Re: size of ships...

Date sent:  17-DEC-1996 09:35:21 

>> Escorts: up to about 4cm long, provided they're longish rather than
stubby

>Which brings up a point... am I the only one here who thinks long,
slender
>spaceships don't make sense? Yes, I know that all we're really doing
here is
>coming up with PSB to rationalize whatever we think *looks* cool.
>Nevertheless, it seems to me that except for ships designed for
atmospheric
>entry (including, probably, most of the aforementioned escorts), the
stubbier
>the better: keeps your mass more compact, your structure more sturdy.

Just a quick note. At high speeds, you need at least some kind of
streamlining.
Space is NOT empty. E E 'Doc' Smith's Lensman ships were teardrop shaped
to improve their 'inertialess' performance. You will hit stuff, and you
want it to bounce.

Having said that, the best shape as far as I can tell for a space ship
is a
sphear. It has minimum area to volume, good pressure holding
characteristics
etc.

But pointy ships do look better IMHO.

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