[Space] Steampunk Firefly Idea

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

I presume we're talking about the home moon of this human race, which evolved here over millions of years and have now reached a TL for space travel. That's why I said "evolved", not "raised". .

If that moon has an Earth-like atmosphere that atmosphere will completely protect from the sort of radiation seen in a gas giant's magnetosphere. It will even protect substantially from cosmic rays which are far more penetrative than the low-to-mid energy charged particles in question.

So any radiation to be adapted to (even if that is possible) must be from some other source.

[Flyndaran]

An earth like planet/atmosphere in the radiation belt of a gas giant would need an insanely powerful magnetic field to avoid having its atmosphere stripped away in geological time frames.
"Mild" solar wind stripped Mars' atmosphere away most likely due to an insufficient mag field.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

Would limiting its efficiency do the job? Perhaps a fraction of the gravity still gets through, so you still need something else to provide thrust. Or it generates a spherical field, so there's no directionality to the contragrav effect.

The notion of a spherical effect is an even more elegant justification, actually. Once the cavorite is activated, the vessel only has the vector it had upon activation. Deltas for actual navigation require an actual power source, and mag-sails are a nice solution for a steampunk space setting. Very evocative.

Make the industrial process that results in cavorite dependent upon a rare mineral, and you've got motivation for imperial expansion, as well -- especially if it's a bit more abundant on, say, Venus (a lush jungle world rich with life -- and big toothy predators -- where the richest deposits lie deep in the valleys where the atmosphere is so dense it requires humans to wear reduction masks, and the toothy predators all have wings).

Mars, of course, would be the source of weird science found in the desiccated ruins of ancient Martian cities, haunted by feral creatures and surrounded by violent, degenerate barbarians who struggle to survive. Dubbed "Reivers" by the British explorers who found them (and who managed to get a message out before they were eaten), the clever barbarians have started to build their own space craft, modeled on the British scout vessel they captured.

Soon, the solar system will scream.

[scc]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

Mars, of course, would be the source of weird science found in the desiccated ruins of ancient Martian cities, haunted by feral creatures and surrounded by violent, degenerate barbarians who struggle to survive. Dubbed "Reivers" by the British explorers who found them (and who managed to get a message out before they were eaten), the clever barbarians have started to build their own space craft, modeled on the British scout vessel they captured.

Heat Rays pretty much enable Laser Rockets at whatever TL you get them, so if you get Heat Rays at TL (5+1)^ you also get Laser ROckets

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by scc

Heat Rays pretty much enable Laser Rockets at whatever TL you get them, so if you get Heat Rays at TL (5+1)^ you also get Laser ROckets

You've got the laser part but how's your pointing ability? You might manage the gyrostabilization part with enough gleaming brass but you'd need to adjust your focus and aim your beam with more speed and precision than a human operator can probably manage,

[scc]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

You've got the laser part but how's your pointing ability? You might manage the gyrostabilization part with enough gleaming brass but you'd need to adjust your focus and aim your beam with more speed and precision than a human operator can probably manage,

TL(5+1) means you get computers, OK their more Babbage calculating machines, but still.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by scc

TL(5+1) means you get computers, OK their more Babbage calculating machines, but still.

This is rather advanced TL8. You'd need TL5+3 or at least TL 5+1^

[scc]

Um, what? TL(5+1) can have crime solving robots and we're already applying Superscience, why couldn't they keep a gun pointing at a rocket

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by scc

Um, what? TL(5+1) can have crime solving robots and we're already applying Superscience, why couldn't they keep a gun pointing at a rocket

TL5+1^ can have crime solving robots. Without the ^ you're not indicating superscience.

[Daigoro]

At least there's a reasonable justification for all three moons to be habitable and life-bearing if just one is- lithopanspermia. Basically, ejecta from meteor impacts allow biological material to be shared between planets or moons.

You could posit that volcanoes or even violent storms could achieve the same function, and I was thinking about some kind of organism that had adapted to spending a period in space travelling between the moons.