TL-15 Lifeboat

BARD PAPER: SARA4002

Lifeboat

This is cheap and minimal 8-person lifeboat suitable for Imperial passenger ships and yachts. The lifeboat has very long duration, and can easily keep refugees in low berths through the Virus Wars era.

The hull is shapet like a rifle bullet: cylinder with flat end and rounded conical nose.

The hull is made of normal Superdense (not bonded).

The lifeboat does not have artificial gravity or inertial compensator. All passengers need to be strapped in the low berths during any manoeuvering.

The interior is very cramped, and there is just enough room to crawl into the low berths. There is no airlock, but either of the hatches can be attacked to an airlock of another ship.

The lifeboat can be piloted from the cockpit, but it can also use auto-pilot (flight computer). If needed, the autopilot can land on planet or dock on a ship or station. During docking the lifeboat is controlled by the salvage ship's main computer.

Maximum airspeed in standard atmosphere is 1330 km/h (369.4 m/s)

In low-power coasting mode the lifeboat needs to power only the low berths and sensors. The PEMS includes enough processing power that it can start the flight computer as needed.

Fusion reactor has a 360 kWh back-up battery which can maintain the coasting mode for 2.5 days. After this the powerplant needs to run for a few minutes (7 min 12 sec) before the battery is re-charged. In this way, the 6 m3 fuel supply can be stretched to last for 5000 years.

The lifeboat can be operated in atmosphere and will float on water.

Lifeboat

General Data

Displacement: 5 tons	Hull Armor: 10
Length: 9.47 meters (3.16 meters wide)	Volume: 70 m³
Price: 0.577 MCr	Target Size: Mc
Configuration: SL Bullet (3:1)	Tech Level: 15
Mass (Loaded/Unloaded): 20 tons(including 8 passengers)/ 18.2 tons

Engineering Data

Power Plant: 3 MW fusion, 10 year duration (3 m3 fuel), 360 kWh battery

Jump Performance: None

Jump Fuel: 0 m³

G-Rating: 1 G HEPlaR (20 t thrust, 1 MW), HE CG Lifter (0.5 MW)

G-Turns: 24 (12 G-hours; 23 G-hours if power plant fuel is used)

Maint: 1

Electronics

Computer: 2xTL-15 flight computer (55 kW)

Commo: Radio (1 hex; 1 MW)

Avionics: Radar altimeter, transponder

Sensors: PEMS (30 km; 2 kW)

ECM/ECCM: 5xSignal flare (modified HRT/PEMS decoys)

Controls: No bridge, 1 open workstation, Standard Automation

Armament

Offensive None

Defensive: None

Master Fire Directors: None

Accommodations

Life Support: Basic (61 m3 supported volume; 6 kW)

Grav Compensation: None

Crew: 1 Pilot

Crew Accommodations: Cockpit

Passenger Accomadation: None

Other Facilities: 2xEmergancy Low Berth (2 kW)

Cargo: 1 m³ 1 Small Cargo Hatch

Small Craft and Launch Facilities: None

Air Locks:

Notes

Total Fuel Tankage: 6 m3 (0.4 tons)
0.4 MW power surplus