Long Range Surveys with Jump 1

[boomslang]

Originally posted by Employee 2-4601:
I'd say more Aliens than Starship Troopers - as the latter had powered armor. Also, in a TL9-10 universe, grav vehicles won't be as common as in the OTU, and in a strict TL9 universe grav vehicles would be quite uncommon in combat, so we'll be looking at MBTs and APCs rather than grav-tanks and g-carriers.

There's a real grain of truth there.

There are two important, but not too advanced, technologies that make Jump-1 exploration/colonization/expansion workable at any distance.

First, reliable low berths. Any breakthrough (IMTU it was "low drug") that boosts low berth survivability to effectively 100% makes long, slow trips feasible. ("Khaaaaaaaan!")

Secondly, carrying supplies to do the annual overhaul in the field (as per GURPS Starships, et alia). Ships could be in the wilderness for decades if life-support requirements were low enough and spares were plentiful enough.