• Welcome to the new COTI server. We've moved the Citizens to a new server. Please let us know in the COTI Website issue forum if you find any problems.
  • We, the systems administration staff, apologize for this unexpected outage of the boards. We have resolved the root cause of the problem and there should be no further disruptions.

Mobile University (sort of like a semester afloat)

G

Garyius2003

SOC-13
I was impressed with the GURPS 1001 Starships idea for a starship university, sort of like the semester afloat idea. I didn’t care for the way it was done, though, so I spent a while doing my own idea in HG Traveller.

My concept is that students rotate on the ship for a year or so from their home universities, as the ship jumps from world to world—spending maybe a week or a week and a half at each location for field trips and lectures by the local academics and researchers of note, and then a week in jump learning from their faculty in intense classroom, lab work, and research.

I ended up with a 2,000 student university, 130 faculty/librarians/sports trainers, 20 university officers and deans, 200 university service personnel. I included a few batteries of lasers and sandcasters and a damper for the obvious reasons. I expect the students are wealthy or on a good corporate/government education plan, so each gets their own room. They are students so they have to clean their own room.

I figured that the hold includes a few cutter fuel modules, in case of misjump to an unoccupied system.

What did I forget or what can I do better?


Ship: Marches University
Class: University
Type: Mobile Institution
Architect: Garyius
Tech Level: 13

USP
EX-L7212G3-090300-90000-0 MCr 8,374.396 21 KTons
Bat Bear 4 4 Crew: 122
Bat 4 4 TL: 13

Cargo: 576.000 Passengers: 2350 Emergency Low: 300 Fuel: 4,620.000 EP: 420.000 Agility: 1 Shipboard Security Detail: 21
Craft: 5 x 50T Cutters, 10 x 10T Launches
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification

Architects Fee: MCr 83.744 Cost in Quantity: MCr 6,699.517


Detailed Description

HULL
21,000.000 tons standard, 294,000.000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration

CREW
17 Officers, 105 Ratings

ENGINEERING
Jump-2, 1G Manuever, Power plant-2, 420.000 EP, Agility 1

AVIONICS
Bridge, Model/7fib Computer

HARDPOINTS
80 Hardpoints

ARMAMENT
40 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organized into 4 Batteries (Factor-9)

DEFENCES
40 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organized into 4 Batteries (Factor-9), Nuclear Damper (Factor-3)

CRAFT
5 50.000 ton Cutters, 10 10.000 ton Launches

FUEL
4,620.000 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
2,500.0 Staterooms, 20 Low Berths, 450 Emergency Low Berths, 150 High Passengers, 2200 Middle Passengers, 276.000 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
1 Large Lecture Hall (200.000 tons), 2 Medium Halls (75.000 tons), 20 Classrooms (50.000 tons), 10 Labs (50.000 tons), 1 Library and Museum (200.000 tons), 1 Gym (200.000 tons), 1 Shooting Range (100.000 tons), 1 Pool (100.000 tons), 10 Brigs (50.000 tons), Additional Sick Bay Space (50.000 tons), Student Union Complex (200.000 tons)

CONSTRUCTION TIME
173 Weeks Singly, 138 Weeks in Quantity
 
Okay, where did I see this before? I believe it was a TV show (probably a Saturday Morning show) about an Academy on an asteriod that traveled throughout the solar system.

Inquiring minds want to know ;)
 
I seem to recall an old Andre Norton book about that. However, my memory just ain't what it used to be :)

THere is, of course, the old Tom Corbett series, but more exactly and recently a series by William Forstchen called Star Voyager Academy. At least two books there.
 
I teach as an adjunct at a state college. It hit me yesterday while I was in my office hours EXACTLY what I forgot. Offices to hold office hours. Profs may be able to work in their home/cabin--I do IRL since tests are all online, all my course materials are posted online, and I have my students turn in all their papers on turnitin, which now has online correcting and grading.

You still need a place to meet face to face. Students have stories, excuses, some cheat and need to be called out, and some have no idea what business hours are. Figure faculty can share 2-1 offices at 4 tons each office, rotating office hours. Support staff 3-1 at 4 tons (actually larger offices at 9 staff per 12 tons). That leaves 4 and 6 ton offices for the officers and deans. One gladhanding space, fancy lounge with some fancy conference rooms (100 tons?).

The advance ship. A type A2 Far Trader, cargo bay converted to hold a launch, additional staterooms, some office space and a conference room, and a fancy reception room. It jumps about 6 weeks ahead of the University to line up the final schedule for lecturers and field trips, and to pre-gladhand donors and mega-corps and government types.

Any tweaks before I redo the ship and start on the A2?

Is this what the Imperial Navy uses for the fleet academies? One of this basic design, with cadets taking a term on the mobile school, and a term on cruisers and above--rinse and repeat for four years? With the pool and some of the labs converted to bridge and engineering simulators?
 
Last edited:
HG_B said:
Interesting. Never heard of these at the time (although it was a children's show) and have never run across any reruns. Thanks for the links.
Click to expand...

Those and Ark II are out in a "3 series" DVD set for (usually) about $20+S&H...

I've got it on order...
 
Going back to the ship designs, don't forget to have +2 stewards for the fancy receptions on the advance ship. If you're looking to get donors, you don't want clumsy engineers filling in :)

On the main ship, there are a few things I would change, but it rather depends on what courses will be taught on board. The items I question are the medium halls, library/museum, and student union. I would also have the operational ship's computer physically separated from the university computer and highly restricted access to operational areas, unless this is a military academy.

For that matter, I also would not give students separate rooms; I would place 3 to a 6-ton room. My preference wouls also be towards several different smaller rec rooms rather than one big one. Also, where do the students, profs, crew eat?
 
My dorm room was a private 10x12' room, plus 1/4 share each of a 12x12' fresher, 10x15' living room, and 10x15' kitchen.

Some friends in the more traditional dorms had shared 10x10' rooms, and about half as much more space in dorm commons, with banks of common freshers.

People seem to be forgetting that stateroom space is only half cabin; the other half is commons. Dorms tend to be similar.
 
Very, very cool concept.

In one of the early 80s Star Trek reference books, Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology, they had a similar concept there. I thought it was really cool. "Worlds in Evolution" took students to different planets to study first-hand biology and geology. There was very brief information given about the ship; size, officers and crew, faculty and students. Not sure where my copy is, but the format of the book had a 'log entry' for each major ship design or concept (there were touring ships for performers as well, which would be another great idea to translate into Traveller), and the one for this ship talked about a couple of students going off on their own...on a Jurassic-like world, complete with dinosaurs.

If I could find my copy of it, I'd post the relevant info. The book is a treasure trove of design concepts, with plenty of statistics for a number of the designs.

Gordon Long
 
Make sure you check out the owner's financial status before embarking, though ... ;)

LINK

qefirew560h361.jpg
 
PDXWiz said:
Very, very cool concept.
<snip>
(there were touring ships for performers as well, which would be another great idea to translate into Traveller)Gordon Long
Click to expand...

Beware of the Gypsies! :oo:
Didn't your mom ever warn you about strangers in starships posing as musicians and acrobats? The last troupe that passed through 40-odd years ago robbed everyone blind! ;)

All silliness aside, it'd likely be set up as either:

a tramp freighter, performing side shows to supplement the income (the occasional pocket picked, gate receipts, trade good sales, etc) [likely only to visit back-water worlds, and likely only once in a lifetime, if they conduct a fair bit of theft...]

Or, a group of serious professionals, interested in promoting their wares on other worlds, or a touring, famous orchestra or vocal group. Groups like this, I suspect, wouldn't take a dedicated starship. (Too darned expensive for most musicians, at least without a lot of sponsorship and advance sales of expensive tickets). They would likely either charter a ship or just schedule way in advance, to make sure they have enough room (depending on the size of the group.)

Either way (or any other way, for that matter), an interesting idea for background.

Now, where did my wallet go? And where did those performers go to?...
 
HiverLord said:
<snip>Or, a group of serious professionals, interested in promoting their wares on other worlds, or a touring, famous orchestra or vocal group. Groups like this, I suspect, wouldn't take a dedicated starship. (Too darned expensive for most musicians, at least without a lot of sponsorship and advance sales of expensive tickets). They would likely either charter a ship or just schedule way in advance, to make sure they have enough room (depending on the size of the group.)<snip>
Click to expand...

Assuming that there are some organizations like the big labels in music today*, there would probably be a few ships owned by those big labels that would carry around the current big names in entertainment. A handful of the most extremely successful entertainers would have their own ships because "they're cool" (or whatever the relevant wording is for the concept then).


* I'm not sure if there are such organizations, but if there are...
 
Based on the posts here, and my need for offices, I have redesigned The back up computer is the University system. I gave the U one grand hall, two smaller, and the rest large conference room sized. I also gave each faculty an office, Jr to share, big wigs get one of their own.

I kept the same 250 staff members, 100 of whom have offices to share. The rest work for the labs/union/library. Additional crew for the boats.

The student union complex has additional food court space, game areas, lounges, stores. The gym complex includes a swiming pool, workout rooms, 25 and 100 meter ranges.

I did keep one room per student because of the amount of work I expect them to do in their cabin. If the student union lounges are like most of what I see there will be little quiet for study during peak hours, and lots during the slack time. My current school has large halls with lounges in the corners in the building I teach in that the kids use for reading, but I expect that would not be the case in this ship. I expect there will be a reservation system for conference rooms/small classrooms for group study.

Suggest away:


Ship: Marches Uuiversity
Class: Institution
Type: Institution
Architect: Garyius
Tech Level: 13

USP
EX-L7212G3-090300-90000-0 MCr 9,771.728 25 KTons
Bat Bear 4 4 Crew: 155
Bat 4 4 TL: 13

Cargo: 776.000 Passengers: 2390 Fuel: 5,500.000 EP: 500.000 Agility: 1 Shipboard Security Detail: 25
Craft: 5 x 50T Cutter, 10 x 20T Launch
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Backups: 1 x Model/7fib Computer

Architects Fee: MCr 97.717 Cost in Quantity: MCr 7,817.382


Detailed Description

HULL
25,000.000 tons standard, 350,000.000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration

CREW
18 Officers, 137 Ratings

ENGINEERING
Jump-2, 1G Manuever, Power plant-2, 500.000 EP, Agility 1

AVIONICS
Bridge, Model/7fib Computer
1 Model/7fib Backup Computer

HARDPOINTS
80 Hardpoints

ARMAMENT
40 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 4 Batteries (Factor-9)

DEFENCES
40 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 4 Batteries (Factor-9), Nuclear Damper (Factor-3)

CRAFT
5 50.000 ton Cutters (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 0.000), 10 20.000 ton Launchs (Crew of 1, Cost of MCr 0.000)

FUEL
5,500.000 Tons Fuel (2 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
2,500.0 Staterooms, 140 High Passengers, 2250 Middle Passengers, 776.000 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
1 Great Hall (500.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.000), 30 Labs (50.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.000), 2 Lecture Halls (200.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.000), 30 Conference Halls (20.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.000), 1 Library and Museum (400.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.000), 1 Student Union Complex (500.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.000), 1 Gym/pool/range complex (600.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.000), 150 Offices (5.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.000)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Grav_Moped
OTU Only: Gypsy Queen Class Fast Merchant, LBB2, 199Td, J26GP7
12 13 14
Replies
268
Views
4K
Condottiere
C
Spinward Flow
CT Only: 30 ton Strike Fighter (TL=11)
Replies
16
Views
1K
kilemall
kilemall
Baroun Tardis
Umbra class ships
Replies
1
Views
369
coliver988
coliver988
Grav_Moped
Regina Clipper 4-600Td, J6/4, 6/4G (LBB2 2nd Ed plus Drop Tanks)
Replies
19
Views
441
kilemall
kilemall
Spinward Flow
CT Only: Type LT class Patrol Corvette
Replies
12
Views
337
Spinward Flow
Spinward Flow
Back
Top