Belts to Mine

[BMonnery]

When I get some time I intend to write up belt mining for 2300AD. The 3 belts I know are mined are at Sol, Henry's Star and Ross 863. Does anyone remember seeing any other references to belts?

 

[TWILIGHT]

Nyotekundu. i think individual anti-g miners would load the massive Carnegie type ships.

 

[oletheros]

DM -56 328 (companion star to Rho Eridani) has a community of miners prospecting the asteroid belt there.

There are also several promising belts that will probably be prospected in the future:

Vogelheim
Queen Alice's Star
Mu Herculis
Procyon
Omicron 2 Eridani
Tau Ceti
Haifeng
Epsilon Indi
Delta Pavonis

Any of these are probably home to guerrilla mining operations - single ships prospecting for whatever they can find: platinum, tantalum, copper, water. Of course, Brazil keeps a naval base in the asteroid belt around Procyon, which means that they probably chase off unregistered settlers.

 

[Anders]

I seem to remember a mention of Heaven Mountain in the Delta Pavonis system having a bunch of belters (this is the Yu Di belt I have been trying to write up my treasure of the Sierra Madre adventure for).

 

[oletheros]

I seem to remember a mention of Heaven Mountain in the Delta Pavonis system having a bunch of belters...

You are correct. This appears in 2320 canon, but is not mentioned in the Colonial Atlas.

Personally, I believe that it makes sense for a mining community to grow up in the Delta Pavonis system. There are two belts, there is a large refugee population from the French Arm moving into the Chinese Arm and this system is the most likely place for them to stop and rest. The easiest and safest place to house them as they pass through is in habitats adjacent to the large mining transport docks.

Some would inevitably stay and take advantage of the job boom. Azanian dock workers from Kimanjano, for example, might find some of their skills transferable in this kind of environment.

 

[jcmenal]

According to 2300AD Colonial Atlas, Omicron2 Eridani A has 2 belts between San Pedro (O2E IV) and Gabriel (O2E V). But INAP's mining goal in this system might be focused in San Martin (O2E III). Also Omicron2 Eridani C has an asteroidal debris belt.

 

[oletheros]

What's really interesting is how many garden worlds in the Chinese Arm have asteroid belts. I imagine that a fair amount of traffic along the arm comes from prospectors who are moving from one system to another, wildcatting as they go. Some of these might also be smugglers or simply free traders. There are a lot of places to disappear if you can hit orbit on some of these frontier planets.

 

[BMonnery]

What's really interesting is how many garden worlds in the Chinese Arm have asteroid belts. I imagine that a fair amount of traffic along the arm comes from prospectors who are moving from one system to another, wildcatting as they go. Some of these might also be smugglers or simply free traders. There are a lot of places to disappear if you can hit orbit on some of these frontier planets.

Reading through, most are probably not mineral rich, the same for QAS, Vogelheim etc.. Too far out (i.e. into Gas Giant country) and the belts will be ice (which is mined, but...). The one that is potentially very rich is the Delta Pavonis rings. That's very interesting, we know there is belt mining on the Chinese Arm from SotFA....

The mineral rich belts seem to be Sol, Clarkestar, Catherine's Star (Henry's Star's companion), Ross 863, and Delta Pavonis, plus potentially others in outpost systems (and Paulo, which isn't exploited yet as per the text).

 

[rfmcdpei]

Reading through, most are probably not mineral rich, the same for QAS, Vogelheim etc.. Too far out (i.e. into Gas Giant country) and the belts will be ice (which is mined, but...). The one that is potentially very rich is the Delta Pavonis rings. That's very interesting, we know there is belt mining on the Chinese Arm from SotFA....

The mineral rich belts seem to be Sol, Clarkestar, Catherine's Star (Henry's Star's companion), Ross 863, and Delta Pavonis, plus potentially others in outpost systems (and Paulo, which isn't exploited yet as per the text).

What about Epsilon Indi? Chengdu is a long-settled world, and even if Epsilon Indi doesn't have the binary brown dwarfs of our timeline as a young star it should still have a lot of debris.

 

[oletheros]

The mineral rich belts seem to be Sol, Clarkestar, Catherine's Star (Henry's Star's companion), Ross 863, and Delta Pavonis, plus potentially others in outpost systems (and Paulo, which isn't exploited yet as per the text).

Mu Herculis is noted as having some radioactives in their belt.

Also worth noting is the fact that the Model Star City at Hochbaden was partially constructed in asteroid settlements. Most belter communities would probably mourn the loss of their fellow belters in a post-Invasion world.

 

[rfmcdpei]

Also worth noting is the fact that the Model Star City at Hochbaden was partially constructed in asteroid settlements. Most belter communities would probably mourn the loss of their fellow belters in a post-Invasion world.

And be out for revenge?

 

[rfmcdpei]

Mu Herculis is noted as having some radioactives in their belt.

Also worth noting is the fact that the Model Star City at Hochbaden was partially constructed in asteroid settlements. Most belter communities would probably mourn the loss of their fellow belters in a post-Invasion world.

It strikes me that the French Arm might be densely populated with belters, and that they might be Bavarians, seeing as how the populous and well-established Neubayern system has been extensively spacefaring from the start, how the Bavarians then went on to build the Hochbaden complex, and how the French Arm is easily wealthy enough to support secondary colonial efforts.

 

[Colin]

And be out for revenge?

In 2320AD, I had Belter pilots making runs on Kafer habitats and asteroid settlements.