Capacious
CONCEPT
Here is a collection of images that represent the kind of work I did before learning 3D CGI. At that time, my main graphics program was Corel Draw. I took hand sketches, scanned them, then electonically traced over them to create finished line drawings. I took a few of these line-art illustrations and added color resulting in images reminiscent of what you might find in a reference manual for a role playing game. Fellow speculative spaceship artist Jeff D. Robb created many of the logos seen on the images.
The Star Vessels project includes twenty of these 2D images originally done in 2000 and 2001. They have all been reworked to give them a stronger cartoon feel. The ships all belong to the same science fiction environment in an an era perhaps 1000 years from the present. They are produced by a human star-faring civilization just getting started out with travel times for the average 5 light years between star systems lasting from weeks to months. They are thus on the boundary of TL4 and TL5.
Star Defenders are medium to large sized starships specially equipped for deep space patrol and long term military operations. They are also outfitted with modest research facilities allowing them to perform some deep space exploration missions as well. While the majority of Star Defenders are capable of landing on planetary surfaces, they also carry a sizable number of sublight powered smallcraft incluiding many armed patrolcraft. Star Defenders have modest to luxurious living quarters along with modest recreation facilities including small to medium botanical gardens. Star Defenders are heavily armed for their size.
Star Freighters are medium to large starships whose primary task is to carry personnel and cargo from one place to another in the form of standardized and specialized modules. Such cargo modules range in size from a few thousand metric tons to hundreds of thousands of metric tons. There is a wide variety of cargo modules specialized into a plethora of types including freight transport, personnel transport and starliners, hospitals, space processing, manufacturing, large space hardware construction, salvage, scientific research, deep space sensors, weapons arrays, force field generators, heavy deflector arrays, electronic countermeasures, sublight propulsion, warp-jump generators, and recreation facilities. Star Freighters are essentially large open spaceframes able to accommodate larger numbers of cargo modules than can be towed efficiently by tugs. They are also used to tow large specialized cargo modules and larger starships.
Star Freighters towing the appropriate cargo modules can perform the same tasks as Star Investigators and Star Liners, and some are used in this way, but their slower warp-jump performance and lesser sublight maneuverability can be a hindrance. Star Freighters are not capable of landing on planetary surfaces and sometimes carry their own Star Tugs in addition to a number of sublight powered single module haulers and shuttles. Star Freighters often serve as mobile supply stations and dry-docks. Living accommodations and recreation facilities are modest but most Star Freighters also carry a specialized module equipped with more extensive recreation facilities including botanical gardens. Star Freighters themselves are not armed, but carry small patrolships and/or weapons modules when necessary.
Star Healers are small to medium starships specially equipped for major deep space rescue and disaster relief operations. They are outfitted with extensive hospital facilities featuring the most advanced physical and mental health technology achieved by Humans. In addition to the relief supplies carried onboard, Star Healers can also tow additional supplies in external cargo modules. On the most massive relief operations, Star Tugs and Star Freighters are also used to transport supplies and additional hospital facilities. Star Healers have a combination of modest and luxurious living accommodations along with modest recreation facilities including botanical gardens. Star Healers carry many ambulance shuttles in addition to personnel shuttles, cargo shuttles, specialized rescuecraft, specialized salvagecraft, repaircraft, and patrolcraft. Star Healers are never armed and thus must be escorted into situations where combat is likely.
Star Investigators are medium to large sized starships capable of long-term, long-range deep space exploration. They carry a variety of specialized sublight powered craft to explore various environments including under water. Star Investigators usually are not capable of landing on planetary surfaces unaided. They have luxurious living accommodations and extensive recreation facilities including sizable botanical bays. Star Investigators are moderately armed for their size.
Star Liners are medium to large starships specifically outfitted for the transport of passengers in modest to luxurious living accomodations. The extensive recreation facilities aboard Star Liners include a variety of botanical gardens, athletic courts, holo-theaters, art galleries, live performance spaces, and virtual reality simulators. While usually landable themselves, they also carry a variety of sublight powered shuttles. Star Liners are never armed.
Star Patrollers are small starships specially equipped for solar system patrol, planetary installation defense, space station defense, and space habitat defense. Star Patrollers are also outfitted with basic surveying equipment allowing them to perform some surveying missions as well. While all Star Patrollers are capable of landing on planetary surfaces, most of them also carry at least a few sublight powered smallcraft. Star Patrollers have spartan to modest living accommodations with only basic recreation facilities Some Star Patrollers have specialized rescue ship, deep space ambulance, and light salvage ship variants. Star Patrollers are heavily armed for their size.
Star Processors are medium to large starships equipped with advanced materials extraction machinery and refining facilities along with powerful energy absorption gear. They use asteroids, gas giant atmospheres, interstellar gas, and interstellar dust as raw materials and nearby stars or radiating gas giants as power sources. Some Star Processors also have onboard production facilities that can manufacture even large starship components. Most Star Processors are equipped with energy processing facilities, gases processing facilities, and solid matter processing facilities.
The energy processing facilities are capable of absorbing a wide range of stellar radiation and even charged plasma. The energy absorbed is used not only to power the space processors themselves, but also the charge high capacity battery modules manufactured onboard. Such battery modules are used by many smallcraft and smaller starships as their primary power source.
Gases processing facilities are able to suck in such material as gas giant planetary atmospheres and various kinds of nebulae. Conical shaped attraction fields are used to draw material into intakes for gaseous matter. Gases collected by space processors are usually separated from one another and stored in highly compressed liquid form.
Solids processing facilities typically use asteroids and interstellar dust particles for raw materials. Asteroids are usually broken down into boulder size chunks by rapidly alternating attraction/repulsion beams that literally shake objects until they breaks into smaller pieces. The attraction/repulsion beams are assisted by high-energy beams when necessary. Solid matter is typically refined into elemental forms such as metal ores being converted into solid blocks consisting of pure metal.
Processed materials and products are loaded into cargo modules that are supplied by the Star Tugs and Star Freighters that usually accompany the Star Processors during their operations. Star Processors are also used for large scale salvage operations; Star Tugs towing specialized salvage modules perform most of the small scale salvage operations. All Star Processors carry a variety of sublight powered smallcraft and many carry some Star Surveyors for prospecting as well. Living accommodations onboard Star Processors are usually luxurious but the recreation facilities tend to be modest. Thus, most of them tow a specialized module equipped with more extensive recreation facilities including botanical gardens. Star Processors are never armed and carry patrolcraft or are escorted by Star Patrollers if they are operating in situations where combat is likely.
Star Surveyors are small to medium sized starships specially equipped for deep space surveying/charting missions. While the majority of Star Surveyors are capable of landing on planetary surfaces, most of them also carry at least a few sublight powered smallcraft. Star Surveyors have spartan to modest living accommodations with limited to modest recreation facilities. Star Surveyors are lightly to moderately armed for their size with larger Star Surveyors capable of performing some deep space patrol missions as well.
Star Tugs are small to medium starships whose primary task is to carry personnel and cargo from one place to another in the form of the same standardized and specialized modules used by Star Freighters. By combining such modules together, a tug can perform many of the same tasks that other kinds of starships perform and be tailored to exact needs for a particular mission. Star Tugs are also capable of towing other starships. If the ship under tow is large or the number of cargo modules is more than one Star Tug can handle, a number of Star Tugs are used. Special warp-jump booster modules that stretch the spherical superspace bubble created by a Star Tug's warp-jump generators have also been used to extend towing capacity.
While Star Tugs provide a cost effective alternative to using the more expensive specialized vessels on many occasions, their warp-jump performance and sublight maneuverability varies dramatically depending upon the size and number of modules towed. Also, towing large numbers of cargo modules by a group of Star Tugs or a single Star Tug with warp-jump booster modules is an unwieldy operation. All Star Tugs are capable of landing on planetary surfaces but some also carry a few sublight powered smallcraft. Living accommodations and recreation facilities are spartan to modest. Star Tugs themselves are not armed but will tow weapons modules when necessary.
COMMENTARY
The main purpose of the Star Vessels project is to show a variety of starship designs serving in a variety of functions. I know most of these vessels are relatively industrial looking, and employ only two basic styles, boxy and curvy. An attempt has been made to give each vessel some unique detailing to help differentiate the designs. A major element of this detailing is the use of lots of different kinds of viewports, something I consider rather romantic for starships. Some asymmetrical design elements have been included on many of the ships to add further visual interest to this collection of speculative spaceship visions.
PRIMARY DESIGN INFLUENCES
Star Patroller Adamant - A concept design called the Roger Burlingame, done by Andrew Probert for a science fiction film project of the early 1980's called Starhunt
Star Healer Assistance - A model rocket design called the Trident from the 1970's
Star Frieghter Beneficent - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Liner Benevolence - Inspired by the Spacing Guild Heighliner as described by Frank Herbert in his science fiction novel Dune and various starship designs of Chris Foss
Star Processor Bounteous - A conceptual design for Leviathan/Nostromo by Chris Foss for the science-fiction/horror
film Alien
Star Frieghter Capacious - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Healer Compassion - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Surveyor Curious - A spaceship design seen on the 1970's TV series Project UFO
Star Tug Endurance - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Defender Exultant - The Imperial Star Destroyer and Rebel Headquarters Frigate from Star Wars
Star Tug Forbearance - The Newbold Revel Defense Force 1000-Series Dreadnought by fellow speculative spaceship designer Graden Elliott
Star Processor Generative - A large space carrier design used as cover art for the tactical starship combat board game Starfire II
Star Patroller Guardian - The Space-Liner Interstellar Queen from the 1978 Terran Trade Authority Handbook: Spacecraft 2000 to 2100AD by Stewart Cowley
Star Defender Illustrious - The Newbold Revel Defense Force 1000-Series Dreadnought by fellow speculative spaceship designer Graden Elliott
Star Processor Industrious - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Investigator Inquisitive - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Healer Mercy - Spaceship design seen on a "Space Mission" puzzle from the early 1970's
Star Investigator Observant - A starship design by Chris Foss
Star Surveyor Outreach - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Tug Patience - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Processor Productive - The Ore Extractor/Processor AC3 Stag Beetle from the 1978 Terran Trade Authority Handbook: Spacecraft 2000 to 2100AD by Stewart Cowley
Star Patroller Resolution - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Investigator Sojourner - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
Star Defender Steadfast - The Imperial Star Destroyer from Star Wars
Star Freighter Titania - Original design by David C. Mueller from 1985
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