[Snail]

The largest ship I can remember seeing flying in an atmosphere is a Satis freighter, which is most certainly not aerodynamic. If that brick can fly in an atmosphere I think and Ursa would be able to.

[lostllama]

As interested as I am in this question, I personally keep coming back to the conclusion that the designs in FS are all "style over substance."

Personally, having anti-grav tech in FS would make it too Star Wars-ish for my liking. But IF it exists in the FS universe, then so be it.

[terran_emperor]

Where does it show Anti-grav tech? The ability to generate artificial gravity doesnt mean you have the ability to generate anitgravity.

Any if you refer to the Vasudan Mainhall, you don't know for a fact that it wasn't it wasn't using VTOL jets.

We only know for a fact that the Orion and Iceni have artificial Gravity. - Command_Briefing and Bosch Monologue cutscenes.
The Lab Scene from FS1, and one or two of the Bosch Mologues, possibly place on an Arcadia.

Anyway, the cutscenes show (despite their dubious nature), that Frigates/Corvettes (depending on what you classify the Iceni and Hippocrates as) upwards have gravity tech.

AFAIK, there is nothing in canon that say that the crews of cruisers dont live in zero gravity like the Hyperion/Midwinter crews from B5 do. In fact, for all we know, passangers and crew have to strap themselves into their seats on anything smaller that a corvette.

[Mars]

The ability to generate gravity shows good progress into gravity type technologies.

I never said every ship could fly in the atmosphere, but fighters, bombers (yes the Ursa), cargo containers (and by extension freighters) and transports are shown to or said to be.

[terran_emperor]

Where exactly? Show me the exact quote

[Mars]

The standard Vasudan cargo container is only slightly different from our own. The primary difference is that the Vasudan cargo containers are atmospheric as well as deep-space. Vasudans used cargo containers well before we did, as they needed to transport raw materials from other systems to their own barren world. Our cargo container was modelled after theirs, although ours is slightly superior in durability.

An electromagnetic weapon - sends rapid pulses of exceptionally strong electromagnetic energy resulting in a 1.63 x 105 J blast that forces its way through any known shield technology and produces a dramatic shearing effect which quickly destroys the target ship's materials - named for the fact that in an atmosphere, the pulse creates an atmospheric disturbance similar to a quasi-human scream at 140 dB - uses up a tremendous amount of available ship energy - already, it is has been used by many GTA fighter aces and test pilots as a coup de grace, although such a use for this massively powerful offensive weapon is officially viewed as poor sportsmanship by the GTA.


The GTW-7's impressive anti-shielding capabilities make it the weapon of choice against the Shivans. The main limitation of this weapon is low weapons compatibility. It can only be fitted on a GTF Valkyrie or a GTF Hercules.

The scene begins showing a dry, desert planet.  Sand blows by, and it looks generally barren.  It’s evening, and the night sky above the horizon is starting to show some stars.  Two large moons are somewhat visible, and lights from a few ships are shown entering/leaving orbit.  What appears to be the surface parts of an underground mining installation becomes visible.  A large all-terrain-looking transport with cargo trailers lumbers out of a tunnel onto the surface.  The camera follows it past, and a huge city is seen in the distance.  The music swells up some, and a caption appears, indicating that this is the homeworld and capital city of Vasuda.  Many more lights & vessels can be seen approaching the city, as well as some roads and elevated tracks.

[Cut to a closer view of the city]

A formal Terran transport ship comes into view, with many Vasudan and Terran fighters flying escort. The ship arrives at a huge building, obviously some sort of government building for the city.

[Cut to close up of top of building]

The Terran transport lands on a platform on the top of the building.  After touchdown the doors open and reveal a human officer in military uniform.

That's in addition to the cutscenes actually in the game. You know, the escaping Satis transports?

Of course the bible doesn't say if those are specialized atmospheric fighters or not, but I wonder how the Terrans would get atmosperic fighters to Vasuda Prime.

[terran_emperor]

The standard Vasudan cargo container is only slightly different from our own. The primary difference is that the Vasudan cargo containers are atmospheric as well as deep-space. Vasudans used cargo containers well before we did, as they needed to transport raw materials from other systems to their own barren world. Our cargo container was modelled after theirs, although ours is slightly superior in durability.

So, ive acknowledged that some of the Zods Freighters are atmospheric

An electromagnetic weapon - sends rapid pulses of exceptionally strong electromagnetic energy resulting in a 1.63 x 105 J blast that forces its way through any known shield technology and produces a dramatic shearing effect which quickly destroys the target ship's materials - named for the fact that in an atmosphere, the pulse creates an atmospheric disturbance similar to a quasi-human scream at 140 dB - uses up a tremendous amount of available ship energy - already, it is has been used by many GTA fighter aces and test pilots as a coup de grace, although such a use for this massively powerful offensive weapon is officially viewed as poor sportsmanship by the GTA.


The GTW-7's impressive anti-shielding capabilities make it the weapon of choice against the Shivans. The main limitation of this weapon is low weapons compatibility. It can only be fitted on a GTF Valkyrie or a GTF Hercules.

So What! That just means that they could have tested it in an Atmosphere. And i've acknowledged that some fighters are atmospheric

The scene begins showing a dry, desert planet.  Sand blows by, and it looks generally barren.  It’s evening, and the night sky above the horizon is starting to show some stars.  Two large moons are somewhat visible, and lights from a few ships are shown entering/leaving orbit.  What appears to be the surface parts of an underground mining installation becomes visible.  A large all-terrain-looking transport with cargo trailers lumbers out of a tunnel onto the surface.  The camera follows it past, and a huge city is seen in the distance.  The music swells up some, and a caption appears, indicating that this is the homeworld and capital city of Vasuda.  Many more lights & vessels can be seen approaching the city, as well as some roads and elevated tracks.

[Cut to a closer view of the city]

A formal Terran transport ship comes into view, with many Vasudan and Terran fighters flying escort. The ship arrives at a huge building, obviously some sort of government building for the city.

[Cut to close up of top of building]

The Terran transport lands on a platform on the top of the building.  After touchdown the doors open and reveal a human officer in military uniform.

It doesn't say which class of Transport or Classes of fighters. I flat out refuse to believe that the Elysium was the only Transport that the GTA had. The Elysium is distintly "Space-Only"

I see nothing about bombers being atmosphere capable.

I still see no "Every ship" statement

[Mars]

No one said that every ship is atmosphere capable.

Once again, the Harbinger was for surface bombardment, and has a small range, suggesting that the Ursa HAS to be atmosphere capable. Fighters are also said to be atmosphere capable.

[Droid803]

I still see no "Every ship" statement

Think about this - if a Satis can fly in the atmosphere, then why shouldn't an Ursa be able to? They're the same shape. Sure, it might need to be modified, but the technology exists. If fighters and freighters are atmospheric, then by extrapolation, bombers are too. They aren't too different - they're not much blockier than fighters and less blocky than freighters. Why should the NOT be atmospheric if the others are? Hell, the Harbringer was said to be for planetary bombardment or something, and the Ursa was designed to carry it.

And the Elysium is the only CANON class of terran transport, so that's all we go on. You can refuse to believe it, you can go make up the GTT Suckmyballs which is atmospheric, but you cannot prove that the Elysium is strictly space-only just because you so feel like it. In fact, the evidence has a better argument for the exact opposite.

[Mars]

Yes, what class is that "formal terran transport" anyway?

[terran_emperor]

No one said that every ship is atmosphere capable.

Once again, the Harbinger was for surface bombardment, and has a small range, suggesting that the Ursa HAS to be atmosphere capable. Fighters are also said to be atmosphere capable.

Those are almost certainly modified Harbingers for Ship-to-ship combat.
The Full Harbinger was almost certainly launched from a Capital ship.
Remember they had to create a whole new bomber to use the Harbinger in Anti-Capship roles.

The Harbinger used against surface targets most likely had a fantastic range as an SpSWarhead (SpS = Space-to-Surface) at the cost of lock-on time. But an Orion able to stay in position above the target long enough to do a full barrage.

When they decided to use the Harbinger against the Lucifer, they almost certainly had to modify the Harbinger.
First they created a Whole new bomber the Ursa, which is almost practically a Gunship, to carry the Harbinger.
Then, they would have had to reduce the lock-on time - in a situtation where time is of the essence, like the final battle against the Lucifer, you can't afford to spend the two-three minutes that would be required to get a positive weapons-lock at a safe distance. You need to get the lock-on as quickly as possible. So to reduce the Lock-on time, you reduce the Bomb's range.
Reduced Range means faster lock-on time.

[Colonol Dekker]

To resolve this issue i used beer logic. Whatever issue makes sense while i'm drunk, wins. . . In the style of 60's godzilla movies. . . It seemed to work back then. . . . If i'm missing declare me dead. I'll never surrenders to the anti
 Fs forcess. . Booze is bad. Tinfoil make a life for zurself outside of fs2. . Ps i'm drunk.

[terran_emperor]

 
Cos he can't make it tommorow.

__On topic__
Look we could argue this until the sun explodes and still not reach a settlement (if we didn't die of old age first). The fact is only the original FS team from can say what is the truth. And until a difinitive answer shows up lets each stick to our own opinion on the matter and be done with it.

On a Side note, I just made 2¹⁰ posts

[Mars]

Congrats, and agreed 

[Droid803]

Yeah true.
Thus ends another debate

[Colonol Dekker]

when did i type that. . . . .
 
My drunkconcious has found it's way out of GD. Be afraid. . . .
 
 
I think TE summed it up. But i like a natter, what do you reckon the capacity is for an Argo?

[BengalTiger]

Someone wrote that the GTT Elysium is definitely not atmospheric capable-

Point it vertically up, and it has 4 engines pointed down, on each corner of the "brick", giving a stable platform, which could slowly be pushed into orbit.

Then we have to assume that whatever they're using as an energy source is dirt cheap and can be wasted to gain cargo space (think of US cars of the 1970's- they could almost hold a VW Beetle in their trunk, but sucked fuel like small locomotives), and it all makes sense.

The same thing applies to the Herc and Ursa, they could simply fly atmospheric at 200 km/h so the drag of air doesn't pull them apart, and reach space 30 minutes after takeoff.

[Kie99]

2) Shivans are a spacefaring race they - live on massive hive/colony ships and construction is done in massive Star Forge-like facilities. They only time they approach a planet is bomb the crap out of it.

Where do they get the resources to build their ships?

Also, if you've got artificial gravity, you've got Anti-gravity, just point it the other way.

[Colonol Dekker]

Gravity repulsion isn't that simple or we'd have it by now.

[BengalTiger]

Gravity repulsion isn't that simple or we'd have it by now.

I don't even think we've divided grabbity into positive and negative yet.

I wonder if there are civilizations which discovered both '+' and '-' gravity before discovering '+' and '-' electrical charges...