Thread: [Traveller_TNE] Life Support, Weekly Maintenance and Berthing Fees

I sat down last night and wrote down everything I used for a week
that could be considered to be expendable, and I was surprised at
how few a things there were. I might have missed a few things but
here is the list: Food, Water, Electricity, Medicines, Heating Fuel,
Laundry Soap, T-Paper (VERY necessary), Gasoline. To this I added
what I would need on a Star ship: Air. As a star ship has a nuclear
power plant Electricity and Heating Fuel can dropped. I also drop
Gasoline as my air raft uses LHyd.
Weekly maintenance, what does this entail? Me I can see repairing
minor breakages like light bulbs, blown fuses and doing things like
checking the oik and water under the hood. I also can see cleaning
the air filters once a week.
If the weekly maintenance was funded from this Cr2000 per week along
with food, water, medicines, T-Paper and laundry soap then the
Cr2000 begins to make some sense. Imagine how much it costs to do
maintenance on a 747, the closest thing to my Firfly.
This will work if you are going from port to port every two weeks,
but if you are going into the wild on a recovery run the ship
captain will have to pack extra food and maintenance parts on board
possibly turning one passenger stateroom into a pantry. This is why
I asked "How much food could a low berth hold?" It would be the
ultimate refrigerator. Here's an idea for a mini adventure, you set
down on a planet and walk into a village intent on buying some fresh
food, but this village has been hit by slavers and when they see
your sidearms they think SLAVERS!!!
Berthing Fees: What does berthing fees cover for Cr1000 for six
days? If it only covered a parking space for my ship I would being
a CHEEPSKATE land in some farmers field and pay him Cr100 a day.
First each berthing bay should have some security, be it a fence or
wall with a gate that the captain gets a key to on paying the
berthing fee, dockside power so the ship's power plant can be shut
down for its weekly maintenance, unlimited telephone-Internet
service, also a cargo-passenger billboard might be included, and one
of my gaming group came up with cleaning services (you want a
vacuumed and dusted star ship don't you).
I apologize if I went on a bit but fleshing these three subjects
might make for more interesting adventuring. If anyone has more
ideas on these subjects please post them, me I read all the posts.
PS anyone have any idea what happens if you land on the farmer's
field instead of the starport?

----- Original Message -----

From:

To:

Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 7:42 AM

Subject: [Traveller_TNE] Life Support, Weekly Maintenance and Berthing Fees

 

 

 

PS anyone have any idea what happens if you land on the farmer's
field instead of the starport?

 

 

 

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On 23 Dec 2007 at 15:42, rogerclarktopaz wrote:

> I sat down last night and wrote down everything I used for a week
> that could be considered to be expendable, and I was surprised at
> how few a things there were. I might have missed a few things but
> here is the list: Food, Water, Electricity, Medicines, Heating Fuel,
> Laundry Soap, T-Paper (VERY necessary), Gasoline. To this I added
> what I would need on a Star ship: Air. As a star ship has a nuclear
> power plant Electricity and Heating Fuel can dropped. I also drop
> Gasoline as my air raft uses LHyd.
> Weekly maintenance, what does this entail? Me I can see repairing
> minor breakages like light bulbs, blown fuses and doing things like
> checking the oik and water under the hood. I also can see cleaning
> the air filters once a week.

The air filters are more than just particulate cathcher (ie dust
traps). They need to remove excess CO2 (lithium hydroxide is used on
the Shuttle and the ISS) and excess water (again you can use various
chemicals or you can use an overgrown dehumidifier if the ship is big
enough)

Carbohydrate matabolism runs roughly:

Cx(H2O)x + x(O2) -> x CO2 + x H20

So we produce a *lot* of CO2 and water.

You also need chemical filters (or some interesting "scrubbers") to
remove trace gases that build up. Sruff like formaldegyde and a host
of others.

The first attempts at a long term sealed environment (back in the
50s) had to be ended after less than a wekk when this srt of thing
built up enough to make the occupants sick.

The Shuttle and ISS use activated charcoal. That'll likely be the
choice in the future, too, unless you are big enough to use tricks
like superheating the air to cause the impurities to burn..

> If the weekly maintenance was funded from this Cr2000 per week along
> with food, water, medicines, T-Paper and laundry soap then the
> Cr2000 begins to make some sense. Imagine how much it costs to do
> maintenance on a 747, the closest thing to my Firfly.
> This will work if you are going from port to port every two weeks,
> but if you are going into the wild on a recovery run the ship
> captain will have to pack extra food and maintenance parts on board
> possibly turning one passenger stateroom into a pantry. This is why
> I asked "How much food could a low berth hold?" It would be the
> ultimate refrigerator.

Freezer maybe. But the likely temps aren't likely to be those that
are "best" for food storage.

BTW, a week's food doesn't take up all that much room per person.

> PS anyone have any idea what happens if you land on the farmer's
> field instead of the starport?

Depends on local laws.

Maybe nothing (if the farmer is ok with it, but frankly, unless it
was a field that was laying fallow, he's gonna be *real* pissed about
the damage to the crop. And the way you've packed down the ground,
making it a pain to run the tractor thru).

On the other hand the fines for landing in an unauthorized area could
break you....

--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com

Berthing Fees: What does berthing fees cover for Cr1000 for six
days?

Anyway to figure out what airlines pay at different airports?  General Aviation, local traffic, and established (read large) outfits may get a discount but the space/airport is going to have their costs too... Cr1000/6days may be on the cheap side at that ... landingpad/runway maintenance, lights, radar, radio maintenance (parts only) cost for electricity to run same, cost for paying everyone from the janitors to the manager ... (not including profit to the actual owners of the facility)

If it only covered a parking space for my ship I would being
a CHEEPSKATE land in some farmers field and pay him Cr100 a day.

Not on my fields you wouldn't compacting the ground the way your ship would, along with the other cheapskates along with accompanying foot & ground traffic, (any idea of what a full up semi tanker weighs?) would require extensive work on my part to get it ready for next seasons crops...I may as well make it a spaceport and charge you for all my improvements designed to keep your ship from sinking into that slough on the west 40 acres. 

First each berthing bay should have some security, be it a fence or
wall with a gate that the captain gets a key to on paying the
berthing fee,

Do you want something better than my neighbors hunting dog?  Fences cost to install and maintain, especially if you're in an area with fairly heavy crime (albeit "petty" theft) When stationed in Panama in the middle 90's we had several MP teams of about 5 each going through several areas of the dependent housing every night, they also had the gate guards and back up forces on call.  Also read up on what happened when the USAF pulled out of Clark AFB in the Philippines.  Figure out pay for x number of teams at y troopers ... z number privates, senior privates, corporals, sergeants, etc.  You'll need some for stationary posts as well as roving.  This can range from the lone watchman on up depending on the size of the installation, local poverty level, crime level, etc.

dockside power so the ship's power plant can be shut down for its weekly maintenance,

You've got a real lousy prime power system that needs to be shut down every week for that low of a maintenance issue... standard daily and weekly maintenance, even monthly is pretty simple in nature.  OTOH if the main blower is found to need a new belt or the airvent emergency shut solenoid is found to be faulty it can become an issue with additional expenses.  Nonetheless, groundside power is an additional cost.

unlimited telephone-Internet service,

Dedicated fiberhookup to their planetary net?  Portside would like to know number of terminals /users accessing, dedicated and floating to determine the costs for their firewall; network; system; email admins; and helpdesk etc.  Passengers and crew can use personal laptops in wireless designated areas in the passenger terminal.

also a cargo-passenger billboard might be included,

Passenger billboard in the terminal area low rental of xCr per day; dirtside manning, passenger cargo handling and security extra

and one of my gaming group came up with cleaning services (you want a
vacuumed and dusted star ship don't you).

danged right - cleaning and wastesystem flush is a numbah one priority for a fee of course,

Now, do you want to contract for these folks individually or through the spaceport authority?  Note: if contractors are not on part of teh regular list of authorized contractors & subcontractors you will be liable for their security clearances prior to their being permitted onto spaceport authority grounds - admittedly not so much of a cost on that farmers field - and oh yes the and their compliance with all, all local, provincial, regional, and federal/planetary regulations while enroute to, from and while on the job.  etc etc etc

So, my read is that if the place is anything other than a frontier you may want to land at the port even if only a designated class E if you want to visit the place more than once.

I apologize if I went on a bit but fleshing these three subjects
might make for more interesting adventuring. If anyone has more
ideas on these subjects please post them, me I read all the posts.
PS anyone have any idea what happens if you land on the farmer's
field instead of the starport?

No problem, 'twas interesting to spend a few thinking on these things for a bit, but RL calls...my comments are italicized and bolded only to differentiate from teh original post and not intended as stress inducing in the reader...comments on teh farmer included.

.