The Columbus class sublight explorer—an 8,600-ton craft powered by a high-acceleration, sub-light Bussard ramjet, and housing a crew of 40—entered service in 2048 as Earth's largest space-going vessels. The class boasted advanced fusion engines that could produce speeds of up to 0.75c and was the first Human spacecraft class to carry on-board shuttlecraft for extra-vehicular excursions, but new ships incorporating Zefram Cochrane's warp drive engines soon superseded the class for interstellar flight, and the last ship of the class was retired in 2100.[1]
Columbus class vessels
Specifications
| 120m
|
| 37.2m
|
| 8.6 million kg
|
| Geodyne Fusion Engine pack
|
| antimatter-spiked deuterium (50:1 deuterium to antimatter)
|
|
|
| Elementary Interstellar Celestial Guidance
|
| Laser/Particle Beam Subcarrier Radiotelemetry
|
| Intermediate Independent Thought Memory Scan
|
- 4 forward lasers
- 25 fusion torpedoes
|
- Gravity: .4-.75g
- Atmosphere: 22% O&sub2;; 14% humidity
|
| 1-13 years at standard ship's complement
|
FASA Timeline
The Columbus class sublight explorer—an 8,600-ton craft powered by a high-acceleration, sub-light Bussard ramjet, and housing a crew of 40—entered service in 2040 as Earth's largest space-going vessels. The class boasted advanced fusion engines that could produce speeds of up to 0.75c and was the first Human spacecraft class to carry on-board shuttlecraft for extra-vehicular excursions, but new ships incorporating Zefram Cochrane's warp drive engines soon superseded the class for interstellar flight, and the last ship of the class was retired in 2075.[1]
Columbus class vessels
Specifications
| 120m
|
| 37.2m
|
| 8.6 million kg
|
| Geodyne Fusion Engine pack
|
| antimatter-spiked deuterium (50:1 deuterium to antimatter)
|
|
|
| Elementary Interstellar Celestial Guidance
|
| Laser/Particle Beam Subcarrier Radiotelemetry
|
| Intermediate Independent Thought Memory Scan
|
- 4 forward lasers
- 25 fusion torpedoes
|
- Gravity: .4-.75g
- Atmosphere: 22% O&sub2;; 14% humidity
|
| 1-13 years at standard ship's complement
|
References
