Conjectural shuttlecraft design (TOS era)...
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
I like it! I wonder, though, on the aft end, the door opens and the registry goes away, yes? Might that be a problem if you had a few of these ranked up together? Crew would have to check the sides to make sure they boarded the correct craft.
Probably not a big deal, just a thought.
--Alex
Probably not a big deal, just a thought.
--Alex
I love your design concept- it does fit into the established styles and looks practical.
Only an observation- when seen from the side my eye keeps being drawn to the downwards sloping wing- it just looks blank like there is something missing on it...
Only an observation- when seen from the side my eye keeps being drawn to the downwards sloping wing- it just looks blank like there is something missing on it...
I used the Class F design as the basis and built from there. The Class F wing/stabilizer elements do the same thing, but it's not as obvious.
I'm still trying to work out some finer exterior details, but this should convey a decent feel for the design.
Combining Vasquez Rocks with the "Gabriel" scene in "Bread and Circuses". The wonders of Photoshoping. Thanks for this.
This might sound like a dumb question, but wouldn't that landing foot sticking out of the shuttle's leading underside create unwanted drag when they're entering a planet's atmosphere? Wouldn't it be better for the foot to be retractable?
It's not a dumb question, but then we're talking about Trek physics here. The TOS Class F design has a similar strut hanging out the back and the whole somewhat box like design is even less aerodynamic than what I've done here. There isn't enough room for the strut and plate to retract. Look further upthread and you'll see a cross-section image showing the interior to illustrate the point.
Initially I had another strut idea in mind, but I didn't like the look of it enough. Also this exercise was partly guided by trying to envision what else they could have built back in the day as a fullsize mockup (assuming sufficient time and budget allowance). So to that end there are some things I did (like the forward strut) that reflect the notion of building this as a filming mockup. I also think that if they had built something like this then it likely would have been a bit smaller (like the original was to make it manageable) and a few more production compromises might have been made to make construction a bit easier (again just like the original).
The shape of the shuttlecraft we see on Trek throughout all the series and films suggests that they evidently don't fly like conventional aircraft. And given advanced antigrav capability they wouldn't need to either. Within an atmosphere they operate more like helicopters than airplanes. They launch and land essentially vertically so in theory they can launch from a planet surface by simply going straight up since their ability to fly has nothing to do with aerodynamics. And, of course, once in space they could be shaped like a brick and it wouldn't matter.
Now if I were designing a shuttlecraft for a non Trek project and it also had antigrav I would still make an effort to make it look at least passibly aerodynamic. We have to remember that even MJ's original shuttlecraft idea (the curvy one) wasn't particularly aerodynamic either. And it sported a rather elaborate wing/support structure and a cramped interior more like a Cessna type aircraft.
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I'm not going to do a detailed interior, but (a la TOS practice) using parts from previous models here's a look at what the interior could basically look like. The aft compartment could be reconfigured for specific missions: cargo transport, survey equipment, additional personnel, sleeping berths or even an airlock added at the aft end.
Any idea what nomenclature you would assign to conjectural Class H ship? Is it a "long range shuttle", or is it a "runabout", or a "compact scout-craft"?
There are a couple of lingering questions about both the Class F and the Class H. Is the rear interior compartment of the Class F a kind of super-compact "engine room", or at least a "utility room", or is the entire ship's main hull comprised of multiple compartments, mostly hidden, that serve those purposes? And how would that work for the Class H? Is there a place for a lavatory? Food slot? Spacesuits?
The conjectural Class H seems to have room for more than one inhabited compartment aft of the "cockpit" compartment. Maybe there's an small, aft-most airlock/utility room, and in between this aft compartment and the cockpit there's another room for crew habitat (eating, rest, exercise, medical). If so, then the cockpit and the aft utility compartments would be the places the crew would do most of their work.
There are a couple of lingering questions about both the Class F and the Class H. Is the rear interior compartment of the Class F a kind of super-compact "engine room", or at least a "utility room", or is the entire ship's main hull comprised of multiple compartments, mostly hidden, that serve those purposes? And how would that work for the Class H? Is there a place for a lavatory? Food slot? Spacesuits?
The conjectural Class H seems to have room for more than one inhabited compartment aft of the "cockpit" compartment. Maybe there's an small, aft-most airlock/utility room, and in between this aft compartment and the cockpit there's another room for crew habitat (eating, rest, exercise, medical). If so, then the cockpit and the aft utility compartments would be the places the crew would do most of their work.
The aft compartment of the Class H could be configured any number of ways including installing a lavoratory and foo/beverage system for longer range missions. Indeed some models might have a forward compartment with only the pilot and navigator's seats.
It's meant to be a faster and longer range multipurpose shuttlecraft. I see it as a more advanced and evolved type over the Class F which could be seen as an older design, maybe even dating back to when the Constitution type ships were first launched.
It's meant to be a faster and longer range multipurpose shuttlecraft. I see it as a more advanced and evolved type over the Class F which could be seen as an older design, maybe even dating back to when the Constitution type ships were first launched.
