Space Station Facilities

[bozzutoman]

I'm devising a research station hidden within an enormous asteroid (~150 million dT), which will serve as the focus for a massive multi-part adventure. (inspired by JG's Dra'k'ne Station, but human-built.)

The design goal is make it almost entirely self-sustainable, having all the facilities necessary to sustain a fairly sizable community... with only a minimal need for externally acquired resources.

I've assembled a list of all the major items I thought necessary, but would appreciate suggestions for anything obvious that I may've overlooked.


EXTERNAL (all camouflaged): sensor & communication arrays, airlocks, hanger-bay doors, defense screen nodes, pop-up weapon bay-turrets, maneuvering and orientation thrusters.

COMMAND & CONTROL: bridge (workstations), offices (admin/beauracracy offices, briefing and conference rooms, breakrooms, cubefarms)

SHIP SYSTEMS: Computer (ship functions, intranets, library), intercoms

SECURITY: brig, substations, armory, CCTV

LANDING BAYS (secured, general): reception, cargo handling bays (load-lifters, vaccsuits, large airlocks), winches, cranes, refueling lines, workpods

TECHNICAL: workshops (weapons/defenses, electronic, machinery, droids, ship repair)

RESEARCH LABS: biochem, anti-matter, matter-transmition, psionic

EMERGENCY: medical stations, ELBs, Infirmary (admitting, examination, isolation, OR, recovery, morgue)

QUARTERS (Station Crew, Techs, Security, Med, Sci, Vendors, Civies, Dignitaries, Flight, AgroTechs, Clerks): bedroom, common, kitchenette, fresher, laundry/wardrobe.

COMMON FACILITES: freshers, elevators, rapid-tube rail system, janitorial stations

DINING: galley/diner/cafeteria,

RECREATION (Promenade): auditorium, theater, fitness center, spa, barber/salon, lounge/casino/nightclub, Shops (luxury goods, hobbies, knick-knacks), The Park (gardens, solarium, menagerie)

ENVIRONMENT: life support (air pumps, temp reg), Sewage treatment, water storage and reclamation

AGRICULTURE: livestock pens, hydroponics farms, fish tanks, algae tanks, processing factories

STORAGE: Raw metals, seeds, dry food, mining equipment, chemicals, electronics, replacement parts, spaceship components, drive and powerplant components, compressed gasses, fuel tanks, specialized cargo holds

ENGINEERING: power plant, maneuver drive, auxiliary power, gravatics

 

[Swiftbrook]

Your list seems very complete but here are two quick thoughts. One, your asteroid calculates out to about a mile in diameter. An average size chunk of rock. Second, why are you putting all your research capabilities into one facility? Anti-mater and psionics? You're design states you're trying to make this hidden, but with so many purposes, too many people will know about it.

-Swiftbrook

 

[boomslang]

You're design states you're trying to make this hidden, but with so many purposes, too many people will know about it.

Following upon that...

1. This base will need a fair amount of L-Hyd to sustain it continually, if using regular Trav fusion. The major external "tell" will be the need to refuel it from time to time, even if life supp and maintenance are otherwise indefinitely internally self-sustaining. Depending on consumption rate and desired low profile, operators will either need to make regular runs with small tankers, or infrequent runs with a big one or two.

2. Also from the fusion power, the base will also have the same stealth problem that all Trav constructs/complexes have: thermodynamically, it will radiate more IR than it receives from any nearby star, making it hard to keep concealed if it is too big & elaborate. It may prove useful to have it orbiting inside the Jump Shadow of its primary sun and disguise the exhaust as volcanic activity or similar...

3. Otherwise, architects might want to consider some form of fission power to run the whole thing for purposes other than maneuver/combat situations -- there will be less heat overall, and the operators will have to deal with the waste by-products (although a thorium reactor might avoid much of that), however refuelling could involve much smaller vessels/capacities. I suppose the base could even run the M-drive and screens on fission -- perhaps supplemented by a battery/capacitor setup to handle peak loads and spikes in demand.

 

[Icosahedron]

Heh, you beat me to it, Boomslang. I was gonna say:

FUEL!!!

 

[bozzutoman]

Yes, as asteroids go it's quite average, however as maneuverable craft go, it's quite huge.

-----

The reasons why it has several fields of study in one place are due to the station's back-story:

The station was originally built by an ambitious noble house in a remote system for covert research into matter manipulation... but produced rather lackluster results. It was being considered for decommission when two amazingly unique lifeforms were discovered on the system's only terrestrial planet (C676313). An unscrupulous faction of the nobles, intercepted and suppressed the news.

They began a campaign of intrigue and manipulation to add a new biological wing to the station “to keep it viable”... meanwhile including a "double-secret" biolab and psilab. They then started smuggling subjects to the station for experimentation.


Personnel secrecy is maintained through guile, manipulation, misdirection, and a discreet Dharma Initiative style recruitment, where people are selected, recruited, taken “off the grid”, frozen, and shipped onboard to become unwittingly “stranded” residents. Those who are released or terminated are subject to ironclad NDAs, conspiracy-level coercion, and the occasional “accident”.

Station secrecy is maintained by a massive storage capacity, making resupply infrequent enough that an occasional transport/fuel ship lingering by an unremarkable asteroid likely to go unnoticed by commercial traffic.

-----

Fission plants and jump shadows... brilliant suggestions!



Thanks. Any other ideas are welcome.

 

[atpollard]

Rather than a 'rock' asteroid, place the base in frozen methane or similar 'ice' asteroid. Fuel only requires waste heat and a purifier.