Kilmore
First Post
There used to be a very vigorous thread on space colonization. It suddenly dissapeared. Did it get ugly and get shut down? I hope not. At any rate, that was a while ago, and I hope it's a good time to bring it up again, as it is of interest to near future space gaming.
In near future science fiction, the subject of Orbital colonies pops up every now and then. What will these colonies be used for? Who will live there? How many people? What will they look like? What are the gaming possibilities? How will they be put together?
Well, the two biggest modern possibilities to spark the creation of orbital colonies as I see them are for research and tourism. Industry would be a harder sell, at least in the beginning. While I see some items being only or best manufactured in space because of the weightless environment, they would have to be very profitable to justify launching and landing crews and ships, though this will certainly become cheaper.
One orbital industrial application I could certainly see coming early is the manufacturing of spacecraft. Having an orbital shipyard up will enable more ambitious missions including improved planetary and solar probes, slower than light interstellar missions, and manned Mars and Lunar missions.
Here's the way I see an orbital colony forming.
1.) Some important technologies are developed, including cheaper earth to space access and possibly artificial gravity.
2.) A multi-purpose orbital station is launched to serve as a research and observation outpost. This station will have great potential for growth.
3.) As it becomes practical to manufacture drugs, synthetics, and other items best developed in space and ship them to the earth, the facilities to do so are attached to the station already in orbit. This will lead to a considerable expansion of the settlement, possibly up to fifty people.
4.) The growing facility becomes an attractive destination for the earthbound. Numerous trips to the station are taken in the earlier stages of it's life, but eventually cheaper access and growing demand prompt the attachment of modules servicing the tourists.
5.) As research tools and a means of helping to support the inhabitants of the station, agricultural modules are attached.
6.) The station has intregal facilities such as robot arms, command stations, and attachment points for building spacecraft from orbited modules, mostly used for building itself. However, the station is useful for building other spacecraft as well, including more robust lunar and martian missions. As the space station expands, so does the space industry. Therefore, the shipbuilding facilities are expanded as well.
7.) The expanding station needs an expanding crew. As crew size blossoms, crew specialized in services for the other crew are needed, such as cooks, entertainers, station maintenence, etc.
8.) Standard deployments to the station start off at several months at a time. As crew capability expands, some of those on station choose to spend longer in orbit. Long term residents improve the comfort of their spaces, and some decide to make it their homes, along with others on earth who start buying orbital condos. As artificial gravity is developed and added, the station gets more and more permenant residents.
9.) Spacecraft built by the station and launched from earth methodically build a space industry infrastructure, getting materials from the moon and asteroids, gasses from Jupiter and Saturn, etc. Bases are established on the moon, Mars, and other places. The station serves as a construction yard, way station, and training ground.
10.) They send a McDonald's module. Space belongs to mankind forever. Or at least Low Earth Orbit.
In the meantime, jealous governments, secretive militaries and corporations use the technology used to make all this happen and build their own space stations.
In near future science fiction, the subject of Orbital colonies pops up every now and then. What will these colonies be used for? Who will live there? How many people? What will they look like? What are the gaming possibilities? How will they be put together?
Well, the two biggest modern possibilities to spark the creation of orbital colonies as I see them are for research and tourism. Industry would be a harder sell, at least in the beginning. While I see some items being only or best manufactured in space because of the weightless environment, they would have to be very profitable to justify launching and landing crews and ships, though this will certainly become cheaper.
One orbital industrial application I could certainly see coming early is the manufacturing of spacecraft. Having an orbital shipyard up will enable more ambitious missions including improved planetary and solar probes, slower than light interstellar missions, and manned Mars and Lunar missions.
Here's the way I see an orbital colony forming.
1.) Some important technologies are developed, including cheaper earth to space access and possibly artificial gravity.
2.) A multi-purpose orbital station is launched to serve as a research and observation outpost. This station will have great potential for growth.
3.) As it becomes practical to manufacture drugs, synthetics, and other items best developed in space and ship them to the earth, the facilities to do so are attached to the station already in orbit. This will lead to a considerable expansion of the settlement, possibly up to fifty people.
4.) The growing facility becomes an attractive destination for the earthbound. Numerous trips to the station are taken in the earlier stages of it's life, but eventually cheaper access and growing demand prompt the attachment of modules servicing the tourists.
5.) As research tools and a means of helping to support the inhabitants of the station, agricultural modules are attached.
6.) The station has intregal facilities such as robot arms, command stations, and attachment points for building spacecraft from orbited modules, mostly used for building itself. However, the station is useful for building other spacecraft as well, including more robust lunar and martian missions. As the space station expands, so does the space industry. Therefore, the shipbuilding facilities are expanded as well.
7.) The expanding station needs an expanding crew. As crew size blossoms, crew specialized in services for the other crew are needed, such as cooks, entertainers, station maintenence, etc.
8.) Standard deployments to the station start off at several months at a time. As crew capability expands, some of those on station choose to spend longer in orbit. Long term residents improve the comfort of their spaces, and some decide to make it their homes, along with others on earth who start buying orbital condos. As artificial gravity is developed and added, the station gets more and more permenant residents.
9.) Spacecraft built by the station and launched from earth methodically build a space industry infrastructure, getting materials from the moon and asteroids, gasses from Jupiter and Saturn, etc. Bases are established on the moon, Mars, and other places. The station serves as a construction yard, way station, and training ground.
10.) They send a McDonald's module. Space belongs to mankind forever. Or at least Low Earth Orbit.
In the meantime, jealous governments, secretive militaries and corporations use the technology used to make all this happen and build their own space stations.
).
