Esgaroth Habitats Kalpana class Orbital Habitat
Please make all your orders at Allanean Defense Exports
[b]Specifications:
Height: 325 meters (main habitat hull)
Diameter: 500 meters
Capacity: 5,000 humanoids
Mass: 7 million tons
Armament: x8 CIWS cannon, x8 orbit-to-orbit launchers
Main construction contractors: Yavanna Fleet Systems, Allanean Arms
Price: $50 billion
DPR: $1 trillion
Background:In recent years, more and more nations have become interested in achieving interplanetary colonization. However, for national defense reasons, nations capable of advanced interstellar travel technologies are not always interested in sharing them. On the other hand, countries that did not possess the expertise for advanced metamaterials or gravity-altering technology might experience difficulties in maintaining or repairing equipment using those technologies even if purchased.
One solution was brought about by Allanean marketing teams involved at Allanean Defense Exports: they would leverage the construction capacity of nations like Allanea and Menelmacar to achieve advanced results using reliable and mature technologies, without needing to contribute sensitive space-travel technology itself. The principal competitive advantage by the countries involved was the use of their pre-existing high-grade facilities.
More: the use of technology that was already tried and tested would ensure public trust in the reliability of the new technologies.
The Technology: THe Kalpana-class Orbital Habitat is an evolution of Old Terran designs. It is designed to allow up to 5,000 persons to live in an environment approaching an optimistic interpretation of Terran conditions (i.e., clean air, gravity of approximately 1 g, optimal temperatures).
The habitat is in the shape of a hockey puck, with several interior cylinders. The external cylinder is rotated at a speed of 2 rotations per minute, enabling a pseudo-gravity of 1 g across the inner surface of the hull (the ‘wall’ of the hockey puck shape). Because the diameter of the inner cylinders is lower, gravity within them is also lower than the outer hull, enabling low-g entertainment, sports, and industry. Gravity within the innermost cylinder is estimated to approach zero gravity.
One solution was brought about by Allanean marketing teams involved at Allanean Defense Exports: they would leverage the construction capacity of nations like Allanea and Menelmacar to achieve advanced results using reliable and mature technologies, without needing to contribute sensitive space-travel technology itself. The principal competitive advantage by the countries involved was the use of their pre-existing high-grade facilities.
More: the use of technology that was already tried and tested would ensure public trust in the reliability of the new technologies.
The Technology: THe Kalpana-class Orbital Habitat is an evolution of Old Terran designs. It is designed to allow up to 5,000 persons to live in an environment approaching an optimistic interpretation of Terran conditions (i.e., clean air, gravity of approximately 1 g, optimal temperatures).
The habitat is in the shape of a hockey puck, with several interior cylinders. The external cylinder is rotated at a speed of 2 rotations per minute, enabling a pseudo-gravity of 1 g across the inner surface of the hull (the ‘wall’ of the hockey puck shape). Because the diameter of the inner cylinders is lower, gravity within them is also lower than the outer hull, enabling low-g entertainment, sports, and industry. Gravity within the innermost cylinder is estimated to approach zero gravity.
An artist’s impression of conditions in the main habitat
The low-g environments can also be used for medical recovery facilities for persons requiring the use of walkers or wheelchairs, or otherwise having difficulties with the higher gravity environments of the interior.
The internal surface of the main habitat r is lined with a regolith mix that serves as both a radiation shield and a possible substrate for growing gardens. (This regolith mix is what contributes to most of the habitat’s mass).
The exterior of the habitat is covered with solar panels and mirrors to provide the interior with sunlight and energy. In addition, foldout solar panels are connected to the habitat to increase energy supply. As designed, these are intended to be sufficient for the day-to-day needs of all inhabitants and for light industrial use.
The design is fitted for several options to carry either atomic reactors for heavy industry or to connect to external sources of power, however, neither of these are supplied with the design as it stands.
Defenses: While, as designed, the habitat is not a military station, and cannot be expected to be used in direct void combat against primary combatants, it is armed with 8 CIWS turrets and 8 missile launchers located around the circumference of the largest disk. The missiles are designed to engage light combatants and incoming missiles and cannot be meaningfully used against most primary combatants. The CIWS turrets are effective against light combatants, incoming missiles, and space debris.
The internal surface of the main habitat r is lined with a regolith mix that serves as both a radiation shield and a possible substrate for growing gardens. (This regolith mix is what contributes to most of the habitat’s mass).
The exterior of the habitat is covered with solar panels and mirrors to provide the interior with sunlight and energy. In addition, foldout solar panels are connected to the habitat to increase energy supply. As designed, these are intended to be sufficient for the day-to-day needs of all inhabitants and for light industrial use.
The design is fitted for several options to carry either atomic reactors for heavy industry or to connect to external sources of power, however, neither of these are supplied with the design as it stands.
Defenses: While, as designed, the habitat is not a military station, and cannot be expected to be used in direct void combat against primary combatants, it is armed with 8 CIWS turrets and 8 missile launchers located around the circumference of the largest disk. The missiles are designed to engage light combatants and incoming missiles and cannot be meaningfully used against most primary combatants. The CIWS turrets are effective against light combatants, incoming missiles, and space debris.
[b]Please make all your orders at Allanean Defense Exports
OOC:
So, as a brief summary of the background to this: this ‘design’ is inspired by real-world NASA feasibility studies and according to the engineers who came up with it, is probably feasible within our current knowledge of physics and materials science. The fanciful bit that makes it, at least, PMT, is the necessity of transporting the vast quantities of materials in orbit. Further, in this context, while the design itself is within our real-world conceptions of physics and technology, the nations that are building it in-universe are quite a bit more ‘fanciful’ ones.
Here’s some more information about the Kalpana One NASA feasibility study on which this post is partly based.
