GURPS: Spaceships Inquiry.

[Rowan]

Came up with an idea for a Transhuman style solar sail ship. Run by a large collection of families. I mean really large. On the order of a quarter million folks. Wanted to make it a rock body/armour (hollowed out asteroid) that spun for gravity. Uses solar panels for power and travels the system virtually non-stop with a large solar sail or plasma sail.

Ran into a problem. A spaceship cannot be given a space sail if it's SM exceeds it's TL.

So as I understand it, Transhuman space is TL 10. So that means I can only make the ship as big as SM +10 yes?

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Rowan

So as I understand it, Transhuman space is TL 10.

That's the general consensus. Basically, TL10 with delayed "fast pulse power storage," i.e. the power cells necessary for TL10 personal energy weapons.

A ship like the one you mention might work better as a cycler. Place it in an eccentric solar orbit so it will make periodic close passes to Earth and Mars. More station than ship at that point, perhaps.

[David L Pulver]

Originally Posted by Rowan

Came up with an idea for a Transhuman style solar sail ship. Run by a large collection of families. I mean really large. On the order of a quarter million folks. Wanted to make it a rock body/armour (hollowed out asteroid) that spun for gravity. Uses solar panels for power and travels the system virtually non-stop with a large solar sail or plasma sail.

Ran into a problem. A spaceship cannot be given a space sail if it's SM exceeds it's TL.

So as I understand it, Transhuman space is TL 10. So that means I can only make the ship as big as SM +10 yes?

Some parts of TS are TL11. If you want to fund it an say the sail uses some experimental nanotech or something, go ahead and make it TL11.