Ptrope gets his feet wet - AquaShuttle 2.5

[JES]

Actually, I'm not sure that going to warp produces that many gees, if any at all.

From Memory Alpha:

A starship could not jump to warp speed without inertial dampers, as the rapid acceleration would smash the crew into the walls, killing them instantly. (VOY: "Tattoo")

Interesting, but I wonder if that means that they would get smashed into the walls if they aren't strapped in like Cochrane, Riker, and LaForge were in the Phoenix (which seems to be a something that ships lack in the Star Trek Universe most of the time), or that it would still produce more gees than the body can handle, killing them regardless (explaining the lack of safety harnesses: it would only keep the bodies from smashing up against something, but the g-forces would still be fatal. Then again, maybe I should brush up on my knowledge of how many gees the human body can take before it becomes impossible to function, e.i., you pass out, and when the acceleration just becomes outright fatal).

If it is the latter, then that means that the inertial dampener must've been invented no later than 2063.

 

[Santaman]

IIRC Ent-D accelerated from zero to near maximum speed in less than a second which means several thousands of G's so smashed into a wall should be: turned into a goey paste beyond recognition, also, the ship itself would have been turned into a really hot ball of compressed metal...

 

[Ptrope]

God, I hate getting into a 'Trek tech' conversation, but I'll throw this out there: if 'warp drive' is really about warping space to compress the distance, is there any acceleration at all? Do they really just 'bring their destination closer' and then head forward at a leisurely pace across the 'bridge?'

Realizing, of course, that none of this relates to modeling the shuttle ...

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Yeah, I didn't intend to hijack the thread away from the aquashuttle. I originally brought up inertial dampeners, just as part of a comment regarding the hand grips. I think the hand grips are entirely justified, even in a universe with inertial dampeners, and that's really as far as I'd originally intended it to go.

 

[Admiral2]

I would reposition the nacelles. Who knows if even light immersion in water would interfere with their normal function, and you don't need them to just cruise around on an ocean.

But the artwork itself is excellent. And keep the model. I'd love to share the berthing space with her.

 

[Ptrope]

The nacelles have to be there - the idea was to evoke the original, at least somewhat, and it had nacelles at its lowest point, as well. In fact, they serve a double-duty, as I've integrated a multi-medium thruster around the bases of the glowing aft caps (I'll show that in a future rendering, but it's there, now ); the shuttle can rise up on those blades, somewhat like a hydroplane, using rammed air as thrust, or a 'caterpillar drive' technique when submerged. Again, I plan to add more detail to make some of the mechanical functions of the ship more obvious ; this is still very much a WIP.

 

[nightwind1]

I would reposition the nacelles. Who knows if even light immersion in water would interfere with their normal function, and you don't need them to just cruise around on an ocean.

But the artwork itself is excellent. And keep the model. I'd love to share the berthing space with her.

I'm pretty sure that the nacelles on an AQUAshuttle are watertight.

 

[Ptrope]

Love the avatar, nightwind1

 

[Wingsley]

It's been a long time since I've viewed the TAS ep featuring the Aquashuttle. Didn't it have the capability to travel underwater, or was it just a surface sea vessel? If the Aquashuttle were indeed a "flying sub", she might need an airlock arrangement to allow under-water ingress and egress. Just sayin'.

I love the overall design, but the seats look too TMPish. Interesting take on the TAS-era nacelle design. The cabin windshields are fantastic.

 

[Ptrope]

The triangular walls and loops around the doorway opening in WIP006 are the hardware for a forcefield 'curtain' that makes the doorway an airlock, as well; since that render, I've added additional detail such as controls, a pressure gauge, and a drainage grid to evacuate the water from the airlock.

 

[Kaiser]

Sweet Aqua shuttle

 

[nightwind1]

Love the avatar, nightwind1

I don't remember where I stumbled across it, but I couldn't pass up using it.

 

[Kail]

Awesome take on the Aqua shuttle!

 

[Ptrope]

Thanks, Kail! 'Twas your adventure with the TAS version that prompted me to dig it out of drydock and start working on it again .

And here, for the first time, a stern shot ...

 

[Ptrope]

And a low-angle shot with a very heavily-clad Captain Piper for scale, this time (in his defense, he's wearing only a Speedo under that spacesuit!). I've also added hard, deformable landing points to give it a stable 3-point stance, but they still need to look for a reasonably flat landing surface. Also, I've added an observation blister to the roof, handy for those submarine adventures.

 

[nightwind1]

At that angle, it's got a little bit of a "Proteus" feel to it (from Fantastic Voyage).

 

[Ptrope]

Have you been following me, nightwind1? I said just that on the DeviantArt posting of this image

 

[Venardhi]

I feel like the nacelles are really the odd parts out here. Given the shapes used already, I'd say drop the glowing caps entirely and go with something a bit more "refit" in style.

I've always hated "dog penis" nacelle caps though.

 

[CDR6]

Really nice work! I like the aquatic/space look of the thing... "it feels right". IMHO the shuttle craft have always gotten short shrift in the ST design department. So keep up the good work!!!

-Chuck

 

[Ptrope]

Hah! "Dog penis" nacelle caps ... . Hadn't heard that one - I'm going to try not to picture it in the future . I'm afraid those are here to stay - I wanted to keep the nacelles tubular because they were in the cartoon, plus I think it just makes it more recognizable as TOS era and not something later; the Archer-class (behind it and also quite turgid) kind of established the legitimacy of the extended Bussard domes, and since it's a boat/submarine, in addition to a shuttle, I thought it might seem a bit more hydrodynamic.

Just as a side thought, I've decided upon what I see as the general design philosophy of this particular aquashuttle: If TOS had continued and something like "The Ambergris Element" were done live action, perhaps Gene Winfield was called upon once more to build them an appropriate shuttle, but again, on a not-unlimited budget. Therefore, having a ratty old 30' (or so) fiberglass speedboat hanging around in the yard behind the customizing shop - maybe something someone traded him for some auto work or such - Gene, in the tradition of George Barris and the Batmobile, took the speedboat and made it the centerpiece of the shuttle, building everything else out from there, and retaining some of the elements he had used on Galileo.