Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering and Proto Jump Drive Factor Zero.

The UNSCA research station on Ceres had one more miracle to produce. It was at that station that Terrans first developed the jump drive, which allowed for accessible interstellar travel, in 2088. At first, the prototype jump drive was extremely fuelhungry and limited in range. It was used only within Sol system, as a fast means of reaching the outer planets and the cometary cloud.

Proto in this sense doesn't imply a prototype tech level nine jump factor one hyperspace drive.

In a way, you should have everything you need at tech level eight to build a jump drive, fusion and grav technology, and as well artificial gravity and manoeuvre drives capable of sustained five gees.

Of course, factor zero jump drives are only capable of transitioning a quarter of a parsec, though that's enough of insystem travel, assuming jump shadows don't get too much in the way. It's possible that in more clustered star clusters, you could get away with two or three jumps to reach the next inhabited exoplanet.

While fuel consumption and time spent in hyperspace remain the same as that of a jump factor one transition, in theory, both should be significantly less.

A tech level eight Core/2 computer should be able to control the transition of a two kay plus hull.

 

[wbnc]

Starships: Engineering and Proto Jump Drive Factor Zero.

The UNSCA research station on Ceres had one more miracle to produce. It was at that station that Terrans first developed the jump drive, which allowed for accessible interstellar travel, in 2088. At first, the prototype jump drive was extremely fuelhungry and limited in range. It was used only within Sol system, as a fast means of reaching the outer planets and the cometary cloud.

Proto in this sense doesn't imply a prototype tech level nine jump factor one hyperspace drive.

In a way, you should have everything you need at tech level eight to build a jump drive, fusion and grav technology, and as well artificial gravity and manoeuvre drives capable of sustained five gees.

Of course, factor zero jump drives are only capable of transitioning a quarter of a parsec, though that's enough of insystem travel, assuming jump shadows don't get too much in the way. It's possible that in more clustered star clusters, you could get away with two or three jumps to reach the next inhabited exoplanet.

While fuel consumption and time spent in hyperspace remain the same as that of a jump factor one transition, in theory, both should be significantly less.

A tech level eight Core/2 computer should be able to control the transition of a two kay plus hull.

Jump 0, coupled with automated fuel tenders/suppply transports to establish supply caches between stars could allow a civilization to colonize stars withing 10 Ly with some effort. The Automated ships would go first, drop off cargo and fuel then jump back using much less fuel since most of their volume would be detachable modules. The process would highly inefficient at first but once supply depots were placed transports with organic crews could rapidly transition from point to point.

 

[Condottiere]

I don't think fuel is that much of an issue, since you only expend ten percent of volume per jump, unless some cost accountant figures how that relates to freight rates.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Fights and Generational Conflict

Spaceflight starts at tech level seven, so a spacefighter constructed primarily from that technical base would be termed first generation.

This echelons up to ninth generation at tech level fifteen.

Pony tail nebula; possibly, also the face of God.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: The Expanse

Having watched the entire first season again, plus with knowledge of the current NASA concerns with zero gravity on human health, sufficient oxygen and adequate (artificial) gravity would be human rights; the Solomani wouldn't want unnecessary genetic drift.

That would mean minimum tech level eight titanium steel hulls; I haven't seen the stats for anything below tech level seven hulls, but assuming Victorian battleship grade steel, or even ironcladding, is viable, that would mean hamster cages for long endurance flights.

It does seem an interesting question as to how much energy you can save by shutting down some of the basic functions on a spaceship.

False hulls is another interesting concept; if you've got overclocked engines, they'd more than compensate for a little extra volume, plus with a little engineering and possibly an extra tonne, you could have an extended pop up turret poking through that outside layer. The false hull could also act as extra armour.

With the MCRN Donnager an extreme example, you'll notice how divorced the bridge/CIC is from the hull; I'm not sure of the significance of that, except in our case, I wonder if you place critical components in the centre of fuel tanks.

For hangars, it pretty much backs up my take that you need a lot of space per vessel you cram in there.

For terminology, the Roscinante is either a gunship or an attack ship, though being without a jump drive, that would make her a boat, a system defence boat at probably four hundred tonnes.

Who puts an huge ass angel figurehead on the prow of a starship?

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Artificial gravity, pseudo gravity, float like a butterfly and sting like a bee

Since I've always looked to cut corners and save costs for starship operations and constructions, this weighty topic is never far from my mind.

First off, we take the Azhanti high rise concept, which would mean that decks would be perpendicular to the direction of thrust, which would have to be constant in Einsteinianspace; bridge chairs could swivel forward or roofward underway. Since thruster plates don't consume fusion fuel, or at least until the next edition clears that up, if you can't dock with the starport, you can remain in a holding pattern until a berth becomes available.

Landing dirtside woe the passengers and crew to be strapped to acceleration couches, unless the rocket descends vertically.

You can add artificial gravitational plates to engineering, the bridge, and the staterooms, but the idea is to cut costs, and crew and passenger comfort secondary; I'm not sure how much time the engineer has to spend in engineering for routine maintenance or operations, but if it's only an hour per day or so, artificial gravity can be switched off or become optional.

Since you can't accelerate in hyperspace, you enter it with a spin; but then you have to ensure crew staterooms, common areas, and the bridge are positioned along the hull. Thinking about it makes me feel nauseous already.

Common areas, sleeping bunks, and the bridge should be gravitationalized at a minimum; the crew and passengers should also have realized what they;re getting themselves into when they signed on or booked passage; you calculate out how much tonnage this represents, and that would be a rather rough estimate of the extra cost to a non gravitated hull.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Cargo Holds and First Class Parcel Post

I remember reading in historical novels how the nobility could travel with their own sheets and bedding, tea sets and toilet.

So since they don't trust the maid service onboard the tramp steamer they'll be travelling on, they'll just pay premium rates for cargo space, and have their own luxuriously outfitted container suites installed, with it's own independent life support and power systems. Plus five star kitchen and spa.

 

[legozhodani]

I can just see that working! I like the idea, may steal that one.

 

[AndrewW]

So since they don't trust the maid service onboard the tramp steamer they'll be travelling on, they'll just pay premium rates for cargo space, and have their own luxuriously outfitted container suites installed, with it's own independent life support and power systems. Plus five star kitchen and spa.

Don't forget their own personal servant and chef, so paying for a stateroom (double occupancy of course) for those.

 

[wbnc]

So since they don't trust the maid service onboard the tramp steamer they'll be travelling on, they'll just pay premium rates for cargo space, and have their own luxuriously outfitted container suites installed, with it's own independent life support and power systems. Plus five star kitchen and spa.

Don't forget their own personal servant and chef, so paying for a stateroom (double occupancy of course) for those.

Somewhere around here, I have specs for a personal passenger module, it's a ten module with its own reactor, staterooms for the owner and a personal attendant, and a few luxuries.. right now it's in MgT1e only but it's completely self-contained with power and life support...I did a version with a cockpit ad thrust 1 drives that let it fly up, land in a cargo bay, then the passenger can spend the entire trip in his personal suite for the duration of the voyage. the ship crew never has to physically enter the module,interact with the passengers, or connect it to ships systems. Just the thing for the recluse on the move.

also did a prisoner transport module that uses low berths instead of staterooms, a pilot d guard have a stateroom inside for the trip.

 

[Condottiere]

They're part of the entourage.

Only cheapskate nobles would book them passage in the steamer's cabins.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering

Jump drive

Power plant

Overclocked power plant

Tandem power plants

Propulsion

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Hulls and Solidified Liquids

This would be the bake and shake method of spaceship construction, where the outside hull would be literally created from a mould, with concrete, which you could reinforce with steel rods, or a mixture of ice and sawdust.

This would cut shipbuilding time in, well, depending how long it takes the material to set in space; for the ice, maybe only thruster plates.

Hull repairs should be remarkably easy.

The concrete ones could be called bricks, while the ice ones crystalships.

 

[wbnc]

Spaceships: Hulls and Solidified Liquids

This would be the bake and shake method of spaceship construction, where the outside hull would be literally created from a mould, with concrete, which you could reinforce with steel rods, or a mixture of ice and sawdust.

This would cut shipbuilding time in, well, depending how long it takes the material to set in space; for the ice, maybe only thruster plates.

Hull repairs should be remarkably easy.

The concrete ones could be called bricks, while the ice ones crystalships.

Pykrete in space......''it would be a good use for all the slag asteroid miners generate...preformed hull mold create the shell, strap a modular engine/bridge module on the box, it jumps to the nearest planet with a processor. then they strip of the engine and bridge module and ship it back. The disposable hull can be used as a module for further facilities,processed for valuable minerals/fuel.... or dropped into the nearest star.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: (Almost) Instant Hulls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb1pdvvoVoQ

Watch Richard Ambrose and Jonny Phillips quickly construct a building made of concrete canvas—a material that has all the elements of concrete, but is flexible enough to be turned into any shape. This technology allows people to erect permanent structures in a fraction of the time needed for traditional building techniques.

Electrical wiring could be included; plumbing might require tubes that self inflate, though likely have to be installed separately.

 

[wbnc]

Spaceships: (Almost) Instant Hulls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb1pdvvoVoQ

Watch Richard Ambrose and Jonny Phillips quickly construct a building made of concrete canvas—a material that has all the elements of concrete, but is flexible enough to be turned into any shape. This technology allows people to erect permanent structures in a fraction of the time needed for traditional building techniques.

Electrical wiring could be included; plumbing might require tubes that self inflate, though likely have to be installed separately.

need to add something like that to the Equipment guide a permanent self-erecting habitat would be handy for a lot of scenarios...
Ive also seen houses built by putting up a light chicken wire fra over an inflated form then spray it with a mixture of resin and fiberglass fibers. once it hardens it can stand up to a hurricane.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: (Almost) Instant Hulls

With the ice you'd need a plastic interior coating, though going by the concrete variant, a preformatted skin should work as well.

Which brings another thought to mind, you could have a series of skins layered like a matryoshka doll, each containing a different material which could act as composite armour.

 

[Condottiere]

Aerospace: Travel

http://i.imgur.com/12CGOEV.gifv

Grav board

 

[Condottiere]

Some think the Tigress class super dreadnoughts were based on the Death Star.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Weapon Systems and Spinal Mounts

I think it probably was a mistake to create spinal mounts for inclusion amongst the weapon systems that you can install on spaceships (you'll note I specified spaceships, not warships).

At least not without a great deal of drawbacks and requirements.

I suspect the spinal mount was inspired by the Death Star death ray; but that required a mini moon to act as a platform, and to generate enough power to function, once in a while.

I believe that when we think of space combat, away from the Star Waresque screaming jetdogfighters, we want to recreate Jutland.

Even ships of the line are very carefully balanced creations, that has to account for fire power, speed, range, protection and crew comfort. And firepower is a barrage of guns, not a single superweapon. Even an eighteen incher can be barely fitted on a twenty thousand tonne hull, and then fired without shaking apart the ship; you can mount a set of nine on a seventy thousand tonne one.

I understand that having one hardpoint per hundred tonnes was to ease accounting, which I guess is fine. Having one bay per ten hardpoints didn't seem quite logical, but it was an okay solution, the revision to one bay per hardpoint is questionable, both in terms of space and playability. Having a spinal mount just displace their volume and divide the hard points taken up by tonnes/hundred is/was a very dubious move.

I could design a tech level fifteen gunship mounting a thousand tonne spinal mount in a two thousand tonne hull; which might be fun to create, but for the overall game and setting, a dubious legacy.