If the Ancient Romans had a Space Program, What Would Their Space Ships Look Like?

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

EeebeeE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
1,427
Reaction score
56
Maybe like this? This is Archonius IV. Victor in the Alpha Centauri War. It will fly at NYPower on an H53 Mellow Yellow.

Archonius 6a.jpg Archonius 6b.jpg Archonius 6c.jpg Archonius 6d.jpg Archonius 6e.jpg
 
If the Ancient Romans had a Space Program, What Would Their Space Ships Look Like? Maybe like this? This is Archonius IV. Victor in the Alpha Centauri War. It will fly at NYPower on an H53 Mellow Yellow.

Don't know, but I'm pretty sure these guys would be piloting it.
vlcsnap-2014-03-17-19h48m03s28.png
 
I feel like I've commented on how awesome this bird is, possibly with a pun involved; but I can't for the life of me turn up that post.
 
Great, now I'm an absent-minded stalker :p

Volati te salutant! ( We who are about to fly salute you [ corrections welcome { I may have just coined this phrase } ] ) .

I just chalk it up to cerebral flatulence.
 
Can you say "nose weight?" Lots of it. It is a cool design. Challenge would be to build it so it could survive, and build it so it was stable. The nacelles and wings would bring the CP way forward and the fins would not help very much since they do not extend beyond the widest part of the airframe. If you were to print out either the top view or bottom view, affix it to a piece of cardboard then cut out the silhouette of it, you could find the CP by finding the balance point of the cutout. My guess is that it will be somewhere forward of the main wings. If that is the case, your CP (with motor) is going to need to be somewhere near the canard wings. A balsa frame and tissue might be the best construction method.
 
Why would the Romans have Led Zeppelin symbols all over their rocket? Led Zeppelin was British and didn't come around until 1969.

:)wink: in case it wasn't obvious)
 
All those symbols are Roman. The symbols down the top represent the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. On the Canard wings the symbols represent the Trinity (this was added during Constantine's reign), The sword is the Roman symbol for power. The olive crescent, a symbol for leadership and honor. The phrase "Imperium Romanum Stellis Ducet means "The Roman Empire will Rule the Stars."

There's more to life than pop culture.
 
This guy would destroy all the little Roman space ships in a screaming rage, naked, painted blue with his hair limed back! Long live PICTLAND!

Pict launch 8.jpgPict 1.jpg

This was a rocket from the brief time when there was to be a New Rome in the 20th Century, but it did not last.

RE 2005 painted 6.jpgRE 2005 painted 5.jpg
 
Last edited:
Would the design really matter? As the ancient Romans had no representation for zero, could they complete a countdown and launch? V, IV, III, II, I..........
 
Who needs the entertainment of flying rockets when you can watch some unfortunates wearing tunica molestas; and that would be just for the pregame warm ups! Lots of naphtha for oodles of crowd pleasing fun!
 
I'm sorry but speaking from a country still struggling to come to get over the trauma of Roman occupation this is all too much. I know they left in 410 but that's not so long ago. I still see the hurt in people's eyes when I walk down the road (that's Roman Road, Bethnal Green...or at least I think that's what I'm seeing). It's bad enough knowing all those places named '-chester' were their garrison towns. Thinking they might have built spaceports here (no doubt linked by pedal powered monorails) while we Brits were still thinking plank wheels and trousers were pretty cool just does my head in. Having said that, if I'm forced to confront the grim possibility - I'd say their spaceships would definitely be bronze coloured. I just feel it.
 
All those symbols are Roman. The symbols down the top represent the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. On the Canard wings the symbols represent the Trinity (this was added during Constantine's reign), The sword is the Roman symbol for power. The olive crescent, a symbol for leadership and honor. The phrase "Imperium Romanum Stellis Ducet means "The Roman Empire will Rule the Stars."

There's more to life than pop culture.

Sometimes it's just not worth it to make a joke. Even with a winky guy. :facepalm:
 
I'm sorry but speaking from a country still struggling to come to get over the trauma of Roman occupation this is all too much. I know they left in 410 but that's not so long ago. I still see the hurt in people's eyes when I walk down the road (that's Roman Road, Bethnal Green...or at least I think that's what I'm seeing). It's bad enough knowing all those places named '-chester' were their garrison towns. Thinking they might have built spaceports here (no doubt linked by pedal powered monorails) while we Brits were still thinking plank wheels and trousers were pretty cool just does my head in. Having said that, if I'm forced to confront the grim possibility - I'd say their spaceships would definitely be bronze coloured. I just feel it.

You should demand that the Italian government apologize and pay restitution...Good luck with that. :)
 
Sometimes it's just not worth it to make a joke. Even with a winky guy. :facepalm:

Apologies. It is hard to read inflection and body language in written word. 90% of communication is nonverbal, so I only had the 10% to go on.
 
Why would the Romans have Led Zeppelin symbols all over their rocket? Led Zeppelin was British and didn't come around until 1969.

:)wink: in case it wasn't obvious)

Actually I read the other day that Led Zep are now being sued by Ancient Rome over this very issue.
 
Before the Age of Science, before the Age of Reason and before the Enlightenment and Renascence, ya put yer motors at the front of the rocket. Living in our age of Modernity we now know better not to do such things. So these might have been Roman like rockets, mid cant and tractor motors. Dragons, squids and tape worms. Rockets not designed for sleek efficiency and performance, but rather to appease and entertain the blood lusting masses.

Smaug Launch 2.jpgSmaug Launch 1.jpgSmaug 2.jpgSquid Set up.jpgPICT Squid (576x1024).jpgIMG_20140929_213852386.jpgMega Tapeworm 5.jpgTapeworm COSROCS 1.jpgrocketflood2013 032 (2).jpgSmaug Launch 3.jpg

Like in Monty Python's Life of Brian the Romans are the bad guys, but we should really thank them for the roads, sewers, aqueducts, security, education, commerce, baths, entertainment, writing, organization, technology. . . and don't forget concrete!

Just hope we don't run into any Huns. By Jove I would hate to see what they do with black powder rocket motors!
 
I'm sorry but speaking from a country still struggling to come to get over the trauma of Roman occupation this is all too much. I know they left in 410 but that's not so long ago. I still see the hurt in people's eyes when I walk down the road (that's Roman Road, Bethnal Green...or at least I think that's what I'm seeing). It's bad enough knowing all those places named '-chester' were their garrison towns. Thinking they might have built spaceports here (no doubt linked by pedal powered monorails) while we Brits were still thinking plank wheels and trousers were pretty cool just does my head in. Having said that, if I'm forced to confront the grim possibility - I'd say their spaceships would definitely be bronze coloured. I just feel it.

LONG LIVE QUEEN BOUDICA!
 
Before the Age of Science, before the Age of Reason and before the Enlightenment and Renascence, ya put yer motors at the front of the rocket. Living in our age of Modernity we now know better not to do such things. So these might have been Roman like rockets, mid cant and tractor motors. Dragons, squids and tape worms. Rockets not designed for sleek efficiency and performance, but rather to appease and entertain the blood lusting masses.

View attachment 290867View attachment 290868View attachment 290869View attachment 290870View attachment 290871View attachment 290872View attachment 290873View attachment 290874View attachment 290875View attachment 290876

Like in Monty Python's Life of Brian the Romans are the bad guys, but we should really thank them for the roads, sewers, aqueducts, security, education, commerce, baths, entertainment, writing, organization, technology. . . and don't forget concrete!

Just hope we don't run into any Huns. By Jove I would hate to see what they do with black powder rocket motors!

I LOVE THESE! REALLY COOL.
 
Back
Top