Space/Steampunk Idea

[scc]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

You need a concept of rocket engines and distilling and cracking petroleum to get lighter fractions before you can realize the (relatively modest) potential of petroleum for spaceflight. As I said, petroleum wasn't even the firs tthing people used for rocket fuel. I totally skipped over the use of hydrogen burning rocket engines too.

The potential as a fuel source would be realized but, and these people probably had the theory behind rockets figured out much earlier then we did, fireworks are basically sold fuel rockets and their, what TL3? TL4?

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

The electric golf carts are only TL7 at best. I was referring to those hybrid airbreathing ram-rockets and the magsails as TL9. Probably also the life support that keeps everyone alive on those space voyages too. All well in advance of what our Earth has at late TL8.

I fully acknowledged that the rocket would be TL9, but it's complex internals also fit in with a steampunk setting. As for the Mag Sails, I forgot about their TL, but given that the setting is in orbit around a gas giant, they may be more achievable then normal