AlphaCoronae's Collected Spacetech

=Reaction Engine, Chemical=
==Solid Chemical Rocket (TL3)==
The earliest type of rocket used by most civilizations, solid fuel rockets typically use a mix of fuel and oxidizer in a solid binder, that burns continuously once ignited. Assign fuel tanks to each system during ship construction - once a solid fuel rocket system is used, it must accelerate at maximum thrust in all following turns until all assigned fuel tanks are consumed. Solid rocket using black powder are available at TL3, but lack the specific impulse for anything more than fireworks and military rockets. From TL6-8, higher energy double-base and composite propellants make it a viable option for orbital launch boosters. Each engine provides 4G acceleration. Each fuel tank of solid propellant provides 0.025 mps (TL3), 0.075 mps (TL6), 0.09 mps (TL7), 0.1 mps (TL8) and 0.14 mps (TL9)
==Hypergolic Chemical Rocket (TL7)==
A chemical rocket engine using hypergolic propellant mixes that combust upon contact, with lower performance than the cryogenic hydrogen-oxygen liquid chemical rocket engine represented in Spaceships 1 but greater long term storability and reliability. Each fuel tank of N2O4/MMH propellant provides 0.11 mps delta-V. Each engine gives 5G acceleration. 
==Methane Oxygen Rocket (TL8)==
A chemical rocket engine using a mix of liquid methane and oxygen, common at TL8 due to a higher propellant density than LH2/LOX. Each fuel tank of CH4/LOX propellant provides 0.12 mps delta-V. Each engine gives 5G acceleration. 
==Combined Cycle Rocket (TL8)== 
A chemical rocket engine capable of functioning as a turboramjet engine when local atmosphere is available. Each fuel tank of liquid hydrogen provides for 2 hours of flight, and each fuel tank of liquid hydrogen/oxygen provides 0.15 mps delta-V. Each engine gives 1G acceleration in jet mode and 2G of acceleration in rocket mode.
==Colloidal Nitrogen Rocket (TL9)==
A high-performance chemical rocket using a colloid of Octaazacubane, or N8, in liquid hydrogen. Each fuel tank of colloidal nitrogen gives 0.2 mps delta-V. Each engine gives 4G acceleration.
== Metastable Helium Rocket (TL9^) ==
Uses metastable helium, somehow stabilized to stay stable past a couple of hours. Each fuel tank of metastable helium gives 1.4 mps delta-V. Each engine gives 1G acceleration. 
=Reaction Engine, Electric=
==Hall Effect Thruster (TL7)==
An early type of electric thruster using an electrostatic thruster to accelerate ions to high velocity. While less high-performing than a gridded ion thruster (represented by the ion engine in Spaceships 1), it still has very high efficiency compared to chemical rockets, and is commonly used on satellites in late TL7 and TL8. Each fuel tank of xenon provides 1 mps. Each Hall Effect engine provides 0.001 G of acceleration at TL7 and 0.0015G of acceleration at TL8, but is a high-energy system that requires one Power Point. May be high-thrust (double acceleration, half delta-V) 0.8x cost.
==Arcjet (TL8)==
A relatively low-impulse, high-thrust electric thruster using an electric arc to vaporize and expel propellant. Each arcjet engine provides 0.003G acceleration, but is a high-energy system that requires one Power Point. Each fuel tank of liquid hydrogen provides 0.5 mps. May also use water (triple acceleration, half delta-V). 0.6x cost.
=Reaction Engine, Fission= 
==Nuclear Gas Core Rocket (TL9)==
A variation on the nuclear lightbulb which leaves out the containment vessel - propellant is injected into the gaseous core directly and exhausted along with trace amounts of nuclear fuel. This allows it to attain greater performance than a nuclear light-bulb, but exhaust is also highly radioactive. Each engine gives 0.1 G acceleration (TL9) or 0.5G (TL10+). Each fuel tank of hydrogen gives a delta-V of 1 mps. May also use water (triple acceleration, half delta-V).
==Fission Fragment Rocket (TL9)==
A very high-impulse propulsion system expelling split fission fragments from a dusty plasma bed reactor at extreme speeds. Each engine gives 0.0001 G acceleration (TL9) or 0.0005 G acceleration (TL10). Each fuel tank of fissionables gives a delta-V of 500 mps. May also be high-thrust (double acceleration, half delta-V) and/or use water-afterburning propellant tanks (multiply acceleration by 30, divide delta-V by 30). 
=Reaction Engine, Fusion=
==Fusion Thermal Rocket (TL10)==
This is simply the Fusion Rocket with a greatly increased cold-mass flow, increasing thrust to levels sufficient for orbital launch at the cost of greatly reduced delta-V. Each engine gives 0.2 G (TL10) or 0.5 G (TL11) acceleration. Each fuel tank of hydrogen gives a delta-V of 1.5 mps. May be high-thrust and/or use water and/or use ram-rockets. 
=Reaction Engine, Total Conversion and Antimatter=
==Antimatter Gamma-Ray Rocket (TL12)== 
The ultimate reaction drive, this propulsion system uses the radiative collapse of a relativistic high current pinch discharge in a hydrogen–antihydrogen ambiplasma down to a radius determined by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Through this collapse to ultrahigh densities the proton–antiproton pairs in the center of the pinch can become the upper gigaelectron volt laser level for the transition into a coherent gamma ray beam by proton–antiproton annihilation, with the magnetic field of the collapsed pinch discharge absorbing the recoil momentum of the beam and transmitting it by the Moessbauer effect to the spacecraft. The gamma ray laser beam is launched as a photon avalanche from one end of the pinch discharge channel. Each engine gives 0.01 G acceleration, and each fuel tank of matter/antimatter fuel gives a delta-V of 10,000 mps. This rocket can also make a rather effective weapon at close range - treat each engine slot as a Very Rapid Fire Major Graser Battery with the Cosmic Power option but 1/100th range.
==Hyper-Relativistic Torch (TL12^)==
This is a reaction drive with an exhaust velocity effectively greater than light, using depleted Q-Balls, tachyonic matter, GUT-heated water or some other source. A fuel tank gives a delta-V of 100,000 mps, and each engine gives 0.1 G acceleration.
=Reactionless Engines=
==EMDrive (TL8^)==
A purported reactionless drive that is claimed to operate through unknown means involving microwave reflection. Each engine is a high energy system giving 0.00015G acceleration. 
=Space Sails=
==Plasma Magnet (TL8)==
Uses a rotating magnet field to produce a dipole magnetic field far exceeding the size of the ship, that can produce thrust far exceeding that of a conventional magsail. Each plasma magnet system provides 0.01 G acceleration (TL8) or 0.05 G (TL9+) regardless of distance from the star as long as one is within the heliopause, but is a high energy system requiring one Power Point. Velocity cannot exceed 375 mps, and a Plasma Magnet can only provide thrust in the direction of the local solar wind. 
=Weapons=
==Early Lasers (TL8)==
Laser weapons are feasible at TL8, and space combat could be a feasible use for them, but TL8 lasers are relatively low performing compared to their successors - they suffer from poor beam quality, power density and efficiency, and are continous-wave rather than pulsed, which greatly reduces penetration. TL8 lasers have range R1, the beam output of a spaceship mount one size-category lower, damage burn (0.5), use one Power-Point, and can only be Rapid-Fire or Very Rapid-Fire. 
For example, a Rapid-Fire Major Laser Battery on an SM+8 TL8 Spacecraft would have a Beam Output of 10 MJ, damage 4d (0.5) burn and range C/S. 
==Ultra-Relativistic Electron Beam (TL12)==
The ultimate particle beam weapon, the Ultra-Relativistic Electron Beam, or UREB, uses a wakefield accelerator to accelerate electrons into the high GeV to TeV range. At such speeds, relativity prevents the beam from spreading within reasonable distances, while particle energies are such that the beam will nearly ignore most armor. UREBs have a range of X - in tactical combat, their range uses the Graser, UV Laser, and X-Ray Laser Table for a given beam output. They have sAcc 0, Rcl 1, do cr rad sur (10) damage, and have Accelerator Tube Limits (Spaceships 7, p. 22). 
=Design Features=
==Liquid Droplet Radiator (TL8)==
A liquid droplet radiator replaces exposed radiator panels with streams of liquid metal droplets, ejected from extended frontal booms at high temperatures and captured by rearwards extended booms after the droplets have radiated their heat to space. Droplet radiators are still exposed system, but the booms present a relatively small target profile - they are attacked at SM-5, and have a dDR equal to that of the central hull. Droplet radiators can only be used on a turn where the spacecraft acceleration is equal or less than 0.001 G (TL8) or 0.01 G (TL9). A Liquid Droplet Radiator has a cost equal to 25% the cost of all reactor and drive systems.
==Curie Fountain Radiator (TL10)==
This is an improvement on the droplet radiator concept, in which the droplets are simply ejected freely into space and drawn back using magnetic field once the droplets cool below their Curie Point. A Curie Fountain Radiator removes the requirement for exposed radiators on reactors and drive systems, but can only be used on a turn where the spacecraft acceleration is equal or less than 1G (TL10) or 3G (TL11+). A Curie Fountain Radiator has a cost equal to 50% the cost of all reactor and drive systems. 
== Tensile Engine (TL9) ==
A modification of the magnetic nozzle used by most high impulse drive system, where the magnozzle is a diffuse tensile supported structure that drags the ship along with it. Because the effective nozzle area can be much larger for a given mass, this allows for vastly greater drive powers to be handled without vaporizing the engine. This increases the acceleration provided by each drive system by a factor of 10 and removes the requirement for Exposed Radiators during drive operation, but the system must be mounted in the front hull section and is an Exposed System targeted at ship SM+1. This design switch can be applied to any Fusion Pulse, Antimatter Plasma or Antimatter Pion drive system. 
Category:Spaceship Components
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Category:Alpha Coronae