Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino
A fighter of the type depicted in To Dream and a Whitestar both operate in space, smartass, so propulsion systems, power plants, sensors and controls could all be tested in the small scale version and the lessons learned applied directly to the big one.
A fighter of the type depicted in To Dream and a Whitestar both operate in space, smartass, so propulsion systems, power plants, sensors and controls could all be tested in the small scale version and the lessons learned applied directly to the big one.
Now, the idea that fighter-type propulasion systems, sensors, and controls can be directly scaled up to major ship components is ridiculous. I was a naval architecture major and know a bit about how these things work, and the number of things that can be directly scaled from super-small to large in ship design (and I bet even space ship design) are minimal. Perhaps some of the materials might be so tested, but you wouldn't build a fighter even then, you would build something more like a target barge.
A P-38 may not have been a testbed for an Iowa-class, but you can be damned sure that various things that went into the Iowas were tested first on smaller ships, just as today technologies that will eventually go into surface warships and submarines are being tested on dinky little one and two man testbeds. Fighters in the B5 universe are first and foremost spacecraft just like the big vessels, even if their role is that of fighter. The proper analogy to what I suggested would have been a PT boat or a destroyer, not an aircraft.
The design requirements for fighters and those for large ships are almost completely different. The fact that they operate in the same medium doesn't change the fact the propulsion for space fighters, for instance, will emphasize rapid acceleration and decelleration, compact size, and shielding for the pilot sitting right next to it. Fighter engines generally sacrifice endurance and maintainability to get those advantages, because they will be operating near a support ship or base. Ship engines will emphasize endurance and maintainability, while sacrificing small size and rapid speed change as necessary.
I guess someone had better explain to JMS's wife how things work in the B5 universe.

You, of course, may find it entirely credible. My post was purely about what I found non-credible, and that is all.
Comment