Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

V. At TL9 the linkages are gas-powered grapnels with a reeling cuff ...

W. Minus one on the pilot check.

X. Costs fifty percent more, but well worth it, and within early interstellar travel industrial base paradigm.

Y. As long as you have a stabilized base, you could use them as cranes

Z. Certainly, more suitable than a grappling arm.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

1. A grappling arm is a remotely controlled device used to pick up or manipulate objects in space.

2. I recall a pair of them on the Mercenary Carrier, deploying or picking up really light fighters.

3. I thought it looked like a centipede, with them located on the jaw.

4. The arm is a flexible tentacle of thousands of telescoping segments, capable of reaching out to 250 metres.

5. I suspect that you can't accelerate while operating grappling arms.

6. The arm ends in a set of cameras and grippers of varying sizes, from large claws to tiny micro-manipulators.

7. At least, you'll know that your ultralite fighter would be handled and cradled like a fragile newborn.

8. It also carries a toolkit that can be customised for a particular task.

9. Search and rescue, cargo crane.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

A. A grappling arm can manipulate objects of up to two tons.

B. A heavy grappling arm can manipulate objects of up to 10 tons.

C. Multiple grappling arms of either type can be used to move heavier objects.

D. You have, respectively, ratios of one to one, and six to ten.

E. Also, one and three megastarbux.

F. Somewhat inefficient and expensive, comparatively.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

G. That's one megastarbux per tonne of grappling arm.

H. Performance doesn't seem linear.

I. Could be for every four additional tonnes, the grappling arms can grasp an additional eight tonnes.

J. Though, going by docking clamps, at some point, the capacity becomes infinite.

K. It's possible that a three hundred tonne grappling arm could pick up a two kilotonne load.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

L. ... while at TL12 the linkage is magnetically propelled and guided by targeting lasers.

K. Neutral on piloting check.

M. Mechanical aspect might actually have been replaced with a giant magnet.

N. Possibly, that could also happen with docking clamps, though it seems implied it remains metal tongs.

O. It only costs one tenth of the megastarbux.

P. And, it's still only two tonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

Q. At TL15 the linkage is made of gravitic field control rods and antennae.

R. At some point, you'd mobilize that tractor beam.

S. The fixed version is terribly inefficient, and expensive.

T. This, at two tonnes, is terribly efficient.

U. And, bloody cheap.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

V. One overlooked option is the repulsor/tractor bay.

W. It's sort of one to two ratio, double if upgraded by one technological level.

X. Range is short, customizable to medium.

Y. This might be very useful against single small spacecraft.

Z. But not for large numbers, in a very tight time window.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

1. I'm not quite sure where, but it's been stated that docking clamps have an integrated airlock.

2. Logic, by tonnage indicated, would make that extremely unlikely.

3. Though, it might explain the discrepancy in Number Two.

4. This would require some form of standards, in that clamps would have to grab a specific area of a spacecraft, so that their airlocks, presumably, line up.

5. Default airlock for two suited up humans, is two tonnes.

6. That obviously leaves out Number One, at one tonne.

7. Number Two at five tonnes, and ration five to ninety nine, maybe.

8. Number Three at ratio one to thirty, unlikely.

9. Number Four at ratio one to a hundred, unlikely.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls, Docking Clamps, and Forced Linkage Apparatus

A. I don't recall an option that allows you to customize the size of an airlock.

B. In theory, the simplest one should be large enough for a suited human.

C. Or, to let out the cat.

D. Vacuum pump, air filter, air tank, and two doors.

E. A hatch would be a door without the airlock part.

F. Suspect that set is cheaper than one tenth of a megastarbux.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Accommodations and Excursion Bays

1. Upgraded airlock.

2. The bay is designed for decontamination, maintenance and preparation of equipment as well as access to the ship, and has security features making it suitable for commercial ships as well as exploration vessels.

3. The interesting part for the Small Personnel variant is, it's four tonnes, double that of the default airlock.

4. One point of Access or Support translates to a single person in a hostile environment suit or combat armour, or two in ordinary vacc suits.

5. Small Personnel has an access factor of two, and support factor/four.

6. Support indicates the number of sets of equipment that can be cared for and assumes space for one technician to work for every four points of Support.

7. Each additional ton can be used to add Access +1 Support +2. A personnel excursion bay costs MCr0.5 per ton.

8. The bay is designed for decontamination, maintenance and preparation of equipment as well as access to the ship, and has security features making it suitable for commercial ships as well as exploration vessels.

9. A personnel excursion bay has a small workshop area for maintenance of vacc suits and hostile environment gear, whilst a vehicular excursion bay includes the same but adds vehicle maintenance facilities as well.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Accommodations and Excursion Bays

A. Airlocks consume a minimum of two tons and cost MCr0.1 per ton.

B. By the above definition, Access would appear to be one.

C. The average airlock is large enough for three people in vacc suits to pass through.

D. Or one and a half.

E. Airlocks are sealed systems consisting of two heavy-duty doors or iris valves, with atmospheric pumping equipment, allowing transit to and from a spacecraft in a vacuum or hostile atmosphere.

F. I suppose the cheap and effective variant would be two manually operated bulkhead doors, possibly with a window.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hull and RAT-55: Why the US Military Built the Weirdest Boeing Ever Made

1. You have lots of old frames that you can use for testbeds.

2. Only dispersed structures can increase volume.

3. This is achieved by welding on bits and pieces, and punching holes through walls, to create access.

4. If you end up with too many hardpoints that exceed final volume maximums, they have to be trimmed back.

5. You need at least one command centre that can control the total volume.

6. Possibly, you can do so with other hull configurations.

7. Though, the reconfiguration would be transformed to a dispersed structure.

8. The complication would be that each section would be similar to breakaway hulls, in that they have separate hull points and hull armour.

9. Except, no voluntary separation.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Accommodations and Excursion Bays

G. An airlock takes 10 seconds to cycle.

H. Odds are, so do these excursions bays.

I. Under normal circumstances, airlocks are locked down from the bridge and require a Very Difficult (12+) Electronics (computers) check to override from either the interior or exterior of the ship.

J. An unlocked airlock can be triggered from outside.

K.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Battle for Earth: Admiral Mattis's Last Stand - Science Fiction War Audiobook

7:43:57 Book 2
16:36:44 Book 3
25:05:34 Book 4
36:02:29 Book 5

Disjointed, Frankensteiningly so; possibly, to a Galacticesque degree.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Accommodations and Excursion Bays

L. Every ship has a ship’s locker, usually located near an airlock, cargo bay or the bridge, for the convenience of the crew.

M. Typical equipment within includes protective clothing, vacc suits, weapons such as shotguns, pistols and cutlasses, ammunition, compasses and survival aids, and portable shelters.

N. The contents of the locker are defined by the Referee only when needed but they always contain vacc suits and other useful items.

O. A workshop can be used to repair broken equipment and fabricate new items, and is a common feature on scouts and other ships that operate in the wilderness areas of space.

P. Each workshop allows for two Travellers to use the Mechanic skill on board the ship with DM+2.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Accommodations and Excursion Bays

Q. The workshop is six tonnes at nine tenths of a megastarbux.

R. It's general purpose, not specialized for protective clothing.

S. Presumably, this includes personal armour, but not powered exoskeletons.

T. That would be more armoury related.

U. As would battle dress.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Accommodations and Excursion Bays

V. I suppose we could attach a workshop next to an airlock.

W. That would be accessible to three suited humans, and have two technicians to maintain equipment, including the vacuum suits.

X. At eight tonnes, costing one megastarbux.

Y. Include the armoury, and you'd have potentially a combination of five battledress or ten protective suits, in addition.

Z. That would be nine tonnes at one and a quarter tonnes.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Accommodations and Excursion Bays

1. A large bay suitable for very bulky equipment or teams of hostile-environment operators.

2. Which is ten tonnes at five megastarbux.

3. Access four and support ten.

4. This seems to imply that the large variant can maintain battle dress, and other large powered suits.

5. Presumably, you can upgrade, with each additional tonne allowing one more point for access, and two for support.

6. Since expansion is possible, I thought that you could add additional airlocks that radiate out in other directions.

7. So that if one direction is blocked, you can exit in another axis.

8. Though, what I had in mind an extendible ladder, that you can use to climb to the roof, or drop out the bottom.

9. Just large enough access for a single suited human, either top or bottom.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Accommodations and Excursion Bays

A. What I originally had in mind, were to hatches, to and bottom, and a ladder, attached to the airlock.

B. If it's basically one deck's worth, that would be an additional half tonne, up or down.

C. For a smaller spacecraft, right and left would be doors to, possibly, the bridge and the main compartment.

D. That would make the airlock a foyer.

E. A vestibule (also anteroom, antechamber, air-lock entry or foyer) is a small room leading into a larger space[1] such as a lobby, entrance hall, or passage, for the purpose of waiting, withholding the larger space from view, reducing heat loss, providing storage space for outdoor clothing, etc.

F. It would basically be a control point, allowing access to other parts of the ship, or the outside.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Colours and Markings on Sci-Fi Spacecraft

Spacedock delves into decals and hull livery for sci-fi spacecraft.

1. Environmental adjustment.

2. Identification.

3. Distraction.

4. Aesthetics.

5. Marketing.

6. Radiation deflection.

7. Radiation absorption.

8. Wasted mass.