Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Gravity: Force

My glib quip on this is that the universe tends towards attraction, on a local and macro level, towards a central point.


Gravity: Artificial

Which makes me wonder exactly how far this extends, and if it works on a diminishing returns basis based on the square root of the distance between the gravity plate and the vertical plane.

In other words, in a large enough cargo hold, could you float just under the roof?

 

[Condottiere]

Ships: Old

Space craft could have their own career paths, in ten year terms.

 

[Condottiere]

10 ton Bridge
4 workstations at 1 ton each
- Flight controls
- Astrogation
- Communications/transponder
- Engineering
- Environmental Systems/Life Support
- Internal Security/Operations Management/Resource Allocation
- Ship's Computer
- Sensors/Lidar/Radar/Infra red/Optical/Geiger Counter/Gyroscope

1.5 tons avionics
1.5 tons corridor
1 ton ship's locker
1 ton air-lock
So there's one ton leftover to be distributed

4 ton Stateroom
2.5 tons
0.5 tons fresher
0.5 tons corridor
0.5 tons common area

Okay, I thought about it, to reconcile it more with the current HG


Basic Starship Bridge: Ten Tons

Two cabin sized control stations duplicating flight controls
- six tons.

Two workstations immediately behind them
- two tons.

Enough room for a stewardess to comfortable wander around the bridge;
or two, who are on good terms with each other.

Airlock - one ton.
Ship's locker - half ton.
Refresher - half ton.
Reinforced door.

 

[Condottiere]

Venture Class: Late Model

Can do the Kessel Run in twelve days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsFAZG2CkQI

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

So what is the displacement tonnage of the Millennial Falcon? Does it count as a Free Trader or a Far Trader?

 

[Condottiere]

At around one, one and a half decks and twenty five metre width, probably one hundred fifty tons.

 

[Condottiere]

Smallcraft: Armament

I forget, where in HG is it specifically prohibited from installing torpedo bays on smallcraft? Barbettes are disallowed, and so are bays with energy and rapid fire weapons.


Bays: Ammunition Allocation

1. How much ammunition do missile and torpedo bays carry?

2. Ammunition is quoted as two and four hundred rounds respectively for fifty and hundred ton rail gun bays; how many salvoes are those?

 

[Condottiere]

Jump Drive: Physics

My take on it, is that a gravitational singularity is created for a brief moment, that allows an object to slip into a specific higher dimension. That why grav technology had to be created first.


Jump Drive: Bubble

The bubble is required to keep at bay the physical laws of this hyperspace dimension from ejecting this foreign object back into Einsteinian space. The (pre-calculated) controlled collapse of the bubble ensures the re-entry of the object at a pre-determined exit. Give or take. It's not that an exact science. Maybe it's an art?


Universe: Parallel

Don't believe it exists, though higher dimesions probably do.


Universe: Multi

Seems conceivable that ours is just one in a vast ocean of soap bubbles that ultimately arer constrained in growth by the presence of others and burst.

 

[Condottiere]

Venture Class: Hull Thickness

I guesstimate the naked hull at eight inches thick; I hope that's enough to survive re-entry.


Modular Hull: Flexibility

I was trying to figure out how to exactly fit cargo in, and/or make stowage more efficient. I could spend it on two grappler claws that in theory could lift out a standard six metre container, but then I thought, it would just be more efficient to remove modules directly instead of opening up the hold.

Funny thing is, there's no tonnage penalty, and you could install mission specific modules, extra fuel, and/or accommodations, just by paying a little bit extra for the hull.

 

[Condottiere]

Armament: Missile Pack(s)

Not really enough at one per hundred tons, especially if they all go off at one go.

 

[phavoc]

Venture Class: Hull Thickness

I guesstimate the naked hull at eight inches thick; I hope that's enough to survive re-entry.

Wowzers, I would hope so! Materials should have improved a lot since today's tech when we use friction to slow things down instead of anti-grav. Hull thickness would be more about armor factor versus weaponry/space debris than re-entry stress (hull framing is as much a function as hull plating) due to heat. In fact there should be very little to no heat unless they are in a big hurry.

 

[phavoc]

Armament: Missile Pack(s)

Not really enough at one per hundred tons, especially if they all go off at one go.

Yeah, Robotech missile armaments don't mesh with the Traveller tech. It would be more along the lines of a VLS system from a modern destroyer or cruiser. Which still beats the pants off Traveller missile launching times. Of course the pricing for a standard missile beats the pants off a modern missile price too...

 

[Reynard]

Robotech launchers suck! They look like they're being kicked out of the tube and fly somewhat randomly until they can get lock-on.

 

[phavoc]

Robotech launchers suck! They look like they're being kicked out of the tube and fly somewhat randomly until they can get lock-on.

Anime technology defies many laws, including physics. Rick Hunter in his Super-Veritech fighter equipped with Reflex missiles (same as a nuke, but there aren't any anti-protoculture dampeners) would do some serious damage. Not to mention that he would probably have like a bazillion combat actions per Traveller turn.

 

[Condottiere]

Armament: Missile Pack

VLS is more in tune with torpedoes.

Missiles are closer in size to those in Macross.

 

[Condottiere]

Alphabet Drives: Complete Modules

It's fairly easy to imagine that Manoeuvre Drives and Power Plants could exist as modules, since one delivers a set amount of energy, and the other a measurable amount of thrust.

Even the duplication of two sets of listed Alphabets Drives operating simultaneously shouldn't be a problem, as long as the thrust is balanced.

And yet, outside of the fact it's fantasy science, you won't be able to achieve similar results by just installing two Jump One hyperdrives inyour starship, and by igniting both, suddenly be able to transition two parsecs.

 

[Condottiere]

Armaments: Fixed Mounts for Starships

1. Theoretically, you could treat them like spinal mounts. But then, I'd rather have a bay.

2. You could fix a bay so that it's launchers or the business ends point in one direction, but I rather doubt the volume could be exactly halved.

3. Torpedoes and missiles need mass drivers to flush them out, at the usual velocities spacecraft reach.

 

[Condottiere]

Docking Clamps

Would be used to anchor spacecraft to space stations.

For an additional cost, they could also carry the feedlines for fuel, waste disposal, and power, for suitably modified spacecraft.

Or ...


Grappling Arm

Attach the feedlines to a grappling arm, which has a reach of two hundred and fifty metres.

 

[AndrewW]

Docking Clamps

Would be used to anchor spacecraft to space stations.

For an additional cost, they could also carry the feedlines for fuel, waste disposal, and power, for suitably modified spacecraft.

Or ...


Grappling Arm

Attach the feedlines to a grappling arm, which has a reach of two hundred and fifty metres.

Note Docking Arms exist in Space Stations and can transfer fuel.

 

[simonh]

Alphabet Drives: Complete Modules

It's fairly easy to imagine that Manoeuvre Drives and Power Plants could exist as modules, since one delivers a set amount of energy, and the other a measurable amount of thrust.

Even the duplication of two sets of listed Alphabets Drives operating simultaneously shouldn't be a problem, as long as the thrust is balanced.

I'm not sure what you mean by modules. Certainly the drives are manufactured separately from the ship and then installed. What do you think differentiates a 'modular' manoeuver drive or power plant from a non modular one?

Simon Hibbs