posted
OK, branching out from our discussion of the USS Bradbury and the fact that we haven't really seen a colony ship in Trek, I though it time we create one. Besides, it's been pointed out that it's been a while since the board did any real starship creation as a whole, so it will be a good excersize.
Before we start putting virtual pen to paper, we need to decide what the ship will be designed to do, and from that we get dimensions, capabilities, etc. I'll start the ball rolling...
RFP - trek colony ship Starfleet issues a request for proposals for a self-contained colony ship capable of reaching and then establishing a self-sustaining colony of no less than 500 beings on distant M-class (or near M-class) worlds, ranging in climate from high desert to tropical conditions. Minimal conversion should be required for arctic/ice worlds if so required. The following are also considered desirable...
Lifeboat - ability to return the colonists in the event of disaster, albeit under emergency conditions.
Space Dock - a spaceborne section for the transfer of volatile supplies and personnel from spacecraft not capable of landing on planets would be benefitial, and would assist with planetary studies.
Local Comms - A system of orbital installations that can be deployed to assist colonists with planet-wide communications, location tracking, ground mapping and transporter targetting.
Inter stellar comms - subsapce comms array for regular contact with core system worlds and UFP control.
That's about all i can think of for now, does it get anyones juices flowing? What should we design into this thing? Personally I think it should be a one-shot deal with small engines, not something designed for reuse, but we'll see how the gang feel. Any ideas?
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With replicator technology it seems that any starship by the 24th Century could fulfill these requirements. Not that I'm complaining here. I would be all for a 22nd, 23rd, 24th or 25th Century colony ship.
In fact the crashed ship from DS-9s "Paradise" was a colony ship.
Intriguing contest/game here ...
Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Axeman 3D: OK, branching out from our discussion of the USS Bradbury and the fact that we haven't really seen a colony ship in Trek, I though it time we create one. Besides, it's been pointed out that it's been a while since the board did any real starship creation as a whole, so it will be a good excersize.
Before we start putting virtual pen to paper, we need to decide what the ship will be designed to do, and from that we get dimensions, capabilities, etc. I'll start the ball rolling...
RFP - trek colony ship Starfleet issues a request for proposals for a self-contained colony ship capable of reaching and then establishing a self-sustaining colony of no less than 500 beings on distant M-class (or near M-class) worlds, ranging in climate from high desert to tropical conditions. Minimal conversion should be required for arctic/ice worlds if so required. The following are also considered desirable...
Lifeboat - ability to return the colonists in the event of disaster, albeit under emergency conditions.
Space Dock - a spaceborne section for the transfer of volatile supplies and personnel from spacecraft not capable of landing on planets would be benefitial, and would assist with planetary studies.
Local Comms - A system of orbital installations that can be deployed to assist colonists with planet-wide communications, location tracking, ground mapping and transporter targetting.
Inter stellar comms - subsapce comms array for regular contact with core system worlds and UFP control.
That's about all i can think of for now, does it get anyones juices flowing? What should we design into this thing? Personally I think it should be a one-shot deal with small engines, not something designed for reuse, but we'll see how the gang feel. Any ideas?
I think we're both on the same page as most of that was in my thought process when I sketched up that quick concept.
For me the trickiest bit is the secondary hull, which to me seams the best candidate for the orbital section. Obviously you don't want to ground the warp system as, aside from the weight, density and sheer bulk of things, they'd essentially be two (or four) very large useless lumps of metal...though given their innate conductivity I imagine they'd be dangerously efficient lightning rods. However, wouldn't they just be in the way if left attached to an orbital facility...*little light bulb flicks on*...hmm. Warp Sled? Maybe parked in an even higher orbit where it would essentially become an unmanned power station, with the bussards scooping stray hydrogen brought in by the planet's electromagnetic field, allowing the M/AM converters and the reactor to chug away at a lower setting, but still providing more than enough energy to supply the station and colony from a safe distance and as a supplement to the on-board fusion reactors.
posted
Ok, before I nod off, here's the concept as I'm seeing it now. The angular shapes were only meant to be place-holders but I'm actually staring to like the form follows function look of this...
If it's at all unclear let me know, I'm just too knackered right now to write out an explanation of all the features.
posted
Like it - the "warp sled" could also serve the role of local (within a system or three) survey ship as well as other short-range-ship roles.
I don't think we should discard the possibility that it would turn around and go back for another load. 500 isn't a very big colony, but make several trips and you have a couple thousand, tons of stuff on the surface and a nice sized space station in orbit to watch over everything.
In any case, I'd make the sled piece bigger. Doesn't look big enough to do much maybe let it have deck high section going forward?
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posted
Trek examples of colonization missions seem to indicate that the norm for such operations is to send general transport ships with all you mention EXCEPT having space installations. Starfleet generally isn't involved in these missions, save for escort or defence. Consider episodes like "Up the Long Ladder" or "Ensigns of Command", wherein civilian colonization missions gear up on transport ships and head out on their own. There are examples like "Silicon Avatar" where Stafleet visits colonies to drop off supplies and materials the colony ships didn't or couldn't bring along.
Then there's the NEED for an orbital installation... Trek usually suggests that most civilian transports involved in colonization can land; thus, there would be little need for a space-based station for repairs or extra-atmospheric support. Communications are likewise handled from a facility on tehr ground, with the space assets being sumspace relay buoys and the like.
Finally, it rarely looks like Federation colonies are really THAT far "out there", or far from support in the first place. If they were to have their own ship, they could buy an older surplus Starfleet ship or arrange to arm a civilian design. In any case, except for shuttles and local sublight designs I don't think that a colony would even WANT to have a larger starship on their doorstep, as Trek seems to prove that having such a ship around would ATTRACT danger.
posted
I think there would be a need for something a bit more specialised than just adventurous individuals setting out in transports and hoping for the best. If not civilians, then military needs would dictate that there would be some sort of dedicated ship for the role. With no dedicated ship, then we're looking at everything a colony would need could have to fit in a hold or standard container, which is a bit limiting in both capacity and time to set up.
Of course we might be looking at something fancy like building a station or colony base on the ground from linked containerised sections. It would be like a portacabin village on a construction site, but with life support and containerised power modules and so forth. I tried designing a modular moonbase like that once, it was quite interesting but tougher than it looked.
Today in many countries they're experimenting with that very idea, and some housing actually uses standard 20' and 40' cargo containers that have been fitted out as rooms. Likewise there's an underground bunker in Canada built out of dozens of school buses buried under a mound of earth and concrete. Our current ISS is built from modules transported up and assembled in sections, it's an idea that works well when cargo space is limited.
On the replicator question, replicators use a lot of power and still need raw materials for processing. I imagine they'd be a luxury that the colony wouldn't want to waste on middling stuff, and instead would want to begin farming and raising livestock as soon as possible, or on more barren worlds it would seek out the natural resources they need to keep a replicator going indefinitely. For military applications I'd think they'd use replicators all the time, but they are then reliant on regular deliveries from their pals in space.
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quote:Originally posted by Toadkiller: Like it - the "warp sled" could also serve the role of local (within a system or three) survey ship as well as other short-range-ship roles.
I don't think we should discard the possibility that it would turn around and go back for another load. 500 isn't a very big colony, but make several trips and you have a couple thousand, tons of stuff on the surface and a nice sized space station in orbit to watch over everything.
In any case, I'd make the sled piece bigger. Doesn't look big enough to do much maybe let it have deck high section going forward?
I'm not sure a warp-sled is the way to go here. If it's a one-shot colony ship, then the engines only have to get you to your destination and then are just ballast. They dont generate power or do anything useful in system, so I'd design them as small as I could get away with. You would carry several runabouts and shuttle for in-system survey work and escape, no need to run around in the remnants of your colony ship.
If it's a reusable design then the engines are standard stuff and no need to take them off, the ship would just be a tug and support vessel for whatever you're dragging into orbit or dropping on the ground. I'm thinking of the Sikorsky Skycrane or Thunderbird 2 here, a design that only drops off or picks up what's needed and goes on its way, esssentially complete.
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posted
I wouldn't say the warp sled would be used to turn around and pick up further ships as that'd defeat the purpose of an all-in-one design. I'm thinking it can stay in orbit and act as an orbital power station and is available to be used again if the colony needs to be evacuated out of the system.
posted
I guess I'm just thinking that warp engines and such seem to be pretty resource expensive and you'd want to use them more than just for the one trip out. Especially since a 500 person colony is going to want to grow.
Axeman - I'd also think they'd really, really want an orbital outpost. In case of scary things in the night and the like.
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Teh PW
Self Impossed Exile (This Space for rent)
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posted
quote:Originally posted by Toadkiller: I guess I'm just thinking that warp engines and such seem to be pretty resource expensive and you'd want to use them more than just for the one trip out. Especially since a 500 person colony is going to want to grow.
Axeman - I'd also think they'd really, really want an orbital outpost. In case of scary things in the night and the like.
one thought... is it cannon/common occurance for Feddy colonies to have orbital support of any sort? (besides Satalites/probes)
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I think it's simply never been addressed. If nothing else, it might be a wise place to keep the emergency reserve supplies. Fire, flood, storms or contaminations can't get into orbit after all.
posted
There's been a couple of official 'colony' ships, but the ones that seemed to fit the bill most were in the 'Birth of the Federation' game. The design, though, while explicitly stated as being able to be 'taken apart for the colony' didn't really seem to lend itself to that.
Now, if you assume that the bits behind the half-saucer and straddling the 'engineering core' running down the length are modular in nature, it might suit the bill a lot better, though you would be left with a 'semi' ship of a warp engine, spire, and half-saucer when you're done.
But since those would also be the 'expensive' parts of the ship, and not needed for a colony, that too might make sense.
posted
That just looks like a generic, kit-bashed container transport to me. I can't really see anything in terms of specialisation.
Kenny: Since you mentioned the length of the nacelles; I'm thinking (in regards to my sketch anyway) that the front half would be where the deuterium tanks are located, right behind the scoops.
posted
Well it is, but I'm not sure exactly WHAT different components would be required for a colony transport as opposed to any other transport. Honestly, what are you otherwise looking at?
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