The Steve Zissou Explorer part 2: the upper deck
14 Apr 2023Claude Lecardunoie
My previous entry described the lower deck of my ship, the Steve Zissou Explorer. Let's move to the upper deck.
To get up there, there is an accomodation ladder in the lower deck workshop. By climbing it, you'll reach the upper deck workshop (21). Advanced tools and machinery are stored there, including a 3D printer, loaded with the Asp Explorer specifications, meaning that any hinge, screw or cylinder defined in Lakon blueprints could be manufactured with it, as long as you've got the raw material, composite or alloy, to carve it from.
Repairing the propulsion system is easy from there as a door links the workshop with thrusters bay (18). Well, to actually repair it, you would need a degree in thermodynamics, considering how complex it is. But with experience, you can at least replace a corroded pipe or a broken pump.
The thrusters are alimented by the huge tank at port side (19).
Keeping on with propulsion, the frameship drive is located at starboard (20). As complex as the thrusters bay, the FSD module also includes several computers bay to regulate speed, heading control systems and injection level of propellant concentration.
From the workshop and moving toward the bow, we reach the shield generator (22). I chose to go with a 5A class. It helps with pirates or any other hostile encounter of course, but mostly for shaky landings on high gravity planets. The top shield generator manufacturer is Kraken Shield Specialists, but it is an imperial company and Lakon doesn't have any commercial agreement with impie corporation. But they've made good progress recently in shield tech' and I am very pleased with the current generation they sell.
From the shield generator room, a door opens to a 25m long corridor, the counter part of the lower deck one. It leads to the remaining rooms and modules.
First on the left, the fuel scoop (23). In addition of the retractable energy particles collector that opens from the top of the ship, it includes a dedicated synthesis module to process these particles into propellant and store it there or push it into the adjacent fuel tank if necessary.
On the other side is the collector limpet controller (24). Just like the cargo bay, I shouldn't have equiped such module. It is of no use during an exploration mission, mostly focused on planet's surface survey. But well, it is there.
Going further along the corridor, the next door on the left leads to detailed surface scanner (25). It is composed of several computer bays dedicated to signal processing analyzing whatever is sent back by the probes: images, surface and atmosphere composition etc. The launcher is there too with a dedicated trajectory calculator unit. But half of the room is actually occupied by what looks like an infinite reserve of probes.
Opposed to the DSS room, there is the supercruise assist unit (24). Again, a lot a space for a rather small module, but that is how it goes with internal optionals: they are standardized so that they can fit in any ship from any manufacturer. Well, I use the space left to store redundant servers, networks routers and switches to make sure my global system won't let me down.
At the end of the corridor, the second escape room (29), with the second escape pod. A ladder there leads the lower deck and the door in front to the upper deck cockpit, my "office", from where I control the flight.
The two rooms left are what is my nest while out in the dark. On the right, the health and hygien facilities (28). Connected to the life support system below, it had been greatly upgraded by Felicity Farseer's team before my departure: body fluid recycling module, shower but also a mini medical and surgery block with a rack containing various medic and surgeon robots able to carry out several kind of medical procedure, to at least keep me alive enough before reaching an outpost dispensary or a spatioport medical center. There is also the perfusion seat, from where I receive nutrition fluids when I want to save some real food. I'd say that I got my nutriments from there one out of every 3 days.
And finally, the crew cabin (29): two beds, a kitchen and a desk with several digital displays on the wall and on the desk itself. Although not necessary, it is much easier and much more efficient to debrief my exploration data from there than in the narrow cockpit, which I would do if I were flying my old Sidewinder or Cobra MkIII.
An it is also from there that I am writing these lines, with a half full bottle of Chateau de Aegaeon on the corner of desk. I just finished my ship inspection. Nothing serious to report but the usual stuff: damages due to the hyperjumps vibrations and some pipes and cables to replace. Tomorrow, I'll fix this hydraulic cylinder of the SRV elevator. It is a big and heavy part to move from one place to another, but I am on a low gravity planet, so I'd better do that while I am here.