HOME | DD
DJBIG — Commercial Asteroid Smelter
Published: 2010-12-05 05:18:47 +0000 UTC; Views: 2197; Favourites: 31; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
As the title says, this is a commercial asteroid smelter. Its sole purpose is to melt down asteroids into usable construction material for manufactory and assembler ships. It uses high powered lasers to cut and partially melt asteroids. While the target asteroid is in its partially melted state, directed gravity waves are applied to create spin. This spin creates centrifugal forces which separate the various minerals for easy extraction.The small material collection ship attached to the exterior of the ship undocks and brings in the material using high powered traction projectors.
Once a full load is gathered, the ship either gravitationally tethers the collected material to its exterior platform and makes a hyper jump back to an orbital industrial site or it transports the material to a nearby manufactory ship.
Related content
Comments: 5
It would depend on the political region it was operating in. Areas deep within the borders of its home nation would probably be okay without any. Areas further out that might have pirates and commerce raiders would probably need a light escort.
Obviously any operations behind active enemy lines would require fleet involvement or risk capture or destruction. I'm working on another, larger industrial ship at the moment that actually takes the raw material and turns it into usable products. This is an extremely complex and expensive ship that would not go anywhere there wasn't fleet support and lots of it.
For this vessel however, they are usually owned and operated by private industry. On occasion, like for secret missions, there will be fleet representatives on board as an advising and oversight committee.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Keep them from the Armathyce asteroid belt and we'll be good. It's the Bjytes main source of raw materials. The planet-less have the misfortune of having to mine only asteroids and not planets.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Sounds good. They could be good trade partners though. Sound like they could use some finished goods. Pain in the butt to manufacture everything from orbit.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Aye. I'll run it by Commander Virythi.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0