WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

[Jericho]

To q2:
cooldown.

The energy supply of reactors is continuous, but strong lasers cannot fire continuously, due to heat buildup between the mirrors. So, the energy of teh reactor is channelled through a second laser system while the first cools down. This way the reactor output is better used than just one barrel with fire breaks. (Depending on systems, you can, for a short time, use both at the same time, e.g. to prevent a collision it may be better to burn your weapons than risking the loss of your ship.)
Personally, I would do it different, though. Two separate systems, with separate aiming provisions. When one aim has finished (confirmed kill), the second barrel is already lined up on a different target and can fire straight away without the need to align. But then, if a cooldown is necessary while the target has not been "finished", you're aiming at the wrong target, so you have a different issue.... - meh - I need to stop contradicting myself.

I may be completely misunderstanding what you're writing but it reads like you mean that they fire the barrels one at the time in continued succession. In outsider atleast with the plasma focus they fire the beams simultaneously. I don't see any evidence that larger turrets fire in the manner that you describes. But i know that loroi laser point defence fire in that manner with three barrels acting like a gattling guns or atleast that what it looks like to me.

[RedDwarfIV]

Note that Insider says TCS America's forward ventral shuttle bay was replaced by a Mjolnir main weapon.

[Mr Bojangles]

To q2:
cooldown.

The energy supply of reactors is continuous, but strong lasers cannot fire continuously, due to heat buildup between the mirrors. So, the energy of teh reactor is channelled through a second laser system while the first cools down. This way the reactor output is better used than just one barrel with fire breaks. (Depending on systems, you can, for a short time, use both at the same time, e.g. to prevent a collision it may be better to burn your weapons than risking the loss of your ship.)
Personally, I would do it different, though. Two separate systems, with separate aiming provisions. When one aim has finished (confirmed kill), the second barrel is already lined up on a different target and can fire straight away without the need to align. But then, if a cooldown is necessary while the target has not been "finished", you're aiming at the wrong target, so you have a different issue.... - meh - I need to stop contradicting myself.

I may be completely misunderstanding what you're writing but it reads like you mean that they fire the barrels one at the time in continued succession. In outsider atleast with the plasma focus they fire the beams simultaneously. I don't see any evidence that larger turrets fire in the manner that you describes. But i know that loroi laser point defence fire in that manner with three barrels acting like a gattling guns or atleast that what it looks like to me.

Rather than staggered fire for cooldown purposes, it could be an issue of manufacturing. Perhaps humans and Loroi can't reliably build laser/plasma focusing elements of large size, so they go with what works and build multi-barrel mounts. They'll bring the same power to bear on a target, but through multiple beams. It has been mentioned that the Loroi have had issues with duplicating the Historian plasma focus, leading to their pulse cannon.

It could be related to cooldown, as well. A larger barrel would be more massive, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, it would potentially heat up more slowly as it has more mass to absorb the build-up. On the other, because it can absorb more heat, it would take longer to dissipate it. It would come down to a shorter cooldown period vs. a longer firing period (potentially; we really don't know how these things work, right?)

[RedDwarfIV]

Rather than staggered fire for cooldown purposes, it could be an issue of manufacturing. Perhaps humans and Loroi can't reliably build laser/plasma focusing elements of large size, so they go with what works and build multi-barrel mounts. They'll bring the same power to bear on a target, but through multiple beams. It has been mentioned that the Loroi have had issues with duplicating the Historian plasma focus, leading to their pulse cannon.

It could be related to cooldown, as well. A larger barrel would be more massive, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, it would potentially heat up more slowly as it has more mass to absorb the build-up. On the other, because it can absorb more heat, it would take longer to dissipate it. It would come down to a shorter cooldown period vs. a longer firing period (potentially; we really don't know how these things work, right?)

Given Reaction Engines' work on an engine that can rapidly transfer heat into a cooling system, heat management for weapons probably isn't a huge problem.

[Jericho]

Note that Insider says TCS America's forward ventral shuttle bay was replaced by a Mjolnir main weapon.

Eh.. I'm not sure what point you were trying to make.

To q2:
cooldown.

The energy supply of reactors is continuous, but strong lasers cannot fire continuously, due to heat buildup between the mirrors. So, the energy of teh reactor is channelled through a second laser system while the first cools down. This way the reactor output is better used than just one barrel with fire breaks. (Depending on systems, you can, for a short time, use both at the same time, e.g. to prevent a collision it may be better to burn your weapons than risking the loss of your ship.)
Personally, I would do it different, though. Two separate systems, with separate aiming provisions. When one aim has finished (confirmed kill), the second barrel is already lined up on a different target and can fire straight away without the need to align. But then, if a cooldown is necessary while the target has not been "finished", you're aiming at the wrong target, so you have a different issue.... - meh - I need to stop contradicting myself.

I may be completely misunderstanding what you're writing but it reads like you mean that they fire the barrels one at the time in continued succession. In outsider atleast with the plasma focus they fire the beams simultaneously. I don't see any evidence that larger turrets fire in the manner that you describes. But i know that loroi laser point defence fire in that manner with three barrels acting like a gattling guns or atleast that what it looks like to me.

Rather than staggered fire for cooldown purposes, it could be an issue of manufacturing. Perhaps humans and Loroi can't reliably build laser/plasma focusing elements of large size, so they go with what works and build multi-barrel mounts. They'll bring the same power to bear on a target, but through multiple beams. It has been mentioned that the Loroi have had issues with duplicating the Historian plasma focus, leading to their pulse cannon.

It could be related to cooldown, as well. A larger barrel would be more massive, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, it would potentially heat up more slowly as it has more mass to absorb the build-up. On the other, because it can absorb more heat, it would take longer to dissipate it. It would come down to a shorter cooldown period vs. a longer firing period (potentially; we really don't know how these things work, right?)

Well this seems like the most resonable answer yet. If we assume that in greater sizes the weapons become unstable or perhaps less energy efficient than the alternative. That would justify the dual barrel mount.

[Arioch]

1. I'm not really sure if it's correct that the ships will need to slow down in order for shuttles to dock in flight even if they are in the front or th side. An autopilot system should be able to match their speeds so that the docking goes smoothly. Really all they have to do is fly to the front of the ship and slowly deacrease acceleration until they are inside (in theory).

A ship doesn't have to slow down to recover a shuttle, but it does have to stop accelerating, at least for a brief period. A shuttle has to cut its main drives at some point as it enters the hangar (as the drive plume would damage the ship), and so the mother ship has to do the same, or they will collide. If the hangar entrance is in the rear of the ship, this time of lapsed acceleration can be minimized.

2. Why do the loroi and humans have two barrels on their beam weapons? If i understand beam weapons than the point is to get as much energy in as small an area as possible. Why then do they insist insist on dual barrel turrets (apart from artistic preference)? If a turret like the tempest plasma pulse gun can fire the energy of two beams why not just smack them together to a single barrel that is twice as big? wouldn't this increase the amount of energy they could get on point making the weapon more effecient for the same cost of materials?

It's first and foremost an aesthetic thing. The justification is more or less what Bojangles alluded to: weapons come in preset sizes, and are limited more by mechanical issues of available space, internal power transmission and heat dissipation rather than total available power. The tremendous amount of power required by drives that push such large ships at 30G makes the power requirements of beam weaponry seem small by comparison, but the drives are directly connected to the engines, reducing or eliminating energy transmission problems. The Loroi pulse cannon, for example, only comes in one size, and the number you can carry and their rate of fire are based on infrastructure and heat limitations, rather than total power draw.

[Mr Bojangles]

Rather than staggered fire for cooldown purposes, it could be an issue of manufacturing. Perhaps humans and Loroi can't reliably build laser/plasma focusing elements of large size, so they go with what works and build multi-barrel mounts. They'll bring the same power to bear on a target, but through multiple beams. It has been mentioned that the Loroi have had issues with duplicating the Historian plasma focus, leading to their pulse cannon.

It could be related to cooldown, as well. A larger barrel would be more massive, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, it would potentially heat up more slowly as it has more mass to absorb the build-up. On the other, because it can absorb more heat, it would take longer to dissipate it. It would come down to a shorter cooldown period vs. a longer firing period (potentially; we really don't know how these things work, right?)

Given Reaction Engines' work on an engine that can rapidly transfer heat into a cooling system, heat management for weapons probably isn't a huge problem.

Well, the reactors have the advantage that they dump most of their energy (and thus heat) straight into the ship's drives. That will help with heat regulation, certainly. But, as Arioch points out, you can only fit so much into a weapon mount, including cooling equipment. So, while the amount of heat produced by the weapons will be minuscule compared to that of the reactors and drives, moving that heat to the heat dissipation system won't be as easy.

[RedDwarfIV]

Note that Insider says TCS America's forward ventral shuttle bay was replaced by a Mjolnir main weapon.

Eh.. I'm not sure what point you were trying to make.

My point is that the America class is stated on Insider to have a forward ventral shuttle bay, which America has had replaced by Mjolnir. Since Arioch has done artwork of America, that gives us a good idea of where the shuttle bay would be.

[Karst45]

Not to be snarky but if aft placement of the hangar is so logical why don't humanity do the same. I don't see how they could have a similar configuration on their warships.

Modern Carrier Ship launch bay.... were are they located?

[GeoModder]

Not to be snarky but if aft placement of the hangar is so logical why don't humanity do the same. I don't see how they could have a similar configuration on their warships.

Modern Carrier Ship launch bay.... were are they located?

That has more to do with the need to create 'lift' when launching aircraft.
In space, there's no (atmospheric) wind.

[Arioch]

Modern Carrier Ship launch bay.... were are they located?

That has more to do with the need to create 'lift' when launching aircraft.
In space, there's no (atmospheric) wind.

A closer (but still not quite apt) analogy is where non-carrier naval vessels have helipads, which is almost always on the stern.

[Jericho]

Modern Carrier Ship launch bay.... were are they located?

That has more to do with the need to create 'lift' when launching aircraft.
In space, there's no (atmospheric) wind.

A closer (but still not quite apt) analogy is where non-carrier naval vessels have helipads, which is almost always on the stern.

Well you guys made your point clear enough and i don't know enough of engineering or physics to argue so i suppose i have to yield.

[dragoongfa]

That's a very sexy behind Miss Tempest, even after giving birth

[Jericho]

Ah the miracle of life we are witnessing the baby shuttle take it's first flight ever. There is great excitement in the fleet as the new additon sees the galaxy for the first time.

The shuttle is entirely dependant on its mother for the first year of its life and will travel close by suckling on it's plasma cannons for it's nurishment. The fleet consists mostly of her aunts and cousins many who are eager to meet the newcomer. After an hour of exitement the shuttle is tired and quickly flies back in to the hangar where it will sleep for the rest of the day.

Shuttles take a full year to become frigates and an additonal two years to become full grown cruisers. Mating seasons occurs once a year and that's usually the only time the female ships will meet the dreadnoughts. Dreadnoughts lives solitary lives away from the fleets harvesting antimatter from nebulas.

[Krulle]

I did not know spacecraft were marsupial....

I presume with puberty comes the ability for the FTL jumps?

[Jericho]

It comes slightly before in the intermediate corvette stage. They achive it before they are to large to fit in the hangar otherwise they wouldn't be able to keep up with the fleet. Loroi spaceships are the only known marsupials starships out there. They live in migrating fleets of up to 50 grown cruisers and several smaller ships. They are led by a command ship who is usually the oldest female and the most experienced. They are fiercly protective of their young and the whole fleet will fight to fend off other ships when threatened. Fortunately the Loroi ships have few natural enemies and the dreadnoughts have none.

[Grayhome]

... Well I'm not going to be able to watch any Sci-Fi series that shows shuttles/fighters/bombers launching from hanger bays the same way again. Thanks guys.

[icekatze]

hi hi

Losing the second warship in the upper right of the frame definitely makes them seem a lot more vulnerable.

[Karst45]

Ah the miracle of life we are witnessing the baby shuttle take it's first flight ever. There is great excitement in the fleet as the new additon sees the galaxy for the first time.

The shuttle is entirely dependant on its mother for the first year of its life and will travel close by suckling on it's plasma cannons for it's nurishment. The fleet consists mostly of her aunts and cousins many who are eager to meet the newcomer. After an hour of exitement the shuttle is tired and quickly flies back in to the hangar where it will sleep for the rest of the day.

Shuttles take a full year to become frigates and an additonal two years to become full grown cruisers. Mating seasons occurs once a year and that's usually the only time the female ships will meet the dreadnoughts. Dreadnoughts lives solitary lives away from the fleets harvesting antimatter from nebulas.

dont know why, but i tought of Moya from Farscape

[Absalom]

Ah the miracle of life we are witnessing the baby shuttle take it's first flight ever. There is great excitement in the fleet as the new additon sees the galaxy for the first time.

The shuttle is entirely dependant on its mother for the first year of its life and will travel close by suckling on it's plasma cannons for it's nurishment. The fleet consists mostly of her aunts and cousins many who are eager to meet the newcomer. After an hour of exitement the shuttle is tired and quickly flies back in to the hangar where it will sleep for the rest of the day.

Shuttles take a full year to become frigates and an additonal two years to become full grown cruisers. Mating seasons occurs once a year and that's usually the only time the female ships will meet the dreadnoughts. Dreadnoughts lives solitary lives away from the fleets harvesting antimatter from nebulas.

dont know why, but i tought of Moya from Farscape

Moya is highly appropriate.