Welcome to the tenth Dev Diary entry of 'Space Station Designer'. In the previous entry, we wrapped up a seven-part series that covered the various mechanics available in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) station. Beyond LEO, Space Station Designer allows us to establish stations in higher orbits, and even around the Moon. In this article, we'll cover the basics behind the Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO) station.
A Geosynchronous Orbit is a special type of orbit with an orbital period that matches the Earth's rotation. In Space Station Designer, the GSO station is in a circular Geosynchronous Orbit, with a constant altitude of 35,786 km. In practice, this means that the station is always positioned above the same point on Earth.
The relationships among the Earth, the Moon, the LEO station, and the GSO station are shown in the Global Screen (note that the sizes and distances are not to scale, though).
The GSO station is located well above the influence of Earth's atmosphere. Despite its location, the station is still technically subjected to forces that can perturb its orbit, such as solar wind, and the gravitational pull from the Moon and the Sun. Since these forces have a relatively low influence, we've decided to remove the need for 'orbit control' maintenance in the GSO station altogether. The GSO station will still be subject to the occasional orbit debris shower and therefore we'll still be required to keep an appropriate 'attitude control' score.
One of the main points that sets the GSO station apart from the LEO station is its ability to manufacture 'Carbon Nanotubes'. These are tubes made of carbon with a diameter in the nanoscale. For context, a nanometer (nm) is equal to one billionth of a meter, a very small scale indeed!
Manufacturing 'Carbon Nanotubes' requires a heavy financial investment: the 'Small' version of the manufacturing module requires ten units of raw materials to produce a single unit of 'Carbon Nanotubes'. The 'Large' version is more efficient in terms of resource usage, but it still requires a considerable investment.
That being said, producing 'Carbon Nanotubes' is more than worth it, as they play a crucial role in the Campaign and Sandbox modes. More specifically, due to their strength and some of their physical properties, they are used as the main ingredient for producing the 'ribbon' attached to the Lunar Space Elevator megaproject featured in the late stages of the game. This 'ribbon' is then transported to the Lunar Orbit station as 'coils' via a 'space tug' spacecraft. We'll be covering the details behind the Lunar Space Elevator at length in future Dev Diaries.
Note that there's also the option of selling the 'Carbon Nanotubes' back on Earth in the Commercial Goods market. This can be very appealing, as 'Carbon Nanotubes' (the 'blue' entries in the graph below) command much higher prices than any of the commercial goods manufactured in LEO, so definitely an option to consider if we're in need of funds and have some units available in storage.
One of the neat things about establishing stations in higher orbits is that it opens up the possibility of transferring resupply spacecraft between them. This includes not only cargo, but also astronauts.
That being said, not all resupply spacecraft are capable of reaching any given orbit. The specific orbits that can be reached can be found in the resupply spacecraft's information card, as shown in the screenshot below.
Resupply spacecraft transfers can only be made from stations that have a 'Refueling Module' installed. This type of module is relatively expensive and consumes a large amount of electricity, but it can be an appealing investment that will definitely improve the logistics around our network of stations.
Note that each 'transfer' operation consumes one unit of 'Chemicals', so make sure you have enough units in storage. We can always transfer these 'Chemicals' from other stations, which eliminates the need for establishing a 'Chemicals' production line in every single orbit.
This blog post covered the first station available in higher orbits: the GSO station, along with the features and capabilities that make it unique. In the next Dev Diary, we'll be discussing the details behind the station located in the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2) orbit.
We're currently running a closed beta for 'Space Station Designer' (more information here), and last week we released a very large update featuring loads of changes to the visuals, new gameplay elements, and several QoL improvements. If you're interested in trying out the game, please consider applying to the closed beta and help us shape its future.
See you in the next Dev Diary!
--Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)
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