Topic: BSG Earth Ship concepts

[intermech]

I have been working on some Earth-style ships based on present-day technology: no artificial gravity, no FTL, wings and heat sheilds required for entering the atmosphere. Let me know what you think!

[Lieutenant_Q]

Honestly, I think a Space Warship would be better off if it was not equipped to enter atmosphere.  Any damage to the ship would essentially prevent it from entering anyway.

[TheJudge]

I really like the dread and transport designs. 

[Lieutenant_Q]

Another minor nit-pick...even though you claim that you are designing them without Artificial Gravity, the arrangement of windows, especially at positions I can only assume are the Bridge/Cockpit seem to indicate that there is some sort of AG system in place.

[intermech]

Another minor nit-pick...even though you claim that you are designing them without Artificial Gravity, the arrangement of windows, especially at positions I can only assume are the Bridge/Cockpit seem to indicate that there is some sort of AG system in place.

I used the present space shuttle design as a reference. Though these ships do not have AG systems, like present orbiters, there needs to be an identifiable "up" and "down" in the event that the craft lands on a gravity-emanating mass. The requirement for the positioning of the cockpit (or wheel house) dictates that it be placed in a location conducive to navigation. While radar and other sensing devices are available to aid in navigating the craft, the technology for these ships has not yet reached the point where gages, screens, and readouts can adequately apprise the pilot/helmsmen of information necessary for safe and efficient operation of the vessel, therefore, the cockpit must be arranged to afford maximum viewing area to the operator. With this constraint in mind, the posterior of the pilot must be positioned toward the bulk of the craft with his/her head facing outer space un-obstructed by other parts of the craft. Similarly, a portion of the craft must be devoid of outcropping structure for ease of docking with other craft or stations. These two design constraints among others give the appearance that these vessels have "tops" and "bottoms," however; these designations are only relevant when planet bound. Form follows function (as long as it looks cool).

Please note that the station (last picture) does have artificial gravity in the form of centrifugal acceleration. Here is the MS Excel formula if you need to find out how fast a wagon wheel station needs to spin at a given radius:

=(((SQRT(acceleration/radius))*(360/(2*PI())))/360)*60

[Anthony Scott]

Beautiful work..I like the purely Human designs. By way of example and an effort at education, here are 2 NASA pages, one covering the Orion Program and one covering the now cancelled X-33 project. BTW I had the oppourtunity to speak with one of the lead engineers for the Orion project when he was staying at the hotel where I work and his comments ran along the line of "I keep telling these people you can only have so much of the spacecraft reusuable bceause most of it will be discarded after Mars arrival anyway"...Your designs are truly the first unique designs that hI have seen in this modeling forums in quite some time.

I am not saying that the other models are not excellent nor unique but a Fed looks like a Fed and a Klink looks like a Klink. I am going to follow this particular thread with great interest as the models progress. There are some truly excellent Rommie models coming down the line too. But these are the truly uniquely human and non-Trek ships that I have seen coming down the pike. Keep up the good work!

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/background/facts/x33.html

Semper Fi, Carry On

[Lieutenant_Q]

But a problem arises in combat situations.  Almost the entire time during combat, a WarShip is going to be accelerating.  A WarShip is going to want to have a deck arrangement that is perpendicular to the thrust vector, if you have the decks parallel, the crew is not going to be able to do anything but sit in their couches.  Makes it a problem should critical person take a blow to the head and someone else needs to take his/her station. 
Now if you insist on having the ships be atmospheric operations capable, then larger rooms would be in order, so the rooms can be refconfigured everytime the ship leaves the atmosphere and enters space.  (In the atmosphere down is towards the planet, but in space, down is to the direction of the engine exhaust.)

[intermech]

Safety protocol dictates that the crew be fastened securely to their seats while the ship is accelerating. Onboard work stations are fully networked allowing full transfer of control from one crewmember to another in the event of an emergency, an integral function of Windows Vista XT NASA OEM Edition (fictional).

In terms of up and down, you are correct, down would be the opposite direction of the thrust of the ship whether it is the main engines or steering thrusters. However, the "downward" force would only be felt while accelerating. Once the target velocity is achieved, apparent weightlessness resumes. Most present day spacecraft have an initial burn to get them up to speed and then take advantage of the near frictionless medium of space. For most missions, advanced maneuvering is unnecessary.

Keep in mind that these ships were designed without the knowledge of extra-terrestrial life. During the design phase, no accounting was made for the necessity of maneuverability during combat. As you may notice, there are currently no weapons mounted on the ships. Who would they fight? Also, think about the original Star Trek series, most of the movies, and the Next Generation. The ships mostly sat off each other's bows statically taking potshots at each other. Even in Battlestar Galactica, the larger ships remain stationary. Not to say that this is realistic, but it is certainly an acceptable form of combat among sci-fi genres. My intent is that combat between these ships will be carried out by fighters. If you look at the underside of the hulls of the ships you will see drop-out hanger doors.

Anthony, that is exciting to hear that they are at least thinking about a Mars mission. In terms of the reusability of the entire craft, that is definitely the fictional part of these designs. I am more or less clinging to the concept of the Venturestar with its ability to take off and land with minimal turnaround (minus its major design flaw that killed the design). Thanks for the links.

[Sandman3D]

I really like these IM...very original and well thought out. Now I'm dying to see one of the fighters you mentioned.

[intermech]

Now I'm dying to see one of the fighters you mentioned.

LOL, me too.

[Lieutenant_Q]

ok, but if combat was intended to be fighter to fighter, then what's the point of having multiple classes of ships?

You would just need two or three classes of carriers, one with fewer fighters, one with more fighters, and possibly one in between.

You also mention that this is designed with no knowledge of extra-terrestrial life.  But what about combat between Terrestrial powers? This will be critical especially once Extra-Terrestrial Colonies are founded on Luna and Mars.  I seriously believe that we will still be bickering even after the first colonies are founded.

[intermech]

I agree with you Mr. Q, I believe that we will see at the most 3 years of world peace before it is all said and done, and I think it would be great to see a Sci-Fi universe forgo the utopian united earth view and explore how a politically divided planet might set out exploring the stars. I like how Starlancer (I think that is the one) had an East vs. West conflict confined to the solar system. Please consider however, that no current space craft carry weaponry (to my knowledge) for space based combat, excluding of course what orbital anti ICBM platforms the US might have. But even those platforms focus on a terrestrial battlefield. It may be interesting to model these ships as if they have been retrofitted for combat, perhaps including makeshift addons for assignments outside of their intended roles. Differing sizes of ships have to do with specific missions and size is afforded by the economy and required payload.  You may use a smaller ship to explore an asteroid belt and a larger ship to accommodate a crew on an extended mission to the outer parts of the solar system.

I appreciate the critiques, I really enjoy pondering this subject. The bottom line is, as an artist, I will make the ship look how I want it and then make up stuff to go with it. If anyone has additional suggestions for explaining some of the finer aspects of these ships, please feel free to post them.

[CC22]

Love the DN especially