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Orbital Access


ShadowLordAlpha

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Well we know that there will be like thrusters and anti-grav but we don't know how much these would cost and we do know that the devs want it to take some time before we are able to do so, so what about other options to exit planets?

 

  • Space Elevator: An extremely large construct built to deliver cargo and other smaller constructs to Space drastically reducing the cost of actually getting to space. These work by having some kind of track connected to a planet at one end and platform commonly in Geosynchronous Orbit falling around the planet Climbers then use this track to climb up all the way to the platform. This falling keeps the track straight and tight between the two endpoints. In some designs these tracks are encased in a cylinder that leads all the way up to the platform.
  • Mass Driver: Basically a large track that will accelerate an object to escape velocity and then fire it out. The acceleration track can be curved or straight and easily be long enough so that there are not excessive G-forces applied to passengers or to fragile cargo.
  • Ground based Propulsion: Using a kind of sail energy is transferred from the ground to a ship that then utilizes this energy to make the accent. Many different kinds of energy could be used and different kinds of transfer methods from laser to plasma pulses.

Each of these could also be used for other things for example the space elevator could have a large planetary ring built along with it and solar power cells and defensive weapons built on it. The mass driver could be used to throw missiles or other weapons at a target and the Ground based Propulsion might be able to be adapted into some kind of energy based defense weapon for a planet.

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For a Space Elevator and for a Mass Driver would you need rocket propulsion?

 

Or are you thinking some other type of energy source that propels objects?

No the whole point is that you don't need rocket propulsion to get into space.

 

For a space elevator its power could come from the rails it travels along, the ground, or batteries it caries with it and could be propelled by the rails (think mag-lev trains) or has its own mechanical system that pulls it up the rail.

 

The Mass Driver would be more like a mag-lev train where it is just accelerating until it gets to a certain speed where it can then be launched from the track and get to orbit without needed extra propulsion to make the accent.

 

Doing other activities in space would require other types of propulsion like rockets but not actually getting to space in the first place which is where I'm assuming most of the cost would be as its where most of the cost is IRL

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i don't think its worth it, neither the ressources wasted nor the time. There is no real need to do scientific research in the orbit, and you wont be able to use it for anything else, so its better to use the time and ressources into going there with a proper vessel.

If you want to do it anyways and the physics in the game work properly i'd suggest an explosives driven engine, it's the easiest to construct and most explosives will most likely have an unrealistic low mass, thus making them very energy/mass efficient.

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If you want to do it anyways and the physics in the game work properly i'd suggest an explosives driven engine, it's the easiest to construct and most explosives will most likely have an unrealistic low mass, thus making them very energy/mass efficient.

 

I'm envisioning something like Project Orion - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

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i don't think its worth it, neither the ressources wasted nor the time. There is no real need to do scientific research in the orbit, and you wont be able to use it for anything else, so its better to use the time and ressources into going there with a proper vessel.

If you want to do it anyways and the physics in the game work properly i'd suggest an explosives driven engine, it's the easiest to construct and most explosives will most likely have an unrealistic low mass, thus making them very energy/mass efficient.

The point would be to get into orbit without wasting fuel to leave a planet (or with the elevator to enter as well) and I doubt I would make an explosives power craft without first getting into space. We don't really know how the early game will go so these were ideas to serve as alternate ways to get into space and while they just get a craft to orbit it is much easier to leave from orbit than it is from the surface

 

 

 

I'm envisioning something like Project Orion - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

Nuclear bomb powered spaceship :D

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Well we know that there will be like thrusters and anti-grav but we don't know how much these would cost and we do know that the devs want it to take some time before we are able to do so, so what about other options to exit planets?

 

  • Space Elevator: An extremely large construct built to deliver cargo and other smaller constructs to Space drastically reducing the cost of actually getting to space. These work by having some kind of track connected to a planet at one end and platform commonly in Geosynchronous Orbit falling around the planet Climbers then use this track to climb up all the way to the platform. This falling keeps the track straight and tight between the two endpoints. In some designs these tracks are encased in a cylinder that leads all the way up to the platform.
  • Mass Driver: Basically a large track that will accelerate an object to escape velocity and then fire it out. The acceleration track can be curved or straight and easily be long enough so that there are not excessive G-forces applied to passengers or to fragile cargo.
  • Ground based Propulsion: Using a kind of sail energy is transferred from the ground to a ship that then utilizes this energy to make the accent. Many different kinds of energy could be used and different kinds of transfer methods from laser to plasma pulses.

Each of these could also be used for other things for example the space elevator could have a large planetary ring built along with it and solar power cells and defensive weapons built on it. The mass driver could be used to throw missiles or other weapons at a target and the Ground based Propulsion might be able to be adapted into some kind of energy based defense weapon for a planet.

Will be honest, definitely poses an alternate to building in space and transferring materials with total fuel involved, etc. 

Better to build up then out possibly. 

In the long run it would also mean the possibility of transferring to a city on the surface without needing to take your ship down, dock in space, ride the elevator down, do some casual trading, go back up.

 

Interesting concept, I do like it. 

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The real question is in fuel costs. Designing alternative modes of delivering large quantities of goods to space is only reasonable if the financial (fuel) costs of shipping those quantities of goods is comparatively high. In the real world it makes perfect sense if you want to send thousands of tons of goods to space, but i don't believe we have the knowledge of in game systems yet to make any statements about whether it makes any sort of financial sense

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The real question is in fuel costs. Designing alternative modes of delivering large quantities of goods to space is only reasonable if the financial (fuel) costs of shipping those quantities of goods is comparatively high. In the real world it makes perfect sense if you want to send thousands of tons of goods to space, but i don't believe we have the knowledge of in game systems yet to make any statements about whether it makes any sort of financial sense

we don't but I'm still going to find some place and build one of these if its possable with the game mechanics just because i can

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Space elevators would be cool and hopefully the devs make it possible.

 

It would be quite an undertaking though. Lot's of materials, energy, as well as plenty of defense (it would be a pretty obvious target in a war).

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Space elevators would be cool and hopefully the devs make it possible.

 

It would be quite an undertaking though. Lot's of materials, energy, as well as plenty of defense (it would be a pretty obvious target in a war).

Yes it would but if you build it so it can fall apart without fully colapsing and it can be used to help support a solar ring so it would be producing power after its mostly built and put turrets all over it to allow it to defend itself and keep most things and players away though cap ships would be a problem for anything

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