Author Topic: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set  (Read 7693 times)

Offline SpacexULA

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Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« on: 03/25/2012 07:53 pm »
I am wanting to do a Chess set of all the Historic HSF vehicles  vs all the now/near future HSF vehicles.

This is what I have ATM

Historic:

Vostok
Shuguang
Mercury
Gemini
Apollo
Shuttle

Now/Near

Soyuz
Shenzhou
CST-100
Orion
Dragon
Dream Chaser (Lifting body, but I need 6 and it is soon coming up (hopefully)

I am willing to give a set to anyone who wants one of them as long as your willing to replace my plastic (I am an Administrator with RepRap.org so I have 4 3d Printers at my house and between my friends we have 6 others so I can likely keep up with you guys).

A few questions:

Has a set like this ever been made?
Did I miss one that should be added (Remember I only have 6 on each side)?
What pieces should be what piece?  I was Thinking Shuttle and Soyuz should be the pawns because they have the most flights.
Should the pieces be just the capsules or the whole spacecraft?

This work will be open source, so if I butcher your favorite spacecraft everything will be done in sketchup and posted to thingiverse so you can fix it and make me apologize  :)
« Last Edit: 03/25/2012 08:01 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline ARD

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #1 on: 03/26/2012 04:18 pm »
I don't know if anything like this has been made before, but here are my suggestions:

Pawns are cheap and practically disposable, yet capable of achieving great things (when they reach the far side of the board).  That's the definition of Soyuz right there--[relatively] cheap, thrown away after every flight, yet capable of great things--it was supposed to be part of the Soviet lunar landing program, and its close relative, the Zond, flew circumlunar flights.  Soyuz itself may soon fly around the Moon.  Therefore, Soyuz should be a pawn.  Its opposite number...the Apollo CSM's original purpose was to be, if I recall correctly, space station servicing and eventually lunar flights.  JFK's declaration altered the course of the program.  Therefore, Soyuz and the Apollo CSM should be pawns. 

Rook: Worth more than bishops and knights.  A bit of a brute, as it goes head-on when it moves.  That, in my opinion, makes it a heavy-lift launch vehicle--either Saturn V or N-1. 

Knight: Fast, agile, able to take an indirect approach.  A 'flexible path,' if you will.  Orion, therefore, is a Knight.  PPTS or Shenzou, I think, can be its opposite number. 

Bishop: Bishops, as churchmen, proselytize.  Which program has done the most to proselytize the cause of manned space exploration to the public?  I say the Apollo lunar landing program, so the Apollo Lunar Module should be the Bishop (opposite number: LK). 

Queen: The most powerful figure on the board.  Its loss is a great loss of capability for a side.  Shuttle, therefore, is a Queen (or, if one feels unkind, a Hangar Queen).  Opposite number: Buran is the obvious statement, but I'm not really sure. 

King: Can only move one square at a time, but without it, you wouldn't have the rest of the game.  Mercury and Vostok are the Kings. 

Offline Prober

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #2 on: 03/26/2012 06:57 pm »
I am wanting to do a Chess set of all the Historic HSF vehicles  vs all the now/near future HSF vehicles.

This is what I have ATM

Historic:

Vostok
Shuguang
Mercury
Gemini
Apollo
Shuttle

Now/Near

Soyuz
Shenzhou
CST-100
Orion
Dragon
Dream Chaser (Lifting body, but I need 6 and it is soon coming up (hopefully)

I am willing to give a set to anyone who wants one of them as long as your willing to replace my plastic (I am an Administrator with RepRap.org so I have 4 3d Printers at my house and between my friends we have 6 others so I can likely keep up with you guys).

A few questions:

Has a set like this ever been made?
Did I miss one that should be added (Remember I only have 6 on each side)?
What pieces should be what piece?  I was Thinking Shuttle and Soyuz should be the pawns because they have the most flights.
Should the pieces be just the capsules or the whole spacecraft?

This work will be open source, so if I butcher your favorite spacecraft everything will be done in sketchup and posted to thingiverse so you can fix it and make me apologize  :)

what no x-37B that isn't a proper set yet..heheh

Like ur idea however....
Do a set of capsules
Do a set of launchers
titan
Atlas
Delta
Proton
Soyuz
Atlas V
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
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Offline go4mars

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #3 on: 03/26/2012 07:09 pm »
V2 for pawns on the historic side, F9 as pawns on the other side? 


You could do a cold war version too (might be interesting). 


Whatever you end up selecting, I'll probably buy some of your plastic!  What's a rough cost estimate?

Are they scalable in size (is it easy to scale things up bigger or down smaller when printing rep rap stuff)?
 

« Last Edit: 03/26/2012 07:14 pm by go4mars »
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Offline Robotbeat

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #4 on: 03/26/2012 07:24 pm »
Manned, you guys, manned.

(Though V2 is so iconic...)

BTW, thanks again for sending me those reprap parts. ;)
« Last Edit: 03/26/2012 07:24 pm by Robotbeat »
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Offline Cog_in_the_machine

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #5 on: 03/26/2012 07:32 pm »
Why not make the pieces and let each group of players decide which one fulfills which role? Seems like it would be better than coming up with one and only one space-chess piece equivalence scheme.
^^ Warning! Contains opinions. ^^ 

Offline Robotbeat

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #6 on: 03/27/2012 01:00 am »
Why not make the pieces and let each group of players decide which one fulfills which role? Seems like it would be better than coming up with one and only one space-chess piece equivalence scheme.
You'd need to relearn it each time you played with someone else. Probably not a huge issue, but if you had different spacecraft entirely, it'd become a pain to set it up for printing each time and keep track of everything. KISS.
« Last Edit: 03/27/2012 02:07 am by Robotbeat »
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #7 on: 03/27/2012 01:27 am »
What, no X-15 or LEM?
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Offline Robotbeat

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #8 on: 03/27/2012 01:37 am »
Lunar lander would be a great addition!
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline Khadgars

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #9 on: 03/27/2012 01:50 am »
Wonderful idea!  Though is that a common theme to have two different sets of figures for chess?

Could just make a single set and change the colors to make it more simple.

Pawn: Soyuz
Rook/Castle: Shuttle
Knight: Orion/SLS
Bishop: Shenzhou

Queen: Apollo
King: Dragon

Just my thoughts ;p
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing - Thomas Jefferson

Online IanO

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #10 on: 03/31/2012 03:09 pm »
Has anyone ever designed a Space Race chess set?  Seems like it would have been a natural theme over the last fifty years of the Space Age. There are themed sets about all sorts of other things (even Hellraiser and Simpsons, ugh), so I was surprised not to find an example of a space themed set.

My own East vs. West design would be based on the typical dimensions of a Staunton set, so that the piece choices descend by approximate height and/or aspect ratio, and pieces are chosen for having comparable vehicles on either side.

PieceWestEastComment
KingSaturn VN1Tallest: the moon rockets
QueenFalcon HeavyAngara-A5Tall powerhouses of the next generation
BishopAtlas V or Delta IVSoyuz or Zenit-3
KnightShuttleBuranCrossrange = jumping, knights have the unusual shape
RookTitan IVProtonSquat yet powerful
PawnApollo service moduleSoyuz moduleShort and pawn shaped

I was also considering light lifters for the pawns: Delta II vs. Kosmos-3M.

For your own project, these standard piece dimensions may be helpful. A king height of approximately 3.75 to 4 inches (95 to 102 mm) is preferred by most players. The diameter of the king should be 40-50% of its height. The piece heights descend evenly to the pawn, which is a bit over half the height of the king.  As a practical matter, you might want to add a wide, heavy base to all the pieces; rockets tend to be thinner than chess pieces and would tip over too easily.

Do post pictures of your set as you go. It sounds like a fun RepRap project! I might even be willing to purchase a set myself.

Best wishes
psas.pdx.edu

Offline A_M_Swallow

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #11 on: 04/01/2012 04:18 am »
The Rook is also know as the Castle.  The obvious space Castle is the ISS.

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #12 on: 04/03/2012 01:07 pm »
The Rook is also know as the Castle.  The obvious space Castle is the ISS.
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Offline A_M_Swallow

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #13 on: 04/03/2012 03:11 pm »
The Rook is also know as the Castle.  The obvious space Castle is the ISS.
Skylab!

Two chess sets.

The Russian Almaz can fit the other colour.

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #14 on: 04/03/2012 03:54 pm »
Well, Almaz did have a turret...
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Offline clongton

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #15 on: 04/03/2012 11:48 pm »
Well, Almaz did have a turret...

A turret??? Wasn't that Dr Who's Darlik?
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I started my career on the Saturn-V F-1A engine

Offline Space OurSoul

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #16 on: 04/04/2012 12:12 am »
Well, Almaz did have a turret...

A turret??? Wasn't that Dr Who's Darlik?

Argh, ouch, oof. You pain the inner nerd in me, sir.

Dalek.

It's written "Dalek."

A complete OurSoul

Offline clongton

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #17 on: 04/04/2012 12:42 am »
Well, Almaz did have a turret...

A turret??? Wasn't that Dr Who's Darlik?

Argh, ouch, oof. You pain the inner nerd in me, sir.

Dalek.

It's written "Dalek."



I knew that hehe  ;D
Chuck - DIRECT co-founder
I started my career on the Saturn-V F-1A engine

Offline elmarko

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #18 on: 04/10/2012 09:43 am »
Oh god this is the best idea. Needs a catchy name. SPACECHESS. Yes.

Offline Capt. David

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Re: Manned Space Vehicle Chess Set
« Reply #19 on: 08/08/2012 03:47 pm »
Well, Almaz did have a turret...

Not hardly!

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