Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

Q. I don't think it's ever been discussed the exact dimensions of engines.

R. It's hinted at on deckplans, but you have to consider that in the tight confines of a spacecraft, if there's no leeway in the engineering compartment, a replacement may not fit.

S. If you can pop the hood, there might be a discount on a major refit.

T. Or, if the spacecraft was designed to allow ease of replacement, like placing the engines external to the hull.

U. Or, at least, very close to the skin.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

V. What we have a is ten tonne module.

W. That's one hundred forty cubic metres.

X. I was thinking keeping it one tonne high.

Y. Pragmatically, two tonnes wide, and five tonnes long.

Z. Because I'm going to assume that most starship hulls will be longer, rather than wider.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

1. For a hundred tonne spacecraft, single deck is viable.

2. If we add on ramscoops, we might want two decks, so that the bridge is above the ramscoops, and you can have a view out of the windscreen.

3. I would suppose that the ramscoops would a forty five degree, on either side, and top and bottom, catchment area.

4. We could place them on the bottom deck, in front of the fuel tank.

5. Behind the fuel tank, the jump drive, since then transfer time is minimized.

6. Then the power plant, since it usually just needs sips to keep it sparking.

7. At the end of the second deck, the manoeuvre drive, since that thrust has to have some outlet.

8. First deck would be bridge and payload, accommodations, cargo, miscellaneous.

9. Which seems a pretty clean separation.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

A. The smart thing would be to configure the hull as a lifting body.

B. Since I'd like to simplify this, we could use the Empress Marava deckplans as template.

C. Basically, it proves that a streamlined hull can be shaped like a lasagna.

D. Which means that deckplans can be rectangular.

E. I was thinking I would have to switch from Jupiter Two to Thunderbird Two.

F.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

G. The Empress Marava is about eleven by twenty two squares, give or take.

H. That places the floor ratio at around one by two.

I. Fourteen hundred cubic metres, divided by three, divided by three and one tenth of a metre.

J. One hundred fifty, which is ten squares.

K. So, length twenty squares, by width ten squares.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

L. I always thought that if you added five plus tonnes to the shuttle, you could jumpify it.

M. Single deck simplifies deckplans, and what you have is a dungeon level.

N. It does feel kinda skinny, and more suited to smallcraft.

O. Though at this tonnage, it removes nooks and crannies, attic and cellar.

P. Though, besides fuel, would have worked out for accommodations.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

Q. To be honest, I never really considered the Empress Marava as a basis for (my) spacecraft design.

R. It's very uncharismatic.

S. Also, the double head design is offputting.

T. However, the rectangular nature of the deckplans, and the confirmation it's still streamlined, is advantageous for those of us who can't draw for crap.

U. Single deck simplifies placement of ship components.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

V. While, in theory, you could position ship components anywhere.

W. In practice, balance and centre of mass would ensure that the manoeuvre drives don't have to make conscious adjustments.

X. It's one reason that having a second deck, that allows separation of awkward components is so nifty.

Y. I considered placing the ramscoops, fuel tank, and jump drive, all along the right side.

Z. And the bridge and accommodations on the left.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

1. The engineering compartment on the Empress Marava is split in two, on either side of the starship.

2. Which must be great for manoeuvring, but if you follow my rule of five tonne overhead for any separate jump drive module, makes that non functional.

3.

4. I don't think a ten tonne ram scoop is that large, but does seem to indicate it needs a central location.

5. Or, at least, an unobstructed one.

6. The problem with a single deck arrangement, and centralized engineering is:

7. How does the chicken get to the other side?

8. Because, the engines, ramscoops, and fuel tanks will be a barrier.

9. I suppose, you could take a walk through the engineering compartment.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

A. I think two bulkheads, separating the centre from port and starboard.

B. That would make the centre the engineering compartment, which would be forty tonnes.

C. I'd think that the jump drive would be in the centre.

D. But, since it's a single deck, you probably want easy access to the primary fuel tank, for both the ramscoops and and the jump drive.

E. Empress Marava has it's sensors on the left side, opposite the bridge.

F. Not sure where the airlock would go, or if there are more than one.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

G. I could evenly divide it into three and one third tonne wide strips.

H. That, however, wouldn't neatly fit into the squares.

I. However, it would give a more squarish frontal profile to components, for whatever benefit that gives.

J. Also, when you think about it, the engineering bulkheads should take up volume.

K. They are not armoured, otherwise they would surround each component.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

L. If I squeezed the centre, something will pop.

M. Ten tonne jump fuel tank, ten tonne ramscoops, ten tonne jump drive, one tonne manoeuvre drive.

N. That would leave only two and one third tonnes for the fusion reactors; plus power plant fuel tank, in three and one third squares by two squares.

O. Also, likely weirdly shaped manoeuvre drive.

P. Manoeuvre drive one square by two squares, four half tonne reactors, and two one sixth tonne power plant fuel tanks.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

Q. We obviously need a twelve tonne fuel tank for jumping, so ten isn't enough.

R. We can invest a bit in the fuel tank, and turn it into a fuel/cargo container.

S. That would allow congress between the right and the left thirds to the vessel.

T. The fuel tank would be withdrawn during transitions, since the fuel would have been used up.

U. During hydrogen harvesting, the fuel tank would slowly expand, as it fills up.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

V. If we do an Airbus, the bridge configuration would be standardized, that any flight crew could operate the spacecraft with minimum familiarization.

W. Since this is a prototype, homogeneity probably isn't an issue.

X. Same with engineering.

Y. With fuel tanks, you have more latitude with configuration.

Z. But I think, they'd usually be placed near jump drives, considering their consumption is like dam opening up it's spillways.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Would Minefields Work in Space?

Spacedock delves into spaceborne minefields in science fiction.

1. Mobility

2. Station keeping

3. Durability

4. Mine sweeping

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

1. It's an interesting question, as to whether Melon Muskrat achieved his ambition to be the first human to step onto a goldilocked planet in another star system.

2. And, if he survived long enough to come back and celebrate this on Squawker.

3. Considering that Starleaper almost immediately went into lockdown on it's return.

4. The expedition takes place after the return of the Starleaper, and Muskrat organizes it in order to get to the bottom of what he perceives as a government conspiracy.

5. He tracks down dissident members of the jump drive early prototype team, who wanted to go in the increased size direction.

6. That researcher than (re)assembles his colleagues that for one reason or another, were no longer part of the jump drive research and development organization.

7. I tend to think that at this point, no one on Terra had gotten past the prototype stage.

8. And that the Americans decided on a large starship, to deal with any issues that might develop.

9. So, the Challenge drive is thirty five tonnes with twelve hundred parsec tonnes, compared to the Venture drive ten tonnes with one hundred twenty parsecs.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Venture Drive

A. It's an interesting question whether jump drive orientation matters.

B. I was thinking that if had it at one tonne height, by five squares, by four squares, I could place as to how it best fit within the hull.

C. Also, if the shape of the jump drive was reflected on the configuration of the jump bubble.

D. In theory, you want the rabbit hole to materialize in front of the starship.

E. And apparently, if you're towing something, you want the jump bubble to cover the towee.

F. Unless the engineering role actually does include tweaking the jump bubble configuration.