Time for an overdue update. Texturing is beginning. Here is the central spindle, complete with windows. M.
Thanks, Praetor. Now for some details for the storage pods. An artistic liberty: Jefferies didn't show any detail on the outer faces of the pods. Given these were likely meant to represent the storage compartments (when this was to be K-7) i have added large cargo doors... M.
Why would there be so many windows on the cargo pods? The doors reminds me of the spacedock doors on Franz Joseph's Starfleet Headquarters station.
Good catch on the cargo doors. Yes, they are an homage to FJ's SFHQ. As for the windows: Jefferies shows them on the sides of the pods. My take is that the interior of most of each pod is open space with cargo container scaffolding. Work Bees can plug containers into the matrix. Some can be pressurized and linked to corridors (and each other) for access inside them. The exterior walls of the pod thus have habitable rooms. Picture offices along the outer hull, accessible from corridors. Along the interior walls of these corridors would be airlocks that in many cases link up to cargo containers. If you need what is stored in Pod 3/Deck 7/Bay 26 (Feinberg Oscillating Framizams, or perhaps grain for Sherman's Planet), you go to the appropriate airlock and get it. I assume there would be a failsafe to keep you from opening a door without a pressurized container attached to it. At least that is my take on it. YMMV. I will probably make more of the windows on the pods dark, as this would likely be a more sparsely inhabited part of the station. M.
IIRC these doors belonged to a sphere in which FJ parked the vessels which is obviously not the case here. For a sphere these doors are sort of inevitable but for the Jefferies pods I have some doubts concerning practicability, once opened these are obstacles to navigate around. The TOS Enterprise's shuttlebay clamshell doors and those on the AMT model kit of Space Station K-7 were essentially vertical shutters. When I look at these pods I can't help but think that horizontal shutters would be much more useful from a practical point of view. Bob
Eh, I can live with the homage, but for some reason iris doors seem like they'd be imminently practical. Fun idea for the inside of the pods.
I've never seen this concept design before, and I didn't know that the K-7 was based off of components from a rejected NASA design (thanks for that little factoid by the way). All and all, I think this a cool lil' thread.
Thanks! There's more to come. RealLife™ has been taking priority recently, but I do have an update almost ready to post. M.
A bit of progress. Mr. Comsol made some good points, so the FJ cargo doors had to go. In addition to the doors, I have textured the habitat rings and added windows to the outer surfaces. Still to do: The docking bay and radiator array, the inner habitat ring windows, and the overall hull markings. Eventually this station will have a Starbase designation. Since we already have a DSS K-7, and SS Jefferies is contrary to known Federation naming conventions, I am taking suggestions. I'd like it to be a Starbase mentioned in TOS dialog, but never shown; ideally one that by implication is a major one (this is a big, honkin' beast). Ideas, anyone? M.
If I researched correctly then the TOS Starbases 4, 10 and 27 had been mentioned by dialogue, had not been shown (neither in EU materials) and are not necessarily a planet. Bob
Not necessarily. There's been several "named" stations (some planet-based), like Jupiter Station, Star Station India, Starbase Earhart, and Starbase Montgomery.
This is of course true; but I was limiting myself to TOS. I'd like it to be a Starbase, so I'll likely use one of Mr. Comsol's suggestions. M.
Almost done. Here is the rest of the exterior mapped and a good start on the interior of the docking pod. I've given it three landing areas. It is a big hangar. There is one large cargo door in the center and two smaller ones on either side. The four side alcoves are meant to be roll up doors that cover equipment bays. A bay this large would be difficult to pressurize. Perhaps the alcoves contain docking travel tubes. The original drawings do not indicate any type of door. Perhaps this was an early example of a semi-permiable force field. Any suggestions? There is more detail to add to the hangar, as well as markings to the exterior. M.
The original K-7 model just had a black chasm. There was no illumination from within (dark flight deck as in "The Conscience of the King"?) but I'd say that AMT got that right with the model kit by suggesting a physical hangar door (once closed). As for your Starbase 4 suggestion, I'd be inclined to look for inspiration from the orbital complex in TMP or Space Station Regula in TWOK. Bob
I would also think at least the capability for a horizontal, shutter-type hangar door would be likely, similar to what you've got on the cargo pods. In fact, the hangar opening isn't all that much bigger.