[Space] Designing a TL10 spacestation

[Luke Bunyip]

DJ2's thread about setting ideas for a Space campaign has inspired me to design a 'one-off' game set in a TL10 spacestation. Given I am a hard science type of guy, rather than a TL10^ Space Opera flavoured one, I would like to go with a Zero G spindle and an 1 G rotating toriodal habitat. Going for the '2001' space station look internally.

Design Q's:

• If I go for multiple levels for the toroidal habitat, life support (e.i. air and water recycling) Could go in a different level. But should it be above or below the living area?
  
• Are any design advantages to having more than two levels?
  
• Spindle design. Space ship docking along one arm, with warehousing closest to habitat access, and power management down other arm or docking on both arms, with power management in midst?
  
• Power could be what? Backup fusion reactor, as well as microwave recievers get power beamed from seperate but dedicated solar panel arrays?
  
• Power then beamed from spindle to toroidal habitat with microwave emitters/recievers.
  
• Comms based on spindle, with fibre optic network there and in habitat, and wifi linkage between both.

Game would have player characters being a spaceship crew (including an undercover police officer) trying to discover why freight is going missing on the space station. A bit of detective work, and then a bit of combat (Nominal game basis:station AI has gone rogue, and has puppeted a number of the admin staff via their cyberware to funnel goods to it so it can, umm, do something bad (YTBD)).

Thoughts, comments?

[Luke Bunyip]

Ahh, yep. Have just downloaded GURPS Spaceships 6: Mining and Industrial Spacecraft.


Suspect a lot of my answers will be found in this.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip

Design Q's:
[*]If I go for multiple levels for the toroidal habitat, life support (e.i. air and water recycling) Could go in a different level. But should it be above or below the living area?

Below, for extra radiation shielding and so leaks don't flood the living level.

One thing I picked up from Cherryh or somewhere, you have water tanks all around the ring so you can pump water around to keep the spindle at the center of mass while other stuff moves around.

[*]Are any design advantages to having more than two levels?

Another level above the living level could help with radiation shielding from that direction too.

More levels means things can be closer together. And a smaller surface/volume ratio, which means less heat loss (could be good or bad, depending).

On the other tentacle a bigger and therefore longer around ring is better because it reduces the distortions from using rotation for gravity. And means a slower rotation rate unless I've got my brain in backwards again.

[*]Spindle design. Space ship docking along one arm, with warehousing closest to habitat access, and power management down other arm or docking on both arms, with power management in midst?

Both arms, unless the power plant is dangerous because of radiation or potential explosion, etc. In the latter case out at one end.

Two docking zones reduces traffic problems both outside and inside. Of course, you have more space and materiel tied up in transit systems, corridors, and such that way.

[*]Power could be what? Backup fusion reactor, as well as microwave recievers get power beamed from seperate but dedicated solar panel arrays?

Sounds good. And banks of emergency batteries located all over.

The receivers would be way out at one end of the spindle. This might encourage the one dock configuration above, since you don't want ships accidentally blocking your beam.

[*]Power then beamed from spindle to toroidal habitat with microwave emitters/recievers.

Are the spindle and ring separate structures? I've been assuming a wheel and spoke setup. If they are separate you need shuttles or something for moving between them.

[*]Comms based on spindle, with fibre optic network there and in habitat, and wifi linkage between both.

One question that occurs to me, is the spindle pointed towards the local sun, or tangentially? That is, from the wheel could you look out and see the sun in a fixed position, is it "under" the wheel and constantly moving from the point of view of wheel inhabitants?

Moving has shadows and light always shifting, but heating effects are spread out. Fixed would let you pipe sunlight into the wheel.

[Luke Bunyip]

Originally Posted by cptbutton

Below, for extra radiation shielding and so leaks don't flood the living level.

One thing I picked up from Cherryh or somewhere, you have water tanks all around the ring so you can pump water around to keep the spindle at the center of mass while other stuff moves around.

Another level above the living level could help with radiation shielding from that direction too.

Living / recreation in middle, lifesupport below, farm above. Ta for the Cherryh reference. Will use that as well.

More levels means things can be closer together. And a smaller surface/volume ratio, which means less heat loss (could be good or bad, depending).

On the other tentacle a bigger and therefore longer around ring is better because it reduces the distortions from using rotation for gravity. And means a slower rotation rate unless I've got my brain in backwards again.

Will wave my hands in the general direction of these issues. Too much detail for my players. Thanks for mentioning it, but.

The receivers would be way out at one end of the spindle. This might encourage the one dock configuration above, since you don't want ships accidentally blocking your beam.

Ta.

Are the spindle and ring separate structures? I've been assuming a wheel and spoke setup. If they are separate you need shuttles or something for moving between them.

Was a bit daunted by the engineering constraints of having a power and data linkage across the join of a wheel and an axle. Can visualise how you would move object and people, namely stairwells and lifts, but the rest is beyond my sense of imaginative mechanical engineering.

One question that occurs to me, is the spindle pointed towards the local sun, or tangentially? That is, from the wheel could you look out and see the sun in a fixed position, is it "under" the wheel and constantly moving from the point of view of wheel inhabitants?

Moving has shadows and light always shifting, but heating effects are spread out. Fixed would let you pipe sunlight into the wheel.

Fixed sounds good. Lowered and raised sunshields for farm level.

[hari]

I would suggest stating it up both as a spaceship without movement and also as a city from city stats. Or perhaps, I should just say that I would enjoy doing that myself. ;P

[Luke Bunyip]

Originally Posted by hari

I would suggest stating it up both as a spaceship without movement and also as a city from city stats. Or perhaps, I should just say that I would enjoy doing that myself. ;P

Of course! I was only thinking about infrastructure. Forgot to consider demography. Great suggestion!