RE: DS2 Resins to FT or FTFB Mass

> ----------
> From: 	Thomas
> Anderson[SMTP:thomas.anderson@university-college.oxford.ac.uk]
> Reply To:	gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
> Sent: 	Monday, November 23, 1998 2:55 PM
> To:	'gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu'
> Subject:	Re: DS2 Resins to FT or FTFB Mass
> 
> it feels weird. and some weird stuff is happening with double-quoting
of
> the address in my mailer ... <crosses fingers>
> 
Good luck to us all.

> looks similar to the Tholians from a paleolithic star trek episode.
> 
More like a thickened Type-S from Traveller, but I see what you mean.

> well, given that it costs the same as a platoon-size lander (6.50), i
> would guess that it is not supposed to be a proper navy frigate. mind
you,
> the system defence gunboat is only 4.50, so that must be blinking tiny
...
> 
Hmm... I hdn't thought about using a real price/ to size comparison. The
SDB
is maybe 25mm by 75mm-ish, smaller than the Platoon Boat, maybe about
the
same general mass as the scout and 3/4 the mass of the Platoon Boat. I
would
estimate there are about 8 total PBE (platoon boat equivalents) of
volume in
the big lander. The 'Tramp' class freighter is probably about 25mm thick
and
maybe 60mm square in a generally millenium-falcony shape. I'd call it 1
and
a half PBEs

> if 1 mass is 100 tonnes (is that right?), then mass 120 is 12 000
tonnes.
> figuring that a motor car is (for the sake of argument) 1 tonne,
that's 12
> 000 times more massive, probably 12 000 times larger in volume, so
> (12000)^(1/3) = 23 times longer. looking at the picture, this could
> actually be right. i feel starships - especially those of mass 100 -
> should be much, much bigger, but then i always used to rate 1 mass at
1000
> tonnes (until i read honor harrington and changed it to 100 000 ...).
> 
Yeah, I've yet to come up with a number that satisfies me as regards
shipp
tonnages, but I'm also inclined towards bigness, precluding any PSB
matter-energy-matter conversion with a modicum of efficiency.

Well, if there are eight or so PBE in the Big Lander (8 PBE = 1 BLE?)
and
the BLE is 120 mass then the PBL (and Arapaho?) should mass out at about
15
Ms (sounds good (even the Arapaho seems right compared to other
Frigates))
the Scout and System Defense Boat should weigh in at around 10 ms each
(too
small for a useful SDB, but sounds fine for the scoutship, even a little
big
compared to the FB's major designs. This puts the 'Tramp' at Ms 22 (2 Ms
larger than the FB's 'Free Trader' design and well within my tolerances
for
errors). 

Make sense?