Outposts and 'Lighthouses'

[Patron Zero]

I'm fairly familiar on the subject of starports but is there any canon materials concerning orbital or deep space facilities ?

What I refer to would be small somewhat isolated 'platforms' that operate as navigation beacons or communications relays, manned or autonomous and could offer emergency roadside accommodations-assistance in a most spartan fashion.

IMTU, I had the outer fringe areas such as outbound jump locations seeded with such facilities, some nothing more than broadcast-beacon repeaters and others much in the flavor (pardon the pun) of a roadside diner or truck-stop.

Again, the positioning of said 'lighthouses would be dependent on trade routes as well as the lack of further insystem bases or starports, think of the oasis stops on many expressways.

 

[jappel]

The closest thing I can think of in CT canon is actually planet-based - the shelters built by the Octagon Society described in Adventure 3, Twilight's Peak. These were little more than traveler's refuges built along worlds of the Spinward Main during the early period of settlement in the Marches. If memory serves they were octagonal buildings constructed of native stone and stocked with emergency supplies.

What you're describing though is something entirely plausible. I imagine most would be automated, with teams of Scouts (solo or duos) servicing them in rounds.

 

[shield]

GURPS starports mentions some of this stuff, most of it is automated satellites acting as beacons, radio repeaters, warning buoys etc. I imagine the military may drop communication and spy stats over vital strategic sites such as refueling points.

Book 6 world generation usually produces small settlements on outer system gas giant moons, I normally put these down to either belters or outer system traffic control / refuelling operations. Traffic control is probably local government, people offering refueling services to passing unstreamlined ships are probably private companies.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Whipsnade]

Patron Zero,

As the other posters have already written, nearly all of these "beacons", "relays", and other platforms would be automated. Their real world counterparts are nearly entirely automated too. This doesn't mean that such platforms won't include shelters or other survival gear.

There's an old set of deckplans for an interdiction satellite published by the then pre-WH40K Games Workshop for CT. While that platform is fully automated, it does has living quarters for a small visiting maintenance crew. (I don't remember the endurance or other limits the satellite's life support system had though.)

Using the interdiction satellite as a guide, you could easily suggest that certain large automated platforms had living quarters for visiting maintenance personnel and that those quarters could be used as shelters in a pinch.

Another interesting idea, and one that more resembles the various caches of food and equipment people in Alaska and Canada's Arctic still voluntary stock, is the "mosquito rig".

First proposed by someone on the TML, the mosquito rig is a solar or RTG powered fuel refinery placed on or in an ice body. The rig first slowly cracks the water ice around it into refined fuel and oxygen, then stores both in expandable bladders.

The rig was first suggested for more nefarious purposes, but there's no reason more altruistic organizations would not place several in a planetoid belt, a gas giant's rings, or other locations.


Regards,
Bill

 

[Icosahedron]

Again, the positioning of said 'lighthouses would be dependent on trade routes as well as the lack of further insystem bases or starports, think of the oasis stops on many expressways.

It probably goes without saying that, thanks to the vector system, 'passing traffic' will be passing far too quickly to stop. These structures would be useful if they were located somewhere that traffic stopped, however.

 

[RandyT0001]

What you are asking for reminds me of the rescue floats/barges set in the English Channel during WW2 by the British and Germans. Here's a couple of pictures:

British

German

They could be set up with emergency low berths, medkit, water, radio beacon, and solar cells or a radioisotope thermoelectric generator.

 

[Mithras]

One reason (not the only one) that I'm considering changing the M drive in MTU to a Star Trek style Alcubierre warp drive with constant speed and ability to stop at will - greatly enhancing encounter chance and story elements.

It probably goes without saying that, thanks to the vector system, 'passing traffic' will be passing far too quickly to stop. These structures would be useful if they were located somewhere that traffic stopped, however.

 

[kafka47]

IMTU, lighthouses and outposts exist in every system of significance or whose TL is high enough and Starport is A. (otherwise, where I say they exist). They may be part of the Imperial Scout Service Hazard Service (functions akin to an interstellar Coast Guard) or they may be contracted out to private/planetary corporations. Hence the quality essentially is safety. I usually place them out in the Oort Cloud and by the Jovians, so at least one microjump from the mainworld giving the lighthouse feel. Sometimes, these are automated (hence deadily in TNE) and othertimes it is the lone individual/family that crews these desolate places. Sometimes, they are even remmants from earlier Imperia.