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[10ebbor10]

Phase 1 Turn 3 orders: April-July 2052.
    Ship modifications: (choose up to 4)
        - Further superstructure expansion
        - Large cargobay
        - Medical Bay. Cost 3 RU. Size 2. Mass 1. Electricity 1 MW
        - Recreational Commons. Cost 5 RU. Size 4. Mass 4 units. Electricity 1 MW

    Science/Engineering Project: (choose 1, say how much RU to spend)
        - He-3 MCF Fusion generator /w external radiators. (Try to boost reliability and fuel efficiency, and make it maintenance friendly.) 0 RU
 
    Cargo purchase: (choose any number)
        -
        ...

Next turn would then be used for researching the engines, and then we have got most major gains and we can do whatever research we want.

Edit: The important question is whether or not we go for a factory. It has plenty of advantages, but it's also quite expensive and unreliable. Both previous missions had a factory, and IIRC, it was broken 50% of the time. It was very usefull when it wasn't  broken however.

[escaped lurker]

I personaly would deem the robot assembly-line as better - especially on account of it being rugged. If your satellite-plan turns out to be viable, those bots would turn out to be quite the boon too. A bit less so should we land, but still one of the better investments we could make.

Ultimately, I would leave the decision with you, seeing as I have yet to read the predecessors.

On another note - If we do the late start, I really would like us to invest into the "armoured hull"-option. Actually either way, but the anti-rad qualities could save our ... ahem - "many lives" ;з

[10ebbor10]

What was the satellite plan again. Because the space-elevator thing is probably off the table. ((Apparently we can't easily acquire thousands of kilometers of monoatomic carbon fiber...))

Well, the main problem is that many parts of our ship rely on advanced components, which, IIRC, can only be created by the automated factory, and in limited amounts. Problem with the robot assembly is that it only makes robots, and nothing else.

And I prefer not going for the late start, as it wouldn't be that usefull. We don't have much resources in excess that we could add to the ship, after all.

Spoiler: With factory kit (click to show/hide)

Size: 28/40
Cost: 64/64
Mass: 40

My First Factory kit. Cost 40 RU, Size 10, Mass 20.
2*Basic Parts.  Cost 2, mass 1.
2*Advanced parts. Cost 3, mass 1.
3*Air tanks & vac suits. 1 RU, Size 1, Mass 1. For some strange reason, people who routinely travel in space feel better if emergency vacuum suits and pressurized air tanks are available for those rare hull-breaches or life-support failures, for someone to have a chance at fixing them. Provides 5 suits and 24h per suit of breathable air.
Organic Sludge Compressor kit. Cost 2 RU, Size 2, Mass 1
Seed Bank. 2 RU, 4 mass, 3 size.
Oxygen Extractor. Cost 5 RU. Size 2, Mass 4.
Digging & drilling vehicles. Cost 2 RU, Size 4, Mass 4

As seen in the above proposal, with the My first factory kit we're basically hoping to make significant RU gains in our research so that we can indeed take additional stuff along. Otherwise the cargo bay will be almost half empty. As much as I like the factory kit, we don't have the resources to take it, I'm afraid.

[TopHat]

I'm still in support of taking the factory. And If we do take it, I'd suggest ditching the Oxygen extractor in that list and replacing it with a crate of rare materials and a pair of exoskeletons (with 1RP spare) The materials so we can be certain of having the required resources to make an extractor on-site, and the exoskeletons to build the factory without a massive manpower modifier. (assuming that's still in).
Of course, the factory is a significant investment, but I think it would pay off in the long run.

[10ebbor10]

Well, yeah, we should be able to facture oxygen pretty easily if we have water. Electrolysis of water is pretty easy. Though you do have to worry that you don't mix them. Hydrogen gas and oxygen are a bad combination.

On a side note, we should have plenty of resources on site. The engines should make for a nice supply of materials, in case we do land this ship.

[Draxis]

No consensus on the cargo?  If not, I will put up a poll over whether to take the factory.

exoskeletons to build the factory without a massive manpower modifier. (assuming that's still in).

It is, but just how bad the multiplier is will depend on what the job is - basically, the harder the job will be to do with hand tools, the worse the base bonus would be.

the problem with the robot assembly is that it only makes robots, and nothing else.

It can be retooled to make other things, but the process will take about a turn, consume some resources, and the assembly line will become far less useful for building robots until it is reset.

[10ebbor10]

Don't think that's worth the risk. Besides, the robot production line doesn't come with an ore refiner.

Anyway, I think we should try to go without an advanced factory. Might be interesting.

[Draxis]

Phase 1 Turn 3 orders: April-July 2052.
    Ship modifications: (choose up to 4)
        - Further superstructure expansion
        - Large cargobay
        - Medical Bay. Cost 3 RU. Size 2. Mass 1. Electricity 1 MW
        - Recreational Commons. Cost 5 RU. Size 4. Mass 4 units. Electricity 1 MW

    Science/Engineering Project: (choose 1, say how much RU to spend)
        - He-3 MCF Fusion generator /w external radiators. (Try to boost reliability and fuel efficiency, and make it maintenance friendly.) 0 RU
 
    Cargo purchase: (choose any number)
        -
        ...

This is the plan?  Unless someone objects within an hour or so, I'll be using it.

[Draxis]

Update 3
July, 2052.  Lunar Base. 

Phase 1 Turn 3 orders: April-July 2052.
    Ship modifications: (choose up to 4)
        - Further superstructure expansion
        - Large cargobay
        - Medical Bay. Cost 3 RU. Size 2. Mass 1. Electricity 1 MW
        - Recreational Commons. Cost 5 RU. Size 4. Mass 4 units. Electricity 1 MW

    Science/Engineering Project: (choose 1, say how much RU to spend)
        - He-3 MCF Fusion generator /w external radiators. (Try to boost reliability and fuel efficiency, and make it maintenance friendly.) 0 RU
 
    Cargo purchase: (choose any number)
        -
        ...

    Ship modifications: (choose up to 4)
        - Further superstructure expansion
        - Large cargobay
        - Medical Bay. Cost 3 RU. Size 2. Mass 1. Electricity 1 MW
        - Recreational Commons. Cost 5 RU. Size 4. Mass 4 units. Electricity 1 MW

Construction on the ship continues, with the planned expansion being framed out and some vital modules being mounted into the existing framework.  Many amoung the future crew are happy to note that this ship has both a recreational commons and a fully-sized medical bay.  And, with the cargo bay now mounted, the loading of any cargo can begin.

    Science/Engineering Project: (choose 1, say how much RU to spend)
        - He-3 MCF Fusion generator /w external radiators. (Try to boost reliability and fuel efficiency, and make it maintenance friendly.) 0 RU
(86) Lunar Base's engineers are asked to review the design of the Magnetic-Confinement Reactor, though no dedicated teams or lab time is allocated.  They do their best, and by the end of June have completed a review on the reliability of the design.  They find that it should be quite reliable, generally speaking; while they believe that particles will sometimes escape from the containment field, and gradually corrode the magnets faster than anticipated, with vigilant monitoring and occasional power-down cycles for repairs and general maintainance any problems there should be postponed indefinitely.  Routine maintenance will not be a problem - while the maintainance access is very cramped and often uncomfortably hot, it is not significantly worse than many other areas of the ship.

The group who made the study have suggested using this data to improve on the design's flaws, making it more practical to run for the potentially decade-long periods without failure, in case one reactor is somehow damaged inflight. This would be a cheap project, 5-10 RU, and be taken at a +10 bonus; however, it would push back the beginning reactor construction for another turn.

Random Event Roll: 52.  Everything proceeds within the planned schedules and budgets, most of the minor hangups encountered previously having been ironed out.


Phase 1 Turn 3 status: July 2052.

Resources:363 RU.
Starship: unnamed, hybrid Ark-Outpost Ship
Total Size: 170 units
Structure mass: 85 units.

Installed components:

• 4 Ark Cryobays.  Size 10x4, mass 15x4.  -10x4 power.
• Closed-Loop Lifesupport and Hydroponics. Size 4, mass 3. -6 power.
• Damage Control & Machine Shop.  Size 4, mass 2.  -1 power.
• Large Cargo Bay.  Cost 4 RU. Size 43. Mass 2.
• Medical Bay. Cost 3 RU. Size 2. Mass 1. -1 power.
• Recreational Commons. Cost 5 RU. Size 4. Mass 4 units. -1 power.

Total mass: 184 units.
Free space: 79 units.
Required power: 49 units.
Maximum power output: 0 units.
Total fuel: 0 units
Fuel remaining at destination: 0 units

Crew Lifesupport: 15
Required Crew: 1

Destination: Star A, distance 1.
Max. thrust: none
Acceleration profile: none
Flight time: infinite. (mass/thrust*distance*5 years)

Recommended Launch Date: April 2053
Late Launch Date (chance of being caught in edge of radiation storm): July 2053.

Phase 1 Turn 2 orders: July-September 2052.
    Ship modifications: (choose up to 4)
        ( )
        ( )
        ( )
        ( )
    Science/Engineering Project: (choose 1, say how much RU to spend)
        ( )
    Cargo purchase: (choose any number)
        ( )
        ...

[RadtheCad]

I suggest improving the engines.  Also, in general, I would like the ship to be usable even after we've established a base;  improved engines etc. would aid this.

On a related note, how much fuel would we need to escape our target planet's gravity?

[10ebbor10]

I'm afraid it's more a matter of thrust rather than fuel. And none of the engines provided would provide enough thrust/ work to get us back in orbit.

[RadtheCad]

Darn.  Are we building the ship in orbit around the Moon, or is the planet just that much more massive?

Is there any way of creating a colony without losing the ship's capabilities as...  A ship?

[10ebbor10]

I don't know actually. It's not the gravity that's the problem however, it's the atmosphere. All 4 thruster types only work in vacuum.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

I have an idea for reactor external radiators....  Loosing the heat like that is a waste of otherwise usable energy

What about researching radiators  filed with water, linked to the system that will supply various chemicals inside, and populate it with Thermophile bacterias. That gives us some back up biomass source and provides us with guys that may help us in terraforming

[RadtheCad]

You can only use heat as a power source if you have disparity in heat.  See entropy.  We'd still need a way of getting heat off of the ship-  hence external radiators.

Being energy-efficient is a good idea, though.  We could try to maximise use of 'waste' energy from the reactors for heating purposes, though I'm not sure what epuld need much heating-  most of the passengers are going to be in cryosleep, and I'd assume the live crew quarters would be heated enough anyway.