StarDestroyer.Net BBS

So sleek, deadly and phallic.

It's closely related to something called a Silver Dart by PlanetSpace:




Its RBCC engines will be derived from this NASA GTX design which unfortunately got McNamaraed along with hafnium diboride TPS: "Duplicate Research" my ass:

You make some nice ships.
I think they would look even better if you added large amounts of detail.

Did I mention it has swing wings for better low-speed handling?

As you may probably not know, the swing-wing design is inspired by this old Sukhoi design study called the T-4MS, or the "Two Hundred" for its proposed takeoff weight in tons.

All it need is a wormhole to TBOverse, and its got a new home already. also In before Space Marines. Exclent work Ein!

Hmm, I see shades of Sänger Silverbird in the side view. I still need to put the wing and tailplane on, but the engines, of which there are two GTX-style RBCCs, are essentially frozen unless I get a new idea.

Essentially it uses compression lift (and lift from the thrust plume out the back) to stay aloft at speed. You'll probably also notice the rocket in the tail; I'm thinking that's the ship's OMS thruster; I'm very likely to replace it with two smaller rockets roughly equivalent in thrust.

~45° sweep.

Started work on reaction control system and added two 'smallish' strap-on SRBs (with option for a number three SRB) for high-orbit insertion or maneuvering. They are jettisoned prior to reentry after the deorbit burn.

Also did up the horizontal tailplane on the side elevation.

Another idea re: SRBs: I think I'm gonna move the SRBs inboard to minimize collision risk and aerodynamic interference from their bow shocks hitting the vertical tails. I'd think the SRB shocks will produce a moment perpendicular to the vertical tails' surfaces forward of their CGs and pivot points, not only forcing the tail down but causing the tails themselves to twist outward and amplify the moment with their own aerodynamic forces.

What? No aerospike engines?

Thing I'm not sure about on these craft is the pointy nose. Seems to me like that would be the first thing to melt off on reentry.

Wings added, modified SRBs slightly as per above.

Mister Fulton, I suggest you look up the melting point of hafnium diboride. I'm also thinking the tail rocket would be just an OMS engine.

I wonder if this counts as necroing...



Greatly improved boosters, giving them glide-from-orbit capability. Finished and froze maneuvering thruster design and placement. Added electro-optical sensors (read: cameras) to vehicle and boosters; both systems to be identical.

Is that shuttle its dropcraft? I may use this Ship in a story of mine, if you wouldn't mind

Redleader34 wrote:Is that shuttle its dropcraft? I may use this Ship in a story of mine, if you wouldn't mind

Shuttle? Naw, those are its SRBs, which have now been given the capability of being carried all the way into orbit and dropped off to reenter at any time as an Uninhabited Aerospace Vehicle. The dropship would be in the payload bay, where the satellites, warheads, kinetic energy weapons, passenger modules, or what-have-you normally reside.

And YES! YOU MAY USE MY ART IN ANY FIC YOU CHOOSE.

Einhander Sn0m4n wrote:

Redleader34 wrote:Is that shuttle its dropcraft? I may use this Ship in a story of mine, if you wouldn't mind

Shuttle? Naw, those are its SRBs, which have now been given the capability of being carried all the way into orbit and dropped off to reenter at any time as an Uninhabited Aerospace Vehicle. The dropship would be in the payload bay, where the satellites, warheads, kinetic energy weapons, passenger modules, or what-have-you normally reside.

And YES! YOU MAY USE MY ART IN ANY FIC YOU CHOOSE.

Ein! That's not how you do it, you're supposed to charge him! Nice ship, by the way.

I'm curious why you're using solid boosters. Once they've got wings and vectored thrust like that, you might as well make them liquid fueled. The shuttle SRBs are a nightmare to refurbish - yours aren't segmented so perhaps the motor casing swaps out of the airframe, but that sounds suboptimal for weight purposes. Really liquid boosters give better performance, turnaround time and operating costs if you're prepared to pay the extra upfront cost - see the proposed reusable boosters for Energia for an example.

Thanks for the insight, Starglider. I think they'll be better as LRBs given your input as well.

I like this, it reminds me of some of my favorite G.I. Joe toys!