Subject:
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Re: Universal Docking Ring ideas?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.space
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Date:
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Sat, 7 Apr 2001 04:41:05 GMT
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Viewed:
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312 times
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foxtrot@cc.gatech.edu (J.D. Forinash) writes:
> William R. Ward <hermit@bayview.com> wrote:
> > A. Surface-to-orbit shuttles need to be capable of reentry. So they
> > must not have Technic posts sticking out or other things which would
> > in the real world burn off. They must be symmetrical and streamlined.
> > They shouldn't have doors in the middle of the heat shield (except for
> > landing gear).
>
> If we assume that repulsorlift technology (or the equivalent) exists,
> this becomes less of a problem; you don't use the atmosphere as a
> brake on re-entry.[...]
I don't assume any such thing. I prefer to follow the assumption that
while reaction engines will improve, there won't be a significant
change in the types of technologies available.
> > 2. Docking Angle - I would like to have it be possible to dock in more
> > than one or two orientations. This is because different ships may
> > have various protuberances such as wings, tails, modules, solar
> > panels, antennae, etc. which would get in the way of docking. I think
> > ideally it should be possible to dock in any of 4 different
> > directions.
>
> This is one of the things that I ran into problems with. It really has to
> boil down to "Nothing can stick out past the docking collar," when you
> get down to brass tacks.
Well I think that if the docking collar allows docking in a variety of
directions, you can allow stuff to stick out in certain directions, as
long as there is one axis where nothing sticks out.
> > 4. Sex - should there be separate "male" and "female" sides or should
> > each side be identical? If Technic pegs are used for connecting two
> > ships, should all the pegs be attached to one of them, or should each
> > ship have half of them? The problem with this is that
> > surface-to-orbit craft need to be smooth and symmetrical. You could
> > put a peg in diagonal corners on both pieces, and a hole in the other
> > two corners, but the pegs on the landing craft would be vulnerable to
> > burning off, barring some bulky construction which would protect them.
> > So I think it makes more sense for the surface-to-orbit craft to be
> > "female": having Technic beams that can receive pegs from the
> > "mothership" when docking.
>
> On the other hand, if all STO craft are female, you can't dock one
> STO craft to another. And that's also something we've been doing since
> the '60s. :)
True. But I think in a more advanced universe we would have
motherships and space stations that never enter atmosphere, and that's
what the small ships would dock with. To dock with each other they
can carry a store of Technic friction pegs which are dragged outside
through the airlock and installed by EVA, and then the docking can
happen.
> Ideally (to me), a ring would be universal, identical on
> both sides. This has other troubles-- also ideally, it'd be nice to
> not have to use any more space than necessary to do this.
Ideally, yes. But Lego rarely affords us the luxury of worrying about
the ideal situation.
> Opening a
> pocket door sideways doesn't work because then the open parts don't
> match up unless the door extends past the boundaries of the ring.
> Opening it upward or downward has the same trouble. Opening inward
> requires it be much deeper. Lego hasn't given us a decent way to make
> an iris door... Opening outward is, of course, right out. Well, unless
> the door is recessed from the collar, but it just sounds like a good
> idea to make it so the door is naturally pushed shut by the pressurized
> craft. :)
I've always assumed my doors would swing inward, because of the
effects of air pressure in keeping it shut. Sliding doors can be
done, but they're tricky and complicated, and take up substantially
more space in Lego than they would in reality. I usually don't bother
with them.
--Bill.
--
William R Ward hermit@bayview.com http://www.bayview.com/~hermit/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."-Groucho Marx
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Universal Docking Ring ideas?
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| (...) If we assume that repulsorlift technology (or the equivalent) exists, this becomes less of a problem; you don't use the atmosphere as a brake on re-entry. You can go through the atmosphere without generating lots of heat; heck, back in 1960 a (...) (23 years ago, 6-Apr-01, to lugnet.space)
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