- #1
GTOM
- 955
- 64
I'm going to write a (semi) hard SF. I wonder whether i left out something from spacecraft design, or got something wrong?Armed cargo ship (used for piracy/commerce raid also)
At the back of the ship, a large block contains the fusion reactor, the main ion thruster, the manuevering ion thrusters, and also the command computers. It is the realm of the engineers, due to sensitive electronics, cables, magnetic boots are not allowed here.
After that, a long cylinder contains the heavy hydrogen fuel. It has got large radiator wings, and also a row of chemical thrusters meant for rapid dodge.
The cargo block is a big cube, it has got a small living container with life support. They hide the fighters in it also.
At the front of the ship, a hollow pyramid, meant to protect frontal sensors from high speed collision with micrometeors, when it is closed. Its opened when the frontal sensors are really needed, like landing on an asteroid mine, or combat.
Since the ship is armed, the lasers are also hid in this pyramid.Battleship
Looks like a giant icicle (with large radiator wings), almost a km long. In the middle of it, a dreaded spine weapon, a huge coilgun that launches missiles with 100 km/s. A missile shatters into a dozen smaller warhead in order to get through point range defence.
The ship has got another spine weapon also, a free electron laser in order to defend itself. Together with smaller coilguns firing tiny unguided slugs, the ship is almost unkillable with a frontal attack.
However it has two weakness : simultaneous attacks from different directions, and low acceleration.Fighter
Since an asteroid mine offers cover from missiles (and the goal of wars is to capture them), and nuclear hardware isn't cheap (reusablity is good), instead of regular missiles, smaller than battleship warcraft and motherships like to use spacecraft originally developed for orbital combat. Since they are unmanned most times, they can be still expended like missiles.
It has an egg like shape, with pointy nose to help landing on the surface of a planet, if that is needed. It has got high thrust low specific impulse nuclear thermo engines, thrusters facing in every direction.
It is armed with a coilgun firing tiny unguided slugs with 100 km/s in order to deal with other fighters and attack point range defence from a distance. It also has got laser jammers and small shield like interceptor missiles.
At the back of the ship, a large block contains the fusion reactor, the main ion thruster, the manuevering ion thrusters, and also the command computers. It is the realm of the engineers, due to sensitive electronics, cables, magnetic boots are not allowed here.
After that, a long cylinder contains the heavy hydrogen fuel. It has got large radiator wings, and also a row of chemical thrusters meant for rapid dodge.
The cargo block is a big cube, it has got a small living container with life support. They hide the fighters in it also.
At the front of the ship, a hollow pyramid, meant to protect frontal sensors from high speed collision with micrometeors, when it is closed. Its opened when the frontal sensors are really needed, like landing on an asteroid mine, or combat.
Since the ship is armed, the lasers are also hid in this pyramid.Battleship
Looks like a giant icicle (with large radiator wings), almost a km long. In the middle of it, a dreaded spine weapon, a huge coilgun that launches missiles with 100 km/s. A missile shatters into a dozen smaller warhead in order to get through point range defence.
The ship has got another spine weapon also, a free electron laser in order to defend itself. Together with smaller coilguns firing tiny unguided slugs, the ship is almost unkillable with a frontal attack.
However it has two weakness : simultaneous attacks from different directions, and low acceleration.Fighter
Since an asteroid mine offers cover from missiles (and the goal of wars is to capture them), and nuclear hardware isn't cheap (reusablity is good), instead of regular missiles, smaller than battleship warcraft and motherships like to use spacecraft originally developed for orbital combat. Since they are unmanned most times, they can be still expended like missiles.
It has an egg like shape, with pointy nose to help landing on the surface of a planet, if that is needed. It has got high thrust low specific impulse nuclear thermo engines, thrusters facing in every direction.
It is armed with a coilgun firing tiny unguided slugs with 100 km/s in order to deal with other fighters and attack point range defence from a distance. It also has got laser jammers and small shield like interceptor missiles.