178. Could be that cargo containers and weapon systems are constructed within a standard that allows placement of both within the bays.

179. Where was I going with this; oh yeah, not that it would matter, but make the cargo hold and the weapon bay interchangeable.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

180. Selection of weapon systems would be between two bays, two hardpointed turrets, two hardpointed barbettes, two mounted fixtures, three firmpointed barbettes and/or six firmpointed single turrets.

181. Since in any manoeuvring contest, the Freetater will get off worse, not much point in energy weapons in mounted fixtures.

182. However, guided ordnance that can change direction should be alright.

183. I was looking at my computer, and thought that the Potato class would be a fitting description for the skipship.

184. But it doesn't rhyme, but for that we have Tolkien.

185. Very tempted to call it Friedtater.

186. But the cheapest option that's applicable in general is twenty percent increased size, which cuts cost by twenty five percent.

187. That probably requires a larger turret, though a larger turret can take standard non enlarged weapon systems, and non standard shrunken ones.

188. The problem with firmpointed single turrets, is that each still takes up a tonne and requires a power point.

189. Simplest option is two triple turrets with pulse lasers, being both offensive and defensive.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

190. Freetater subclasses can take advantage of it's cheap hull.

191. This can take the form of either hull armour and/or modularization.

192. It seems doubtful that you can podularize an ironick hull.

193. Modularization can utilize upto seventy five percent of the hull.

194. That's five percent short of maximum eighty percent usable volume.

195. Like ye modular cutter, it might be faster just to drop off a modular section filled with cargo, than going through the usual routine of docking and and unloading through the cargo hatch.

196. Modularization is cheaper than externalling clamping cargo containers.

197. Each modular tonne would have a premium of three hundred schmuckers.

198. Thirty tonnes would be a premium of nine kiloschmuckers, a one tonne clamp would be half a megaschmucker.

199. And an external cargo mount is thirty kiloschmuckers for thirty tonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Skipship: (Almost) Freetater


. Technological level
.. nine

. Hull
.. two hundred tonnes
.. planetoid
... nickel iron
... wastage
.... twenty percent
... armour
.... organic
.... factor
..... two
... streamlined
.... non
... light
... hull points
.... forty six
.. total cost
... 600 kilostarbux

. Bridge
.. dual cockpit
... tonnage
.... two and a half tonnes
... cost
.... fifteen kilostarbux
.. specialist control centre
... jumping
... tonnage
.... six tonnes
... dice modifier
.... plus one
... cost
.... half a megastarbux
... total tonnage
.... eight and a half tonnes
.. total cost
... 515 kilostarbux

. Computer
.. bandwidth
... five
.. cost
... thirty kilostarbux
.. software
... manoeuvre
.... factor
..... zero
.... cost
..... free
... library
.... factor
..... zero
.... cost
..... free
... jump control
.... factor
..... one
.... cost
..... one hundred kilostarbux
.. total cost
... 130 kilostarbux

. Sensors
.. basic
... lidar
... radar
... dice modifier
.... minus four
... tonnage
.... zero tonnes
... power input
.... zero power points
.. total cost
... free

. Engineering
.. jump drive
... budget
.... energy inefficient
... power input
.... twenty six power points
... tonnage
.... ten tonnes
... cost
.... eleven and a quarter megastarbux
.. manoeuvre drive
... budget
.... energy inefficient
... power input
.... twenty six power points
... tonnage
.... two tonnes
... cost
.... three megastarbux
.. power plant
... early fusion
... budget
.... increased size
... solar panelling
.... tonnage
..... five hundred kilogrammes
... fuel consumption
....
... power output
...... forty power points
... solar panelling
.... tonnage
..... six hundred kilogrammes
.. fuel
... tonnes
.... twenty two

. Armaments

. Accommodations
.. staterooms
.. common areas
.. airlocks
.. cargo hatches

. Additional systems
.. fuel processor
... twenty tonnes per day
.... one power point
... tonnage
.... one tonne
... cost
.... fifty kilostarbux

. Cargo
.. tonnage

160-8.5-10-2.5-5-0.5-0.6-22-1= 109.9

work in progress

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Hulls, Radiation and Space Powered Cooling May Be the Future of Energy

Space powered cooling may be the future of energy. Our cooling systems are heating the Earth as they consume fossil-fueled energy and release greenhouse gases. Air Conditioning use is expected to increase from about 3.6 billion units to 15 billion by 2050. So, how do we exit this cold room trap? What if I told you we could tap into space for electricity free air conditioning and other refrigeration tech?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq8xDXkbXZs


1. Turn the hull itself into an infra red radiator.

2. Paint the outside with an ultra white coating.

 

[Condottiere]

3. Actually, a reflec coating should be even more efficient, but at a hundred kiloschmuckers per tonne, overpriced.

 

[Condottiere]

Skipship: (Almost) Freetater


. Technological level
.. nine

. Hull
.. two hundred tonnes
.. planetoid
... nickel iron
... wastage
.... twenty percent
... armour
.... organic
.... factor
..... two
... streamlined
.... non
... light
... hull points
.... forty six
.. total cost
... 600 kilostarbux

. Bridge
.. dual cockpit
... tonnage
.... two and a half tonnes
... cost
.... fifteen kilostarbux
.. specialist control centre
... jumping
... tonnage
.... six tonnes
... dice modifier
.... plus one
... cost
.... half a megastarbux
... total tonnage
.... eight and a half tonnes
.. total cost
... 515 kilostarbux

. Computer
.. bandwidth
... five
.. cost
... thirty kilostarbux
.. software
... manoeuvre
.... factor
..... zero
.... cost
..... free
... library
.... factor
..... zero
.... cost
..... free
... jump control
.... factor
..... one
.... cost
..... one hundred kilostarbux
.. total cost
... 130 kilostarbux

. Sensors
.. basic
... lidar
... radar
... dice modifier
.... minus four
... tonnage
.... zero tonnes
... power input
.... zero power points
.. total cost
... free

. Engineering
.. jump drive
... budget
.... energy inefficient
... power input
.... twenty six power points
... tonnage
.... ten tonnes
... cost
.... eleven and a quarter megastarbux
.. manoeuvre drive
... budget
.... energy inefficient
... power input
.... twenty six power points
... tonnage
.... two tonnes
... cost
.... three megastarbux
.. power plant
... early fusion
... budget
.... increased size
... cost
.... one and seven eighths of a megastarbux
... solar panelling
.... tonnage
..... five hundred kilogrammes
.... cost
..... fifty kilostarbux
... fuel consumption
.... default
..... half a tonne in four weeks
.... modified
..... half a tonne in sixteen weeks
.... cost
.....
... power output
...... forty power points
... solar panelling
.... technological level (default)
..... early fusion reactor
..... technological level eight
.... power output
..... basic systems
...... forty power points
..... manoeuvre drive factor one (default)
...... twenty power points
.... tonnage
..... six hundred kilogrammes
.... cost
..... sixty kilostarbux
.. fuel
... tonnage
.... forty and a half tonnes
.. total tonnage
... fifty eight and three fifths of a tonne
.. total cost
... 1.925 megastarbux

. Armaments

. Accommodations
.. staterooms
.. common areas
.. airlocks
.. cargo hatches

. Additional systems
.. fuel processor
... twenty tonnes per day
.... one power point
... tonnage
.... one tonne
... cost
.... fifty kilostarbux

. Cargo
.. tonnage

160-8.5-58.6-1= 91.9

work in progress

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Or Skipships

200. Considering that modularization is actually dirt cheap for the Freetater, essentially thirty three hundred schmuckers per tonne, it might be better just to make that default.

201. Basically, it would be an additional thirty kiloschmuckers per hundred tonnes, about as much as a computer bandwidth five.

202. It would also sidestep the need to figure out an optimized accomodation configuartion, since you could always pop out the old one and install a different one.

203. There are three things you cannot modularize.

204. Bridges, engineering and inherent hull features cannot be modularized.

205. That's eight and a half, plus eighteen and one tenth, equals twenty six and three fifths tonnes.

206. That leaves one hundred thirty three and two fifths tonnes up for grabs.

207. You could make up all sorts of odd sizes to fit hull configuration and/or volume available.

208. However, standardization might be a option, even though it's likely that one size doesn't fit all hull configurations.

209. Also, for subclasses, you might want to expand engineering, or add armour.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: N-1 Naboo Starfighter COMPLETE Breakdown & History (Mandalorian & Book of Boba Fett)

The N-1 Naboo Starfighter was in service since before the Clone Wars on Naboo, up past the Empire and into the hands of Din Djarin, the Mandalorian, in the Book of Boba Fett. See inside this iconic Star Wars ship seeing how it all works and the history in this complete breakdown. And see how it went on in the era of Battlefront 2 and the sequel trilogy during the Battle of Exegol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqo7R_rgMpg


1. Retro design means green.

2. Preplace repair droids to the most important components.

3. Easy maintenance and refuelling.

4. Halo marketing.

5. Not registered, off the grid; probably works better along the border regions.

6. Reflec armour?

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and FedEX Is Requesting Permission From The FAA To Install Anti-Missile Lasers On Their Aircraft

Back in 2019 FedEx applied with the FAA for authorization to install anti-missile lasers on their Aircraft but the FAA didn't make a decision at that time. This week the FAA finally filed the documents with the US DOT to finally seek approval for FedEx to get their lasers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPISZzCjJ0U


1. Infra red laser beam to disrupt heat seeking missiles.

2. Fail safe.

3. Reserve fleet.

4. Presumably, also optical and laser guidance, in our case.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: The Legendary Nazi UFO - Is It Real?

Near the closing hours of world war two, the nazis started to experiment with more… unconventional aircraft designs. And technologies that some would consider, unnatural.

With the ability to fly in any direction at the moment’s notice, invisible to radar, and the ability to launch guided missiles, this new flying saucer would have changed the tide of war.

The question remains, Did the Nazi’s ever built a UFO and what happened to the project?

Hold your disbelief, for this extra-spooky Halloween spectacular at found and explained!
It is well-documented that Nazi Germany had conducted research into advanced propulsion technology.

That included rocket technology too, of course, with the infamous V-2 rocket being the precursor to the intercontinental ballistic missiles we have today.

This rocket wizardry within the Third Reich explains why Nazi German scientists were plucked up by both the United States and Soviet Union in the aftermath of World War 2 for their own rocket projects.

But German obsession with cutting-edge technology went back farther in time, everything from flying wings - so somethings otherworldly... Anti gravity

Now I know my audience is rolling their eyes, especially when i covered antigravity last time, but bear with me for a hot minute.

Anti-gravity research had started in Weimar Germany in the 1920s. The R-FZ-1 craft was the first anti-gravity aircraft that also happened to be circular in shape. The craft wasn’t constructed by German military or even a German aviation company, but by the ultra-secretive and occultist Vril Society based in Berlin.

Hermann Oberth’s book By Rocket to Interplanetary Space, published in 1923, and numerous other books at the time did much to spur on German experimentation in aircraft and spacecraft development. It resulted in the formation in 1927 of the Society for Space Travel, of which the scientist Wernher von Braun was a member. von Braun was a true genius. Within a few years, he would invent the infamous V-2 rocket that stunned the Allies and would go on to be the head of the Saturn V rocket project at NASA that sent men to the moon.

In 1928, the society produced the world’s first rocket-powered automobile, the Opel-Rak 1, developed together with Fritz von Opel after whom the Opel car company is named.

Adolf Hitler seized power in Germany in 1933, and almost instantly the Nazi Party took command of all rocket and aircraft development, with all astronautical and aviation-related societies being nationalized and ‘Nazified’.

This was done very deliberately - even in the 1930s, Hitler and his henchmen were convinced that it would be with cutting-edge technology, including spacecraft, that the Third Reich would rule the world.

That’s German for ‘Wonder Weapon’ and it was the name given by the Nazi Ministry of Propaganda to a series of ‘superweapons’ that the Nazis believed would allow Germany to secure victory and reign supreme over the Allies.

It was a very real, potent belief by the Nazi top brass, which is why so much effort went into technologies that were undoubtedly way ahead of their time.

In fact, ‘Wunderwaffe’ in everything from boats to guns to even trains were already being experimented within the 1930s.

Aviation technology was at the forefront of this push to validate the Nazi claim of Germans as the master race at the helm of the so-called ‘Thousand Year Reich’.

The selection of top-secret sites for underground factories with gigantic workshops and launch pads, known as ‘U-plants.’ Germany’s top scientist would toil in these behemoth research labs and factories deep underground with one singular goal: the development and production of powerful secret weapons. A slave-labour contingency numbering 250,000 prisoners would complete work on these subterranean fortress-like labs, factories and launch pads, many of which would be linked by a massive network of tunnels.

Some of these wonder weapons have been well-documented and known prototypes or even working examples of them made. Others were more shrouded in mystery and have even been debunked by some analysts as being pure myth. The Nazi UFOs are firmly in the latter group: no definitive Nazi UFO craft was ever seized, photographed or official use. However, the allegations and conjecture around Nazi UFO craft are immense and there is no denying that they certainly fit into the mould of what would have been a Nazi ‘Wunderwaffe’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b15W7MhNG8M


1. Spherical hull configuration.

2. Technological level seven early prototype manoeuvre drive/lifters.

3. One hundred seventy tonnes, six firm points: one barbette, four single turrets.

4. Kuckoowaffe.