I have to agree, the Vesta's are smaller in volume but almost as long as the E-E. I do however think that the compact design of the Vesta might be beneficial. True! Aventine was outfitted with more experimental goodies. They might not have implemented the entire landing system from the start for various reasons. Perhaps the system could be installed during the next service window. My only concern would be for the pylons, they need a strong SIF to reinforce them. No problem in normal operations, but I would recommend "saucer" separation in times of emergency.
They're wide enough that it would be very difficult. That's why ships like Titan haven't been slipstream-converted even though it would be appropriate for their mission profile. Of course, the Federation is surely continuing to research the technology, so there's always the possibility of a breakthrough that would make such conversions viable -- if there were a story that called for it.
^Although I don't like the idea of having slipstream because it just seems like a ridiculous piece of technology of which the speed capability was up and down for a while, I like the fact that they limited its use through the rarity of the benamite ore. At least until a Coridan-like planet is found which is rich in the stuff, anyway. But I am interested to know the capabilities of the ships in the fleet. Maximum speed (warp), weaponry and defensive capabilities (especially the Mulciber-class), etc.
But the thin pylons on the original showed how advanced it was because those thin structural parts could handle high stress and bending loads. We also know the original enterprise could handle atmospheric loads since it entered the Earth's atmosphere. If the Connie could handle those loads, couldn't the Vestas? The Defiants also have landing struts so I would think the admiralty is wanting more ships to have landing capacity. Of course gear on the defiant didn't make much sense to me like it did for the Intrepids.
I think the sovereign is very streamlined and could be easily retrofit. It is my understanding that slipstream isn't a size issue but a streamline issue.
Well, speaking as the guy who came up with the novels' explanation in the first place, I have to say that, no, it is in fact a size issue. Or rather, a width issue. The wider the slipstream corridor, the exponentially more complex the quantum computations needed to keep it stable. So a smaller ship can be relatively wide and be able to negotiate the corridor, but if you want to build a larger ship to get through a corridor of the same width, it has to be a proportionately narrower design. On the other hand, power is probably a factor; a bigger ship with more powerful engines could create a wider corridor, so long as it had sufficient processing power/speed to keep up with the more intricate computations -- and that greater computing power might go along with a bigger ship as well (if only because a harder-working computer would need more ventilation space to keep from overheating). But still, you don't want it to be any wider than it has to be. So yes, in that sense a narrower, more "streamlined" ship is better. But that's an outgrowth of the size constraint. And as you go up in size, the drive gets riskier and harder to use, and you rapidly reach a point of diminishing returns. So does the Sovereign class have the right balance of size, power, and narrowness to handle slipstream passage? It could, if there's a story that needs it to. But I think it would be pushing the envelope. If you look at the Sovereign from above, for instance here, you see it's actually a lot broader than it generally looks onscreen.
Oh sure, pull the "I postulated the theory" card. Who am I to debate relativity with Einstein, lol. Just to clarify, weren't the design criteria for slipstream laid out in David Mack books? Interesting explanation and thought, you could force your way through a corridor with powerful enough computers and engines. Christopher, you have an excellent engineering mind. I would imagine width and height wouldn't be the only design criteria. I would foresee an "area rule" as used in super sonic aircraft design also being important.
So if slipstream becomes the staple propulsion technology for starfleet, would we expect their ship of the line exploration cruisers to be smaller than the Sovereigns? And if bigger ships/slipstreams require more power output, should we expect starfleet to start R&D on more powerful eergy sources than mater/antimatter annihilation? If it was time for new propultion technology, might it also be time for new power generation technology?
Dave and I were writing our respective books at the same time and we compared notes on the technology. There's info about slipstream in my Greater Than the Sum, Dave's Destiny, and Kirsten Beyer's VGR novels. But the part about the corridor width issue is mine.
I don't know if anyone else has posted this or anything;but I found out that the USS Planck is a Merian Class starship.
Also I forgot to add the USS Hawking and USS Curie are also Merian class. The USS Achilles is a Mulciber class starship I could not find a picture though.