[gurps] [VEHICLE] of the week 662 - TL8 Spaceplane

[Onno Meyer]

  This is a weekly posting with GURPS vehicles (and the like) to the 
GURPSnet mailing list. I grant the permission for all non-commercial 
redistribution of my work, but I would like to know if you put it on 
a website or the like. My site is down for rebuilding, but sooner or 
later the old stuff should reappear at   omeyer.gmxhome.de
  Onno Meyer, 2007-07-01

Spaceplane v1.0 (TL8)
  Copyright 2007 by Onno Meyer

  Many space exploration scenarios require a cheap and reusable launch 
vehicle. For near future games, this spaceplane should do the job. The 
spaceplane carries 10 tons of cargo, passengers and crew.
  The spaceplane uses hydrogen/oxygen rockets for a horizontal takeoff 
and a rapid climb to low earth orbit (LEO). The acceleration starts at 
3 G and increases until the engines are throttled back to maintain 4-5 
G. In a few minutes the spaceplane will reach some 8 km/s and over 100 
km altitude. The spaceplane docks with an OTV or transfer station with 
almost dry tanks. Then it uses the remaining delta-V, perhaps 300 m/s, 
to enter the atmosphere and start aerobraking. Finally it returns as 
unpowered glider. 
  The engines burn 1,375 gallons of HO per second. A full load of fuel 
is $21,000.

Subassemblies: Body +8, ten retractable Wheels +3. 
Powertrain: Three 500,000-lb. chemical rockets; 540,000-kWs advanced 
  batteries.
Fuel: 200,000 gallons HO (fire on 13).
Occ: 2 RCS, 8 RS.   Cargo: 900 cf.

Armor       F      RL       B       T       U
Body:     4/100   4/100   4/100   4/100   4/100
Wheels:     3/5     3/5     3/5     3/5     3/5

Equipment:
  Body: Two very long range radios; two 5x LLTVs; two 1-mile radars, 
low-res imaging; low-resolution planetary survey array; flight data 
recorder; two sets of precision navigation instruments; two inertial 
navigation systems; two C2 small, hardened computers; two terminals; 
two-man airlock; two 10x12 man-hour limited life systems; cramped 
toilet; ten G-seats.

Statistics
Size: 200'x30'x20'   Payload: 220 tons     Lwt.: 250 tons
Volume: 45,000 cf    Maint.: 7 man-hours   Price: $35,792,400

HT: 7.   HPs: 3,000 Body, 90 each Wheel

Takeoff (powered)
gSpeed:   620   gAccel: 30   gDecel: 10   gMR: 0.25   gSR: 4
aSpeed: 2,650   aAccel: 60   aDecel:  1   aMR: 0.25   aSR: 5
Stall Speed 220.

sAccel: 3 to 18.75.   sMR: 3   Delta-V: 20,774 mph

Landing (gliding)
aSpeed:   200   aAccel:  0   aDecel:  1   aMR: 0.25   aSR: 5
gSpeed:     0   gAccel:  0   gDecel: 10   gMR: 0.25   gSR: 4
Glide Speed 200. Stall Speed 90. Glide Ratio 5:1.

Design Notes
  Finely made. Body is 45,000 cf, with very good streamlining and 
lifting body. Wheels are 2,250 cf, retract into body. Structure is 
extra-light and advanced. Armor is advanced, fireproof ablative on body, 
advanced composite on wheels. Sealed. Computerized controls with 
duplicate maneuver controls. There are 815.47 cf of empty space. Empty 
weight is 60,000 lbs.
  The vehicle uses the design rules from Vehicles [2nd edition, 3rd 
printing, Dec 2004 errata], VXi and VXii (the armor volume rule) with 
the text format from Vehicles Lite.


Next Week: Probably a missile carrier for alternate history games.