Overview Space stations are one of the many contradictions of Frontier life - familiar homes to spacers and those who frequently travel to other systems, they remain exotic locations known only through holovid programs to many planetbound citizens. Many smaller worlds do not even have a station-class facility in orbit. Nevertheless, as Zebulon's Guide FY 111 edition went to press over 40 stations wheeled serenely above the worlds of the Frontier. Though their populations are insignificant by planetary standards, the inhabitants of Frontier stations have a disproportionate impact on the UPF's economy and its defense in time of war. This datafile is intended to familiarize the average citizen with these orbital colonies - how they are run, what role they play in the economy of the Frontier, and what life is like on them both for permanent residents and travelers. Where They Are: Station Orbits Most space stations are built in orbit around a planet, though some have been constructed in orbit around a moon or a system's star. Stations in orbit around a planet will be built in one of two locations - either in geosynchronous orbit (where the station will remain above a single point on a planet's surface), or at a Lagrange point (a stable orbital point around a planet with one or more moons). A station built in geosynchronous orbit will usually be positioned above the planet's busiest surface starport. Both orbit types are stable orbits, enabling the station to remain in place without having to use spacecraft tugs to correct drift in its orbit. Stations which are not built in planetary orbit are built where they are for a reason - most common are agricultural and power stations, which are built in solar orbits close to the system's star to take advantage of the more intense sunlight for crop growth and power generation. Synthcorp and the AIPS operate most of the stations in solar orbits. A few smaller stations have been built in orbit around moons in recent decades, but proved unprofitable and are no longer in service. Rumors have surfaced in recent years of stations secretly built in distant solar orbits (500 million or more km from their star) by the UPF and the larger megacorps. These stations have been variously described as top-secret research facilities, emergency habitats (to house UPF citizens or troops in the event of another major war), high-security prisons, and colonies for newly discovered alien races which the builders wish to conceal from the public. Thus far none of the rumors has been proven, but these "shadow stations" are favorite topics for Frontier holodramas and conspiracy groups. What's Up There: Space Station Construction Many citizens use the term "space station" fairly loosely when discussing facilities built in orbit; if a facility is any larger than a satellite, they call it a space station. However, the term "space station" actually refers to a particular class of large space settlement - a fact few planetside citizens realize. A space station is a facility which is 200 meters or greater in diameter, maintains a surface gravity on its rim by rotation, has no propulsion system, and maintains a permanent population. Any space facility which does not meet all of these criteria is properly called a "workshack", a term which includes all the facilities, large and small, which swarm the skies over the planets of the Frontier. While workshacks fill a valuable niche conducting research, manufacturing and other activities, they do not count as full-fledged stations; few workshacks maintain gravity onboard so as to take advantage of the unique possibilities of low- and zero-gee. Space stations, on the other hand, serve as hubs of commerce, housing large populations and usually providing their own food and life support needs. The universal station design adopted on the Frontier is a ring or torus rotated to provide gravity at its rim; spokes connect the torus to a central sphere. The torus section contains the station's housing and agricultural sectors, retail and office space, recreational areas, and maintenance decks. Individual decks vary in size from 5 meters in height (3 meters of space, with 2 meters of decking, ductwork, etc.) to as much as 20 or even 50 meters height; examples of large open decks include main promenades, sports or entertainment arenas and large industrial or warehouse facilities. Shielding between 1 and 5 meters thick lines the outside rim of the torus, protecting the station from impacts and radiation; the inner rim of the torus is completely lined with windows, providing a view of the whole station and allowing natural sunlight to be angled in to the torus by large mirrors. The spokes connecting the torus to the central sphere or core include elevators, connecting tubes, and (in larger stations) low-gee office and manufacturing space. The central sphere houses the station's administrative offices, security and defense facilities, major medical facilities, warehouse space, and zero-gee recreational areas; de-spin connectors link the sphere to docking modules (usually "north" of the core - see appendix) and to zero-gee manufacturing modules, heat radiators, and solar panel assemblies (usually "south" of the core). Large stations can incorporate multiple toruses linked by their cores along a common axis of rotation. These stations often have specialized toruses - one housing retail shops, one housing residential units and one housing agricultural / farming areas for instance. Such a large station will also have a high-speed elevator system running along the length of its central cores, providing high-speed access to the different toruses. These giant stations are the pride of the Frontier, economic powerhouses with populations in the tens (even hundreds) of thousands. Space stations represent a huge investment for a government or megacorp, which explains why they are somewhat uncommon despite their benefits for the owner and planet below. A single large station masses as much as hundreds of thousands or even millions of tons of material, all of which must be launched into orbit or towed from a moon or asteroid belt; once in operation, a station requires constant maintenance to remain a safe and profitable home for its population. The construction of space stations are among the greatest engineering achievements of the Federation. Who's In Charge: Space Station Ownership Space stations on the Frontier are unique settlements. Unlike planets, they do not usually have an independent government; unlike moon colonies, their territory has been built from scratch - a massive investment which must be paid back before any thoughts of independence can be considered. Stations do not have independent representatives in the UPF government like moons or planets either. Though station managers and representatives may be called to testify at UPF government proceedings, no station maintains any sort of permanent post or embassy in the UPF government. The vast majority of stations are built and owned by either a planetary government or megacorporation, who administer the station as their territory. An exception to this rule are the huge UPF Space Fortresses, built by the UPF Spacefleet for the defense of the Frontier; these stations answer only to their commanding officer in the Fleet, and the latter to the UPF government. Earning a Living: Commerce and Industry on Space Stations The three UPF classifications of stations are useful in understanding how stations and their inhabitants earn their livings. These classifications are military stations, trading stations, rest and relaxation stations, and docking stations. Living On-Station: Recreation and Entertainment Table 1: Stations - Game Statistics Hull Points: 40 hull points / point of size (ie. size 4 equals base 160 hull points) +0 hull points if Armed (example: HP 80 at Size 2) +20 hull points if Fortified (example: HP 140 at Size 3) +60 hull points if a UPF Space Fortress (example: HP 300 at Size 6) DCR: 25 points / point of size (ie. Size 4 equals base DCR 100) +25 points if Armed (example: DCR 75 at Size 2) +25 points if Fortified (example: DCR 100 at Size 3) +50 points if a UPF Space Fortress (example: DCR 200 at Size 6) Armament: Armed Station Weapons: LB, RB (x 6) (from KnightHawks) Defenses: RH, MS (x 2), ICM (x 6) Fortified Station Weapons: LB (x 2), RB (x 8) Defenses: RH, MS (x 2), ICM (x 10) Space Fortress Weapons: LB (x 3), EB, PB, RB (x 12) Defenses: RH, MS (x 3), ES, PS, ICM (x 20) Airdock Space: Class I (2 - Gran Quivera, Triad): 140 hull points (Size 6 Docking Class II (3 - Hentz, Minotaur, Terledrom): 50 hull points Stations only) Class III (4 - Gollywog. Outer Reach, Pale, Rupert's Hole): 20 hull points Vehicles: 1d10 launches per point of station size 1d10 work pods per point of station size Table 2: Standard Station Dimensions Cross-Sectional Dimensions of Components Gravity Total Station Core Length / Diameter Diameter of produced at Size Diameter Diameter of Spokes (6 total) Torus Core Outer Class (Class x 200m) (Class x 40m) (Class x 40 / 10 m) (Class x 40 m) RPM Rim Rim* ===== ============== ============= =================== ============== ==== === ==== 1 200 m 40 m 40 / 10 m 40 m 3 0.25 1 2 400 m 80 m 80 / 20 m 80 m 2.5 0.25 1 3 600 m 120 m 120 / 30 m 120 m 1.75 0.25 1 4 800 m 160 m 160 / 40 m 160 m 1.5 0.25 1 5 1000 m 200 m 200 / 50 m 200 m 1.4 0.25 1 6 1200 m 240 m 240 / 60 m 240 m 1.25 0.25 1 NASA** 1790 m 130 m 700 / 15 m 130 m 1 0.1 *Since the outer torus of the station is composed of multiple decks, the effective gravity felt as one moves towards the core and away from the rim will decrease. Actual gravity at the outer rim will decrease from about 1G at the rim to as low as 0.8 G on the uppermost decks of the torus. Also note that as one travels in an elevator from the core to the rim / torus, and vice versa, perceived gravity will change as well. A being riding an elevator "up" into the core will gradually feel themselves become lighter; conversely, a being riding the elevator "down" into the torus decks will feel progressively heavier as they approach the torus. **The NASA listing is based on a toroidal station design (the "Stanford Torus") developed by NASA in the 1970's. The study was published by NASA as Space Settlements: A Design Study in 1977. Table 3: Projected Areas and Populations Population* Size Major Minor Projected (at 50m2 (at 75 m2 (at 175 m2 Class Radius (R)** Radius (r)** Area (Ap)** / person) / person) / person) ===== ====== ==== ========== ========= ========= ========= 1 80 m 20 m 20,106 m2 402 268 115 2 160 m 40 m 80,425 m2 1,609 1,072 460 3 240 m 60 m 180,956 m2 3,619 2,413 1,034 4 320 m 80 m 321,699 m2 6,434 4,289 1,838 5 400 m 100 m 502,655 m2 10,053 6,702 2,872 6 480 m 120 m 723,823 m2 14,477 9,650 4,136 NASA 830 m 65 m 677,956 m2 13,559 9,039 3,874 *The 1977 NASA study "Space Settlements" used 67 m2 / person as the design guideline; this sum did not include agricultural, industrial and public space which was separately allowed for and the 67 m2 assumes such other space is already allotted. In other words, 67 m2 takes into account that adequate space for the previously mentioned activities is present as well. If the station has no agricultural or industrial zones, the above population figures could be doubled without overcrowding; however, the station would then be completely dependent on outside sources for food, life support and goods. For comparison, Manhattan Borough, NYC had 38 m2 / person at that time; San Francisco, CA came in at 164 m2 / person, and Boston, MA rated 185 m2 / person. **The Major Radius is the distance from the center point of the station to the center point of the torus. The Minor Radius is the radius of the torus. The Projected Area is a ribbonlike strip lying along the midline of the ring, with the "ribbon" itself perpendicular to the spokes. Note that population figures are based on the equivalent of a single deck being used for residential space on the station; other decks (from 2 to over 20 depending on the station) typically house life support, agricultural, maintenance, administrative, industrial, retail / office, educational and recreational facilities. Larger stations (size 4 hulls and up) will have as many as 10 residential decks of varying sizes and will house proportionally larger populations. Directions on a Space Station Above Core Module: "North" Below Core Module: "South" Clockwise: "East" Counterclockwise: "West" Towards Core: "Up" or "Topside" Towards Rim: "Down" or "Below Decks"
