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Posted by: Khyron Mar 18 2010, 11:25 PM

So I open up my fresh PDF of Vice when I notice in Jackpoint news, Top News Items
* In a press conference today, a spokesperson formally confirmed the Corporate Court’s long-rumored
project to develop a space elevator, or specifically a so-called “sky hook”. Speculation is rife about
the Earth-based anchor point, but Ariana Smith, the CC spokesperson, also confirmed that the
operation to introduce a counterweight asteroid into Earth orbit has already been launched and
should be finalized sometime next year.

So is this a subtle hint of the next cataclysmic event to hit the sixth world? Asteroid shenanigans?

Opinions?
How would runners plan for an asteroid strike?
Who's safe?
Maybe it'll land on Aztlan.

Posted by: hobgoblin Mar 18 2010, 11:27 PM

astroids, thor shots, bovine, same diff, no? Something drops, runners (and anyone within a certain radius of said runners) die.

Posted by: Daylen Mar 18 2010, 11:36 PM

yea the asteroid will come down not too long after the space elevator goes into use. And thats the best case scenario where there are zero screwups and everything works perfectly.

Posted by: Caadium Mar 18 2010, 11:46 PM

A former private-contractor claims that accounting errors have led to corner cutting that will result in the entire elevator crashing back to the earth. Widespread panic ensues, and a publishing house takes the opportunity to generate some funds through a recreation of the old War of the Worlds radio show; this time based out of the asteroid belt. Unfortunatley, the only way to know for sure what is going on is to get on the elevator and go along for the ride. Sit back and buckle your seat-belt kiddies!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Too soon? Too soon?

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 19 2010, 12:14 AM

Perhaps Shadowrun simply goes seriously to space. Would be about time even for a near future SiFi setting. Asteroid mining's big business.

Posted by: Fatum Mar 19 2010, 01:05 AM

Ahem. Eclipse Phase. Ahem.

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 19 2010, 01:48 AM

Waiting for Equinox.

Posted by: Cheops Mar 19 2010, 08:27 PM

Weren't they talking about a space elevator as far back as Year of the Comet and Wake of the Comet? Or am I confusing that with a mass driver that may have been installed in Kilimanjaro? I'm pretty sure I saw references to space elevators in SR before the current edition.

Posted by: AndyZ Mar 19 2010, 08:42 PM

My prediction: the truly rich with Luxury lifestyles can live in outer space. Most folks won't be. Maybe the occasional 'run will be sent into space though.

Posted by: X-Kalibur Mar 19 2010, 08:58 PM

My guess? Humanoid robots powered by light descend and begin stopping wars.

Posted by: KCKitsune Mar 19 2010, 09:21 PM

Until they come up with a way for Magic to work in space then any run in space will have the Magical characters using a second character. Kinda disheartening when you really want to advance your character and you can't because all of short term runs are in Space.

Posted by: Moonhawk Mar 19 2010, 09:30 PM

Who knows? Maybe actually tethering the beanstalk to good ol' Terra Firma will allow the magical aura to expand beyond the current limits.
I can't imagine that you'd be able to stray much from the terminal point (terminal rock?), but it could open near-earth orbit to those of the magely persuasion.

-Moonhawk

Posted by: Draco18s Mar 19 2010, 09:33 PM

http://xkcd.com/697/

Posted by: Daylen Mar 19 2010, 11:31 PM

as far as a setting I'd like to see more space stuff. not sure I'd want to see the sillyness of a space elevator though. Asteroid mining could be cool. I think I draw the line though where players could hop a ride to space grab a shuttle over to the run spend some time there finish up get paid grab a connection back to planet side and still catch the night time news of the same day. Maybe in a different setting.

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 20 2010, 12:13 AM

By wiping mankind out.

Posted by: Daylen Mar 20 2010, 01:11 AM

or selling us to something like Dagon two galaxies over for a tasty snack.

Posted by: last_of_the_great_mikeys Mar 20 2010, 01:52 AM

Methinks the Mt. Killimanjaro spirits would see this as an opportunity for revenge..!

Posted by: Stahlseele Mar 20 2010, 02:08 AM

I say stop the moon from spinning and tether it to the earth.
Bingo, instant moonstation/travel and on the outer side you could catch meteorites and use it as a shield for earth.

You want maths to go with the SE Idea?
Go here and read. I swear these people have way too much time . .
http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=64491.0

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 20 2010, 02:30 AM

Man we need a really big Ghostdance.

Posted by: Daylen Mar 20 2010, 02:33 AM

that's the freshman physics answer. a better answer I'll look for next week at the office. The conclusion I remember well though; lifting stuff up the gravity well will destabilize the setup because the forces are not only in the up direction.



and have the moon come crashing down to the earth assuming the tether didnt break?

Posted by: Fatum Mar 20 2010, 04:57 AM

There is a multitude of habitats, including luxurious ones, up the well already.



Remember that fluff story about Ares magicians about to dive into the Hive? They had magic in space thanks to the greenhouses on the station, I believe.


Space elevators are a valid project, there's no reason they wouldn't be possible in 60 years.

Posted by: Demonseed Elite Mar 20 2010, 01:24 PM

Yeah, magic in space is possible, but it is still pretty limited to carefully cultivated areas.

Posted by: Stahlseele Mar 20 2010, 01:34 PM

i know that.
read the complete thread, there's people rebuking these claims all the time.

Posted by: Daylen Mar 20 2010, 04:18 PM

ok I should have read further, its not a freshman physics answer. Heck that is more in depth than what I've seen out of the govt offices for a space elevator. I still don't think its viable, but any further argument on my part will have to wait for me to find some time or excuse next week at work to run some simulations.

Posted by: Stahlseele Mar 20 2010, 07:22 PM

Well, they ARE on the Battletech Board.
Space and this stuff is what Battletech DOES ^^

Posted by: Grinder Mar 20 2010, 07:31 PM

Equinox is not a "near-future" space setting: it's set in the 8th World, which is a few thousand years in the future.

Posted by: Stahlseele Mar 20 2010, 07:36 PM

7500 years or how much is one cycle?

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 20 2010, 07:44 PM

That's exactly the reason why I'm waiting for Equinox and don't play Eclipse Phase.

Posted by: Grinder Mar 20 2010, 07:58 PM

Ah, I see.

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 20 2010, 08:04 PM

I was just saying that SR is a near future SiFi setting that could use some more SiFi elements.

Posted by: Daylen Mar 20 2010, 08:53 PM

Aye. near future elements though. seems anytime a discussion of space tech happens someone wants star trek.

I'd be happy with the tech corps are using to go to Mars and such. Just could use some missions or fluff about it and maybe an inclusion in a rigger book with rules for craft able to make orbital transfers.

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 20 2010, 09:46 PM

Did you read Ben Bova's great http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour_%28novel_series%29 novels? That's what I'd love to see in SR.

Posted by: Daylen Mar 20 2010, 10:36 PM

no I have not. I think I read something of his though. I might pick up one of his tonight though. for examples of the tech and such I usually think back to Heinlein's work through the 50's. Also some of Niven's work is cool but a little too far in the future for SR.

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 22 2010, 12:14 AM

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy would work fine for SR, too. Good old Hard SiFi. Just put some serious Mars colonization, a handful of lunar cities and some asteroid mining into the SR setting, that's all I'd like to see. Maybe some fast propulsion technology. No artificial gravity, anti-grav engines or stuff like deflector shields.

Posted by: Daylen Mar 22 2010, 01:00 AM

I bought that trilogy and read as much of it as I could take long ago. good on many fronts but yikes he got boring after red mars. I did like parts where they kept knocking the space elevators out the sky. but overall yea that would be cool in SR, not sure how fast you mean by fast propulsion tech though. I kinda like slower propulsion to help space actions seem far away and not just a simple commute out. fast or slow matters little for the pace of how a game would go, it would just mean more time goes by between what the players are doing. It also means the players are far from help and far from outside influence which I think is part of the allure.

Posted by: Doc Byte Mar 22 2010, 01:36 AM

Yes, 2.500 pages in my German edition... I know what you're taking about. But after the last page I missed the protagonists as if they were old friends.



Well, a few days over to Mars and maybe two or three weeks to Jupiter and Saturn. (One-way of course.)

Posted by: Fatum Mar 22 2010, 02:28 AM

Wow, that's some fine pulp you'll be bringing with that kind of accelerations.