Hey Guys,i was doing a Little Research when a Question hit me:What If there was a Subspace Submarine for the Federation in Star Trek? I'd seen some Subspace Subs in Star Blazers and Thought What If some subs were Converted into Subspace Subs for Star Trek. What Subs would Work for this? What Say You? Thanks for Looking. Dan
A real submarine hull would be many times heavier than needed in space unless your going for steel armor. Of course space battleships are much heavier so do what you think works best for your universe.
In Star Trek the orijonal series they used part of a submarine kit for the "Botany Bay" on which Kahn and his crew were.
Gondor
Some time ago I saw pics from a scratchbuilt space ship froma convention that used an upside-down Geman Typ VII submarine (w/o turret and any appendages) as a hull, mated with parts from a Klingon ship (IIRC it was from a D-7 cruiser from the classic TV series). While simple, this looked VERY convincing, and I mplan do buoild something similar some day, too. And another spaceship scratch build I came across (but not linked to Star Trek) used an 1:48 P-61 central fuselage as basis, also flipped upside down and the clear parts were blended into the rest as opaque hull sections. Looked very organic and was hard to recognize.
I think the original poster is looking to repurpose kits using the shape of terrestrial subs as the means of providing a basis of a space sub, therefore we can dispense with the usual debates of water subs being designed to cope with compression and space 'tubes' have to cope with expansion?
Cobra, are you looking to produce different space subs styles for one space force or multiple ? It makes it easier if your don't care about multiple origins as you dont have preserve a sense of culturally based design aesthetic or technology.
Easy wins are 1/700 or 1/350 subs.
You have basically a number of source types to choose from
- Modern US Subs
- Modern Soviet/Russian Subs/Chinese - though these are now starting to fork their own style
- Modern British / French
- reuse WWII
- Japanese (usually) space sub kits.
- scratch build
Soviet Typhoon class is an obvious go to base as they are quite large and distinctive shaped - clearly you'd need remove the pros and replace with some interesting "engines/pods" - Yakult Containers and/or the Lids from the Tubes of Vitamin C Tabs with thier funky lides with the inbuil compression screws - or just reverse the lids and attach to the tube.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/dc/c8/62/dcc8629e7903bc151181185e1dacbc6a.jpg (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/dc/c8/62/dcc8629e7903bc151181185e1dacbc6a.jpg)
US subs are more tubelike, but this doesn't stop the adding of an engine pod/pods - or other embellishments
there are Japense space subs
https://www.plazajapan.com/4934054021802/ (https://www.plazajapan.com/4934054021802/)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Japan-Action-Figures-Collection-submarine/dp/B018TGV5PU (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Japan-Action-Figures-Collection-submarine/dp/B018TGV5PU) (it may be cheaper to import)
https://www.migjimenez.com/en/model-kits/4980-1700-space-submarine-i-401-6972444300180.html (https://www.migjimenez.com/en/model-kits/4980-1700-space-submarine-i-401-6972444300180.html)
https://www.migjimenez.com/en/model-kits/4981-1700-space-submarine-i-400-6972444300173.html (https://www.migjimenez.com/en/model-kits/4981-1700-space-submarine-i-400-6972444300173.html)
https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1128858548&ref=list&narrowDown=infinite%20of%20Levi%20Us%00Tag&lang=en
https://www.scalemates.com/ja/kits/bandai-0071203-zero-tester-no2--1162371 (https://www.scalemates.com/ja/kits/bandai-0071203-zero-tester-no2--1162371) (okay, maybe not what you were thinking)
This could be straight out the 60s - Thunderbirds/Stingray
Doyusha Space Submarine series universe Submarine Andro Tiger 1
https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1129139699&lang=en (https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1129139699&lang=en)
in fact, if this isnt a Stingray "inspired", I'm a .......
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/doyusha-space-submarine-osaka-ii--1098372
for interpretations of terrestrial subs
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/blue-submarine-musuka-model-kit-imai-134350106 (https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/blue-submarine-musuka-model-kit-imai-134350106)
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/265192365857?hash=item3dbeb25f21:g:qZ4AAOSwTApgwwQa (https://www.ebay.ca/itm/265192365857?hash=item3dbeb25f21:g:qZ4AAOSwTApgwwQa)
some further inspiration:
http://www.projectrho.com/SSC/submarine.html (http://www.projectrho.com/SSC/submarine.html)
I am curious about what the "sub-" part would be mean in space. But we are whiffers, so reality and logic are of our own making.
You'd have to reverse all the valves that keep water out to keep air in. The prop would be replaced by a warp/subspace/ion/improbability drive.
Of course you could put just a periscope on a starry black base and say "the rest of the sub is hiding in subspace". Oh rats, I should have kept that idea for myself. ;D
JoeP
Outside of star Trek, a circular section sub could provide a classic rockets hip shape, with the stern as the nose cone.
Yep.. they can make a great basis for Starship builds. The forward section is two Ohio Class 1/350 scale subs, with sail in place
(https://www.whatifmodellers.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelblokez.org.au%2Fbthpix%2Fwhatif%2FSci%2520Fi%2Fscifi_20.JPG&hash=e2fbba7ca996a1eed0ed5a980fe0c07dc9b10905)
Quote from: JoeP on August 04, 2021, 09:14:14 AM
I am curious about what the "sub-" part would be mean in space. But we are whiffers, so reality and logic are of our own making.
You'd have to reverse all the valves that keep water out to keep air in. The prop would be replaced by a warp/subspace/ion/improbability drive.
Of course you could put just a periscope on a starry black base and say "the rest of the sub is hiding in subspace". Oh rats, I should have kept that idea for myself. ;D
JoeP
A valve is a valve ... the valves in/on a sub's hull are there to permit water in (for things like cooling, the captain's shower, etc.) and other things out - sewage, garbage, weapons, etc.
One could argue that the personnel hatches are simply two-way valves to allow people to go in and out of the sub.
Then there are the "connections" - plugs, if you will, sockets - for things like telephones, electricity, and other things more esoteric.
The biggest problem would be cooling - no ocean providing endless cold water to remove the heat generated by all those bodies and the processes necessary to keep them alive.
But, that's all real-world, and has no place here ... ;)
Quote from: buzzbomb on August 04, 2021, 11:30:13 PM
Yep.. they can make a great basis for Starship builds. The forward section is two Ohio Class 1/350 scale subs, with sail in place
(https://www.whatifmodellers.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelblokez.org.au%2Fbthpix%2Fwhatif%2FSci%2520Fi%2Fscifi_20.JPG&hash=e2fbba7ca996a1eed0ed5a980fe0c07dc9b10905)
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Quote from: Scotaidh on August 05, 2021, 12:27:22 AM
Quote from: JoeP on August 04, 2021, 09:14:14 AM
I am curious about what the "sub-" part would be mean in space. But we are whiffers, so reality and logic are of our own making.
You'd have to reverse all the valves that keep water out to keep air in. The prop would be replaced by a warp/subspace/ion/improbability drive.
Of course you could put just a periscope on a starry black base and say "the rest of the sub is hiding in subspace". Oh rats, I should have kept that idea for myself. ;D
JoeP
A valve is a valve ... the valves in/on a sub's hull are there to permit water in (for things like cooling, the captain's shower, etc.) and other things out - sewage, garbage, weapons, etc.
One could argue that the personnel hatches are simply two-way valves to allow people to go in and out of the sub.
Then there are the "connections" - plugs, if you will, sockets - for things like telephones, electricity, and other things more esoteric.
The biggest problem would be cooling - no ocean providing endless cold water to remove the heat generated by all those bodies and the processes necessary to keep them alive.
But, that's all real-world, and has no place here ... ;)
Isn't deep space very very cold?
So keeping warm might be the problem rather than cooling down.
Quote from: zenrat on August 05, 2021, 04:21:18 AM
Quote from: Scotaidh on August 05, 2021, 12:27:22 AM
Quote from: JoeP on August 04, 2021, 09:14:14 AM
I am curious about what the "sub-" part would be mean in space. But we are whiffers, so reality and logic are of our own making.
You'd have to reverse all the valves that keep water out to keep air in. The prop would be replaced by a warp/subspace/ion/improbability drive.
Of course you could put just a periscope on a starry black base and say "the rest of the sub is hiding in subspace". Oh rats, I should have kept that idea for myself. ;D
JoeP
A valve is a valve ... the valves in/on a sub's hull are there to permit water in (for things like cooling, the captain's shower, etc.) and other things out - sewage, garbage, weapons, etc.
One could argue that the personnel hatches are simply two-way valves to allow people to go in and out of the sub.
Then there are the "connections" - plugs, if you will, sockets - for things like telephones, electricity, and other things more esoteric.
The biggest problem would be cooling - no ocean providing endless cold water to remove the heat generated by all those bodies and the processes necessary to keep them alive.
But, that's all real-world, and has no place here ... ;)
Isn't deep space very very cold?
So keeping warm might be the problem rather than cooling down.
But with a Nuclear pile on board (whether you used it as the main power source or an auxiliary generator) you'd be able to keep everyone warm'n'toasty with very little trouble.
Quote from: Rick Lowe on October 16, 2021, 02:49:31 AM
Quote from: zenrat on August 05, 2021, 04:21:18 AM
Quote from: Scotaidh on August 05, 2021, 12:27:22 AM
Quote from: JoeP on August 04, 2021, 09:14:14 AM
I am curious about what the "sub-" part would be mean in space. But we are whiffers, so reality and logic are of our own making.
You'd have to reverse all the valves that keep water out to keep air in. The prop would be replaced by a warp/subspace/ion/improbability drive.
Of course you could put just a periscope on a starry black base and say "the rest of the sub is hiding in subspace". Oh rats, I should have kept that idea for myself. ;D
JoeP
A valve is a valve ... the valves in/on a sub's hull are there to permit water in (for things like cooling, the captain's shower, etc.) and other things out - sewage, garbage, weapons, etc.
One could argue that the personnel hatches are simply two-way valves to allow people to go in and out of the sub.
Then there are the "connections" - plugs, if you will, sockets - for things like telephones, electricity, and other things more esoteric.
The biggest problem would be cooling - no ocean providing endless cold water to remove the heat generated by all those bodies and the processes necessary to keep them alive.
But, that's all real-world, and has no place here ... ;)
Isn't deep space very very cold?
So keeping warm might be the problem rather than cooling down.
But with a Nuclear pile on board (whether you used it as the main power source or an auxiliary generator) you'd be able to keep everyone warm'n'toasty with very little trouble.
Plus they would glow in the dark saving money on lighting.
Quote from: zenrat on October 16, 2021, 04:06:23 AM
Quote from: Rick Lowe on October 16, 2021, 02:49:31 AM
Quote from: zenrat on August 05, 2021, 04:21:18 AM
Quote from: Scotaidh on August 05, 2021, 12:27:22 AM
Quote from: JoeP on August 04, 2021, 09:14:14 AM
I am curious about what the "sub-" part would be mean in space. But we are whiffers, so reality and logic are of our own making.
You'd have to reverse all the valves that keep water out to keep air in. The prop would be replaced by a warp/subspace/ion/improbability drive.
Of course you could put just a periscope on a starry black base and say "the rest of the sub is hiding in subspace". Oh rats, I should have kept that idea for myself. ;D
JoeP
A valve is a valve ... the valves in/on a sub's hull are there to permit water in (for things like cooling, the captain's shower, etc.) and other things out - sewage, garbage, weapons, etc.
One could argue that the personnel hatches are simply two-way valves to allow people to go in and out of the sub.
Then there are the "connections" - plugs, if you will, sockets - for things like telephones, electricity, and other things more esoteric.
The biggest problem would be cooling - no ocean providing endless cold water to remove the heat generated by all those bodies and the processes necessary to keep them alive.
But, that's all real-world, and has no place here ... ;)
Isn't deep space very very cold?
So keeping warm might be the problem rather than cooling down.
But with a Nuclear pile on board (whether you used it as the main power source or an auxiliary generator) you'd be able to keep everyone warm'n'toasty with very little trouble.
Plus they would glow in the dark saving money on lighting.
;D True!
Quote from: zenrat on August 05, 2021, 04:21:18 AM
Quote from: Scotaidh on August 05, 2021, 12:27:22 AM
Quote from: JoeP on August 04, 2021, 09:14:14 AM
I am curious about what the "sub-" part would be mean in space. But we are whiffers, so reality and logic are of our own making.
You'd have to reverse all the valves that keep water out to keep air in. The prop would be replaced by a warp/subspace/ion/improbability drive.
Of course you could put just a periscope on a starry black base and say "the rest of the sub is hiding in subspace". Oh rats, I should have kept that idea for myself. ;D
JoeP
A valve is a valve ... the valves in/on a sub's hull are there to permit water in (for things like cooling, the captain's shower, etc.) and other things out - sewage, garbage, weapons, etc.
One could argue that the personnel hatches are simply two-way valves to allow people to go in and out of the sub.
Then there are the "connections" - plugs, if you will, sockets - for things like telephones, electricity, and other things more esoteric.
The biggest problem would be cooling - no ocean providing endless cold water to remove the heat generated by all those bodies and the processes necessary to keep them alive.
But, that's all real-world, and has no place here ... ;)
Isn't deep space very very cold?
So keeping warm might be the problem rather than cooling down.
Nope, most of the systems onboard plus the flesh machines produce excess heat,
which is very problematic in a closed system.
ISS ATCS (Active Thermal Control System):
https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/473486main_iss_atcs_overview.pdf
The lighter coloured panels are the radiators, dark panels are PVA.
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/3PrMs.jpg)
Getting rid of excess heat in space is a real problem. IIRC when Skylab was first launched and the solar panels failed to deploy the interior got up to like 90 degrees F inside. And that was from just sunlight. That's when the makeshift umbrella sun shield saved the day. Hope this makes sense, I'm still on painkillers.
Also a fella had his own website with space model he had built which frequently started as airliner or sub hulls turned backwards and upside down.
Quote from: kerick on October 16, 2021, 05:44:09 PM
Getting rid of excess heat in space is a real problem. IIRC when Skylab was first launched and the solar panels failed to deploy the interior got up to like 90 degrees F inside. And that was from just sunlight. That's when the makeshift umbrella sun shield saved the day. Hope this makes sense, I'm still on painkillers.
Absolutely you're making sense. A rocket scientist/engineer of my acquaintance said only method of disposing of heat works in space, and that's "black box". He didn't go into specifics - I prolly couldn't have followed it anyway cuz I iz dum - but something about when there's no atmosphere white objects reflect heat (really absorb it much more slowly) and black ones emit heat. It didn't really make sense to me, but then - see my previous disclaimer.
The ATCS link did make sense to me, though - it's kinda how I thought heat control would work in space. [Outside of hull will be as cold as space; fluid in a closed loop heat-exchange system picks up heat with interior HEs and cycles out to hull-mounted HEs to become cool again. ]
That all might bw true in orbit or close to a star but what about out in deep space in the gaps between the stars?
Internally there will be things generating heat, mostly people & electronics, which will need to be removed in a controlled manner.
Thermal insulation will prevent excessive emission of heat, black panels will be used to radiate excess heat.
I seem to recall a Science Fiction story (Arthur C. Clark? Jerry Pournelle? Robert Heinlein? ... I can't recall that bit.) where a space ship has some of its heat-exchangers damaged & things get pretty dicey, including the surviving HEs heating to the point where they start to glow red & reduce their efficiency at dissipating heat.
Can't remember how they fix it, either; just the heating up bit.
There are three ways to transfer heat, convection, conduction and radiation. The first two need some other form of mass to transfer the hear energy into. In space that is not available. This leaves radiation, not the most efficient method. I was working on a complete whiff starship for a long time and I included an excess heat exhaust port.
Just my $0.02.
Quote from: kerick on October 17, 2021, 11:57:28 AM
There are three ways to transfer heat, convection, conduction and radiation. The first two need some other form of mass to transfer the hear energy into. In space that is not available. This leaves radiation, not the most efficient method. I was working on a complete whiff starship for a long time and I included an excess heat exhaust port.
Just my $0.02.
Just make sure it's adequately shielded from all them pesky 'snub' fighters...
Quote from: Cobra on July 13, 2021, 04:46:59 PM
Hey Guys,i was doing a Little Research when a Question hit me:What If there was a Subspace Submarine for the Federation in Star Trek? I'd seen some Subspace Subs in Star Blazers and Thought What If some subs were Converted into Subspace Subs for Star Trek. What Subs would Work for this? What Say You? Thanks for Looking. Dan
As a kitbash shape-donor, a submarine is pretty useful. Converting an actual submarine to go into space would be pointless since it's far more heavily built than it needs to be. You'd have to have a ludicrous Space Battleship Yamoto style background to justify it: certainly not Star Trek!
The 'subspace sub' concept I always liked to think about was a spaceship that
behaves in a manner analogous to a submarine. i.e. it lurks in subspace/hyperspace/whatever using some exotic, costly niche technologies and then bushwhacks passing 'normal' starships, perhaps using side-effects of the same technology.
Quote from: zenrat on August 05, 2021, 04:21:18 AM
Isn't deep space very very cold?
So keeping warm might be the problem rather than cooling down.
A vacuum has no temperature, since temperature is the amount of heat energy in matter, and a vacuum by definition has no matter (or very little) in it. It's easier to generate heat than it is to radiate it quickly. In most cases, radiating excess heat in a vacuum is a Big Problem.
Quote from: frank2056 on October 18, 2021, 09:26:01 PM
Quote from: zenrat on August 05, 2021, 04:21:18 AM
Isn't deep space very very cold?
So keeping warm might be the problem rather than cooling down.
A vacuum has no temperature, since temperature is the amount of heat energy in matter, and a vacuum by definition has no matter (or very little) in it. It's easier to generate heat than it is to radiate it quickly. In most cases, radiating excess heat in a vacuum is a Big Problem.
It's also a great big "Here I Am!" sign...
I goggled "what temperature is space?".
The first result was this:
The temperature in outer space is generally 2.73 Kelvin (-270.42 Celsius, -454.75 Fahrenheit). This is actually the temperature of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, which is spread throughout the universe.
https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/universe/what-is-the-temperature-of-space.html
Sounds pretty cold to me.
The "excess heat port" is a great idea ... if you have atmosphere to spare.
An "excess heat port" works by passing a medium (usually liquid or air) over a radiating surface & then pumping that medium away from the volume being cooled. This doesn't work in space because it can't, there's no medium to heat & eject, unless you're pumping out your water or air.
Quote from: zenrat on October 19, 2021, 02:50:09 AM
I goggled "what temperature is space?".
The first result was this:
The temperature in outer space is generally 2.73 Kelvin (-270.42 Celsius, -454.75 Fahrenheit). This is actually the temperature of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, which is spread throughout the universe.
https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/universe/what-is-the-temperature-of-space.html
Sounds pretty cold to me.
That's the glow of the cosmic background radiation - the remnant of the Big Bang, when the universe was dense (ie,
not a vacuum) and extremely hot. If you put an object in the vacuum of deep space. away from any source of heat, it will eventually radiate away its energy (glow)... but if it has people and machinery inside it's going to get extremely hot if it doesn't radiate away the excess heat.
A current example is the sunshield for the Webb Space telescope. (https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/observatory/sunshield.html) The tennis court sized shield is just to get and keep the optics down to 50K. There's an instrument that needs to operate at 7K and it won't be able to get to that temperature without active cooling.
If you are in deep space light years from the nearest star then surely it is better to conserve energy rather than radiate it out into space?
Quote from: zenrat on October 20, 2021, 03:41:19 AM
If you are in deep space light years from the nearest star then surely it is better to conserve energy rather than radiate it out into space?
Okay in principle. Now, a) how are you going to store it? and b) How are you going to utilise it?
Quote from: Old Wombat on October 19, 2021, 07:02:54 AM
The "excess heat port" is a great idea ... if you have atmosphere to spare.
An "excess heat port" works by passing a medium (usually liquid or air) over a radiating surface & then pumping that medium away from the volume being cooled. This doesn't work in space because it can't, there's no medium to heat & eject, unless you're pumping out your water or air.
Yeah but it looks cool if you light it up with red LEDs. (See what I did there?)
^^^^^^
;D ;D :thumbsup:
[sigh] Yes. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: ;)
Quote from: Weaver on October 20, 2021, 05:48:55 AM
Quote from: zenrat on October 20, 2021, 03:41:19 AM
If you are in deep space light years from the nearest star then surely it is better to conserve energy rather than radiate it out into space?
Okay in principle. Now, a) how are you going to store it? and b) How are you going to utilise it?
FIIK mate. How do they prevent nuclear subs radiating any heat? They must have to have a heat signature identical to the surrounding water or they will be detectable, and they also have the same issue of excess heat inside.
Quote from: zenrat on October 21, 2021, 03:03:57 AM
Quote from: Weaver on October 20, 2021, 05:48:55 AM
Quote from: zenrat on October 20, 2021, 03:41:19 AM
If you are in deep space light years from the nearest star then surely it is better to conserve energy rather than radiate it out into space?
Okay in principle. Now, a) how are you going to store it? and b) How are you going to utilise it?
FIIK mate. How do they prevent nuclear subs radiating any heat? They must have to have a heat signature identical to the surrounding water or they will be detectable, and they also have the same issue of excess heat inside.
They don't need to prevent nuclear subs from radiating heat, because they radiate/conduct it straight into the dense conducting medium surrounding them, i.e. water. That rapidly dissipates it (water has a huge heat capacity). A moving sub leaves the slighty warmed water behind it, and for a stationary sub, the warmed water rises away from it by convection, dispersing in the process. The water around and behind a sub is
slightly warmer than it was before the vessel passed through it, but it's within the natural variation of the water anyway, so it's not much use as a tell-tale. It's a bit like trying to track an aircraft by it's effect on the breeze at ground level as it flies past at 10,000 ft.
In space, none of this works. The only thing you can do to get rid of heat is radiate it away, which is inefficient and lights you up like a searchlight in a coal cellar. The only way to keep the heat safely is to transfer it internally into some kind of medium (like a gas or liquid), or a heat-sink (like the hull or fuel tanks), and try to make it do some work while avoiding the problems it causes, and avoiding that work converting it straight back into heat again.
Also, you may be spending the majority of your time in deep space, far from stars, but you must have started out near a star and presumably you're going to end near one. This means you also have ot deal with the fact that a spacecraft in orbit around a planet like the Earth can experience outside temperatures ranging from +hundreds of degrees in direct sunlight to -hundreds of degrees in shade.
Some kind of melting/refreezing cycle where the melting (of some exotic substance like Whiffium Hydride) removes energy from where the people are and the refreezing releases it into where the plants grow (which also convert CO2 into O2). Maybe the refreezing process also releases energy in the form of light?
How does Iain M Banks address this issue? Oh that's right, by ignoring it...
;D
Quote from: zenrat on October 21, 2021, 04:32:35 AM
........ Whiffium Hydride)................
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Quote from: zenrat on October 21, 2021, 04:32:35 AM
Some kind of melting/refreezing cycle where the melting (of some exotic substance like Whiffium Hydride) removes energy from where the people are and the refreezing releases it into where the plants grow (which also convert CO2 into O2). Maybe the refreezing process also releases energy in the form of light?
How does Iain M Banks address this issue? Oh that's right, by ignoring it...
;D
H. Paul Honsinger, in his Man of War trilogy (which I highly recommend by the way), uses a liquid medium, heatsinks, and directional radiators. All excess waste heat is whisked away to either the heat sinks (if they're operating in stealth mode), or the radiators (if they're not). But the heatsinks
are finite, especially when in combat or extended stealth mode.
Quote from: zenrat on October 21, 2021, 04:32:35 AM
How does Iain M Banks address this issue? Oh that's right, by ignoring it...
;D
The Minds just send it to the Grid. Just like they do with all the wastes generated aboard a ship. Especially about a GSV with a billion critters flushing toilets and the like.
Quote from: zenrat on October 21, 2021, 04:32:35 AM
How does Iain M Banks address this issue? Oh that's right, by ignoring it...
;D
In all fairness, that's how many other sci-fi writers and nearly all sci-fi TV/film scriptwriters deal with it too.
Arthur C. Clarke didn't ignore it, specifying that the Discovery in 2001 had large triangular radiators on it's spine. However he was overruled by Kubrick who insisted that the audience would think they were wings... :banghead:
It was supposed to look something like this. The rear radiators are triangular so that they stay within the 'shadow' of the radiation shield protecting the rest of the ship from it's nuclear propulsion system:
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8QTokwUd7HQ/TmfjuntopdI/AAAAAAAAJiQ/AlWBkq6n7Zs/s1600/P1070151.JPG)
Model by Warren Zoell here: https://thegreatcanadianmodelbuilderswebpage.blogspot.com/2011/09/discovery-dragonfly.html
I wasn't singling out Banks for criticism. He, as IMO the greatest of all sci fi authors, was serving as an example.