Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Star Wars: Squadrons – Official Reveal Trailer

Buckle up, take full control of starfighters such as the X-wing and TIE fighter, and feel the adrenaline of strategic first-person 5v5 multiplayer dogfights alongside your squadron.

In a fateful campaign set near the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War, learn what it means to be a pilot in a thrilling STAR WARS™ single-player story. The New Republic fights for freedom. The Empire demands order. We need you to join the galaxy’s finest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0eRkhR1z6A

On the bright side, Traveller fighters fly faster and react quicker.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Pelican - Most Detailed Breakdown

In this episode: We give the D77-TC Pelican the Most Detailed Treatment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dwrAroz00Y

Hard to believe you could fit a tank in there.

Docking clamp.

Nuclear fusion drive accelerator: https://youtu.be/9dwrAroz00Y?t=1261

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Engineering and What is a Stirling Engine?

A Closed-loop, External Combustion, Thermal Exchange Engine.
Perfect for submarines because it doesn't require air or exhuast to run.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rof9ZK3cXkQ

Looks ideal for a spaceship.

Can you freeze hydrogen? The temperature differential could be quite substantial.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Blue Sun | Firefly

The most insidious power in the Verse lies hidden in plain sight. On the shelves of every store, branded on every spaceship, and behind every secret.

The Templin Institute. Investigating alternate worlds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5JLVQ6j2S4

Subsidiary.

 

[Ursus Maior]

Spaceships: Engineering and What is a Stirling Engine?

A Closed-loop, External Combustion, Thermal Exchange Engine.
Perfect for submarines because it doesn't require air or exhuast to run.

[...]

Looks ideal for a spaceship.

Can you freeze hydrogen? The temperature differential could be quite substantial.

If it's ideal for a spaceship, depends on where the two mediums (the hot one and the cold one) would be situated. Inside a spaceship it's usually relatively warm, because of the excess heat of the crew and equipment, but there is really no good "cold" medium available. Outside the spaceship lies, well, space, but this medium is so evacuated that it's more defined by the absence of a medium than being a medium capable of good heat transfer.

Of course, you could cool down hydrogen and use the temperature differential between the cold hydrogen and the rest of the ship. But that would a) cost a lot of energy - which would have to be provided by outside means (space station or downport likely) and b) you would loose most of your temperature differential when using the j-drive. That is, if a j-drive could work on very cold hydrogen, which I doubt since usual tanks seem to store it at or near room temperature.

I think, this would in total just be a very inefficent drive, which could probably only work on installations that use up the stored and cooled hydrogen only very slowly and either don't have large power needs or can devote a lot of space to hydrogen storage. An emergency power unit for a starport would be such a candidate.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

That is, if a j-drive could work on very cold hydrogen, which I doubt since usual tanks seem to store it at or near room temperature.

Traveller hydrogen fuel is generally assumed to be stored as liquid hydrogen (LHyd), by necessity frozen to at least 33 K (≈ -240 °C ≈ -400 °F).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_hydrogen

 

[Condottiere]

While I doubt it would be a viable replacement for a fusion reactor, in the outer system there might be an economic case for it.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Dyson Sphere: The Megaproject that Requires an Entire Solar System...

I've wanted to make a video about these things since the 90s when I first saw Star Trek TNG episode Relics. I hope this video does them justice. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erqXjBFHZE4

Or, we're pioneers.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: MCRN Donnager: Flagship of the Martian Navy's Jupiter Fleet | The Expanse Explained

Today we break down the MCRN Donnager-class battleship, pride of the Martian Navy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u12LtYywDgw

I'm thinking Azhanti High Lightning.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Engineering and The Space Perspective - Spaceship Neptune

Space Perspective’s magnificent, safe suborbital flight via space balloon will smoothly fly you to the edge of space. Soak in the curvature of our beautiful planet against the blackness of space, while gently sailing along inside the revolutionary, near-zero emissions Neptune capsule above the rich colors of the Earth below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KNfqF6eJws

The important question is: is the balloon helluvalot cheaper than an equivalent gravitational motor?

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Why The Expanse Has the Most Realistic Space Combat

When it come to space combat no one does it better and more realistically then The Expanse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcKaW8uo8JQ

1. Acceleration

2. Kinetic weapons

3. Jousting

4. Might not be a great idea to place vital areas in the centre of mass

5. Patch kits

6. Cost benefit education

7. Magnetic boots

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I'm thinking Azhanti High Lightning.

v2.0

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: SDF-1 Macross Class Super Dimensional Fortress Breakdown

Robotech Macross/ Super Dimension Fortress Macross is an anime series many of you [under the leadership Barry Bend] have requested that we cover over the years. Well, I finally got around to watching the Macross Saga and studying the ship at the center of the show: the SDF-1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifxB_SCpJc4

1. Space, space, space, time, and protoculture.

2. Watch it in the original language.

3. Baptismal name combinations to be avoided: Richard Hunter.

4. Space, space, space, time, and singing.

 

[Condottiere]

Space, space, space, time, and vibrations.

String theory: each universe vibrates at a unique frequency.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Horrifying Reality Of Being An Imperial Pilot: Star Wars lore

What was it like to be a tie pilot under the empire?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M88UDXG42gA

1. No life support

2. Two days rations

3. The problem with this supposed canonical military doctrine, is that it would be more believable if Imperial capital ships carried hundreds of TIE Fighters, where a couple of dozen would be an insignificant part of the operating cost, paling besides the time and effort to train these pilots, and then sending out replacement craft and crew to a far flung fleet.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Hulls and Why The Docking Adapters On The Space Station Are Shaped Oddly

There are many docking systems on the International Space Station, reflecting the fact that it's the product of multiple space programs which combined their space station plans into the ISS. The history of the program has lead to some design choices which seem to be strange, until you look at them in the context of the whole program history.
In particular, I often get asked about the pressurized mating adapters at the front of the space station and how the tunnel includes a bend rather than simply going straight through, and of course it's all because of historical choices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNEWkY9D2k4

1. Banging head

2. Androgynous docking

3. Soft capture/hard capture

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: 25 Things You Missed In Netflix's Space Force

For the purposes of this video we’re going to be talking about the Netflix series Space Force, and not the actual United States Space Force that exists in real life. Although. . .you might be surprised how often the two overlap! Fans of The Office were excited to see Steve Carell back in action on his new series, but General Mark Naird is no Michael Scott. However, Anabela Ysidro-Campos is definitely a parody of real-life politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and F. Tony Scarapiducci is named after an actual White House communication director who lasted less than two weeks on the job. We’ll talk about why Lisa Kudrow’s character ended up incarcerated, and check in with a certain convenience store clerk who might be in danger! There are some hidden references to real life events, and even minor details like a carefully placed didgeridoo actually have real life roots. No matter how carefully you binged the show we can probably point out some things you didn’t notice on your first watch through. . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ_V5oT_ypQ

It's light South Parky, in that they incorporated current events, without continuously hammering them home, and treating each character respectfully. I might have missed it, but there seem to be some timeline leaps which weren't explained. Probably works better binge watching.

No idea why Kudrow got forty to sixty years imprisonment, since even if she killed someone she'd be out in twenty, and if she pulled off a Madoff (one hundred fifty years) scam, her husband would be considered a security risk; or maybe not, considering the current incumbent of the Oval Office.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Why Planetary Invasions Would Never Happen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc_2v1_yAlU

Seems to lack imagination.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Hulls and Titanium - The Metal That Made The SR-71 Possible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obcya0ze6Zo

1. There's no oxygen in space, so pretty much a candidate for orbital manufacturing.

2. And ours is alloyed with steel.

3. I don't think you can blunt a laser.

4. I guess we could look for an aluminium alloy substitute?

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Hulls and SpaceX's Abandoned Plans - Final Episode (for now!)

The final batch of projects which SpaceX announced development of but later abandoned in favour of other goals. As technology was developed some plans were realised to be beyond what was possible in the timescale, or more cost effective solutions were discovered, or the benefits weren't going to deliver an advantage to the overall business.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG9pAkRPgNA

1. Crossfeed - drop tanks propellant juggling.

2. Juggling being the operative word, plumbing complexity and mass movement.

3. Steel is cheaper.