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For me, this is not clear from all the RPG info, articles, tech guides and such I have found on the net.

Yes, VFs have fuel tanks. They must use some kind of reaction mass to propel themselves in space and in atmosphere, and protoculture is used as power source.

I assume then that fuel (what type of fuel? during the SDF-1 trip back to Earth, what did they use?) is used in space.
Is it also used in atmosphere, or is it replaced by air?

Someone posted on this forum that it was water they used. A nice hydrogen fuel source.

I've always been happy with the RPGs idea of a sort of ion drive, where there need not be a seperate thruster system for inter- and exo-atmosphereic flight.

Besides, it neatly avoids that niggling question of how exactly did they refuel on their long trip back from Pluto, where the SDF-1 was only stocked and supplied for a shakedown cruise.

As for using water as fuel... wouldn't the 70,000 civilians inside the ship be more needy for that water? Afterall, as I said above, the ship was only stocked for a short shakedown cruise with a minimum crew, not a 2-year voyage with a full crew plus 70,000 civilians.

So I still think that the RPGs explanation is the best.

Eh, they brought an entire portion of the island with them. Getting water and other asundry things would not be impossible to believe.

Lt. Holmes wrote:I've always been happy with the RPGs idea of a sort of ion drive, where there need not be a seperate thruster system for inter- and exo-atmosphereic flight.

Where in the RPG is this exactly?

It was never stated per se, but I find to be an easy assumption. The RPG lists the VF-1 as having a lifespan of 20-odd years under normal conditions, and makes absolutly no indications as to a range or fuel supply. Now we already all know that the VF-1s are powered by a protoculture reactor, so it's not that much of a stretch to assume that at least some of that energy can be thrown out the back end as a form of thrust (hence reducing the overall lifespan from 20 years to 8 ).

Now do a google search on ion drives, and you find a (more or less) how such a beast could work. I simply assume that the technology in the VF-1 is so advanced that comparing it to current ion drives is sort of like trying to compare a Model T to the latest Viper model.

I just did what Lt. Holmes suggested and searched for ion engines information.

The whole thing states that a gas is ionized and used as propulsion, being very efficient since less mass is required to obtain a certain amount of thrust, etc...

THEN, in an atmosphere air is used, and in space any kind of fuel available (hydrogen, fuel oil, water, or anything else, depends on opinions....)

Assuming a Protoculture reactor can last up to 10 years (this means that "energy" is not an issue), a Veritech can fly almost FOREVER in an atmosphere, going around the Earth as long as he wants, or flying countless missions without problem?
(and what about that episode where Ben needed to go back since he had a fuel leak, since they were in Earth atmosphere?)

What about flying in space? How long the "fuel" can last?

Hav0k wrote:(and what about that episode where Ben needed to go back since he had a fuel leak, since they were in Earth atmosphere?)

I'm perty sure they were in space when that happend.

I think of this way, in regards to the Super Armour/FAST Packs:

The original VF-1 series ran on the ion thrusters that I described above. However, due to the fact that it was a brand-new technology at the time, there were limitations on them. They could only go so fast, slower than conventional chemical engines, but with a much longer life (that whole 20 years bit).

So the FAST Packs were developed as chemical engines. Faster top speeds, but a limited fuel supply that shortened the overall range of the mecha.



Now skip ahead several years to the Alphas and Betas. By that time, humanity has had enough experience with Robotechnology to produce fusion engines powerful enough to be compareable to chemical engines in terms of thrust AND retain the longevity that made them so attractable in the first place. That removed the need for any chemical system, therefore no FAST Packs were ever developed for the later-model Veritech mecha.

AlexanderDeath wrote:Well 1 problem with your theory there....

Those Dorsal thursters are booster rockets, that much is clear, they provide no other use. The thrusters mounted on the legs are omni-directional, with none of them facing directly backwards, so how do they provide forward momentum? no, they are definatly augmentation units for the main propulsion system.

As for the 20 years bit - you know, one of these days someone gotta make HG actually spill the beans on what Protoculture does, LoL

How does that affect my theory at all? It could simply be that while they were designing the FAST Packs, they decided to throw in some added thrusters to increase space-born manouverability, which is inarguably what the FAST Packs are designed for, considering how much aerodynamic drag they'd create in an atmosphere.

Besides, there's only so much fuel you can cram into those packs anyway. It would have to be supplimental to the main thrusters, since it wouldn't make any economical sense to stop using perfectly good engines.

As for that 20 years bit, that's an RPG creation. But I happen to agree with it, and not just because this is PB's board

Methane. That's why cows were so important to the Robotech forces