SPECIFICATIONS


GOVERNMENT: United States of North America/USSN


Description/Overview:
         (Origin of the Design):
         The primary shuttle craft of the United States of North America, built in 2141, this ship replaced the earlier Type-2022 nuclear rocket powered shuttle craft built during World War III. This shuttle uses four low-yield Ion Engines (variant of the VASMIR, xenon gas powered ion drive originally created by ASTRA for NASA). This shuttle does not have an antigravity unit, nor does it use graviton-impulse vector controls. It is more advanced than most LaGrange spacecraft and was built by the LaGrange Republics under license from the United States Space Navy during he 2150s. It is a very common sight in the Earth Sphere. Thousands of these shuttles were built for the commercial, military, civilian, and academic sectors of the USSN, EFR, and LaGrange space colonies. The basic shuttle is shown here without any modules. The cargo section is similar to the old Columbia class of chemically powered shuttle craft originally introduced by NASA in 1980 and the USSR Buran built in 1992. Oddly, the Type-2141 combines features of both the USA and USSR designs. The booster rocket that propels Type-2141s from Earth are nearly identical to the ones used by the Buran. The avionics of the shuttle combine newer and more modern delta-wing features, but the re-entry tiles, doors, tail-fin, etc. all are just refined versions of the Columbia/Buran type shuttles.


NOTE: The shuttle shown here is Terran Space Ways FLIGHT-345, that ferried the Sledgehammers to the LAS-Nevada for her maiden mission.












Type-2041 heavy lift booster


         The Type-2141 General Purpose Shuttle built by Terran Space Ways used a quartet of low-yield, xenon-gas based, refined VASMIR type ion drives for in-space propulsion. However, these four ion drives were not powerful enough to get the shuttle into orbit under their own thrust. They were strong enough to allow the shuttle to fly in an atmosphere, but any planet or astral body with sufficient gravity (1-g) would prevent the shuttle from being able to escape into space. Therefore, Terran Space Ways designed an advanced heavy-lift vehicle (booster) to ferry the Type-2141 into space. This booster uses both a set of four conventional solid rocket boosters (nearly identical in design to those used on the Columbia class space shuttle, only more advanced) and a quartet of methane rocket engines mounted on the center rocket/Fuel-Tank in the same manner as the old Soviet Buran. The problems of both the Columbia class (needing the main tank to feed the solid rocket boosters), and the Buran (a complex arrangement of sixteen auxiliary rockets with four main central rockets) were compromised and essentially solved by combining the two main-tank/rocket designs. The Fuel for the solid rocket boosters was contained in the walls of the nacelles that held them (the more advanced rockets were more efficient and consumed less fuel per pound of thrust).


         In space, the LaGrange Republics used this booster as a method of fast travel between the various colonies, Luna, and NEO mining operations. These boosters were also used to propel exploration teams out to the asteroid belt. These boosters were used up until the 2190s by military forces, and until the 2230s by civilian companies.













Type-2041 Modules

         Here are the various module containers for the Type-2141 General Purpose Space shuttle.


         1) Construction Module: Introduced in 2141 by Future Orbit Industries, for the LaGrange space colony project. Uses three robot probe hangars that each hold one spherical repair robot equipped with four utility arms and zero-g thrusters. The module has two large robot arm booms. One uses a multipurpose head that is very similar to the old Canadarm, while the other uses a large robotic claw arm that is useful for a variety of heavy lift purposes.



         2) Military Module: Introduced in 2144 during the Asian Pacific conflict. The module used here is a rotary-cruise-missile launcher that holds thirty-six cruise missiles. After the war was over this module was used by LaGrange as an anti-asteroid weapon. This module system was used again in warfare during the Great War period of the 2150s by both the USSN and the LaGrange Republics. The EFR used this module type at the onset of the 1st Interplanetary War in the early 2170s, but phased it out due to the vulnerability of the shuttle itself.


         3) Fuel Module: Introduced in 2141, this module was the standard Liquid Tritium fuel tank used to ferry the radioactive fuels used in most spacecraft and nuclear-fusion reactors of the 2140s and beyond. This module remained in service until the 2180s when most major stellar powers sold off their fleets of Type-2141s for newer shuttle types. In civilian hands these modules were used into the 2230s.


         4) Patrol Module: Introduced in 2152 during the Great War era, this module was designed by the LaGrange Republics as a high speed early warning craft and spyship. Its EWAC dish is nearly identical to the one used by the HSF-01 some eighteen years later. The pair of boosters are fusion thrusters that can propel the shuttle at a z-axis Delta-V of MACH 30 (22,800 mph). Since the Type-2141 does not use an antigravity system, this was the fastest the shuttle could go travel safely without injuring the crew. The Patrol Module was used into the 2190s by the Planetary Alliance, but was phased out after the 2nd Interplanetary War ended. In civilian hands it was used until the 2230s.


         5) Passenger/Prisoner Module: Introduced in 2151 during the Great War era, this module was designed by the United States Space Navy to ferry prisoners, passengers, diplomats and all kinds of other personnel to and from any of the various space stations, space islands, Earth, and Luna within the Earth Sphere. It was used well into the 2190s by the various Earth-based military forces, and into the 2230s by civilian groups.


          6) Science Module: Introduced in 2142, this module was used in conjunction with the Construction module for NEO mining operations. It was also used for Luna study, and other scientific research projects of the LaGrange Colonies, and United States of North America. This module remained in use up until the outbreak of the 1st Interplanetary War of the 2170s. After that, the remaining modules in service were sold off to the academic sectors where they continued use until th 2230s.





Type-2041 Flight Deck


         Shown here is the inside of the Type-2141 Space Shuttle's flight deck and the armored shell that surrounds it under the heat-shield-tiles. The bridge holds four crew (pilot, co-pilot, mission specialist, payload specialist, and the onorbit pilot). The onorbit pilot's station is unique in that is uses a telescopic seat that lifts up from the floor like a periscope to allow him to use the windows on the top of the cabin. In zero-g this feature is useful in keeping the onorbit pilot seated and in place during orbital operations, and especially when docking cargo modules or other spacecraft. The controls of the flight deck are a combination of holographic and analog, with primaries being digital and holographic in nature and emergency controls being analog. The inner glass of the armored shell are plasti-steel and capable of handling heavy caliber shells up to 105mm, HEAP (but not plasma-tipped ammunition). The internal lights are low-level, light-panel, LEDs. Access to the flight deck can be done via the mission deck below through the open hatch and ladder behind the onorbit pilot's station, and an airlock egress into the cargo bay is located directly above the open hatch (not shown).