Hard Space Redux

[Golan2072]

An interesting interface engine I found on Atomic Rockets

What I am researching is interface craft, especially dual-use craft capable of landing on both worlds with atmospheres and airless rocks. This would be inefficient, but necessary as interface craft for small ships, including Sulaco-style small ones.

 

[wellis]

An interesting interface engine I found on Atomic Rockets

What I am researching is interface craft, especially dual-use craft capable of landing on both worlds with atmospheres and airless rocks. This would be inefficient, but necessary as interface craft for small ships, including Sulaco-style small ones.

So on worlds with atmospheres, how dangerous is the nuclear propulsion version?

 

[Golan2072]

So on worlds with atmospheres, how dangerous is the nuclear propulsion version?

This is the open question, though there appears to be relatively safe in-atmosphere nuclear propulsion options, such as this one:
http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/surfaceorbit.php#id--GCNR_Liberty_Ship

 

[wellis]

This is the open question, though there appears to be relatively safe in-atmosphere nuclear propulsion options, such as this one:
http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/surfaceorbit.php#id--GCNR_Liberty_Ship

Are closed cycle gas core nuclear ships relatively easy to build at TL 9 here?

 

[Golan2072]

Should be a mature technology by TL9-10...

 

[wellis]

Should be a mature technology by TL9-10...

Regarding Hard Space tech levels, considering the absence of grav tech what are the main differences between a higher tech level and a lower one here? Like what seperates say TL 12 materials science from TL 10 materials science here? Generally certain materials are cheaper?

 

[Golan2072]

Hard Space has top TL10, except for electronics, cybernetics, and biotech, which are up to TL13. In this setting, I pay less attention to TL, as most stuff (as proper for an interstellar cyberpunk horror setting) is more uniform in terms of technological level than in a typical Traveller setting.

 

[Golan2072]

One thing I am considering is using the reaction drive rules from the Moon Toad Publishing Spacecraft Design Guide, even at a slightly more efficient rating for a fusion-plasma engine. Even at a fuel coefficient of 1 (better than anything in that book), you'll need 1% of the ship's "mass" (actually volume since this is Traveller) per hour of thrust per G. So a typical ship carrying 20% fuel will have a total of 20 hours of acceleration. I like that; very hard and harsh, and gives you a cool fusion plasma engine.

The problem is that this is sufficient to lead you to and from a typical jump point (Earth surface to high Earth orbit, for example) using constant acceleration, but you will have to burn only part of the time and "coast" part of the time to reach further destinations. The big question is how you provide players with a good, playable estimate of travel times, as this is literally within the domain of rocket science.

The alternative is to proceed as I have thought before, and as in Zozer's HOSTILE, with each %1 of the ship's hull in fuel gives you 10 hours of thrust per G.

What do you think?

 

[wellis]

I've read somewhere that generally reaction engines are pretty slow due to fuel concerns.

Considering how Lovecraftian jump space might be here, and considering how long it probably takes to get anywhere in a star system without easy gravitics, would something like cryogenics be in use while in jump space?

Your ships aren't going to take like 6 months to get out of a star system, right?

 

[Straybow]

One thing I am considering is using the reaction drive rules from the Moon Toad Publishing Spacecraft Design Guide, even at a slightly more efficient rating for a fusion-plasma engine. Even at a fuel coefficient of 1 (better than anything in that book), you'll need 1% of the ship's "mass" (actually volume since this is Traveller) per hour of thrust per G. So a typical ship carrying 20% fuel will have a total of 20 hours of acceleration. I like that; very hard and harsh, and gives you a cool fusion plasma engine.

Hmmmm. Even 1% of mass per G-hour would be difficult

Ve = ship M·a / exhaust dm/dt
Ve = 100%·10m/s² / (1%/3600s)
Ve = 3.6e6 m/s = 0.012c

That is not achievable with any kind of thermal rocketry. Maybe some kind of EM acceleration of the plasma after leaving the expansion bell. That would require a large and light-weight (i.e., delicate) structure around the exhaust stream, something usable only in vacuum.

 

[SpaceBadger]

The big question is how you provide players with a good, playable estimate of travel times, as this is literally within the domain of rocket science.

That is the problem with trying to move toward harder science in SF gaming, it makes calculating such things a lot... harder... umm, more difficult. Constant acceleration travel, even with a flip in the middle to decelerate, is pretty simple for anyone with the math for introductory physics. I can even figure simple Hohmann transfers with a little book reference. But calculus was 35 years ago and I haven't used it since, I'm not an aerospace engineer, and I've never found any explanation that I could understand for how to calculate something faster than a Hohmann transfer but more realistic than constant acceleration.

So yeah, hard SF is hard. Umm, difficult.

 

[wellis]

What is policing like in the arcologies and urban blights around them? I imagine drones are used a lot to bump up number of personnel?

That makes me wonder if one often sees cranial cybernetics to help process or control multiple drones at once, due to smaller numbers of personnel.

 

[Condottiere]

Facial recognition and electronic tracking, whether overt or covert or both.

Big Brother will be watching, as will Siri, Cortana and Alexa.

Humanity is Zucked.

 

[wellis]

Facial recognition and electronic tracking, whether overt or covert or both.

Big Brother will be watching, as will Siri, Cortana and Alexa.

Humanity is Zucked.

Speaking of electronic tracking, I do wonder about physical currency. I don't think most cyberpunk shadowrunner types will be wanting to use electronic transactions much?

 

[Condottiere]

ShadowRun says parallel currency, whether company credit or mafia backed credsticks. Probably what John Wick's gold coins are.

Sweden wants to go completely cashless for convenience, China to keep track of what you're doing.

The Swiss seem to prefer cash, but then they have thousand franc notes.

 

[kilemall]

ShadowRun says parallel currency, whether company credit or mafia backed credsticks. Probably what John Wick's gold coins are.

Sweden wants to go completely cashless for convenience, China to keep track of what you're doing.

The Swiss seem to prefer cash, but then they have thousand franc notes.

The CyberSpace RPG postulated that cash would continue to be accepted but that there would a 'handling fee' overhead for it, not to mention has the whiff of criminality in many quarters.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberspace_(role-playing_game)


Bank notes and stock, while not technically currency, could be a 'safe haven' in 'off the book' transactions if the paper or equivalent is hard to forge and personal physical transfers are acceptable.

 

[Condottiere]

Stamp duty to document transfer of ownership.

 

[wellis]

ShadowRun says parallel currency, whether company credit or mafia backed credsticks. Probably what John Wick's gold coins are.

Sweden wants to go completely cashless for convenience, China to keep track of what you're doing.

The Swiss seem to prefer cash, but then they have thousand franc notes.

From what I remember about East Asia, it's much bigger on still using physical cash compared to electronic payments, right? I understand East Asian households generally save money a lot.

 

[Barrel]

What about using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin?

 

[Condottiere]

Yes and no, Asians like cash for business, but cashless for convenience.

Cash usually isn't traceable, and only the contracting parties know if the transaction took place, and how much money actually changed hands.

As I understand blockchains, the algorithm is a history through which accounts it passed through.