[TML] lifeboats

[Jerry W Barrington]

On 9/22/07 7:35 PM, Michael Jenkins wrote:

> Good point. You don't even need to "run to jump", other than to clear
> the planetary 100D limit - no particular stress requirement there.
> 
> I suspect that the greatest stress on a Traveller hull from normal
> travel without combat or other mishaps will be from the transition to
> and from jump space or whatever FTL mechanism in use in YTU.

Nah, Jump doesn't seem very stressful, from the OTU descriptions.  The ship
isn't being physically pushed.  I think the worst times are the exact points
of take-off and landing.  You go from resting on and being supported by the
landing gear to basically free-fall (and vice versa).



On 9/22/07 7:35 PM, Tom Naro wrote:

> Yes, most of the time you will be screwed.  The ERV would not be used
> if the ship was low enough to survive a crash landing on its own.  The ERV
> is also not going to help if you are in deep space.  Like every system the
> ERV would have operating parameter where it can be used safely.  Outside
> the parameters, the utility of the ERV drops off sharply.  But if the ERV
> works even once it is worth having.

With that logic, the ship will be so full of rarely-useful emergency
equipment that there'll be no room for crew & cargo...

Anything could be nice to have.  That doesn't make them all economic to
have.

Now I'm not saying something like this is a bad idea.  Only that just
offering a possibility to save lives doesn't in itself mean it will be
implemented.  If it is so rarely used, many ship owners will figure the
space is better devoted to more cargo or whatever else makes money.
Especially since most wealthy owners will rarely be *on* those ships, and
the poor ones really have incentive to make more profit.  :)