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

[Kosmonaut]

I imagine you're continuing this story with this dude touring around before going out of system

 

love it

[The Minmus Derp]

Do Duna NOW!

[SaturnianBlue]

44 minutes ago, The Minmus Derp said:

Do Duna NOW!

Expect the next chapter in at least a week...

[VelocityPolaris]

I don't know the answers to the Duna questions, but I'm thinking that most of their habitats would be underground, since there's not a great deal to protect them from space rays. Obviously, KSP doesn't really have underground buildings, but the capsule corp. moon village mod seems to give off that subterranean-y feel.

Also, here's a bit of trivia I saw in a Mars book, maybe it also applies to Duna. Without dust, Mars would have a black or whitish sky. But dust storms send static-charged dust to hang in the sky, and another dust storm inevitably sweeps the same spot before the dust can settle. That lead the author to speculate that Martian colonist farmers would almost-instinctively know when the next dust storm would be about to hit, just by looking at the shade of colour of the sky.

[SaturnianBlue]

Any thoughts on Dunan cultural values and customs that might logically arise?

[VelocityPolaris]

9 hours ago, SaturnianBlue said:

Any thoughts on Dunan cultural values and customs that might logically arise?

First thought that shows up is to not waste resources, maybe something along the line of treating technology with great respect, like, I dunno, bowing and removing your hat in the presence of your great-great-grandfather's carbon extractor? 

[Kosmonaut]

Due to the radiationn, going outside would be difficult- perhaps a more sedentary lifestyle?

I would also have a small 1950s small-town america vibe for the working bases due to the mining culture and everyone doing the same thing in adulthood

[SaturnianBlue]

THE DUNA SYSTEM IN A COLONIZED KERBOL SYSTEM: PART ONE

Chapter XXXIV of Imagining a Kerbal Future

We return to the red planet of Duna - a long time favorite destination for players of KSP.

Government

    In thinking of government, one should consider who settles Duna. Corporations would be much more interested in developing the Mun, which has a stronger business case. As a result, some ambitious Kerbin governments, or a wealthy Elon Kerman might try their hand at colonizing Duna. With a government effort, I could imagine the settlement government resembling the colonizing government. On the other hand, a wealthy individual might do whatever they want, to an extent.

    In contrast to the settlements on the Mun, the early settlements on Duna will likely have more autonomy and be more self-reliant, given the light delay and travel times. Once a colony grows to a certain size, a council may be necessary. A few of the representatives might be from the Kerbin government, a few from corporations, and the majority being the actual colonists.

Once settlement of Duna begins to take off, a pan-Dunan alliance or federation might be formed, making travel and other activities between the various colonies more convenient. This could eventually achieve independence. On the other hand, this might not be the case, and colonies would be controlled by various groups. Even with an alliance, there may be colonists that might start their own settlements, who remain quite independent of anyone else, except to trade.

The Issues of the Duna System

    An issue of note that I haven’t covered that faces any colony is the choice of sticking to the old customs of kerbin, or if the new colony should start with a blank slate. This doesn’t necessarily mean a total breakaway from Kerbin. It could also be about making Duna a “fresh start” for Kerbalkind. This ideal might be a major motivation for individual Kerbals to come to Duna. Such kerbals will be especially disappointed, however, if they find that Duna is still host to a culture not unlike that of Kerbin. Perhaps such colonists may attempt to scrape together the resources for a settlement of their own on Duna. This might become commonplace on a terraformed Duna, speaking of which...

    To terraform or not to terraform Duna… An issue covered (through the real-life counterpart of Duna, Mars) extensively in works such as The Mars Trilogy, for example. Indeed, the direction and approach may set the course of Dunan history. Here is an exploration of certain viewpoints. In my opinion, I imagine that a couple elements from some of the approaches will be synthesized.

    Terraforming

    What will allow Kerbals to live in great numbers in the Duna system? The answer lies in terraforming. By completely changing the planet of Duna, a new oasis will be brought to life in the Kerbol system.

    Terraforming can very easily use the resources available on the planet for building the infrastructure to allow the project to happen. This is in contrast to settling space, which will necessitate the use of delta-V or space elevators to bring resources to the construction sites.

    There is something merely different about being able to walk out into the open air, instead of being trapped in a cylinder or under a dome. For one thing, there is a sense of great security without the threat of an asteroid or habitat breach resulting in asphyxiation for you and countless others. Even if certain infrastructure contributing to the terraforming efort are destroyed, the changes to the climate of Duna will surely be gradual, not near-instant.

    Terraforming may be a lengthy process, but certain methods can be used to make it less so. Kerbals can use genetics or robotics to allow them to walk on Duna, even if it is only partially terraformed.

  Effects

    On the surface, the main effect would be apparent—even if terraforming is only partially carried out, there would be large open farms and forests, in addition to lakes and seas.

    If genetic tweaks are implemented by much of the populace, we could see Duna become isolated from Kerbin, as it will be more difficult for them to interact in an environment that suits both of them.

    Since this approach is the one that takes the most action against the current state of Duna, it is likely to also be the one that sees the most opposition, which could manifest itself in various ways, with the extreme being outright sabotage of terraforming infrastructure.

    Paraterraforming

    Paraterraforming is the technique where pressurized habitats are built, eventually covering the planet. By changing Duna, we can more gradually make Duna more habitable.

    While terraforming is a lengthy process, paraterraforming allows some habitation very quickly, and according to demands and need. As a result, there will be more interest in supporting the project, since results can be seen relatively quickly.

    Second, paraterraforming is more efficient. While terraforming Duna requires the entire atmosphere to be changed, paraterraforming only requires enough atmosphere to fill the entire enclosure, which may be only a few kilometers high. This would allow it to be better adjusted according to the needs or taste of the population as well.

    Third, there is simply a better place for terraforming—Laythe, which is already quite similar to Kerbin, and therefore takes far less effort to terraform. A kerbol system-wide organization, if given the choice of dedicating their resources towards terraforming Duna or Laythe, would most likely choose Laythe.

    Lastly, paraterraforming has better control of what is affected on Duna. If life is discovered on Duna, then we can simply avoid covering that area, while terraforming might destroy it or require an enclosure to be built.

    As a result, paraterraforming provides Duna with a more effective alternative to traditional terraforming.

Effects

    For both this scenario and the terraforming one, Ike is likely to be relatively unsettled, being host to robotic mining and manufacturing sites, connected to Duna by space elevator, but little more.

    Dunans in this scenario are unlikely to tweak themselves, aside from adaption to the gravity—going outside will mainly be for sightseeing, after all. As a result, Duna wouldn’t become isolated as quickly.

    This scenario is likely to yield Duna the highest surface population early on, since terraforming doesn’t provide new living space for most of the project’s duration, while the following approach is unlikely to give Duna much of a surface population at all.

    Settle Space

Admittedly this is the one I favor the most, and the one I was simply able to rationalize the best.

    Indeed, the surface has resources, but living there requires one to put up with low gravity, and terraforming the place will be a lengthy process of many hundreds of years. Better option lie with cities in the space around Duna, where Dunans should instead live.

    The first main advantage of settling space is that there is a much quicker return-on-investment. As a result, you can slowly build more habitats to meet demand, while with terraforming, much of Duna is uninhabitable for the majority of the project. Another threat for terraforming is the potential for interstellar travel to become increasingly more viable. Instead of having to considerably change a world to live on the surface, colonists may instead have to wear minimal gear even when they land, and only a little effort may be required to make the planet fully habitable. As a result, the terraforming project may become an invalid white elephant before it even reaches completion.

    Second, space habitats have very high climate control. Both terraforming and paraterraforming are physically incapable of changing the gravity on Duna without some absurd measures. On the other hand, a space habitat only has to adjust their spin speed.

Third, space habitats will be less expensive, consume far less resources, and be considerably safer. For example, terraforming may require comets to enter the atmosphere of Duna, which could be quite dangerous for ground inhabitants, if the trajectory is miscalculated. That comet may only contribute a slight bit to the overall terraforming effort, while that same comet could probably provide the water for entire cylinders.

This would preserve natural features...like this.

Fourth, we would preserve Duna as we know it. Many landscapes and wonders may be destroyed or affected in the process of terraforming, and even paraterraforming may also end with a similar result, since air can escape into the atmosphere, for example. Some sites can be preserved, but landmarks that may come to be of greater interests later on might have already been destroyed.

In conclusion, it is clear that living in space is the way to go, not living on Duna. This does not mean that we cannot carry out activities on the world itself, of course—surely there will be mining installations and tourist sites. By settling space, Duna can dedicate its resources to asserting its power.

Effects

For one thing, this approach would probably lead to Duna becoming host to the second most space habitats, following only Kerbin. The planet itself would probably remain the same way it has always been, perhaps with only a few domed cities, not much more. The main export material for Duna will be water ice from the poles, for use in the space habitats.

The Dunan physique would remain similar to that of Kerbin, having spent most of their time in similar environments. WIthout the relative isolation that living in different g forces might present, Dunans may feel more closely associated with Kerbiners, and this might delay the growth of a unique Dunan identity.

In this Duna system, we will see a highly developed Ike. Ike would provide much of the material for the habitats, since it will be the most accessible source, especially since most habitats will orbit at Duna synchronous orbit just like Ike, in order to allow space elevator access to the surface. The demand for its resources will turn Ike into a single massive industrial center. In the far future, Ike might be deconstructed completely, having been converted into O’Neill cylinders.

As I discussed in the previous chapter, there would likely be a lot of Kerbals headed off for other planets, and unlike the Mun, they may not come from corporations. It would be no surprise if many of them settled on Duna. This could be problematic in the eyes of the local authority in charge of Duna. For one thing, they may be unable to build enough housing areas to place the new arrivals in, perhaps forcing them to be temporarily located in bare minimum habitats, or altogether restrict travel from Kerbin.

War

Invasion

Ike would be a major strategic target to bombard or conquer for an invading fleet. Ike, as a nexus between Duna and the rest of the Kerbol system, will store lots of resources in warehouses, including reaction mass, and life support—necessary for maintaining the fleet. Even if the resources are destroyed when Dunan forces escape Ike, it means Duna cannot use them, and they lose a key access point to space. While it is important, Ike is a difficult place to invade, and for that matter maintain control of—surface defenses on Duna will have little problem striking the fleet stationed there.

Capturing Ike results in a reduced need for large, vulnerable supply ships like this one

If a conflict begins on Ike, it is likely to spread or garner action from the rest of the Duna system. First, Ike is simply much closer to its home planet than the Mun is to Kerbin, making what happens on Ike of more immediate relevance to the people down on Duna. The proximity would also intertwine the two worlds, quite literally it a space elevator is built between them.

Invading Duna itself would be not too difficult if the invaders had control of the space elevator. However, the cable will be almost certainly destroyed by the defending Dunans, forcing any invasion to rely on dropships. In a populated world like Duna, an invasion will be difficult, just like on Eve. However, an invasion force here will have full visibility of the ground, making orbital bombardment strikes more accurate and effective. In addition, the invasion force has no laser submarines to be worried about, and will not be hampered by higher-G forces.

Fighting Between Space Settlements

Two warships patrol the space around the settlements under siege

    If fighting ever breaks out against/between space settlements, the attackers will probably rely on a siege or blockade to force the settlement into surrender. Outright destroying a habitat with potentially a large amount of civilians on it would be hugely controversial, while an invasion is also likely to end badly, as the invaders may find themselves fighting a large, armed population.

Fighting Between Ground Colonies

One difference a ground battle on Duna might have compared to one on Kerbin is that aerial, close-in reconnaissance drones would be more difficult to use. The thin air will force designs to use large wings that would be easily detectable and consequently vulnerable to destruction.

In general, however, I cannot think of any more major difference in ground warfare compared to Kerbin, aside from the fact that vehicles will have to be airtight and better-suited to low gravity.

War Scenario: Introduction

    Let us start off with a classic—the Dunan War of Independence. Duna has been unified under the locally-based Dunan Congressional Authority, in order to reduce trade barriers. This has worked well for the various nations of Kerbin, as it has reduced the need for settlements to produce everything they have to, and has made business overall easier. However, this would only harm Kerbin powers if the DCA declares independence, since it will be an organized movement.

    Duna’s population has begun to bloom, and its industry is on par with the continental powers on Kerbin. The population has now reached 80 million, the majority residing in space settlements in the “Ike Belt” and on the planet itself, in massive cities under “tarps” and domes. Duna and the DCA are also closely associated with various asteroid colonies, which provide most of the resources that Duna cannot provide itself.

    At this point, Kerbin has begun to lose a lot of population to emigration—not a huge amount percentage wise, of course, but unfortunately, many of these Kerbals tend to be young or quite skilled. It has not helped that the DCA has campaigned heavily around the Kerbin System for new immigrants, offering various incentives for a fresh start. As the red planet grows ever more independent from Kerbin, the calls for independence grow slowly louder…

Thanks for Reading!

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

 

[Sorabh]

I was wondering, back in the colonial days, long before telegram, empires functioned smoothly even when there was a delay of over a year in communications. Won't the same apply when it comes to Duna? Or for that matter, Mars as well?

[SaturnianBlue]

On May 15, 2018 at 12:41 AM, Sorabh said:

I was wondering, back in the colonial days, long before telegram, empires functioned smoothly even when there was a delay of over a year in communications. Won't the same apply when it comes to Duna? Or for that matter, Mars as well?

I suppose yes. Transportation in a colonized Kerbol system might move a bit faster, but in terms of communications, there is, in the grand scene of things, practically no delay.

[Kosmonaut]

On 5/15/2018 at 12:41 AM, Sorabh said:

I was wondering, back in the colonial days, long before telegram, empires functioned smoothly even when there was a delay of over a year in communications. Won't the same apply when it comes to Duna? Or for that matter, Mars as well?

Colonialism functioned to due exploitation of the locals- either through slavery or genocide. Everyone was united in the common goal of expanding what they saw as the correct way of life (for example, the French Republic or the British Empire) and slavery, although morally reprehensable, is great for the economy. Things turned out for the colonizing soldiers and elite because they had endless resources, including human, at their fingertips that they could exploit at any time.

I doubt there would be native Dunans to slaughter so I don't think that would happen here

[Sorabh]

7 hours ago, Kosmonaut said:

Colonialism functioned to due exploitation of the locals- either through slavery or genocide. Everyone was united in the common goal of expanding what they saw as the correct way of life (for example, the French Republic or the British Empire) and slavery, although morally reprehensable, is great for the economy. Things turned out for the colonizing soldiers and elite because they had endless resources, including human, at their fingertips that they could exploit at any time.

I doubt there would be native Dunans to slaughter so I don't think that would happen here

Oh, I was only concerned about the communication part of colonialism, not the ethical one. Even with endless resources, the only form of long distance communication that they had was via ships, which would take months to travel from England to Calcutta(Farthest profitable colony HQ). Remember, there was no Suez Canal back in the 1800s. The earliest East Indian colonies functioned under direct orders from the British East Indian Company HQ at London. It was only after the Company expanded it's territory that some amount of autonomy was provided. The control of Indian colonies shifted to The Crown  after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and the British officers enjoyed more autonomy in India but were still restricted.

I believe Duna colonies will eventually gain partial autonomy, but only when the colonies get too large to be maintained directly by Kerbin HQ. And even then, several restrictions would be applied.(Maybe a Viceroy equivalent?)

[The Minmus Derp]

MOAR

[SaturnianBlue]

I've been busy with preparing for the International Space Development Conference, so I haven't been able to work on IAKF for a few days, and I'll probably be busy attending the events there in a few days, so you might not see many posts for the next few weeks (with school finals on the horizon).

[Barzon]

11 hours ago, SaturnianBlue said:

International Space Development Conference

Eh?

[SaturnianBlue]

@Barzon Kerman Participants of the NASA Ames Space Settlement Contest (including me) are invited to the annual conference, where people in the space industry meet to discuss topics like technology, space settlement, etc.

[Barzon]

51 minutes ago, SaturnianBlue said:

NASA Ames Space Settlement Contest

What is this? Also - thats amazing! Must be really interesting!

Edited May 21, 2018 by Barzon Kerman

[SaturnianBlue]

@Barzon Kerman A NASA contest where you submit a work (usually a design proposal) related to space settlement.

Edited May 21, 2018 by SaturnianBlue

[Kosmonaut]

On 5/18/2018 at 2:04 AM, Sorabh said:

snip

I fully agree- but what I mean is that colonies didn't need communication because of how ruthlessly efficient they were

[The Minmus Derp]

MOAR!!!!!,!!

On 5/18/2018 at 1:04 AM, Sorabh said:

Oh, I was only concerned about the communication part of colonialism, not the ethical one. Even with endless resources, the only form of long distance communication that they had was via ships, which would take months to travel from England to Calcutta(Farthest profitable colony HQ). Remember, there was no Suez Canal back in the 1800s. The earliest East Indian colonies functioned under direct orders from the British East Indian Company HQ at London. It was only after the Company expanded it's territory that some amount of autonomy was provided. The control of Indian colonies shifted to The Crown  after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and the British officers enjoyed more autonomy in India but were still restricted.

I believe Duna colonies will eventually gain partial autonomy, but only when the colonies get too large to be maintained directly by Kerbin HQ. And even then, several restrictions would be applied.(Maybe a Viceroy equivalent?)

There would be almost no delay in terms of comms if the enforcers have alcubierre drives.

[SaturnianBlue]

What was meant to be a week-long break has unfortunately stretched into a month-long hiatus. I meant to get back into IAKF after getting back from the ISDC, but I just couldn't find the motivation to start again. In addition, I have my final exams this week, so I have to study. Therefore, I won't be able to work on IAKF for the week. However, finals week does mean the end of the school year, so I'll be able to work on the series a lot more. I'll try to be more frequent in my uploads—I often faced a lot of perfectionism in writing the chapters, which really hurt progress, and I certainly don't want to spend much of my free time this summer on this alone.

[Barzon]

I hope your exams go well!  

[The Minmus Derp]

GOOD LUCK!

[SaturnianBlue]

Next chapter is coming up...

[greenTurtle1134]

On 5/21/2018 at 7:46 PM, The Minmus Derp said:

There would be almost no delay in terms of comms if the enforcers have alcubierre drives.

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...

One dynamic I can see interplanetary colonies having is that communication times are low but travel times are fast, so if you want to change the rules on a colony you can send the message straight away but you can't get forces there for several months. I feel as if wars of revolution would be changed by this because you overcome the enemy forces in-system, then have to deal with the massive fleet coming a few weeks later.