by Simon Coates
The first significant personal space transport projects to take people outside of Earth atmosphere and to another celestial object were the Russians and the Americans with their Apollo missions in the mid-20th century, culminating in the first successful landing on the Moon. Of course, these missions cost the equivalent of many billions of credits, and were undoubtedly the greatest feat of human achievement of the time. Obviously, for people to travel as a matter of routine was important in terms of getting populations established on the Moon and Mars, not just in terms of making it much cheaper, but also to make the process less complicated. For the 20th century missions, the astronauts had to undergo intensive training, an aspect that had to be removed from modern travel. To make this possible, spaceships were developed to be much more simple and easy to fly. So much so, that today, anyone can board a spaceship and travel into space with just a simple pilot licence, which takes some people a few weeks to achieve.
The pilot licence process involves the prospective pilot learning the basics of what the main spaceship components do, so is taught, amongst other things, about engine parts, turbines and thrusters, and how an escape pod is deployed. In terms of flying, the pilot has a number of sessions in a simulator to learn the controls and what happens to a ship in the event of certain components failing. Also, the basics on how to take off and land safely, and of undertaking routine tasks on an engine. There is a practical test, which is done in a real spaceship, where the pilot takes off, undertakes a number of manoeuvres, and lands. The theory test covers the legal matters of flying, such as knowledge of speed limits, flying zones and conduct in certain conditions such as overtaking slower traffic.
When humans started to colonise Mars and the Moon at the latter part of the 22nd century, the only way to travel there was by large cruiser ships, which were chartered by professional pilots. As more and more people lived outside of the Earth, it became obvious that people would begin to need to travel in a more personal manner. There was huge investment made into this area, mainly looking into making a spaceship small enough for a few people to travel in comfort, safely, and quickly from one place to another, at an affordable price for a significant proportion of the population to purchase. That breakthrough came in 2250, when Galaxis introduced the Solar Explorer, which was followed by other models from manufacturers, to the point today where there are spaceships for almost any budget and intended use. For top luxury, Gilbern offer their hand crafted machines, whereas sporty models are produced by Sunstar. For someone who can't afford a new ship the second hand market can offer space travel on a modest budget.
The personal spaceship industry is still in relative infancy today, with new developments taking place all the time. Since 2250, after Galaxis brought out the first ever private ship, many manufacturers have followed with their offerings. For powering the ships, two main systems are used, nuclear and solar power, each offering advantages over the other in terms of price and ultimate power. Normal cruising speeds achieved with these vehicles in outer space are in the range 200,000 – 250,000mph, with the legal speed limit on the normal ‘space highway’ of 300,000mph. All spaceships have a cockpit for a pilot, although it is possible to allow the ship to fly itself with its on-board autopilot. The engine is usually strategically placed to produce efficient power – it can either be above, below, in front or behind the main cabin. All have sophisticated navigation systems on board. Main body cladding is a type of material to protect the occupants of the ship from the harmful effects of radiation and other dangers in space. Most have a limit to how close to the Sun they can go, with respect to the anti solar radiation protection they have, and a heat shield to allow it to safely re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Some ships have sleeping quarters and areas to relax for long distance travel, with top luxury ships offering large compartments for maximum comfort. All ships have an escape pod facility; once they get to a certain size, for example, able to accommodate more than five people, they have more than one pod.