McAuliffe, Skyhook and Alexandria...

Discussion in 'Fan Projects & Editing' started by Dundradal, Sep 2, 2010.

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  1. Dundradal They're Everywhere! / Administrator

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    This is what happens when I have to make art.

    You can see in this picture the Skyhook space elevator, the massive Alexandria space station and part of the fleet docked alongside.

    Enjoy! :D

    Attached Files:

    Dundradal, Sep 2, 2010
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  2. PopsiclePete Mission programmer

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    Awfull :p
    PopsiclePete, Sep 2, 2010
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  3. Dundradal They're Everywhere! / Administrator

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    That is the best fan interpretation of the Skyhook and Alexandria ever done.

    You can't argue with that because it is the ONLY fan interpretation of the Skyhook and Alexandria ever done.

    :p
    Dundradal, Sep 2, 2010
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  4. Wedge009 Rogue Leader

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    I don't quite understand... is this a joke?
    Wedge009, Sep 3, 2010
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  5. Madman Vice Admiral

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    these are obviously not WC images and not licenced but a search around th net revealed:

    http://artect.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/spaceelevatororbit.jpg
    http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpaceElevator
    (the A.C.Clarke book Fountains of Paradise mentioned on there is a good book and I was originally looking for the cover of that to post!)
    and here it is:
    http://djuna.cine21.com/xe/files/attach/images/5656/527/129/1.jpg

    also
    http://www.impactlab.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/space-elevator-344.jpg
    http://dvice.com/pics/spaceelevator2.jpg
    http://www.simonvdb.be/projects/se01_print1_ntx_klein.JPG

    as i say they may not be of use, but they're a little better than dund's mock up (which in turn is 10 times better than anything I could do!)
    Madman, Sep 3, 2010
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  6. Quarto Unknown Enemy

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    No, I think he's serious, dead serious :).
    Quarto, Sep 3, 2010
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  7. Chuckles Commodore

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    Solar Battleship Arrays!
    Chuckles, Sep 3, 2010
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  8. Wedge009 Rogue Leader

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    I know he's not... but now you're confusing me. Just because you two know each other well from working on Standoff doesn't give you a licence to mess with my mind. :p
    Wedge009, Sep 3, 2010
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  9. Jason_Ryock Rear Admiral

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    I don't know that it works to say that the skyhook is a space elevator. From the descriptions in the book (which I've been exclusively reading over for the last several weeks) it seems to be a much more rigid structure, as opposed to a bunch of cables for transport of goods/people/energy straight up and down.

    The book talks about pieces of the skyhook falling off as the vibrations hit it, literally shaking itself to pieces. This strongly implies that it's more then just a cable (or bundle of cables) running up and down.

    This was a result of thrusters firing to try to keep it aligned with the planet (which again, implies that there is no 'play' in the skyhook, which you would expect from something that was primarily cable based).

    I gotta say though, the whole idea that the Orbital Base is just a massive spiderweb of docking arms was pretty foreign to me. I actually thought the Skyhook looked something like the Perry outposts, they seemed ideal to me be attached to the top of a skyhook, but the book obviously proves that interpretation wrong.
    Jason_Ryock, Sep 3, 2010
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  10. Madman Vice Admiral

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    Hmm, okay, so you're right it's not really a space elevator, but it is there to provide power and supplies and it's still a fixed rigid structure (from a physics point of view then, even more suspect than the space elevator!) so it would I imagine have similar feel to it.

    That all said, pretty much any book with a description of a space elevator under attack discusss the fact that a couple of thousand mile long cable is
    a) pretty damn heavy
    b) in order to carry anything heavier than a gnat is pretty thick (and frankly any design for one is also going to need stabilising thrusters because they too have next to no 'play' in them
    c) when it comes down will cause a massive amount of damage

    I have to say though, that given the need for thrusters and armour to protect the presumably massive power cables (which lets face it must be huge to support an entire starbase of shielding AND allow many battleships and carriers to power down while in dock) the structure must be fairly massive and i'd say the structure would be as large if not larger than that seen in a space elevator.
    Madman, Sep 3, 2010
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  11. powell99 Aviation Junkie

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    Winner by default!

    Are those New Mexico Class Battleships moored to it?
    powell99, Sep 3, 2010
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  12. Dundradal They're Everywhere! / Administrator

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    Pffttt NO! They are New Mexico Class Space Battleships :p

    I thought about using the New York Class (since that's what the USS Texas is and from S*S we learn the dreadnaughts in AS are Texas Class :p )

    Now to the real deal....

    I kind of imagine the Skyhook to be similar to the New Mombasa Elevator seen in Halo 2 and 3. It has cables, but also has some rigid structure. Perhaps the Skyhook is along those lines?

    I don't have AS handy at the moment, but could the cables be enclosed in a rigid/armored structure to protect them and the massive power lines that provide shielding to the base?
    Dundradal, Sep 3, 2010
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  13. Oggy Rear Admiral

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    Unfortunately, I think I-wars intro would cloud my interpretation of a skyhook and space elevator
    Oggy, Sep 3, 2010
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  14. Jason_Ryock Rear Admiral

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    Yeah this is pretty much what I imagined.
    Jason_Ryock, Sep 3, 2010
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  15. TonViper Spaceman

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    If you're interested in seeing a realistic depiction of a space elevator in fiction, I'd recommend taking a look at the anime Mobile Suit Gundam 00.

    In their future, the earth is surrounded by a ring of solar generators, connected to three space elevators around the equator. They consist of several cables, contained within a rigid shell, on the inside of which train-like elevators run up and down.

    You really get a sense of its structure when it is hit by a focused beam weapon in, I think, episode 43. This causes it to eject its outer shell, leaving the cables intact for rebuilding.

    That show is really well animated, so their depiction of the space elevator seems very realistic.
    TonViper, Sep 4, 2010
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  16. Bob McDob Better Health Through Less Flavor

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    Isn't that just a skyhook with a space elevator attached?
    Bob McDob, Sep 4, 2010
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  17. Dundradal They're Everywhere! / Administrator

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    Ok you guys are getting confusing. :p

    Here are all the references to the Skyhook in AS. After reading it, you do get the impression it is a solid structure and not just a series of cables connecting Alexandria to the surface. It's literally exactly what I posted above. A 20,000 kilometer elevator shaft :p

    Alexandria sounds like the single most impressive facility in the Confederation.

    Dundradal, Sep 4, 2010
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  18. Dundradal They're Everywhere! / Administrator

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    I hope someone is hard at work on a model of this structure...I'd love to see a few interpretations of Alexandria especially...

    :D
    Dundradal, Sep 8, 2010
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  19. Dundradal They're Everywhere! / Administrator

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    Come on now...please don't let my art be the winner here.....
    Dundradal, Sep 30, 2010
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  20. Marc Commodore

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    BradMick was working on something like this while back.

    I find it surprising he doesn't have anything...
    Marc, Sep 30, 2010
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