I was in California on business for most of last week, and picked up issue #20
of the Traveller's Digest while I was there. It was with great interest that I
read the Tech Brief article on affordable grav transportation. With that in
mind, I put together the follwoing three designs, and, as always, figured that
somebody else might like to have a look at them.
:::Rob Dean:::
P.S. There is an error in the magazine article--the Spectre low-cost spacecraft
did not take oxygen consumption into account in its fuel cell design, and would
have a vacuum endurance of 13/9 days rather than 13 days, as given. It looks
like a small fusion plant would be preferable at the 5-9MW energy level...I did
the comparison calculations before finalizing the Mark I and Mark II minilaunch
designs given below.
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Lightning_Light_Civilian_Speeder_TL15
The Lightning is intended to be fast, affordable transport at high tech
level. With a maximum occupancy time of eight hours, the Lightning has a
cruising radius of 18,000km-enough to reach any point on most planets. The
fuel cell design limits the vehicle to air-breathing applications. The major
drawback is the fairly simple non-computerized control system, which causes
many planetary governments to restrict its operation to licensed pilots
(GravVeh 2+).
CraftID: Lightning Speeder, TL15, Cr59,105
Hull: 1/3, Disp=1, Conf=1AF, Armor=1G, Loaded=2.71t,
Unloaded=2.07t
Power: 1/2, FuelCell*6=1.62MW, Dur=35/105
Loco: 1/2, Std Grav, Thrust=12t, TopSpeed=3090kph, Cruise=2317kph,
NOE=40kph, MaxAccel=3.4G
Comm: Radio=Regional(500km)
Sensors: AllWeatherRadar=VDist(50km), 2*Headlights, ActObjScan=Diff,
ActObjPin=Diff
Off: Hardpoints=1, No weapons
Def: -
Control: Electronic*18
Accom: Seats=Roomy*2, Env=basic env, basic ls, inert comp
Other: Fuel=2.07kl, Cargo=0.5kl, ObjSize=Small, EmLevel=Moderate
ConTech Mark I MiniLaunch TL15
The ConTech Mark I minilaunch is intended as low cost space
transportation for a variety of applications. Sized to fit the standard four
ton vehicle bay, it can be carried as an auxiliary aboard starships such as
the ubiquitous Type S Scout/Courier. It is also fairly popular among the
more independent or well-to-do in civilized belt systems such as Glisten,
where long-term accomodations are highly desirable in a personal craft.
CraftID: Mark I MiniLaunch, TL15, Cr1,545,080
Hull: 4/9, Disp=4, Conf=4USL, Armor=40G, Loaded=28.23t,
Unloaded=25.95t
Power: 1/2, Fusion=9MW, Dur=30/90
Loco: 1/2, Std Grav, Thrust=45t, TopSpeed=300kph, Cruise=225kph,
NOE=40kph, MaxAccel=0.6G
Comm: Radio=System
Sensors: EMSActive=FarOrbit, ActObjScan=Routine, ActObjPin=Routine
Off: Hardpoints=1, No weapons
Def: -
Control: Comp Mod0*3, HoloLink*27
Accom: Seats=Adequate*2, Bunks*2, Env=basic env, basic ls, ext ls,
grav plates, inert comp
Other: Fuel=9.72kl, Cargo=1.6kl, ObjSize=Small, EmLevel=Moderate
ConTech Mark II MiniLaunch
The ConTech Mark II minilaunch is intended as low cost space
transportation for a variety of applications. Sized to fit the standard four
ton vehicle bay, it can be carried as an auxiliary aboard starships such as
the ubiquitous Type S Scout/Courier. It is also fairly popular among the
more independent or well-to-do in civilized belt systems such as Glisten,
where long-term accomodations are highly desirable in a personal craft. It
is a lower-priced version of the Mark I, with a downgraded comm/sensor suite,
and is also without grav plates and inertial compensators. The bunk units are
designed to fold into roomy seats when not in use for sleeping.
CraftID: Mark II MiniLaunch, TL15, Cr982,380
Hull: 4/9, Disp=4, Conf=4USL, Armor=40G, Loaded=23.6t,
Unloaded=21.6t
Power: 1/2, Fusion=5MW, Dur=30/90
Loco: 1/2, Std Grav, Thrust=45t, TopSpeed=300kph, Cruise=225kph,
NOE=40kph, MaxAccel=0.9G
Comm: Radio=FarOrbit
Sensors: EMSActive=Planetary, ActObjScan=Difficult, ActObjPin=Difficult
Off: Hardpoints=1, No weapons
Def: -
Control: Comp Mod0*3, HoloLink*24
Accom: Seats=Bunks*3, Env=basic env, basic ls, ext ls
Other: Fuel=5.45kl, Cargo=0.6kl, ObjSize=Small, EmLevel=Moderate