The conning tower or sail reappears on the Botany Bay which lends the impression of a submarine in space. However, the Botany Bay’s main hull is definitely not a submarine hull, but rather a simple six sided boom like structure with a coned forward end reminiscent of a blunted pencil. Wouldn’t that be crazy if MJ’s inspiration had actually been a pencil? 
I had considered a submarine like hull such as the Skipjack or Nautilus (both known naval craft of the era) for the Antares, but such a form isn’t much different than a cylindrical form of a rocket booster. It’s the added bits that help make it distinctive.
The interesting thing about the “radar dome” idea for the deflector is that it isn’t bad in the right application even though MJ abandoned it. I guess he reasoned the deflector dish was more visually interesting. And yet the TMP refit would sort of ditch the antenna dish by losing the spike and integrating the dish into the secondary hull. But for a vehicle meant to land and therefore meant to operate within an atmosphere then a dome or cowling would make more aerodynamic sense, at least visually. Thats why I always found it odd to see some of the TAS shuttlecraft designs with deflector dishes—it looked stupid for a vehicle meant to enter an atmosphere as opposed to a ship meant to operate solely in the vacuum of space.
My vague idea of the F4 Phantom as inspiration—besides it being one of my favourite looking fighter jets—is how the engine housings run parallel to the main fuselage yet below the fuselage’s centreline. Of course, something has to finish off the forward end and nacelles have to come into play somewhere. I have to start sketching this for my ideas to crystallize.
I had considered a submarine like hull such as the Skipjack or Nautilus (both known naval craft of the era) for the Antares, but such a form isn’t much different than a cylindrical form of a rocket booster. It’s the added bits that help make it distinctive.
The interesting thing about the “radar dome” idea for the deflector is that it isn’t bad in the right application even though MJ abandoned it. I guess he reasoned the deflector dish was more visually interesting. And yet the TMP refit would sort of ditch the antenna dish by losing the spike and integrating the dish into the secondary hull. But for a vehicle meant to land and therefore meant to operate within an atmosphere then a dome or cowling would make more aerodynamic sense, at least visually. Thats why I always found it odd to see some of the TAS shuttlecraft designs with deflector dishes—it looked stupid for a vehicle meant to enter an atmosphere as opposed to a ship meant to operate solely in the vacuum of space.
My vague idea of the F4 Phantom as inspiration—besides it being one of my favourite looking fighter jets—is how the engine housings run parallel to the main fuselage yet below the fuselage’s centreline. Of course, something has to finish off the forward end and nacelles have to come into play somewhere. I have to start sketching this for my ideas to crystallize.
Last edited:
