----- Original Message -----
From: "Onno Meyer" <[email protected]>
To: "The GURPSnet mailing list" <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2010 7:14 AM
Subject: RE: [gurps] Ways to evacuate a planet
Regarding the pod/shuttle/starship model, I'm growing less
convinced right now.
If manned habitat pods are lifted into orbit, moved around,
and finally attached to a starship for transfer, they need
not just a "space-proof hull" (seal, radiation shielding,
and decent DR) like a cargo pod, they should also have a
redundant power supply, life support, etc.
In a big ship, I can get away with a dozen systems rated
at 10% of the required capacity, so ten out of twelve
must be kept running, or something like that, plus repair
capacity to bring failed units back on line.
In a smaller pod without engineering staff and workshops,
I would probably want 200% or 300% redundancy with two or
three systems, each capable of meeting a minimal demand.
Of course both tugs and starships could have some reserve
capacity; a loss of life support and power during docking
ops would not be immediately fatal to the colonists. But
that would imply specialized shuttles and ships -- normal
cargo boxes don't need life support, after all.
On the other hand, if the pods are to serve as habitats on
hostile worlds/moons, not just as colonists transfer pods,
bringing enough life support for reliable operations is a
feature, not a bug. You could assemble a modular base in
the home system, run checks, and then spacelift the cans
separately to the destination.
Another option is for the "habitat pods" to be designed for internal
carriage, with minimal armour & no life-support... (you know, like People
Smugglers do with Freight Containers, but with Bunks & Kitchens).
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