On Mon, 2 May 2016, Onno Meyer wrote:
Johannes replied to me:
I always envisioned it as generally blob shaped stuff that grows. Algae,
fungus, vat-meat ect.
"In front" there is a processor, that takes input of a certain range
(including human waste) and transforms it to nutrient solutions for the
blobs.
Perhaps at TL10, but probably not at TL8 or TL7. If I read VE77/78 right, the
rules allow total life support at TL7.
I think full live support with food production is unrealistic at TL7 and
overly optimistic at TL8.
IIRC there was an experiment to build something like that as preparation
for Mars missions and it failed. AFAIK no further attempts have been made
meanwhile. This was probably done after the Vehicles rules have been
designed.
I would not use the food production option before TL9, unless it is a
vehicle, that should follow genre conventions, rather then realism.
It could work for mixed TL or postapocalyptic settings though, if the
organisms already exist, and only the holdingplaces need to be built.
Dependent on the business model of the producers, the blobs might also
create new seeds on their own, either after some trigger is applied, or
just a small amount over time.
The business model of the life support makers will take second place to the
business model (or research proposal) for the deep space mission.
That would be setting dependent. In a cyberpunk setting, it is quite
fitting, that some astronauts starve, to prevent that bio-tech
corporations loose some profits due to illegal seed farms.
If the organisms are introduced, when space travel is already common (and
had been done with rations) or if new and better organisms are introduced
for private customers, a producer friendly business model will be more
viable, then if some buyer starts paying the bills, while research is not
yet finished.
Johannes
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