Enope (Spinward Marches 2205)

[rancke]

I took a look at Enope (C411988-6/600/K6 V M5 D) the other day. Very little has been written about Enope to date (if you ignore BtC, nothing beyond the UWP). It is a small, practically airless world with an impropably large population (6 billion) and an impropably low tech level (TTL 6). If I was merely thinking of my own TU, I'd propably drop the population a level and up the tech a level or three, but as I'm working on something with a view towards publishing in JTAS Online, I can't.

It's one of those borderline cases. I suppose it is possible to maintain sealed caves with TL6, although I'm not sure how you'd get the energy to run the life support (not just air, but food production as well). And the sheer effort it would take to carve out living space for 6 billion people boggles my mind.

I'm strongly tempted to invoke the Ancients (and as some of you know, I really dislike invoking the Ancients), but before I do, I'd like to ask those of you with knowledge about planetology a question.

It occurs to me that it would be... I hesitate to use the word 'plausible' in connection with that UWP, so let me say 'a little less implausible' if Enope was honycombed by a vast network of natural caves. At least increased population would 'merely' be a mattter of opening up a new cavern and making it livable.

But is that even possible? Could a 4,000 mile ball of rock with no atmosphere possible have such a system of caves?


Hans

PS. Despite the fact that I dislike invoking the Ancients, my treacherous brain has insisted of presenting me with a very evocative idea involving them... I may end up using that anyway...

 

[owlbear]

What if Enope were an ice ball with a world ocean, like Callisto, icecapped. A sub-marine environment???

 

[Piper]

This may be a bit of a stretch, but ...
what if, instead of a being a planet, Enope is a fragment of a larger planet that had broken up?

If the parent body had an atmosphere and extensive vulcanism,lava tubes might still be found on the fragment.

If you pack people in like Kowloon Walled City, you'll still need more than a million acres just for housing; food production and services are going to take up a lot more room.

I can see Enope as a major customer for fusion plants and food synthesizer systems, although at TL6, you might be able to make closed-cycle fuel cells handle some of the load.

Some helpful links:
Mars tunnels
Kowloon Walled City
Undara lava tubes

 

[RainOfSteel]

ranke,

You mentioned you are trying to publish, so I have PM'd you my ideas, which you are free to use.

 

[RainOfSteel]

Originally posted by neworlder:
What if Enope were an ice ball with a world ocean, like Callisto, icecapped. A sub-marine environment???

neworlder,

Welcome to Citizens of the Imperium!

 

[LordVince]

This is my favorite "Pet Peeve"...
Why do the "Ancients" have to be THE Ancients? Why does it HAVE to be some 300,000 year old device?
Why can't Enope's TL6 Population be clinging to old Rule of Man era, TL9 (or whatever) Life Support Equipment? During the Long Night they "regressed", somewhat, and their over-all Tech Level dropped. So, now, the GENERAL Tech Level is 6, but there are 2,000 year old environmental plants, powered by 2,000 year old Terran fusion reactors, which are maintained by Techs who don't know WHY it works, just WHAT to do to keep it running.

"Ancients" my ass...

The Zira Sirku was at it's hieght @4,000 years ago, the Rule of Man @2,000 years ago -- how much more "ancient" do you need to get?

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Lord Vince:
This is my favorite "Pet Peeve"...
Why do the "Ancients" have to be THE Ancients? Why does it HAVE to be some 300,000 year old device?

I'm likewise of the opinion that GDW made a mistake when they had only one set of 'forerunners', but that's what they did, so that's how things are in the OTU (well, they added the Primordials later, but I've always felt that they were a pretty awkward addition).

Personally I'd have gone for an unknown number of different forerunners. I have to admit, though, that having all those super-science civilizations that somehow all manage to die out again (or "move on") has a certain implausibility of its own.

Why can't Enope's TL6 Population be clinging to old Rule of Man era, TL9 (or whatever) Life Support Equipment? During the Long Night they "regressed", somewhat, and their over-all Tech Level dropped. So, now, the GENERAL Tech Level is 6, but there are 2,000 year old environmental plants, powered by 2,000 year old Terran fusion reactors, which are maintained by Techs who don't know WHY it works, just WHAT to do to keep it running.

Firstly: The 1st and 2nd Imperium was a long way from the Spinward Marches. I deplore the way some Traveller authors seem to regard the Marches as a sort of "New World" to the "Old World" of the Rule of Man, with scores of colony expeditions making a beeline for the Marches. IMO it's a bit of a miracle that two jump expeditions (not to mention several sub-light expeditions) made it that far. I'm not inclined to add any more than the ones that are already canon.

Secondly: Enope is a small rockball with no atmosphere to speak of. Even if yet another colony expedition did make it to the Spinward Marches, I seriously doubt they would want to colonize Enope. Of course, there's always the misjump-that-slags-the-jump-drive, but that's a very overused idea.

Thirdly: As my original post indicates, it's not the technology alone that bothers me. It's the technology IN COMBINATION with the population size. I( can (just) see a small group of people cling grimly on to the technology to survive on such a hostile world. But it would be a tremendous struggle (If it wasn't a struggle, they wouldn't be losing technology. now would they?) I find it very difficult to imagine that they would have the surplus to grow into a population of billions.


Hans

 

[Starviking]

Could Enope be inhabited by an (exotic) indigenous minor race? Or perhaps it was settled by one of the minor alien races in the Spinward Marches?

It's not ideal real estate, but maybe it was settled because of proximity, or the fact that it was the only system available. Who knows, Maybe the Imperial Bureau of Colonization had grants available?

Starviking

 

[owlbear]

Rain of Steel wrote:

neworlder,

Welcome to Citizens of the Imperium!

Thank you.

 

[RandyT0001]

I don't see the problem myself. I think that 1950's - 1960's technology will be sufficient to allow billions of people to live and prosper on a nearly airless world. The population lives in sealed cities. Plexiglass domed farms could be used to raise the plants for food and industry. Huge sealed chicken/bird coops would be used to raise some expensive meat. Nuclear fission power plants could provide the electrical power needed. People adapt to their situation in order to live. There will be few ways to egress beyond the sealed cities. Electrical (sealed) trains could be used to connect the cities to each other. Television probably wont be broadcast but due to circumstances (lots of metal in the cities) would be cable delivered. Instead of having schools serve as fallout shelters like we know they would become "air" shelters where people go if there is a breach in the sealed environment. It would be a different lifestyle with different norms and expectations of behavior (arson is viewed as a very serious crime, like we think of treason; children are taught at an early age about not touching unknown doors [which might lead to an outside airlock], like we think of hot stoves).

I think the biggest difficulty is going to be the amount of water. Water is going to be recycled. People are going to have a daily water ration, IMO. The biggest problem is refueling starships. IMO there is not enough nor are the local willing to sell water for use as starship fuel. Since the system has no gas giants and no planetoid belts the fuel will have to be harvested from the Ort Cloud of the system and at TL 6 that is going to be an expensive undertaking. The locals might have a deal with the Imperium where all starship refueling must be done at the Ort cloud. A few modest sized Imperial provided spaceships might be used to harvest the fuel in the Ort Cloud then transported to the mainworld for refueling purposes.

IMO

 

[Piper]

All good points, Mr. Tyler. It brings to mind Luna in Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress".

The fission plants are an especially good point. Locally produced and maintained, and if you allow for rich deposits of radioactives, Enope begins to look reasonable.

Water might not be that bad on Enope, though. It seems to have a decent icecap (10% hydro).

Would surface installations require shielding from stellar radiation? Does it orbit the primary star or the companion?

A thought on the water issue; Enope might have a policy requiring traders to haul in a certain amount of Oort ice in exchange for landing rights.

 

[LordVince]

Yes, I think that Randy has nailed it down in one shot -- I think that Enope is EXACTLY like Randy described (or very close). And, with Enope being such a "small" world, if the planetary core were to be assumed to be full of heavy metals -- specifically fissionables -- then deepcore mines wouldn't be that unreasonable; power would be no problem for this worlds teeming billions.

Piper's mention of RAH's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" also brings up some very good imagery for a 50's-60's Era style of "Lunar"-type settlement. But in Enope's case, it would be the "Tunnel-Avenues" -- wide tunnels with business frontings along the sides, and medians with green bushes & trees -- but add to that the massed humanity of a Hong Kong street scene.

Actually, no. Even with Enope's small size, and teeming 6 BILLION people, living space probably won't be THAT crowded.

Remember, Enope is an airless ball of rock. ANY resources found on this world will be pulled from the ground. Tunnelling and mining will be a way of life. Mine trailings will be pulled up from below, and converted into building materials for surface structures. People will live in sealed "skyscrapers" on the surface, and they will live in multi-level, subterranean "Warrens", below. And, as I mentioned abouve, if you assume that Enope is a "dead" world, like Luna -- that is, it doesn't have a geologically active Core (no molten rock in the middle) -- then you could dig down for kilometers.

And if THAT don't float yer boat...you could always explain the Tech-6 vs. 6 Billion Population as a massive army of Tech-6 Mining Robots, controlled by an Asimov-like Analog Computer the size of Manhattan.

I vaguely recal reading a story like that, somewhere.... ^_^

 

[Piper]

Originally posted by Lord Vince:
... a massive army of Tech-6 Mining Robots, controlled by an Asimov-like Analog Computer the size of Manhattan.

I vaguely recal reading a story like that, somewhere.... ^_^

Sounds like "Junkyard Planet" by H. Beam Piper.
There was an abandoned robotic fissionables plant on an airless moon.

Suppose that, as the Long Night was falling, a rogue military unit siezed Enope (a largish influx of colonists). As they started to lose tech, more and more had to be done by hand; farming and the like. They slipped several tech levels, but with abundant nuclear energy and a large, well-armed defense force, they held on and held out. As long as they could keep the power plants running, they could crack ice for atmosphere and water and run hydroponics.


Seems downright plausible.

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Randy Tyler:
I don't see the problem myself. I think that 1950's - 1960's technology will be sufficient to allow billions of people to live and prosper on a nearly airless world. The population lives in sealed cities. Plexiglass domed farms could be used to raise the plants for food and industry. Huge sealed chicken/bird coops would be used to raise some expensive meat. Nuclear fission power plants could provide the electrical power needed.

Which is why I said that I thought Enope was a borderline case. I still think the food production would be extremely problematic, but I'm prepared to be told otherwise by someone who actually know something about the subject.

People adapt to their situation in order to live.

Right, and that's exactly where my problem lies. When any excess children can just pack up, move to some empty part of the world and start farming, steady population increases are quite plausible (though with modren technology, little or no population increase is also plausible). But when excess children means a huge investment in carving out new living space and building new agricultural domes, fission plants, and uranium mines, I believe that you'd pretty automatically would get strict population control (Not necessarily imposed. Ecnonomic factors would make voluntary population control attractive). It's not a TL 6 society on an airless world that worries me, it is a TL 6 society with 6 billion members[*] on an airless world that worries me.

[*] And still growing; by 1202 the population modifier has risen to 7.

I think the biggest difficulty is going to be the amount of water. Water is going to be recycled. People are going to have a daily water ration, IMO. The biggest problem is refueling starships. IMO there is not enough nor are the local willing to sell water for use as starship fuel.

Getting rid of the water will be the problem. Humans produce water when they breathe. I'm more inclined to believe that the heat might be a problem. Probably not, though. Wouldn't the planet itself serve as a heat sink?


Hans

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Piper:
Suppose that, as the Long Night was falling, a rogue military unit siezed Enope (a largish influx of colonists).

No military units around in the Spinward Marches at that time to seize anything. And unless they happened to be stuck in the Enope system by a misjump, they'd have hundreds of more congenial worlds to choose from.


Hans

 

[Piper]

Hydroponics are very effective, but if you're looking for hard numbers, you won't find any on the scale to feed that many people.
Most of the yield figures are either theoretical or based on relatively small sample plots.

If the figures in this hydroponics study are correct, you could easily get an annual yield of over 100 tons per acre from hydroponics. The farms could be stacked above or below the hab area gaining dual use of the available space.

Vegans claim you can satisfy all nutritional requirements from plants. They may be right, even if they're not, additional area could be designated for livestock.

As you know, people don't actually make water; they cycle it. Air-conditioners dehumidify the air as a part of the cycle. Here, we usually dump it on the ground. Enope would capture it for reuse.

Large reservoirs could also solve any heat problems, although with an icecap, the surface temperature must be cold enough somewhere to make radiators possible.

Good point about no military units in the Marches.
And while mis-jumps do happen, they tend to get a little hackneyed as explanations for strange planets.
On the other hand, they don't have to be Vilani/Terran or even human. The Droyne have been in the Marches all along, and while I wouldn't suggest using Droyne, there might be an opening here for a previously unknown minor race using generation ships or the remnants of a major race that died out leaving only this faded colony.

 

[mike wightman]

Here are some of my thought.

Where in the third world today is the majority of the population explosion taking place? Is it the rural area or is it the cities?

If it is the cities then there's your model for how a population can grow into the billions you find on Enope.

Massive mining projects at TL6 are possible, and perhaps they free up the space that can later be moved into. Industialised hydroponics should be capable of feeding the population, with crude solar cells, fission power stations, and possibly geothermal.
The trace atmosphere could be the result of industrial waste.

As to choice of races, this passage from the Darrians Alien module has always intrigued me:

Many worlds in the Spimward Marches had indigenous life forms; significantly fewer (Darrian, Algine, Vanejen, a few Zhodani worlds) had human populations.

This is in reference to the worlds scouted by the Terran Itzin Fleet.
I'm assuming that "indigenous life forms" means sentient - alien races if you like.

Have all of these minor alien races and minor human races been detailed?

Look how close Enope is to Algine... how many Zhodani worlds and colonies... how many minor races.

I think you've picked an excellent world to develop Hans.

[edit]I notice that in Twilight's Peak data the IN refuses to explain why Algine is interdicted...[/edit]

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Where in the third world today is the majority of the population explosion taking place? Is it the rural area or is it the cities?

IIRC the urban population grows because the rural population moves there.

Massive mining projects at TL6 are possible, and perhaps they free up the space that can later be moved into. Industialised hydroponics should be capable of feeding the population, with crude solar cells, fission power stations, and possibly geothermal.

You'd have to dig out a lot of ore to make room for six billion people, but I'll grant you the possibility. Which, I suppose, makes my original question (that no one has so far answered) moot. But the empty space is just the first step. Then you have to make them livable and provide food and power. That all costs money. Sure, it can be done if someone wants to pay for it. But will anyone want to pay? How many people in Wastern society today refrain from having kids because they've better things to do with their money? Now imagine that it's far more expensive to expand the population. Now add that you're straining to survive (as evidenced by the fact that your TL is slipping). Still think that six billion people sounds plausible?

As to choice of races, this passage from the Darrians Alien module has always intrigued me:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Many worlds in the Spimward Marches had indigenous life forms; significantly fewer (Darrian, Algine, Vanejen, a few Zhodani worlds) had human populations.

This is in reference to the worlds scouted by the Terran Itzin Fleet.
I'm assuming that "indigenous life forms" means sentient - alien races if you like.

Have all of these minor alien races and minor human races been detailed?</font>[/QUOTE]As regard to minor human races I'd say yes, since the text includes the Darrians in the list of human populations (I know that BtC mentions several more MHRs, but based on the text you quoted I've always felt entitled to ignore that). As for non-human races, the Spinward Marches has a lot of them. Far more than the average. I'm reluctant to introduce any more. Unless I can come up with one that actually is able to survive on a desert world with a trace atmosphere.

I think you've picked an excellent world to develop Hans.

I wasn't really planning to develop it (although it may work out that way in the end). I'm just working on an article with a short BtC-style writeup of all the worlds within six parsecs of Regina and found that the writeup of Enope in BtC was... inadequate for my needs.


Hans

 

[mike wightman]

How long has it taken Enope's population to reach six billion?

What if it was a mining colony of the Algine natives. They originally lived in domes and the cave complexes you mentioned in your original post.

This all occurring 3000 years or so before the current Imperial date.

A xenophobic race, occupying a few worlds, with high populations and TL10+ perhaps.

That may frighten the Zhodani enough for them to try to break up the Algine "empire" before it becomes too great a threat.

The resultant war reduces Algine in population and TL, while the colony world on Enope is hardly involved. Without the homeworld the population is forced to develop their industrial hydroponics, and all the living space is occupied to the same population density as Earth's major cities today.

Over several thousand years each of these underground cities grows larger and larger, while the population loses its xenophobic edge.

 

[Piper]

Originally posted by rancke:
Could a 4,000 mile ball of rock with no atmosphere possible have such a system of caves?

Yes.
See Io
I was unsure at first if an atmosphere was needed to form lava tubes and caverns.
Apparently, it's not.
Search "caldera" within the page for details.