Launching a ship's boat
- Thread starter rancke
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Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
Thirty minutes, if I recall correctly. I don't think it's been clarified whether that's per ship or per launch facility.
I would say that it's per small craft, especially if each small craft has its own launch facility (which I would think that they would).
Vladika
SOC-14 1K
So where do Lifeboats enter into this?
How long does it take to launch a lifeboat? Can they all launch at once or is it like CT2/HG2 and one per 10kdt or per launch facility?
I can see "Titanic in Space" even if you have plenty of boats.
Also, should a purely lifeboat be a special case?
How long does it take to launch a lifeboat? Can they all launch at once or is it like CT2/HG2 and one per 10kdt or per launch facility?
I can see "Titanic in Space" even if you have plenty of boats.
Also, should a purely lifeboat be a special case?
I would imagine life boats would be as fast as possible. Probably even explosively removing any exterior hull, making the life boat launch not something you would want to do as an alternative to using a regular ships as you need to recover or get a new cover.
Or perhaps the life boats themselves are part of the hull - you get in, hit the big red escape button, and it just gets shoved out as it is just locked into the hull. Sort of like the experimental space suits that you basically walk into, zip up behind you, and you are already outside basically (and dang if I just can't find that link)
Or perhaps the life boats themselves are part of the hull - you get in, hit the big red escape button, and it just gets shoved out as it is just locked into the hull. Sort of like the experimental space suits that you basically walk into, zip up behind you, and you are already outside basically (and dang if I just can't find that link)
that depends on what you mean by "launch".
if you mean start up the power plant, safety-check internal systems, verify airtight integrity of boat and main hull, coordinate with ship's engineering to decouple umbilicals, "please make sure your seats and trays are in an upright position", coordinate with flight control, and execute a controlled and legal launch, probably a while.
if you mean "HIT IT!" well then you're limited by how long it takes to get the power plant up and running and the outer airlock hatch (if any) open. imtu for a lifeboat that can be automated and can go from cold long-term shutdown to full power in twenty seconds - not counting the auto-eject which is a single button-push away.
I agree that lifeboats should have some way to be so launched in emergencies, something like an emergency launch button (akin of ejection button for a combat pilot), even with its PP not yet warmed and on line (relying on batteries in the meanwhile and putting it on line when outside the mother ship).
But this would only be for emergencies (abandoning the ship), while usual launching will be a more delicate and time consuming affair, as you also say.
As hinted above, the difference would be as a pilot leaving his plane with the eject button or leaving it once landed and by the usual way.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
Rescue bubbles, if you're in a hurry.
Liners probably do have dedicated lifeboats, possibly with explosive bolts blowing off the hull plate. Speculate 105% hangar space.
Liners probably do have dedicated lifeboats, possibly with explosive bolts blowing off the hull plate. Speculate 105% hangar space.
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