2 tons backup batteries
5 ton propulsion system
6 ton sail structure
10 tons of fuel (ammonia)
20 ton cargo pod (4 tons empty)
4- 300 kw plasma accelerators
Author’s Postscript- this story was begun five years ago. Unfortunately, it takes more than writing a story to get it the visibility needed for it to sell. One version was epublished a couple of years ago. It had very little marketing support and may have had a few flaws as well. I started again and did quite a bit of revision.
On the positive side (if it can be called that) most of the issues brought out in the story still exist. No one’s a semi-permanent resident of the Moon yet, and there’s still not much being done about how real estate ownership on extraterrestrial objects is going to be handled. If anything has been done to patch the Space Treaty on the WMD issue, I haven’t heard about it. In fact, it looks like the only progress has been made in technology- we have better Earth-to-orbit launch vehicles now, and there are actually a number of satellites that rely on electric plasma engines to stabilize their orbits. Maybe in a few more years the technology will be ready for prime time.
Concerning the idea of the Planetary Space Force, anyone who has read any U.S. military history will understand that interservice cooperation is nearly an oxymoron. Any new military service has to hope that it will not be strangled by the senior services. It may be that the present U.S. Space Force has a way to go before it’s a “real” service. Right now, its only territory is a lot of vacuum.
As for all the talk about going to Mars before there is a permanent station on the Moon, I still haven’t figured that one out. The risks are bigger (much further away and it takes a long time to get there) and the problems once you are there are roughly the same- possibly greater. The only advantages seem to be more gravity (roughly forty percent of Earth’s) and a very thin, nearly pure carbon dioxide atmosphere. If somebody gets stuck on Mars, favorable launch windows are far apart for conventional rockets, making it unlikely they will be rescued. If somebody gets stuck on the Moon, they might actually have a chance to be rescued. The resources required to have a backup ready for a Mars mission are huge; a backup for a Moon mission would be relatively inexpensive, and could probably be cobbled together quickly enough to be useful even if the rescue plan and vehicle had to be assembled at the last minute.
So my money is on the Moon as the best option for a long-term stay of human beings on an extraterrestrial object. This was my take on a new type of spaceship that might make life on the Moon a reality.
About the Author
Stephan Besik is a new author. His primary writing goal is to add to hard science fiction as much as his skills and knowledge of current science permits.
Stephan’s primary reading interests are science fiction and military history. He is especially interested in what might be called near-term hard sci fi- about circumstances and events that may occur within the lifetime of today’s reader. But who knows how long today’s young readers may live? One can only hope.
He is a regular reader of Scientific American, and has recently added the periodical magazine of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He was educated as an engineer, and spent most of his working life in information technology and statistical analysis. He is a supporter and frequent user of Wikipedia.
For comments, questions, or corrections, Stephan can be reached at [email protected].
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