Imagining a Kerbal Future: What Would the Future of Kerbals Look Like? (Chapter XLIII: Epilogue)

[The Minmus Derp]

10 hours ago, greenTurtle1134 said:

Yeah, but if we had warp we'd establish interplanetary colonies on the very edge of our warp capability, where it would take weeks to get a ship, etc etc...

But even Valentine (from Extrasolar) only takes a few hours.

[SaturnianBlue]

@The Minmus Derp How far is Valentina though? In any case, IAKF generally stays away from warp in the interests of plausibility.

[The Minmus Derp]

1 light year

[SaturnianBlue]

On June 20, 2018 at 2:11 PM, The Minmus Derp said:

1 light year

If you managed to have that kind of warp, couldn't you just as well colonize the entire galaxy?

THE DUNA SYSTEM IN A COLONIZED KERBOL SYSTEM: PART TWO

Chapter XXXV of Imagining a Kerbal Future

War Scenario: Continued

    Kerbin has become more aware of the gradual independence and autonomy of Duna, and starts reinforcing its control before it gets too out of hand. The methods to achieve this? Strengthening the battle fleet presence around Duna, openly discouraging Duna from getting its resources from the asteroids, and instead from Kerbin (increasing their dependence). The reaction from Duna is independence.

    What does Kerbin want out of the war? They certainly have no wish to glass the planet pole to pole, Duna has valuable resources and that would be genocidal. Besides, it would be bad press. Rather, their goal is to restore control of Duna, and make sure that they remain dependent on Kerbin. They hope to win hearts and minds, and have the support base of the independence force collapse.

Duna would seek full independence from Kerbin, and hopefully with reconciliation.

    The fleets of the two planets are very different. The combined fleets of Kerbin will outnumber the Dunan fleet to a huge extent, but it should be noted that this is a force meant to project power across the Kerbol system, so only a portion can actually be redirected to Duna. This would also mean that small ships would comprise a lot of the fleets, better suited to defending ships than attacking planets. Duna would also have many patrol ships of that size, but not as much, because they would not have to protect ships across the Kerbol System. Additionally, the combined fleets of Kerbin do not work under a single command, but rather of various nations, which may not necessarily want to join an allied war command.

    In order to invade Duna, these fleets will need a massive network of supply ships, which may even be in charge of propelling the fleet to Duna, to save fuel in the warships. The Kerbin fleets haven’t ever engaged in a conflict of this kind, but they have had considerable experience in various simulations and training exercises.

A concept of a small Duna Missile Attacker, adapted for attacks on the much larger Kerbin force.

    The Dunan fleet would consist of ships in the Duna-based Kerbin fleets that are captured, some converted vessels, and a small array of covertly-built dedicated warships. These warships are not very burdened by delta-V requirements, instead having high acceleration or exceptional armor. The fleet has a major advantage in that it is fighting in home territory, where defenses can be set up with ease. Another feature of home territory is that the military command of Duna (which would be centralized) can send orders to all forces with very little communications lag, allowing the whole to respond to changed in the heat of battle.

    Assuming they defeat the fleet around Duna, Duna would be given time, albeit very little, to expand their fleet and defense arrays, and repurpose lasers/mass drivers as much as possible before the Kerbin fleets can reach Duna. As a result, it will be imperative for Kerbin to scramble as many ships near Duna as fast as possible. Another priority for Kerbin will be to prevent the asteroid colonies from trading with Duna. However, this could instead cause the asteroids colonies to join the fight with the DCA, at which point the Kerbin fleet would now have to establish a blockade, siphoning ships away from the attack on Duna.

    If the Kerbin fleet already at Duna is large, they will try to invade Ike and hold on to the most strategically important cities on Duna. However, the Kerbin forces are temporarily cut off. A smaller Kerbin force would probably try to escape as quickly as possible, and join up with the incoming Kerbin fleets instead.

    After this initial battle, the oncoming invasion would head for Duna. An important factor in this phase is how quickly the Kerbin forces can reach Duna. A journey of a few months would allow Duna to begin producing dedicated warships of their own, defeat the Kerbin fleet already there, and build a considerable defense network. A journey of maybe a week would give the defenders very little time to build anything at all, and anything that is completed will be no doubt crude.

    In the battle around orbital space, the invasion fleets would try to establish space superiority around Duna, and capture Ike if possible. Not only would this cut off Duna from any resources except anything on the planet, it also cuts off the orbital habitats, which will have to surrender or face great struggles.

    If Duna succeeds in beating back the invasion, then Kerbin will either try to organize another invasion, or perhaps try to negotiate a ceasefire as a result of the economic burden. However, I personally think the latter option is unlikely, at least for a first attempt at invasion—eventually, the economic burden of a war may finally force Kerbin to accept a peace with an independent Duna.

    If Duna does not succeed in beating back the invasion, then the planet may be invaded. The Kerbin fleet would have no interest in upsetting the Dunan people that they hope to be in control of after the conflict, so they will focus their bombardment on military outposts and supply lines. While this should succeed in destroying all anti-orbit defenses, I doubt that it will hamper the actual ground force, which will make an attempt to move their forces underground. As a result, an invasion would meet stiff resistance in combat.

    As I found out in the invasion of Eve, planetary invasions are frankly extremely difficult to carry out—bringing enough forces to occupy most of a planet is a tall order, and a resistance movement could continue.

    In the end, the Kerbin fleets might succeed in taking much of Duna, but they may fail to bring the other side to the negotiating table, unless the people of Duna are brought over to the side of Kerbin and against the resistance forces. Eventually, the resistance may give up, provided the terms of peace are not severe.

Demographics

    Initially, I think most settlements will concentrate on two main regions. The first will be the polar regions, with the ice caps providing an excellent place for a constant supply of water to allow for some self-sufficiency. The second will be in a low-lying area near the equator.  The reasons for doing so are the relatively high pressure for radiation protection, less delta-V for orbit, and solar energy is more available. These two distinct colony types might create a regional divide.

    If some terraforming takes place, Dunan Kerbals are highly likely to tweak themselves to the environment, given it is one of the easiest to adapt to. However, adapting to an unterraformed Duna would require some pretty radical changes to the Kerbal body.

Other potential divides could include:

Ikeians and Dunans

Space Settlers and Surface Dunans

New Arrivals from Kerbin and Older Colonists

Corporate Colonies and Other Colonies

Relations and Trade

A product that Duna will export to the rest of the Kerbol system would be technology. Being somewhat distant from Kerbin itself, and being one of the first to be colonized, Duna would establish its own innovations to support their settlements—in contrast, the Mun would rely more on Kerbin. The licensed innovations on Duna (and likely on other planets) may be one of the few bargaining chips that they have against Kerbin—threatening to lock away access to key technologies might help Duna gain self-government.

The colonists being sent will accelerate this process. Travel to Duna will, at least in the early years, be mainly restricted to skilled individuals, who will be especially suited for making such advancements. Presumably, their children would also be brought up to be skilled, continuing this cultural aspect. Dunans (and many colonists in general) will probably be seen as quite adept at problem solving in tough situations, as required by the environment.

The following are my ideas for the approaches to planetary relations a Dunan government might take.

Moho: Relations with Moho might not be unfriendly, but the two planets would not share very strong ties. Especially early on, Moho could potentially provide beamed power to Duna, but as nuclear fusion becomes more available, Duna would have gradually weaker economic ties with Moho. Moho would also provide metals. However, Duna has few resources to offer Moho, with the potential exception of various services and entertainment.

Eve: Relations could vary, depending on the setting—they would certainly be complex. The two planets may find themselves in a rivalry between each other, as both are set to be the rising stars of the Inner Kerbol System and might host rival campaigns around the Kerbin system to attract migrants to each of the planets. Eve may have the upper hand early on, with its hospitality and energy, but they may slowly be outpaced as a Dunan space elevator dramatically cuts down transport costs to and from the surface. On Eve, a space elevator would be more difficult to build with the gravity involved, and a skyhook would only be fractionally as effective.

Kerbin: Strong relations, but nonetheless complex as well. It would be in Duna’s best interest to keep close ties and trade with Kerbin, as Kerbin space is likely to be a strong trade partner (especially with a space elevator). It would also be in Kerbin’s best interest to be a strong trade partner, in order to gain access to Duna’s technological advancements. However, the planets may disagree on certain issues, such as the movement of Kerbals towards Duna at an alarming rate, and if they haven’t gone through it, independence.

Dres and the (presumed) Asteroid Belt: Relations be powerful and positive, and the two powers may become the close allies. Duna is the best suited to stage resource exploitation and colonization efforts into the Belt, and would provide them with significant resources until they become more self-sufficient, establishing a friendly start. However, a more cynical view would be that Duna would help settle the asteroids, but also exploit them with not much benefit to the belters a la The Expanse.

Once settled, the asteroid belt would provide relatively inexpensive access to precious metals, creating a valuable investment. In return, Duna will continue to provide personnel in exchange. As a result of Duna’s relationship, Dunan culture may have the biggest outside contribution to the culture of the belt.

The Joolian System: In my opinion, relations will be quite strong. Just like the belt, Duna will invest in the system by sending personnel and equipment to the Joolian system, developing a strong relationship. However, as with Eve, there is the possibility of a strained relationship between the two powers. The main cause of this would be Laythe, as people flock to this ocean paradise far from Kerbol, people who might have settled on Duna. If Duna owns colonies on Laythe, the negative effects would be dampened, but this will not last if the colonies declare themselves independent or join a Joolian union.

One Problem At A Time: A Duna Story

    One minute, Landin Kerman was enjoying an evening of Human Space Program, with yet another successful launch of his friend’s communication satellite. The next minute, he was coughing his way out of the rubble that lay all about him, and the sound that took him back to all those terrible disaster-preparation classes wailed all across the dome. The depressurization alarm.

    As he crawled out of the fallen blocks of concrete scattered about, he turned around and saw that Nelsen’s room hadn’t fared very well either. In fact, a huge, surprisingly clear-cut hole had been blasted along the wall. He leapt across the shallow hole, rubble piles left, right and center, and rushed into the dimly lit room with Nelsen in the middle, who was being squeezed together by two especially large, irregular chunks.

That is when the notification flashed across his view. Landin had been assigned to be in one of the city’s many emergency response teams. However, he was only a backup, whose help would be appreciated but was not necessary. Besides, he knew that the domes could heal the impact of even large meteorites. In front of him, Nelsen was scratched and bruised. The priority was clear.

    “I’ve got you, Nelsen!” shouted Landin, straining every part of his body as he ever so slightly shifted the block.

    “Be careful!”

    “Hopefully this’ll get you out… hmmph!”

    “That… Didn’t exactly work.” croaked Nelsen. “Say, what’s that notification you’ve got?”

    “What?”

    “The emergency response one, right?”

    “It’s still there?!”

    “Yeah. Good luck—you have to do what you have to, right?” sighed Nelsen.

    Landin ran out into the lush trees that lined the roads of the city. The transport was already waiting, its avatar clearly not impressed with Landin’s lack of punctuality.

    It virtually poked Landin, droning, “You’re late! Get in!”

    The transport zoomed towards the dome access elevators, thin pillars that barely stood out from the gridding of the dome and the dusty red skies, spotted by wispy clouds. The trees all seemed to coalesce into a dizzying mess. The transport seemed to be aiming for a crash Landin was not going to survive, until suddenly, Landin felt as if he was being thrown out of the transport, only to have a tight grip slam him back into the seat. Oof!

In any case, the transport had arrived onto the elevator platform.

    “Get your pressure suit on!” A panel directly above Landin slammed open, smothering him with a freshly-packaged dark blue suit with the words “APPROVED FOR CIVILIAN USE” emblazoned on the package, which Landin ripped open like an enormous bag of kerpatos. He stood up, clutching the instruction pamphlet, only to be sat back down by force from the acceleration of the elevator. The buildings all seemed to warp away from him.

    Groaning his way back up, Landin was able to don his suit with surprising ease, and the transport reached the little airlock, where Rodcan Kerman, the team leader, stared down at him, arms crossed. His face was that of disappointment and contempt.

    “Is there any reason you could not make it earlier?” Rodcan grumbled.

    “I was trying to help a friend out of the rubble.”

    “Listen, you’re only a backup but you should still do what’s best for the community as a whole.”

    “Alright. What should I do?”

    “The dome has been punctured... Quite badly in multiple locations. You’ll have to spread some tarp out over that hole over there. Once that’s done, make sure to create an airtight seal.”

    “Why didn’t the defense mechanisms stop the meteors?”

    “We’re not sure yet. The objects seemed to be particularly high speed, though.”

    “Why aren’t we simply overseeing the self-healing mechanisms?”

    “This impact was especially bad! It's incredibly improbable for a hit like this to happen in even a thousand years.”

    “What?!”

“Get going! I’ll get you there. Duna Prime counts on everyone’s work, including yours!”

    Landin switched on the suit’s systems, and the displays showed everything as nominal and perfectly ok. He gave a thumbs up to Rodcan, who replied with a thumbs up of approval—he couldn’t exactly nod in his suit. Landin stepped into the airlock chamber with Rodcan, and the cycle went as reliable as one could hope.

    Up here, near the top of the dome, Landin could see the rusty Dunan landscape and the ancillary domes stretching around him, with the clarity not even the landscape observatory could provide,The transparent panels revealed below Landin’s feet an intricate arrangement of streets, which seemed to come together as some enormous pattern. His heart began to race...

    Now Landin recalled the other reason he’d delayed. He was not exactly comfortable with seeing the ground ½ a kilometer beneath his feet. He’d decided he would accept the job, and try to challenge his fears head on, but the heights seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

    “Here, catch this!” Rodcan tossed the brightly colored, somewhat crinkled tarp over to Landin. Just a couple dozen leaps away was one of the six holes.

    Donski, Mirner, and Haivin shuffled precariously on the edge of what the displays were marked as “generally stable”, and already seemed to have a few tarps stitched together over most of the hole.

    “Landin! It appears we have run out of duct tape!” Donski declared, with a hybrid expression somewhere between a cringe and a grin.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    “Seriously though, did you bring a bottle of aerospace adhesive?” Haivin asked.

    “I’ve got it!” Rodcan said, leaping from behind, and threw a bottle of Jeb’s Junkyard-Aerospace Spares Co. Space Emergency Simple-and-Easy-to-Use Bottle of SuperStick.

    Rodcan hopped over to the hole, and injected the adhesive onto Landin’s tarp, and pressed the sheets of tarp against each other with each of his hands. Donski screwed in the latches at the corners of the surrounding dome panels. Next, Rodcan passed another bottle over to Mirner, and they pressed the bottles against the fabric, all the way around the rim and then once more, as they extracted every bit of adhesive from the bottle. Then, Donski hooked the tarp with the latches, and pushed down on the tab, securing the tapestry of tarps. With that, they brought the fabric against the dome, and made sure the entire edge stuck to the dome.

    “How’s the seal looking?” Mirner asked, hands shaking.

    The hiss of leaking air slowed to a stop.

    “Looks alright. It’ll probably hold long enough till we get something more permanent in here.” Rodcan declared. “Job well done, everyone. Let’s get back and make sure that everything is all clear—”

    In a split second, the perfectly intact elevator was gone, replaced with a disintegrating one. Landin felt the dome shake a little. This time, however, it wasn’t just the depressurization alarm that wailed. It was also the ortillery strike alert. The observatory telescope feed popped into view, revealing warships—and not the small, but sleek ones of Duna. They were the huge brutes of the Kerbin Combined Fleet. It seemed that Landin would be stuck here, at a dizzying height of 500 meters, with nothing to accompany him but his team and a hail of railgun shot.

Conclusion

Like Eve, Duna is set to be one of the rising centers of power in the Kerbol System. Unlike Eve, however, it is a relatively self-sufficient world, making it a more able challenger to Kerbin's power. Challenger. That may be the "role" of Duna in a colonized Kerbol System. Dunans will be the one to challenge the conditions of Duna with technology and challenge the control of Kerbin.

Thanks for Reading!

Next: Dres In A Colonized Kerbol System

 

 

Edited July 2, 2018 by SaturnianBlue
Formatting error

[greenTurtle1134]

1 hour ago, SaturnianBlue said:

Assuming they defeat the fleet around Kerbin

That should be "around Duna" right?

[SaturnianBlue]

1 hour ago, greenTurtle1134 said:

That should be "around Duna" right?

Indeed. I have now corrected that.

Edited June 21, 2018 by SaturnianBlue

[SaturnianBlue]

DRES IN A COLONIZED KERBOL SYSTEM

Chapter XXXVI of Imagining a Kerbal Future

Introduction

Dres doesn’t exist! That’s why I’m skipping this world—no, that would be wrong. We should treat worlds equally, right? 

Government

Dres (and many potential asteroids that may exist in its vicinity) would become colonized by a variety of interests, likely governments trying to gain an edge in the outer Kerbol System, or mining corporations. This is the result of the likely availability of water ice and the low delta-V required to access the resources, combined with the low delta-V to distribute the material. The colonization by many different powers would likely result in quite a few factions controlling small parts of Dres. At the same time, some sort of organization may develop to build major projects such as orbital rings, which would be overall beneficial to Dres, and would require the approval of multiple factions to be constructed.

If the Kerbol System has an asteroid belt, Dres would likely the main point of power, as it is likely the only major world. This would make Dres ideal as the seat of power for a federation in the asteroid belt. However, the belt would be dispersed, so groups may settle various asteroids without much control from an authority on Dres.

The Issues Facing Dres

There may be a small issue to the settlement of Dres. The widely known rumor that Dres does not, in fact, exist. As a result, anyone trying to encourage people to come to Dres will have to actively campaign for the fact that yes, Dres in fact exists. Even with the knowledge that Dres exists, there is still the belief that Dres is in fact boring—a real shame, given the existence of a massive canyon system. The unfortunate belief will likely prevent tourists from coming into the world. To summarize, Dres has some very bad PR, and it should work on it before travel to this world begins.

Far down the line, Dres may face a major choice. Assuming that methods of counteracting the effects of low gravity are developed, the dwarf planet could be paraterraformed, creating a world where a Kerbinlike environment and 1/9th G come together, first creating interesting variations on Kerbin activities, and gradually completely new activities. However, this would make continued mining of Dres more difficult, now that habitats comprise much of Dres’ surface.

Alternatively, Dres could see continued mining, with much of the material being used to create free space settlements, which could be modified for unique environments as well. Likely, a combination of these approaches will develop.

War

Dres by itself is unlikely to be a major military power, simply because:

A: There is no real need for Dres to act as an expansionist power

B: Dres, unlike Kerbin, for example, would likely not have the supply of money available

That said, it might be able to muster a proportionally powerful force, as it has access to lots of resources through mining (such as hydrogen for fuel) and trade. The trade would also make Dres an important spaceport, and as a result, it would have lots of shipyards for construction.

The two main conflicts might be over areas on Dres (like in the Mun scenario), or as part of a much larger multiplanetary conflict, with factions trying to gain control of the spaceports and mining facilities.

If Dres is controlled by rivalling system-spanning factions, the planet would likely see large fleets meant to conquer the rest of Dres. In more peaceful situations, however, the fleets of Dres are likely going to serve mainly as a patrol in the vicinity of Dres. They will enforce their control/customs, defend their assets, and rescue nearby stranded spacecraft. As a result, the ships of Dres will mostly be small and low delta-V vessels, perhaps with boarding parties.

A Dresian patrol ship—small, lightly armed, but suited for its role.

The primary target of Dres would likely be any of the main space launch methods the world uses to export goods, whether it be mass drivers, tethers, or orbital rings. However, the Dres system would still have the launch systems in the Dres Ring, which would continue to export goods—those would be a secondary target.

Additionally, preventing ships from reaching the main transportation hubs would have a major effect, especially for nearby asteroid colonies, which can neither receive or export goods to Dres or the other planets.

Battles between factions on Dres would be automated, with very few Kerbals actually living on Dres itself (most would prefer to live in orbital habitats, though this would not be the case if major paraterraforming takes place.

Demographics

The colonization of Dres will begin more slowly than the other worlds, so the population would be relatively new—therefore, not as much time will have existed for the culture on Dres to develop. Initially, the people coming to Dres will mainly be those who have come here to work in the settlements. Eventually, people who want to live in the habitats on/around Dres will come as well.

In my opinion, the population of Dres will reside in space habitats (likely located at Dres’ Ring or in locations near a space tether or orbital ring), or under domes. The population would remain quite small, likely comparable to Moho. However, the availability of resources will allow many habitats to be built, attracting Kerbals to Dres.

As mentioned earlier, the poor reputation of Dres may make it difficult for tourism to occur initially, but travellers will come to Dres in fairly large numbers, due to its role as a transport nexus.

Someone from Dres would be unlikely to adapt themselves or change because of the environment, which is far too harsh and the gravity would not be a concern, as residents will likely live in rotating habitats, whether on the ground or around Dres.

Trade and Relations

Moho: The two worlds are quite distant, but they may develop a friendly relationship through the trade of materials each world has relatively little of. Dres can export water, which exist on Moho, but may be somewhat limited. Dres can import metals from Moho, being a rather small world which may not have very easily available metal.

Eve: Dres is likely to be closely related with Eve, as parts of Dres will very likely become one of the main sources of water for Eve, whether as a trade partner or as a colony. I’m not sure what Eve would have in exchange, though, aside from equipment and personnel to establish the colony.

The Kerbin System: The Kerbin system will help establish the colony with equipment and personnel. Down the line, the system could also provide the bulk of tourists and a massive population boost from those who want to live near/on Dres. In return, Dres would provide the Kerbin system with a way to easily access the belt from a central hub.

Duna: Duna will be a close ally (or the colonizer) of Dres, being in an excellent position to support colonies on Dres, and providing a large part of Dres’ population. In return, Duna would have an excellent access point to more distant belt worlds. With so many Dunans on Dres, it would be in the best interest for both of these worlds to remain friendly.

Other Asteroids: Asteroids near Dres would be absolutely dependent on Dres. Dres provides an interface between the rest of the planets and the small settlements of the asteroids, eliminating the need for those on other asteroids to take a long trip to another planet to enjoy similar services. In addition, the dwarf planet would also act as a centralized processing center for the raw resources mined on the asteroids, eliminating the need for each settlement to have its own refineries. Additionally, Dres may be settled to the point that many more trades and services besides those related to mining take hold, and residents of smaller asteroids may travel to Dres when the two asteroids get near, and spend some of their savings on the various services found on Dres. On the other hand, Dres may not be particularly close to a significant portion of the belt, as certain planets may actually be closer at many times than Dres itself. 

The Joolian System: The relationship between Dres and Jool may differ wildly depending on the scenario. If interest in worlds like Laythe, for example, are particularly high, then Jool may actually be the one establishing a colony on Dres, but it could also be the opposite.

Culture

It is my opinion that the culture of Dres will have a mix of various different elements, with the primary parts being elements from Kerbin cultures, from Duna, possibly Jool, and the various elements of the cultures in the asteroid belt, which may develop quite quickly without much external contact.

Conclusion

Dres is a small, but very much useful world, helping to open up the belt and will be poised to be the “Connection”. It will help connect the belt with the rest of the Kerbol system, possibly connect the outer and inner Kerbol systems, and it will connect Eve to an easily accessible source of water ice.

Thanks for Reading!

Next: The Joolian System In A Colonized Kerbol System, Part One

Edited July 13, 2018 by SaturnianBlue

[The Minmus Derp]

Woot, Woot! Yay!

[SaturnianBlue]

Due to the expansive nature of discussing the Joolian system, the next few chapters are going to take longer than the Dres one. This does mean give all of you to pitch ideas for the chapter.

[The Minmus Derp]

Maybe Jool might have Floating Cities like Cloud City on Bespin. Also, Laythe might be Terraformed.

[Laythe Squid]

How about underwater cities on Laythe?

[SaturnianBlue]

@The Minmus Derp @Laythe Squid Those were discussed in their respective "colonizing" chapters. For ideas I was thinking more in the topics of this series, like government, issues facing the system, war, demographics, etc...

Edited June 26, 2018 by SaturnianBlue

[obney kerman]

Joolians would likely face discrimination based on which moon they originated from.

[The Minmus Derp]

20 hours ago, obney kerman said:

Joolians would likely face discrimination based on which moon they originated from.

Nooooo!

[obney kerman]

32 minutes ago, The Minmus Derp said:

Nooooo!

?

Please explain.

[The Minmus Derp]

Just now, obney kerman said:

?

Please explain.

Discrimination is BAAAAAAAD!

[DAL59]

On 4/29/2018 at 11:05 AM, SaturnianBlue said:

 

How did you make this image work?  Isn't there a load distance limit of a few km?

On 6/24/2018 at 7:06 PM, SaturnianBlue said:

Proceeds to show little interest in an Eeloo in a Colonized Kerbol System chapter)

I think Eeloo would probably be isolationist, and using the ice to fuel a starship that will take a long time to construct.  

[SaturnianBlue]

2 minutes ago, DAL59 said:

How did you make this image work?  Isn't there a load distance limit of a few km?

Combination of drawings and copy paste of the spacecraft I made in-game.

[DAL59]

1 minute ago, SaturnianBlue said:

Combination of drawings and copy paste of the spacecraft I made in-game.

Do you know of anyway to increase load distance?  It would be very cool to see a planet covered in habitats in game.  

[SaturnianBlue]

Just now, DAL59 said:

Do you know of anyway to increase load distance?  It would be very cool to see a planet covered in habitats in game.  

I know there's a physics range extender mod for actual ships related with BDArmory, and you could probably use Kerbinside for habitats as well.

[SaturnianBlue]

THE JOOLIAN SYSTEM IN A COLONIZED KERBOL SYSTEM: PART ONE

Chapter XXXVII of Imagining a Kerbal Future

Introduction

    At last, we have arrived at the largest of the planetary systems—the Joolian System. With its vast collections of resources and potentially habitable living spaces, this system is destined to be a major power. As a colony, it may truly be the “Jool in the crown”.

Government

    Rich in resources yet rich in environments, the Joolian System will be a major draw for all sorts of groups, making the possibilities for government overall more diverse. However, each moon will attract different interests. Laythe would attract companies seeking to take advantage of the temperate conditions to use less durable equipment, and anyone interested in settlement, especially if the harsh conditions of other worlds make colonization too difficult. Vall would attract groups with an interest in securing pure water ice, whether to sell or to help sustain another colony. Tylo will attract companies who want to provide services to those colonizing the various moons. Lastly, Bop and Pol will be settled to help provide resources to the colonies closer to Jool.

    If a unified Joolian government forms (which would be quite the feat, given that there will be many groups trying to colonize the system), it is going to be based in Laythe, as it will be the main population center of the Joolian system. However, there is a small possibility that it is on an orbital habitat around Tylo, because Laythe requires transports with high amounts of radiation shielding—making it harder to reach.

    A representative-based unified Joolian government will have to deal with the problem of how to represent its population. With Laythe having so much of the system’s population, other worlds may feel that they are underrepresented in the system. Additionally, there would be the issue of representing orbital habitats—would they be grouped with the area they orbit in, would they be each be represented, and would smaller habitats be grouped together to form one portion worth of “representation”?

Issues Facing the Joolian System

    The Joolian System will face relatively few challenges, once the colonies are well-established.  The Joolian system appears to be very self-sufficient in regards to resources, and most certainly doesn’t suffer from the impression that it is boring. However, there are some potential issues the Joolian System may come across.

    First, will Jool become independent of the groups that settled it? If so, how? Given the fact that the Joolian system is self-sufficient, a well-organized movement could probably succeed in creating an independent Joolian System, especially since Jool’s distance from the rest of the worlds makes it difficult to organize a response to the movement.

The Spectra graphics mod depicts bioluminescent life in the atmosphere.

    If Laythe and the oceans of Vall are discovered to host alien life, how would it affect the development of the Joolian system?

    I suspect that completely closing the two worlds to colonization or only to a few unkerballed probes would be met with severe opposition. Such a decision prevents the utilization of some of the best real estate in the Kerbol System. Consequently, the Joolian System would develop very slowly. The surface of Vall and the rest of the moons will continue to be colonized, but most of the appeal in colonizing the system disappears. As a result, the system will be seen as little more than a scientific curiosity and a decent site for mining.

    If the restriction imposed is the banning of all kerballed spacecraft and the requirement for unmanned ships to be sterilized, development of the Joolian System would happen somewhat faster. Major companies would still  set up mining bases on Laythe, because the low operating costs will ultimately outweigh the high cost of sterilization. However, the Joolian System will continue to have a low population.

    Provided the lifeforms of the world are compatible with Kerbals, the development of the Joolian System might progress as it would if there were no aliens. Certain islands or parts of the ocean may be completely closed off as a nature reserve, but that still leaves much of each world to be colonized. However, it makes one decision later on to be more controversial—terraforming.

Laythe is perhaps the easiest place to terraform. If the CO2 and ammonia can be removed from the air and the seas without drastically dropping temperatures and freezing the oceans, Laythe is a world where clothes from Kerbin would suit people just fine. The air may be quite thin, but still liveable. If terraformed with alien lifeforms already living on the moon, then there is a serious risk that the major changes brought by terraforming will make it harder for organisms to survive. Like Duna, however, there is an alternative—paraterraforming, which would only change the conditions inside the dome.

It might be possible to modify Laytheian life as well...

    Vall would also be faced with the same decision, but much later, because terraforming Vall does not have as much appeal as Laythe, primarily because Laythe is already so habitable. Additionally, (para)terraforming Vall would create a pure ocean world, with little access to resources except from far above or far below.

    The population of the Joolian system will be concentrated on Laythe, but whether for purposes of business or pleasure, there is likely to be a lot of transportation between the moons of Jool. While Kerbin and Duna can utilize space elevators to travel quickly between moons, this will not work in the Joolian System. Every moon that orbits Jool does not have a Sphere of Influence large enough to allow a synchronous orbit. Additionally, a further challenge is posed by radiation in the Inner Joolian system.

    Orbital tethers and skyhooks, on the other hand, would provide a working solution, but they will not be effective on Laythe, where a vehicle has to climb above the atmosphere to reach the tip. For Laythe, I suspect the main launch methods to be launch loops, mass drivers, or an orbital ring.

War and Military

The Need for Militaries Around Jool

    In the case of a Joolian system split among unfriendly powers, the main need for a military would be to defend against the other factions or conquer them. Such a military would be geared towards a quick response, because of the close proximity of the worlds. For a unified Jool, the main need is to defend against invading forces, or perhaps in order to invade other colonies.

    For the most part, either of these forces will probably have the capability to produce the military to fulfill their purposes, because the Joolian System will gain significant wealth and power, and the abundant resources of the system. Corporate colonies would be at a disadvantage in the arms race, since they must also focus on creating profit. The factions with greater control of Laythe and Tylo will be better prepared, since the former has lots of resources and industry as a whole, while Tylo will have the resources and the shipyards.

Invasion

    Joolian habitats would ultimately succumb to a lack of resources. Joolian habitats are quite safe from bombardment, being protected from a thick atmosphere. They would also be safe from an invasion, which would have to survive an extremely intense reentry and would then have to get near the habitat and somehow board it. However, they would not survive a blockade. In the atmosphere of Jool, the habitats will be almost as resource-starved as a space station. Eventually, all the reserves will be spent, and they must surrender.

    Laythe would be well-protected in a war. Lying well inside the radiation belt of Jool, only certain ships with extra radiation shielding will get near the world. This would be problematic for ships that have travelled from outside the Joolian System, which may not be designed to survive the higher amount of radiation. However, this also means that Laythe can be blockaded if the transport system required to travel to the moon is disabled, since typical transports would be unable to reach Laythe. This will be countered by the fact that Laythe is generally self-sufficient.

    Bombarding Laythe will be a difficult process. Defenses like anti-orbit laser submarines would be difficult to destroy, and Laythe has the resources to continue the fight even under a blockade for a very long time. The cities on Laythe are unlikely to be heavily shielded, so they would be vulnerable to attack. However, attacking the cities will likely only strengthen the defenders’ resolve. As a result, the aim of a bombardment will be to directly attack the capability of Laythe to defend itself, by focusing on production sites for weapons and anti-orbit defenses, though both are likely to be hidden underground or underwater. Another aim could be economic targets, in hopes that the damage will cause the Laytheians to give up.

    Invading Laythe should be avoided if possible. Landing on Laythe will require dropships to have both radiation shielding and heat shielding, forcing Laythe invasion craft to be practically purpose built. Landing on the islands will mean that the enemy is nearby and may be waiting at the landing site, while trying to attack from the beach would probably be suicidal. If the initial invasion managed to succeed, it will still have to face the problems of any planetary invasion.

    On Laythe, battles would be relatively similar to ones on Kerbin. The main differences are that some sort of protection from the sea spray and a gas mask are necessary, as well as the greater role controlling the ocean would have, as it connects the isolated islands.

    Vall would be more vulnerable to attack. The water ice makes the creation of bunkers extremely easy, but it does mean that the barrier between the bunker and the surface is weak, so an extremely large nuke, for example, might severely damage a base not dug in very deep. If nukes are not used, however, Vall would still have to confront the fact that a blockade would prevent Vall from accessing key resources. These include fissiles and likely metals, greatly impacting the ability of the world to keep fighting. Enforcing a blockade would be fairly difficult on Vall, however, because there is no magnetic field to shield ships from the radiation belts. As a result, invading Vall is likely not necessary.     

    Ironically for a world so far from Kerbol, Tylo is relatively lacking in water. However, this might only be a minor bottleneck for a Tylo colony under a blockade. Though it is mainly a rock world, Tylo will likely have been struck by icy comets, given its position in the Kerbol System. It is quite possible that water ice could be found in permanently shadowed craters. As a result, the attackers are in for a brutal fight. Bombardment will mainly focus on disrupting the sources of water Tylo does have, as well as the methods used to export goods out of Tylo. During the bombardment, the defenders have enormous caves to protect themselves, so bombarding bunkers and bases will be difficult at best.

    Tylo does not have the benefit that a dropship DOES have when invading Laythe, the atmosphere. Tylo dropships will have to contain both lots of propellant (or the normal load, just one-way), and powerful engines, reducing what can actually be brought down. The high gravity combined with spacesuits will constrain mobility, and power suits will be few in number, as a result of their mass. More so than most invasions, invading Tylo will be brutal. However, Tylo would also be a harsher environment for resistance forces to fight on, being the one without an atmosphere and the most temperature extremes. In conclusion, fighting on Tylo would be like an extreme version of fighting on the Mun or Moho.

    Bop and Pol are probably quite easy to take control of. Once the defenses are dealt with, a relatively small invasion force could take the moon over—I don’t expect a huge force to defend the little moons. As relatively easy targets, an interplanetary invasion force would use these moons to gain a foothold in the Joolian system.

Joolian Warship Design

    How might the environment of the Joolian System affect how warships are designed there? The first major consideration would be a greater resistance to radiation shielding. As a result, Joolian warships may be equipped with magnetic radiation shielding when transiting to moons like Laythe and Vall. There may also be greater emphasis on automating the spacecraft, so less shielding is required (although the radiation shielding may partially double as armor). Like with many spacecraft built for use mainly inside a planetary system, warships designed in a situation where the Joolian System is under a faction split will mainly focus on high thrust to respond to situations quickly.

    In the next chapter, we'll continue our exploration of a fully colonized Joolian System.

Thanks for Reading!

Next: The Joolian System In A Colonized Kerbol System, Part Two

Edited July 1, 2018 by SaturnianBlue

[RealKerbal3x]

These are great! Good job @SaturnianBlue!

[SaturnianBlue]

@RealKerbal3xThank you!

[The Minmus Derp]

Awesome! @SaturnianBlue

[MatterBeam]

I really like the trade and relations charts of the Kerbol system.

Great job, keep it up!