posted
There's a contest at another forum for weird-looking ships. Unfortunately, I like my ships to have a reason for looking the way they do. See if you can figure out this ship, then click on the image to read the explanation (opens a new window).
------------------ "Tourist comes into town, big seafood buff. He gets into a cab, asks the driver, "Where can I get scrod?" Cabbie turns around, looks at him. "Bud," he says, "I've been asked that many times, many ways. But that's the first time I ever heard it asked for in the pluperfect subjunctive." -- Old Joke http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/
posted
Unfortunately, I think you would lose the weirdness contest, since I think it's logical design. I think early ships would all be cyclindrical or semispherical to keep hull weight down. Lashing the shuttles to the outside of the hull saves hull space but might make maintenance a bit difficult. I think some IJN subs did something similar with seaplanes.
By the way, what's the URL for that contest? I'd be interested in seeing the designs.
------------------ When you're in the Sol system, come visit the Starfleet Museum
------------------ "Tourist comes into town, big seafood buff. He gets into a cab, asks the driver, "Where can I get scrod?" Cabbie turns around, looks at him. "Bud," he says, "I've been asked that many times, many ways. But that's the first time I ever heard it asked for in the pluperfect subjunctive." -- Old Joke http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/
posted
Masao: Did you read the description? The hull is shaped the way it is because it's a space-going blimp. The only rigid frame members are the central core frame and the arms that support the nacelles and the shuttles. The rest of the visible hull is held in shape by 14 psi air pressure (or deuterium pressure, in the case of the outermost hull layer -- that's where the fuel storage is).
I got the idea while watching a program about exploring Mars. The proposed in-transit habitat/landing module is an inflatable structure. The program said that it would be stronger than steel.
posted
Nope, didn't read the description. I just thought it didn't look too weird. Regardless of the material of the hull, it's shape is reasonable. Again, I don't think the shape is weird, it's just unusual in structure.
------------------ When you're in the Sol system, come visit the Starfleet Museum
posted
Well, you'll have to admit, it does stray from the usual pie-plate (or basketball), thermos, and two cigars designs we often see portrayed as pre-TOS designs, now doesn't it?
As far as carrying auxiliary vehicles externally, I think in this case it might not be cost-effective to make the vessel large enough to store them internally. You are right about the IJN subs being designed to carry aircraft outside the hull, but in those cases, there was a separate water-tight storage container for the aircraft grafted to the hull. The plan was to surface off the coast of the U.S., pull the planes out of the storage tube and unfold the wings, launch it, bomb a target on the mainland, return, land (they were seaplanes, but I think they were designed to launch from a catapult), store the planes, submerge, and get out of dodge before the Americans knew what happened.
The U.S. Navy (and, presumably, others) has "special operations" submarines that are carried piggyback on larger subs until they are within range of their objective. Some of these subs are deepdiving submersibles designed to rescue a crew from a damaged sub that can't surface, but I presume others are designed to insert covert operatives.
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