Guardian Stone 2: Stone and the T-Raptors
Page 30
The outer hull of the station is "down." Each deck has its own gravity generator that can be varied depending upon the function and use of the particular deck. This is achieved by artificial gravity at each deck. The flight decks use varying levels of gravity from 0.25G to 1.0 G. The storage areas use lesser gravity. Training areas can be brought all the way down to 0 G if needed. The station is intended to be a livable habitat. It has amenities not generally considered for space stations.
The total dwelling units on a station vary by the number of outer zone and inner zone habitat there are on the station. The dwelling units are designed for occupancy of 4 persons. Average occupancy of a unit in use is 3 to 4 persons but is quite comfortable with up to 6 persons in a unit.
General
Type 1A
Type 1B
Type 2
Length in Miles
260
200
90
Diameter in Miles
60
60
60
AI Computer Cells
24
12
8
Power Tubes
400
340
140
Number of Habitats
6
4
1
Farm Acreage
940 million
806 million
283 million
Dwelling Units (millions)
109.6 million
73 million
A -23 million
B -5.7 million
Capacity @ 3 per unit
328.8 million
219.2 million
A -69.2 million
B -17.3 million
Capacity @ 4 per unit
438.4 million
292.2 million
A -92.3 million
B – 23.1 million
Exodus Stasis Units
8.76 billion
5.84 billion
A -1.84 billion
B – 461 million
Number of Sectors
9
8
5
None of the stations are close to full occupancy nor are they expected to become so. Food production is substantially in excess of maximum population expectations. For example, population capacity at 4 persons per unit is about 13 billion capacity for the 100
Type 1A, 1B, and 2A stations not including the Type 2B stations. At this point, about 2 billion Antorans live on stations, 1.16 billion from Earth, 300 million Glarin, 800 million from Gar, 400 million from the Yannar Hegemony and 350 million from Saba. That is about 5 billion representing 4 different species. There is substantial room for growth.
The stations are partitioned into sectors and zones. In all cases there is an inner zone and an outer zone. Each zone is nine vertical miles high. The outer zone starts at Radius Mile (RM) 25 and rises to RM16. The inner zone starts at RM 15 and rises to RM6.
Each sector has a designated purpose. These include the flight deck and military sector at either end of the station, the storage sector, the farm and food processing center and the habitat sector.
Sectors
Type 1A
Type 1B
Type 2
Military
Outer Zone LM0-LM10 LM250-LM260
Outer Zone
LM0-LM10 LM190-LM200
Outer Zone LM0-LM10 LM80-LM90
Flight Decks
Inner Zone LM0-LM10 LM250-LM260
Inner Zone
LM0-LM10 LM190-LM200
Inner Zone LM0-LM10 LM80-LM90
Storage
Both Zones LM10-LM20 LM240-LM250
Both Zones
LM10-LM20 LM180-LM190
Both Zones LM10-LM20 LM70-LM80
Farms
Both Zones LM20-LM55 LM205-LM240
Both Zones
LM20-LM50 LM181-LM190
Inner Zone LM20-LM70
Food Processing Decks
Outer Zone LM20-LM55 LM205-LM240
Outer Zone
LM20-LM50 LM180-LM190
Inner Zone LM20-LM70
Habitats
Both Zones LM55-LM105 LM105-LM155 LM155-LM205
Both Zones
LM50-LM100 LM100-LM150
Outer Zone LM20-LM70
Except for the habitat sector, the zones and sectors contain numerous decks that are subdivided by bays. The number of decks in a sector is governed by the sector's use and function. Each Bay is roughly a mile wide at the "floor"deck level. The bay walls run in a lengthwise direction throughout the station. In the habitat sectors, the bay walls do not exist but areas are assigned bay numbers on one-mile increments as though the physical walls did exist.
As might be expected, locating a specific place in the station can be somewhat daunting. Accordingly, locations are identified by the sector in which it located, its deck number stated in distance from the center of the core of the station or Radius Mile (RM), its distance from the zero end of the station or Length Mile (LM) and the bay number.
These coordinates are then expressed as in the following example: 7-20.0625-183.45-37.
This translates to a position that is in Sector 7, on deck 20.0625, 183.45 miles from the zero end of the station in bay 37. In this way, every location on the station has an address. Inhabitants routinely wear a voice activated destination wristband that records destination, displays a visual of the location and its coordinates, and signals when the specified destination is reached. Wristbands can be replaced with a subcutaneous implant at the wrist for those that prefer it.
Outer Hull.
The outer hull area runs from RM 26 to RM 30. This outer four miles of the station houses the water supply, power generators and computer cores for the station Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is maintained in a weightless or zero G condition. It is not directly accessible by the inhabitants of the station but is constantly monitored by the resident AI such as Barana. All of the "empty" space not allocated to power generation, computer cells and storage or water is filled with poured shielding that resemble rock but is very dense. The water tanks are centered at RM 27 and extend to within three miles of either end of the station. The tanks are multilayered and baffled. Water is constantly aerated and circulated. The water tanks, like many other features in the station, have a capacity in excess of any conceivable need.
Outer Hull Features
Type 1A
Type 1B
Type 2
Water Capacity (Gallons)
6.35 Quadrillion
4.85 Quadrillion
2.10 Quadrillion
Water Supply (@ USA Usage Rate)
31.1 years
35.7 years
48.9 years
Energy Projectors
49,762
39,206
19,855
This does not include water in the open lakes and recreational facilities found in the habitat areas. Any individual tank can be isolated and bypassed if that ever becomes necessary. The water is maintained in liquid form at a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Adjacent to the water tanks is a system of small access tunnels in the event the water tanks require service. An army of automated machines provides any service, maintenance or repair required for the tanks. The tunnels are too small for humans and so the machines were built to perform any maintenance or repair task. Nothing of substance has been required since construction of the prototype station and the system is constantly monitored and tested. To put this amount of water into perspective, the United States with a 2014 population of 319.8 million persons used 408 billion gallons of water per day for all uses including public, domestic, farming, industrial, livestock, mining and power. The Outer Hull chart above indicates the supply available if the stations were to use water at the same rate without considering recovery or recycling of the water.
Each station has power generation tubes and has a fuel supply for these tubes sufficient to operate all tubes for 500 years. Each of the tubes contain multip
le singularities traveling within the tubes in opposite directions. The passage of these singularities generates immense power output and is used to power all functions of the station as well as weapons and flight capability. The quantity of tubes on each station provide at least a triple redundancy for generating its power needs including those for offensive and defensive capability as well as flight. During superlight speed, the weapons systems can be used. The power can be used to generate a disruption or destructive beam. The disruption beam will cause the vessels with certain types of power storage capacitors at which it is aimed to drop out of Faster Than Light (FTL) drive.
Each station is operated by a sentient Artificial Intelligence (AI). The memory and "brain" of the AI is the computer cores located in the outer hull area. No AI needs more than a small fraction of its core availability. The cores are so large that no expansion appears to be warranted for the foreseeable future. No AI is currently using more that 5% of a single core capacity except Barana who provides backup for all other stations. Even this requires the use of only about 40% of a single core since redundant information is removed. There is also a memory storage backup facility at Tau Ceti for the same purpose.
The outer hull has energy projector cannons placed about a mile apart that cover the entire surface of the station except at the flight deck portals. Projectors are also in place to guard the core area and flight deck portals. These are placed at half-mile intervals at RM 5 on each the end of the station.
Raw Material Storage
The raw material storage area for a station is similar for every type of station. All stations have identical storage capacity. Access to this part of the station is strictly limited. Placement and retrieval of materials is automated.
Since the Stations were built for the potential of long duration voyages, the storage of sufficient materials to operate the vessel for long periods of time was a need. Availability of a variety of different supplies could not be assumed. In addition, surplus fuel for the power plant needs had to be stored and available. The storage capacity exceeds expected needs. The station has an expected inventory designed by the AI to meet all conceivable eventualities. Every known mineral and element is safely stored here to some extent.
The storage sectors are fully automated, so locating necessary materials is rapid. When the inventory on a particular material drops to 75%, a warning is posted. At 50%, a mining ship will be dispatched to search for, mine, refine and replenish the supply of that material. Supply needs for all ships are shared so that resupply efforts are not duplicative.
Excess storage space is also utilized for additional storage of foodstuffs. The station expects to routinely perform humanitarian services and the ability to provide and distribute food is an important element of that service.
Farms and Food Processing
Each station is fully self-sustaining. Each produces food sufficient to maintain its own population and to provide for humanitarian aid when needed. The farms are fully automated. Contamination of the food source is a critical concern, so access to the farms is restricted. Several decks adjacent to main transportation corridors do have viewing areas designed to prevent direct contact with the active farm but allow viewers to observe farm operations. Each station has at least one deck set aside and isolated as community gardens for those wishing to partake in that activity.
The farming sectors on the Type 1 stations each have more acres in food production than the United States. In the case of the Type 1 stations it is 300% greater. The US acreage includes growing food for cattle and livestock and that will not be necessary on the stations. Further, farming on station is in a tightly controlled environment that is not subject to weather or seasonal impediments. The result is a
food production capability that is easily more than double that of the United States for comparable acreage. Station farms also grow crops requiring a tropical or subtropical climate thus providing a greater variety than can be grown in the United States. Several decks are utilized for the raising of poultry under humane conditions for eggs and meat. No other meat sources are indigenous to the station but the diet is sufficiently varied that no issues are anticipated.
The crops also supplement oxygen generation along with the plants, trees and grasses growing in the Habitat Sectors. The number of decks required for food production and processing varies by the population of the station.
Transportation within the Station
The station's primary longitudinal transportation system is located between RM25 and RM26, and between RM15 and RM16 on Type 1A, 1B and 2 stations. On the Type 3 stations, the system is located between RM15 and RM16. These corridors run the full length of every station. There are additional transportation corridors, however these corridors do not enter the ship recovery deck or flight decks at either end of the station. Each of the partition walls between sectors also contains transportation corridors. These all consist of numerous tubes in which personnel carriers with various capacities operate. The carriers can carry up to four, ten, twenty or 50 persons and can be called to any call point in the station. They are quiet and quick. For longer distance trips, there were a number of high-speed lines and routing connections that assure any destination in the station can be reached in a short time. Generally, a carrier arrives at the pickup point within a minute of summons. For short distances, there are also fixed walkways and moving walkways available but these are generally above "ground," i.e. above the transportation corridors and in the open. These are also available on the various flight decks. In addition there are cycling/exercise paths throughout the habitat area. For more urgent and instantaneous travel, the station AI operates a teleport system that is FTL. It is not practicable to use that that system for everyone when the station has a large population.
Gravity
Gravity throughout the station is artificial and is generally maintained at 1G. It has been found that this tends to avoid health issues that arise in a lesser gravity over time. There are sections where a lesser gravity is maintained such as the shipyards at the core, certain manufacturing facilities adjacent to the core and the material storage areas. Variable gravity settings are used in some of the military training areas for training purposes.
Air Supply
People living in space are always concerned about the maintenance of a breathable atmosphere. On the stations, direct access to the station is through airlocks in the core area and through the flight deck hatches. The latter are very large because they have to admit large vessels. Antorans have very advanced shielding capabilities that can effectively contain an atmosphere even where a large door is open to vacuum. Inhabitants wear a subcutaneous implant that is their space suit. This can be operated manually or automatically. When the implant senses an air pressure drop, it immediately "shields" the wearer with a field that is effectively a "spacesuit" but does not have the appearance of same such as we are used to. The shield can be opaque from the neck down in case the individual was naked when the shield was activated. The shield also acts as insulation for the radiation, cold or heat in space. The same device is utilized to alert the instantaneous transport system when an individual has suffered a life-threatening event.
External shielding is always in operation and is based on projected force fields. These can be varied to permit a vessel or person egress or admittance. Except for the direct openings to space there are no large airlocks to contend with. Everything is force field based. Air does not escape, it is contained.
Nanotechnology
Every person on the station is provided with self-replicating nanites that effectively eliminate bacterial and viral diseases and disorders. This same technology is utilized to repair structures and to eliminate pests, blights, disease, etc. that might find its way on board. It is also found extensively in the farm and food processing areas.
Exodus Conversion
The Antorans realized that their plan to man their ships with sufficient numbers of trained military personnel and effectively meet the G
larin invasion might not mature in time to meet the threat. As a contingency, they determined to convert all of their stations to Exodus Class stations. The Exodus Class conversion is found in the habitat areas.
The dwelling unit structure as previously noted is one mile wide with the actual dwelling units facing the mountains in the habitat. The 80 feet closest to the sector wall also has a framework similar to that of the dwelling portion of the structure with similar unit separation and count. However instead of a 60' by 112' space containing a dwelling, it is a 60' by 80' bay containing 80 stasis units. There are 4 rows stasis units that are 4'W by 3'H by 10'L with a personal storage unit under the stasis unit that measures 4'W by 4'H by 10'L. There is a 6' corridor at the wall of each bay with an 8 ' wall down the middle. The result is that each station is capable of sustaining a large number of transportees in stasis. The Type 1A can sustain 8.76 billion individuals in stasis; the Type 1B can sustain 5.84 billion individuals in stasis; the Type 2A can sustain 1.84 billion individuals in stasis, and, the Type 2B can sustain 461 million individuals, more than sufficient units needed for any planet population protected by the Antoran fleet.