INTERNET EDITION ... HULTON PRESS April 15 2012
New HAWKE class shuttle are proving their worth.
Report from Formby by Charles Hill
The new class of monatomic hydrogen powered shuttle craft, of the which the Hawke was the prototype, are entering service fast, and are rapidly proving to be highly successful. Primarily designed for transfer between Earth and low Earth orbit, they are also being pressed into service on the Earth/Luna run. The Howard is also being used for trial runs between Earth and Mars, and Earth and Venus.
Design features.
There are several factors which have come together in the design of this craft to make it such a success. Professor Bowring was just finishing his work on the computer stabilization of MH using the lockwaves discovered by the elder Blasco when the Treen invasion began. This work was hidden from the Mekon, who displayed little interest in MH drive anyway.
It was also designed from the start to take advantage of the induction loop airlock design, one of the few good things to have come out of the Occupation. Earth and Treen scientists perfected a technique whereby once the spacecraft was lined up on approach, then magnetic loops, at which the treens were such experts, guided the craft in automatically. What is more impressive is the adaption of the technique for use on the Moon, and the first few of these were being fitted when the Cryptos team arrived back on earth to begin the Liberation.
The explosion in comuting power in the last three years has meant that many more of the systems have become automatic, thus reducing the crew's workload. Given the lack of qualified personel after Black Sunday and the privations of the Aden prison camp, this is another important feature. They are routinely used for pilot training at Astral College, which has such high priority that another 10 shuttles are currently being built simply for training purposes.
Shuttle limitations.
If the Hawke class has any limitations, it is that they are probably too small. Their mass is of the order of 100 tonnes, and they can carry up to 8 crew, and deliver a useful payload of 20 tonnes to low earth orbit. A much larger version is currently under testing in America, and it is envisaged that the Saratoga will be test flown in around 3 months time. These craft are the maximum size for the inductive loop landing sites, yet should have an impressive cargo carrying capacity, or, equally significantly, carry an impressive armaments payload.
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