The 200 ton Yacht design contest!

[Grav_Moped]

How about expeditions?

What about all the *stuff* you need to be safe in the wilderness?

Pirates?
Wild animals?
Environmental risk?

Supplies, logistics, the gritty details of planning and the junk you have to haul along?

"Your excellency, what's with the lions and tigers and bears and pirates and that barrel of toxic goo on the lower deck?"

"Wilderness security team. I don't feel safe out here without them."



Yes, I know I'm misreading it, but it's funnier this way.

 

[Grav_Moped]

12 ELBs! ah you mean 3 ELBs, capacity 4 people, got it!

T5 offers an Emergency Capsule: 1 ton, 10 people for up to 15 days, MCr1.

Here's a 5 ton minimalist thing with the same capacity, airframe but only tiny emergency-powered lifters -- in short, a one-way controlled flight down to the surface.

Spoiler

10 tons but "5 tons undertonned", so 5 tons actual displacement. Drop the cargo hold to get to 4 tons.

MCr 4.5

   Tons	 Component                          	  MCr	Notes
-------	 -----------------------------------	-----	--------------------
   (10)	 Airframe Hull, lifters, 0 a/l free 	  2.7	A, lifters, 0 a/l free
      3	 3x Emergency Low Berth             	  1.5	#3 4 individuals
      1	 Cramped Bridge                     	  0.3	1cc 1op 0ws
      1	 Cargo Hold Basic                   	    0

Lifters will get you dirtside from orbit, but you may need some Delta-V to get from your doomed starship to the 1-diameter zone where the lifters can work.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Here's a 5 ton minimalist thing with the same capacity, airframe but only tiny emergency-powered lifters -- in short, a one-way controlled flight down to the surface.

Lifters still need a power source?

Z LIFTERS
Lifters are anti-gravity modules which effectively negate the force of gravity. Lifters are a hull component; they draw minimal levels of energy from a power source. Lifters operate within 1D of a gravity source; beyond that limit they operate at about 1% efficiency.

A small battery might not be optimal, since it will take quite some time to reach a world at about 0.01 G?

 

[Jame]

Here's my take:

This 200 ton fast yacht is a relatively rare and new variation of the noble's plaything, for the noble who wishes to have the ability to outrun most of the hostile encounters that might wish to capture a noble.

The Milky Wader class: TL 9-13, 200 ton yacht, streamlined hull; Jump Drive B (J2), Maneuver Drive E (5G), Power Plant E (P5). Jump fuel 20 tons, Maneuver Fuel 50 tons. Computer 4. 10 staterooms (2 convertible to medical bay, 1 convertible to lounge, 1 convertible to holo-theater). 2 double turrets, 4 pulse lasers (standard array is such, though many have different weapons or dispense with the weapons). Speeder, 24 tons cargo.
MCr 120.8, 11 months build time at TL9, 8 months at TL 13.

The 20 tons of bridge is presumed to include galley and lounge/entertainment space, while the power plant may be presumed to, at Referee's discretion, include fuel purifiers (up to you how fast they work), though this may require MCr 2 - or this may be equivalent to Scout vessels being "toughened" to use unrefined fuel.
This class of yacht is the Type YF, and is designed for the noble with an eye towards higher speeds in sublight, hence the higher sublight speeds. It dispenses with small craft in order to comply with those owners who prefer to keep her vessel in one piece and, more importantly, in her possession when faced with your typical corsair as she would need to make a run for the nearest escape route.

The class name is believed to come from an old Terran term from the galaxy and from a child's pool, and means "one who wades in the galactic sea." Many corporations often have a handful of these for executives and courier runs.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Lifters still need a power source?




A small battery might not be optimal, since it will take quite some time to reach a world at about 0.01 G?

Rocket engines. A couple of warhead-less standard spaceship missiles, with slow-burn propellant so they provide long-duration fractional-G acceleration rather than multiple Gs briefly.

 

[Condottiere]

There's always the ion drive.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Rocket engines. A couple of warhead-less standard spaceship missiles, with slow-burn propellant so they provide long-duration fractional-G acceleration rather than multiple Gs briefly.

Rockets are specified in T5. They require massive amounts of fuel for any noticeable acceleration. None were included in the design.


The ~0.01 G acceleration from Lifters will get you where you want, just very slowly. You will need a power source to sustain the craft for weeks, i.e. a power plant.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

There's always the ion drive.

Requires lots of power for very little acceleration, so still needs a power plant.

And they give you no better acceleration than lifters.

 

[Condottiere]

Is there an actual value for the acceleration by solar sails?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Is there an actual value for the acceleration by solar sails?

Way less than even lifters, perhaps 0.001 G for the sail alone without any payload.

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

 

[Condottiere]

I just had a thought.

Why not use the onboard lasers to push the solar sails?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Why not use the onboard lasers to push the solar sails?

 

[kilemall]

Hmm, maybe we have had it wrong all these years- M-drive doesn't mean maneuver drive, it means Munchausen drive!

 

[kilemall]

Here's my take:

This 200 ton fast yacht is a relatively rare and new variation of the noble's plaything, for the noble who wishes to have the ability to outrun most of the hostile encounters that might wish to capture a noble.

The Milky Wader class: TL 9-13, 200 ton yacht, streamlined hull; Jump Drive B (J2), Maneuver Drive E (5G), Power Plant E (P5). Jump fuel 20 tons, Maneuver Fuel 50 tons. Computer 4. 10 staterooms (2 convertible to medical bay, 1 convertible to lounge, 1 convertible to holo-theater). 2 double turrets, 4 pulse lasers (standard array is such, though many have different weapons or dispense with the weapons). Speeder, 24 tons cargo.
MCr 120.8, 11 months build time at TL9, 8 months at TL 13.

The 20 tons of bridge is presumed to include galley and lounge/entertainment space, while the power plant may be presumed to, at Referee's discretion, include fuel purifiers (up to you how fast they work), though this may require MCr 2 - or this may be equivalent to Scout vessels being "toughened" to use unrefined fuel.
This class of yacht is the Type YF, and is designed for the noble with an eye towards higher speeds in sublight, hence the higher sublight speeds. It dispenses with small craft in order to comply with those owners who prefer to keep her vessel in one piece and, more importantly, in her possession when faced with your typical corsair as she would need to make a run for the nearest escape route.

The class name is believed to come from an old Terran term from the galaxy and from a child's pool, and means "one who wades in the galactic sea." Many corporations often have a handful of these for executives and courier runs.

Which version is this being done in? I shied away from Computer 4 in CT/HG cause they are so darn expensive.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

This 200 ton fast yacht is a relatively rare and new variation of the noble's plaything, for the noble who wishes to have the ability to outrun most of the hostile encounters that might wish to capture a noble.

Which version is this being done in?

Obviously CT.

 

[kilemall]

MgT1E had letter drives too. No assumptions.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Sure, but 50 Dt PP fuel for a PP-5 is a dead giveaway.

 

[Grav_Moped]

I just had a thought.

Why not use the onboard lasers to push the solar sails?

"Hey, Ref? Can my psionic character teleport a nuclear warhead through our Black Globe while it's at 0 flicker rate? It's important."

 

[Grav_Moped]

Hmm, maybe we have had it wrong all these years- M-drive doesn't mean maneuver drive, it means Munchausen drive!

Could be worse.

What if it were a Munchausen-by-Proxy drive? (Wikipedia)

 

[Grav_Moped]

I just had a thought.

Why not use the onboard lasers to push the solar sails?

There's a germ of an idea there. Emergency escape system, using TWO sets of solar sails. First one is attached to an escape pod with REALLY GOOD reflec shielding. Lasers push that one; the shielding is in case they accidentally hit the pod while aiming for the sail. Braking uses the second sail (which is free-floating, and goes zooming on ahead) to reflect lasers back at the pod's sail.*

You're still not getting significant acceleration out of it.

And if the power plant can still run a laser turret for weeks or months on end, why are you leaving the ship anyhow?




*Robert L. Forward used the idea for a STL starship in one of his settings.