Question on Viper Launch

[LucianG]

Does anyone have a reasonable estimate of the angle at which Vipers emerged from the sides of the launch bays?

Based on some still photos I've seen in the past, I think it is on a horizontal plane with the Galactica, and probably about 45 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the ship. Can anyone direct me to good still photos where this can be determined? The question relates to Two-Brain's recent question on reversing/slowing Vipers and forward motion related to the Galactica's initial speed over at the other board, but knowing our experts here, I figured someone would either have a good answer or tell me how far off base I really am!

Thanks,

Lucian

[michaelfaries]

Robert, can you re-post your URL with your hangar bay diagrams? I'd share the actual BG Tech Manual ones, but I don't have permission to do so.

Michael
:colwar:

[Titon]

Warrior's diagram is correct. They launch out at an angle.

[Hito]

This shows a really cool view of the tube placement.


I always wondered how they got onto the launch rails.
I never saw any kind of lift or mechanism to lower the rail so the viper could get up on it.

I thought they taxied on to the rails and the blast doors was raised behind them.

[repcisg]

Michael,

Here are the URL's, I have installed it in two places now.

https://www.geocities.com/repcisg/index.html

https://www.starcmd.com/BSG/index.html

Feel free to repost these URLs, as I get time I will be expanding the starcmd one with more stuff.

Sorry I haven't been around much, but between work and a nasty virus my grandson brought us from Southern Cal, time and energy have been in very short supply.

[repcisg]

Erzengel,

I beleive in Take Celestra, there is a good shot of the launch cradles and blast doors your refered to. This episode also shows Apollo and Starbuck launching from an inside tube on the right bay and then passing infront of the left.

[LucianG]

Thanks, everyone.

Warrior's estimate of 30-40 degrees and repcisg's diagram showing 45 degrees are pretty close to my estimate of 45 degrees. Since my calculator is at work and since I hate the non-RPN calculator on the computer, I'll try to a finish the calculation that drove this question in the next day or so, and will share my findings if they make any sense. Of course, it's been a long time since I took dynamics, and since I hated that class anyway (despite receiving an A in it), I may have blocked it out to the point of remembering absolutely nothing. I guess that is why most engineers keep all their textbooks!

[kingfish]

Originally posted by Warrior
That's funny, cuz Don and I were talking about this earlier today cuz of a pic I was making.

The Vipers launch at a forward angle from the side of the bays.

I'd guestimate at about a 30-40 degree angle.

I was reading something that seemed very odd to me in Resurrection. After the Pegasus destroys the super Basestar the Vipers returned to the Galactica through the launch tubes and they irised closed behind them protecting them from the blast. I remember the Vipers used to return through the front of the bays not on the side.

[Hito]

I thought they came in the back of the bay?

But coming IN through the launch tubes?
Seems like a dubious stragety.
It'd be quicker and less risky to just have the vipers land normaly.
Or at least to manuver the galactica in such a way as to shield the fighters with the big ships bulk.

[jewels]

I thought that (irising) refered to the landing bay force fieldy thingy, hmmm: this isn't one of the known typos is it?

[Senmut]

I never heard of recovering Vipers via the launch tubes. That might be used only in emergencies, the landing deck is damamged, and if there are no threats present.
Interesting idea.

[Punisher454]

Warrior's estimate of 30-40 degrees and repcisg's diagram showing 45 degrees are pretty close to my estimate of 45 degrees.

I built my model of the launching bays according to the studio blueprints. Assuming a ship length of 1 nautical mile these are the measurements I get.

Dimensions;
Width of 4 launchtubes at tube centerline = 92’6” along battlestar length
Launchtube spacing , center to center ,along ships axis = 30.83’ (9.3964m in 3dsmax)
Launching bay length from elevator door to launchtube entrance 54’ along tube axis
Launching bay width including column/bulkhead wall thickness along tube axis =28’7.8”
Width of elevator door =18’
angle of launchtubes = 21.5 degrees inclined towards the bow.

Those dimensions are from my 2011 notes I pulled up a few minutes ago. I think they are the current dimensions used on my current model.

here are some test old images I did around 2009 or 2010. These show several viper hangers located above the landing bay. There is plenty of room inside the hull to place large hangers above the landing bays. Due to the popular idea that the vipers are hangered below the landing deck I made a revision where there are viper hangers down below. there is much less room to place a working hanger setup down there, but it is possible as long as you dont try to make the hanger too wide.
In these pictures the viper elevator has three stops, the landing bay, the launching bay, and then up to the hanger deck. The new version is similar, but now the upper hangers are mostly for shuttlecraft and such while the lower hangers are for the vipers.

oops, tried to upload the pics but they are already on CF.
https://www.colonialfleets.com/forums...ad.php?t=17410

The viper model is not mine, and I wont say who's since I have not done it proper justice in that awful blue color.

I should sometime soon go ahead and fix a few things and release the current unfinished launching bay model for people to mess around with. It might give somebody a jump start on something cool.