Helios-Class Solar Sail Vessel
Stellar Enterprises
Helios-Class Solar Sail Vessel
History:
The Helios is the culmination of years of research conducted by many companies on behalf of the Old Republic. When the balance of the power in the galaxy changed, the project was lost in transition and forgotten, until rediscovered by Stellar Enterprises. The finishing touches were put to the project, and old technologies were updated with their state-of-the-art equivalents.
Background
The Helios-Class is vessel capable of using its extensive solar sails to power itself in close proximity to a star. Traditionally, any vessel approaching near a star needed a considerable powerplant to power propulsion systems capable of combating gravity and keeping the vessel in a stable orbit. These extensive powerplants made all such vessels highly detectable. This was not a problem in the context of legitimate scientific experiments, but for more covert applications, stealth was often a necessity.
Using the solar sail arrangement, the Helios-Class can remain in a stable, extremely close solar orbit indefinitely. The vessel is designed to be almost undetectable due to its low orbit and low power output. Further, once detected, the vessel is difficult to destroy with conventional weapons. The gravity well around a star makes any turbolaser fire both inaccurate, and weak (once the effects of gravity bending the path of the fire have been taken into account, spreading the laser over a larger area). Similar problems apply to conventional torpedoes. The sails, of course, are highly vulnerable, but on account of their thinness they are undetectable on normal sensors even in good conditions in empty space.
(In Character I would say this means that targeting and destroying this vessel with no consideration given to the problems involved is a No-no. Of course, the vessel is not impossible to hit, any more than a Death Star is impossible to destroy...)
However, the Helios was not designed as a Battleship - the stealth for which the ship was designed comes at a price: The lack of any form of conventional offensive armament, the lack of any form of defensive shielding (the shielding fitted is specifically to shield against the effects of the nearby star). Also, the only form of propulsion fitted is a Single Ion Engine. Thus, the Helios-Class is designed to be deployed from a science ship.
Once near a star, the manoeuvrability of the vessel depends on carefully manipulating the solar sail arrangement. Obviously, further out from the star, the arrangement becomes less and less useful.
Solar Sails
The idea behind a solar sail is simple: A star ejects a large amounts of light and almost-massless particles from its surface. With a sufficiently large sail, these can be "caught" and used to push a vessel along in much the same way that a sail can be used to power a boat on a planet's surface.
Applications
The military applications of the project were twofold: First, to provide a platform capable of monitoring activity in an entire star system. Second, to provide a platform from which stars could be studied for military uses.
It is generally accepted that the project has now fulfilled both these rolls
Experimental Technology Attached To The Helios Project
Magnetic Inhibitor: The magnetic inhibitor was originally designed to be a "superweapon". Planned to be capable of disrupting magnetic activity within a star, the technology could be used to induce a nova in the star. This was eventually scrapped due to ethical concerns on the part of the original design team, and the system was modified (to be far less devastating).
Now, the magnetic inhibitor is "dropped" into the star. By disrupting the magnetic stability in a preprogrammed localised area, solar flares can be induced. The effects of this include: Destroying vessels that are in range, disabling small vessels in the system, damaging systems on larger star destroyer size vessels in the system, damaging planet based systems (potentially planetary defences, etc).
Much of the effectiveness of the "device" is dependent on the situation where it is used, the range of vessels involved and the type of star. Thus, it is not a weapon that can be "controlled" in the strictest sense.
Systems on the Helios are usually shut down after the inhibitor is deployed. This prevents similar damage occurring to them.
Sail repair facilities: The sails on the Helios are state-of-the-art and are light as well as strong. However, they are as vulnerable to asteroids as one would expect. The experimental droids designed to fix this are designed to crawl out over the sail framework, and effectively "sew" the sail back together in the damaged area.
Gravitational Probe: Designed to "play" with the gravitational field of a star in the same way that the inhibitor "plays" with its magnetic field, this device is in its early stages of development and has no functionality yet.
Statistics
Manufacturer: Stellar Enterprises
Length: 500m
Diameter (Widest): 250m
Diameter (Narrowest):200m
Dimensions of Sails: 20km x 20km each. (x 4)
Engines: 1 x Ion Engine.
Offensive Weaponry: None
Defensive Shielding: None.
Solar Shielding: Extensive.
Powerplant: Small - approximately comparable to that of a small original TIE fighter.
Solar panelling: Extensive.
Sensor systems: Extensive.
Crew: 8 (Can be modified for unmanned surveillance operations)
Sail deployment time: 12 hours (normal). The operation can be completed in just under 8, but at the risk of damaging the delicate systems.
Of the 500m length of the vessel, only a central "cylinder" with dimensions of approximately 50m diameter by 250m height is habitable. The rest of the interior is concerned with mostly storing the sails, but also shielding and sensor systems.
Design Drawings:
Attached . Please cross reference with the statistics above: The drawings are not to scale.
500-word RP
Not written yet. Will edit with a link to it when it's complete.
Helios-Class Solar Sail Vessel
History:
The Helios is the culmination of years of research conducted by many companies on behalf of the Old Republic. When the balance of the power in the galaxy changed, the project was lost in transition and forgotten, until rediscovered by Stellar Enterprises. The finishing touches were put to the project, and old technologies were updated with their state-of-the-art equivalents.
Background
The Helios-Class is vessel capable of using its extensive solar sails to power itself in close proximity to a star. Traditionally, any vessel approaching near a star needed a considerable powerplant to power propulsion systems capable of combating gravity and keeping the vessel in a stable orbit. These extensive powerplants made all such vessels highly detectable. This was not a problem in the context of legitimate scientific experiments, but for more covert applications, stealth was often a necessity.
Using the solar sail arrangement, the Helios-Class can remain in a stable, extremely close solar orbit indefinitely. The vessel is designed to be almost undetectable due to its low orbit and low power output. Further, once detected, the vessel is difficult to destroy with conventional weapons. The gravity well around a star makes any turbolaser fire both inaccurate, and weak (once the effects of gravity bending the path of the fire have been taken into account, spreading the laser over a larger area). Similar problems apply to conventional torpedoes. The sails, of course, are highly vulnerable, but on account of their thinness they are undetectable on normal sensors even in good conditions in empty space.
(In Character I would say this means that targeting and destroying this vessel with no consideration given to the problems involved is a No-no. Of course, the vessel is not impossible to hit, any more than a Death Star is impossible to destroy...)
However, the Helios was not designed as a Battleship - the stealth for which the ship was designed comes at a price: The lack of any form of conventional offensive armament, the lack of any form of defensive shielding (the shielding fitted is specifically to shield against the effects of the nearby star). Also, the only form of propulsion fitted is a Single Ion Engine. Thus, the Helios-Class is designed to be deployed from a science ship.
Once near a star, the manoeuvrability of the vessel depends on carefully manipulating the solar sail arrangement. Obviously, further out from the star, the arrangement becomes less and less useful.
Solar Sails
The idea behind a solar sail is simple: A star ejects a large amounts of light and almost-massless particles from its surface. With a sufficiently large sail, these can be "caught" and used to push a vessel along in much the same way that a sail can be used to power a boat on a planet's surface.
Applications
The military applications of the project were twofold: First, to provide a platform capable of monitoring activity in an entire star system. Second, to provide a platform from which stars could be studied for military uses.
It is generally accepted that the project has now fulfilled both these rolls
Experimental Technology Attached To The Helios Project
Magnetic Inhibitor: The magnetic inhibitor was originally designed to be a "superweapon". Planned to be capable of disrupting magnetic activity within a star, the technology could be used to induce a nova in the star. This was eventually scrapped due to ethical concerns on the part of the original design team, and the system was modified (to be far less devastating).
Now, the magnetic inhibitor is "dropped" into the star. By disrupting the magnetic stability in a preprogrammed localised area, solar flares can be induced. The effects of this include: Destroying vessels that are in range, disabling small vessels in the system, damaging systems on larger star destroyer size vessels in the system, damaging planet based systems (potentially planetary defences, etc).
Much of the effectiveness of the "device" is dependent on the situation where it is used, the range of vessels involved and the type of star. Thus, it is not a weapon that can be "controlled" in the strictest sense.
Systems on the Helios are usually shut down after the inhibitor is deployed. This prevents similar damage occurring to them.
Sail repair facilities: The sails on the Helios are state-of-the-art and are light as well as strong. However, they are as vulnerable to asteroids as one would expect. The experimental droids designed to fix this are designed to crawl out over the sail framework, and effectively "sew" the sail back together in the damaged area.
Gravitational Probe: Designed to "play" with the gravitational field of a star in the same way that the inhibitor "plays" with its magnetic field, this device is in its early stages of development and has no functionality yet.
Statistics
Manufacturer: Stellar Enterprises
Length: 500m
Diameter (Widest): 250m
Diameter (Narrowest):200m
Dimensions of Sails: 20km x 20km each. (x 4)
Engines: 1 x Ion Engine.
Offensive Weaponry: None
Defensive Shielding: None.
Solar Shielding: Extensive.
Powerplant: Small - approximately comparable to that of a small original TIE fighter.
Solar panelling: Extensive.
Sensor systems: Extensive.
Crew: 8 (Can be modified for unmanned surveillance operations)
Sail deployment time: 12 hours (normal). The operation can be completed in just under 8, but at the risk of damaging the delicate systems.
Of the 500m length of the vessel, only a central "cylinder" with dimensions of approximately 50m diameter by 250m height is habitable. The rest of the interior is concerned with mostly storing the sails, but also shielding and sensor systems.
Design Drawings:
Attached . Please cross reference with the statistics above: The drawings are not to scale.
500-word RP
Not written yet. Will edit with a link to it when it's complete.