 June 25, 2012 - 10:49am | Naturally, there will be some orbiting stations around the Earth and Moon that act as go-betweens to the Earth, Moon and beyond. Near Earth's orbit, any stations there would be subject to slow orbital decay, but this can be routinely re-adjusted. The best orbits are at the stable Lagrangian points. L1, 2 and 3 are the most stable, but you can only place one station at each point, or have two counter-rotating stations circling each other like they do in the Gundam series. L4 and 5 allow for a number of smaller stations within there "triangular points", but they are not as stable. L1 would be a major hub between the Earth and the Moon. The question is what types of stations would one find at each point. If the science allows for super-strong materials, then large space colonies (like O'Neill cylinders, Stanford torus or Bernal spheres) and space elevators are possible. Otherwise, stations would be scaled-down versions of the examples above - think of the Stanford torus from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Naturally, super-structures would really change the scope of the setting. If there are space elevators, then space would be alot more assessable, as people, equipment and fuel can be sent up to the "anchor" (a captured asteroid or weighted station), and then they can be transported elsewhere by shuttles. Basically, no need for fuel-consuming tack-offs, and no dangerous reentries. Plus, solar-collectors can send power back down to Earth like a 35,800 km long power-line (you get more solar power in space, then on Earth). |
 June 25, 2012 - 2:22pm | I think that by the time you get to a setting like this that you have to allow for some better stronger matterials having been developed like carbon nano tubes being used on an industrial scale. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 October 11, 2013 - 1:46am | Would it be physically possible for an elevator? |
October 11, 2013 - 4:31am | Recent reading on wikipedia suggested that we currently have materials with the tensile strength to build a space ladder or orbital elevator on bodies like the moon or Mars with their lower gravity. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
October 11, 2013 - 5:14am | Well, that is good! Having materials with high tensile strength would mean having stations large enough to accommodate a sizable population. I forgot to note an alternative to the space elevator: a sky hook. They are like a space elevator, but instead of being anchored to the ground, they spin round in orbit with a long cable whipping around. Special aircraft with a special connector-mount would be required to latch on to the hook at super-sonic speed. Once attached, it could move cargo and passengers by elevator car. The hook could also launch spacecraft towards the moon or a space station like a stone fired from a sling. |
