You wrote:

> Does anyone still have the post that detailed the Lab Ship From Hell?  I
> forget who posted it, but it was sometime back between 1999 and 2003 or
> so.

Of course, although not my original post.

It was on the ISBA list that was used for ship design competitions for a
short time.

Anyways, here is my late submission in all its glory...

----- Begin forwarded message -----
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 01:39:11 +1200
From: Andrew Moffatt-Vallance <a.vallance@netaccess.co.nz>
To: ISBA <ISBA@goldinc.com>
Subject: The Lab Ship from Hell (was: Late THUDDD 9 submission)

From:           	"Jason T. Barnabas" <cybernaut@netzero.net>
Date sent:      	Fri, 3 Sep 1999 16:41:54 -0700

> On Friday, September 03, 1999 at 2:55 PM and at 2:56 and at 2:57 and at
> 3:02,  Anthony Jackson wrote:

> >Oh, you could add the 'lab ship with superconducting
> >supercollider' (whatever that abomination was
> >named) to the voting page...

> I did not close the entries, that was before my time.  I
> do not have a copy of "whatever that abomination
> was named."  I don't have the time to spend on the
> mod's needed to add the unnamed abomination.
> However, to be fair; if you would like to save a copy
> of http://thuddd.homepage.com/thuddd9.html on your
> hard drive and add the design and voting section
> mentioned (use the code name "lea") and send it to
> me as an attachment to a private email to me
> <thuddd@netzero.net> and I'll be happy to post it to
> the web.  Voting still closes on the 17th and the
> longer you take getting it to me, the more people
> may vote and their votes count as 0.

Well I hunted through the TML archives and found it. It is a Phil Kitching
design, and it is truely frightening. I've included Phil's complete post, so
it can be seen in context (I hope you don't mind Phil). However, without
further ado, to quote from the TML at the time "Behold the power of a
fully operational Lab Ship":

*************************************************************

Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 20:36:12 +0100
From: Phil Kitching <PhilK@btinternet.com>
Subject: THUDDD 9 Lab Ship (long)

The following attempted entry into the Labship THUDDD
totally failed to make the deadlines. With my luck with
email, it might never have left my machine :-(

Fundamentally big sensors are expensive and I would want
more than 400std for a biillion credits.

So the following design is a bit different.

I felt jump 2 was too much, besides it can cary at least
100 "normal" lab ship designs.

Finally a plea - could THUDDD be brought back to the TML?
After another round of piracy...

Phil Kitching

=======================

ConCERN-1, Supercollider class, Laboratory Ship
(FF&S v2, the Andrew Atkins Spreadsheet)
Designed by Postmark Design Bureau, Emerging
Technologies Division

Design Philosophy

Why more than 1,000std?

The main failing with most laboratory ship designs is
the total failure to define what the ship is intended to
do.

The current trend for jump capable lab ships in the sub
1,000std range is pointlessly expensive without actually
giving any capability.

Most scientific missions require world surface contact
and emphasise long duration on station. Under these
circumstances, the jump drive is not required and a non-
jump capable boat would be more effective.

If this is required, the Postmark Design Bureau can
happliy supply this need with the Exploration Pod, the
prototype of which forms part of the Pioneer X
Exploratory Trader.

Even this is excessive. The research of our scientific
economics department indicates that most teams would
find, suitably equipped modules for the obiquitous
modular cutter the most cost effective solution. Capable
of easy redeployment by any available merchant, they can
form ground and space facilities to any requirement.

For more exacting missions, 1,000std is insufficient
because it is unable to carry the largest sensors, the
resulting ship being little more use than a cheap scout
ship.

So Why 280TCr?

The ConCERN-1 is built inside a particle accelerator
torus 2,500m in diameter, the diameter of the
accelerator tube being 220m. Combined with the ability
to accelerate particles for 100 laps, gives a
supercollider of the first order and defines the size of
the vessel.

If the only purpose of this ship was to be a
supercollider, then there would be little point in the
manoeuvre and jump drives. The ConCERN-1 allows the
particle beam to be focused and used as a probe for
distant astronomical phenomena.

With care in setup, an energy density of 624TJ/cm2 can
be maintained out to over 2 light hours (16AU). With the
ability to repeat the experiment every other minute if
required, there are almost no limits to the discoveries
awaiting the purchaser of ConCERN-1.

This would be of little use if the results cannot be
detected. For this reason, a complete range of the
finest sensors available has been fitted. Note that,
even with the great size of the ConCERN-1, these massive
arrays will only fit as folding arrays, demonstrating
once more the futility of smaller vessels. These sensors
allow many astrophyical observations to be carried out.

In addition, a large number of supplmentary sensors have
been fitted, along with probe launchers and laser
batteries with which to conduct surface ablation
experiments.

In order to hold all this together, the structure is
built to withstand 3G stresses from the operation of the
supercollider and it is wrapped in 1m of superdense.

Besides, if 100 ships are ordered, the cost of the
ConCERN series will be reduced by 56TCr each by quantity
discounts, a saving of 5,600TCr.

The needs of the Scientists

The ConCERN-1 is able to fully cater for 4,000 scientists
(1 lab for each team of 4) plus numerous assistants (for
a total of 10,000) and a like number of dignitaries and
media. In addition to full multi-room conferencing
throughout the ship, larger conference and lecture halls
are available for the presentation of results to one's
piers.

The 100 vessels of up to 1,000std each allow ships such
as those from our competitors to be carried as remote
sensing targets for the supercollider. In addition the
4,000 50std boats can be used to ferry the crew of over
2 million between ship and planetary installations.
These are supplemented by 8,500 lifeboats for use in
emergency situations. Of course many alternative
types of craft can be carried depending on
requirements.

Statistics
Tons:          90,000,000std (USL Thin Disc)
Volume:     1,260,000,000m3
Mass (L/C): 2,003,253,400t/1,974,773,499t
Cargo:          1,100,000std (0/100/Hdl:200x80ton)
Dimensions:       2,519.3m x 2,519.3m x 254.6m
Size:                  12
Maint. Points: 65,561,044
Crew:           1,625,871/2,159,970
Passengers High:   10,000
Science:           10,000
Tech Level:            12
Cost:             279,223 GCr

Electronics
Controls: Dynamic, High automation.  Bridge
       1x FltComp (CM:0.35 CP:2.86)
      10x Comp (CM:0.35 CP:2.86)
      20x FibComp (CM:0.35 CP:2.86)
Communications:
      10x TB Radio Rec. (1,000AU, 0.02MW)
      10x Radio (1,000AU, 0.2MW)
     100x Laser (1,000AU, 0MW)
Sensors:
       1x Sci Fld Passive Scanner (16 [5,000mkm] Sci
Fld,       750MW)
       1x Sci Fld PEMS            (16 [5,000mkm] Sci
Fld,     1,000MW)
       1x Sci Fld AEMS            (14.5 [500mkm] Sci
Fld, 2,500,000MW)
     100x Sci LIDAR               (15.5   [5mkm] Sci,
         6MW)
Survey/Science:
       5x Densiometer             ( 9.5 [1600km] Sci Fld)
      10x Neutrino                ( 9.5 [1600km] Sci,
      5000MW)
ECM:
     100x Radio Jammer            (     1,000AU,
       0.4MW)
      10x Decptive Jammer         (14,
       390MW)
      50x Pasive Jammer           (16,
      15.6MW)
       1x Decoy Dispencer         (1 units ea.)
       3x Active Decoy Dispencer  (1 units ea.)
       3x LIDAR Decoy Dispencer   (1 units ea.)
Signatures:
          Vis:1, Act:1, Neu:2, Grav:2,
          IR: 2 (2 at 53,237,329MW, 2 at 40,570,488MW)

"Weaponry"
       1x Supercollider  (+4) 2/24-24-24-24 [1,10/8804-
8866-8866-8804] (LR)
   1,000x Probe Launcher Auto   4/4 (/Mag:76
/MFD:500,000km)
                                w/80 Command Probes 6G12
1000AU
   2,000x Light Laser Turret Battery (+4)1/12-2-0-0
[10,400/40-20-10-5](LR)

Performance
           1   Jump            (9,000,000std/pc fuel)
         1/1   Maneuver        (/Thruster:50,400,000MW)
           9   Power           (/Fus:405704883MW,1yr )
  13,346,838   Fuel            (/Purif:144,46714MW)
     315,477   Large Staterooms
   1,854,493   Small Staterooms
  43,199,400   Life Support    (/Ty:St,Mn)
           1   G-Comp
         200   Sandcasters     (/AV:2000 /Cans:20)
         200   Damper Turrets  (2MW /Rng:3000km)
       2,000   Damper Screen   (25,600MW)
       2,000   Meson Screen    (25,600MW)
  130 [2,000]  Armor, 59 Structure

Features
Electronic Shop (6,000std)       400,000x Airlock
Machine Shop   (10,000std)        10,000x
Decontamination Airlock
Ship's locker  (45,000std)         1,000x Laboratory
(8std ea.)
Armory             (25std)         4,000x Sickbay (8std
ea.)
Gym           (125,000std)           100x Conference
Room(100std ea.)
100xOrdinary Galley (Cap:5,000)        2x Lecture
Hall(1,000std ea.)
 80xFull Galley     (Cap:5,000)

Small Craft
2x Minimal Hangar  (2,000 craft x50std ea., 1 hatch, 50x
Launch Tubes)
2x Spacious Hangar (50 craft x1,000std ea., 1 hatch)
1x Jettison Bay    (8,500 craft x10std ea.)

Backups
Screens:         1x Meson Screen     (/PV:2000)
Communications: 10x Radio Rec.       (1,000AU)
                10x Radio            (1,000AU)
                20x Laser            (1,000AU)
Sensors:        10x Sci Pas. Scanner (15   [500mkm] Sci)
               100x Sci PEMS         (14.5 [160mkm] Sci)
                 6x Sci AEMS         (13.5  [50mkm] Sci)
               100x Sci LIDAR        (15.5   [5mkm] Sci)
Survey/Science:  2x Densiometer      ( 9.5 [1600km] Sci
Fld, 0MW)
                 2x Neutrino         ( 9.5 [1600km] Sci)

Crew Details
    27xElec.  1,152,444xEngr.  177,921xMain.
423,425xGunn.   1,046xScrn.
 8,000xFlgt.     10,000xTrps.  295,477xCmnd.
73,621xStew.  18,007xMed.
     2xMnvr.

- --
- - --
  Philk@btinternet.com (don't blame BT for any of this,
they only pay me:)
  http://www.btinternet.com/~salvo (sorry no Traveller)
  The true meaning of "Dark Horror" in Call of Cuthulu
is not appreciated
  until you face Ewoks riding Gaint Space Hamsters.