Ugh, I'm stuck in an orbital spaceport. But why?
This is, for the record, the same universe as in Is space piracy orbitally practical? and How can I prevent Kessler Syndrome among space stations?.
In my world, circa 2100, space stations orbiting Earth, Venus and Mars provide transit hubs for the inner Solar System. Small shuttles take people to Low Earth Orbit, and larger ships ferry them from there to other destinations, following flights similar to kingledion's suggestion (from Earth to Mars, a 3.60 km/s burn for acceleration and the same for deceleration, via Hohmann transfers). Currently, Pan-Solar Spacelines has commercial flights to:
- Earth, Venus and Mars
- The Moon
- The asteroid belt, once a month
- Flights to the Jovian moons, primarily chartered by major governments sending publically-funded exploratory missions.
My traveler is about to head to Mars from Earth, immigrating to the newest polar colony. However, his flight is delayed, because of [X]. I'm trying to figure out what [X] could be, in terms of a uniquely space-based delay. This should rule out Earth problems like normal weather and congested flight paths.
What are the main problems that will plague spaceliners in this world?
To be clear, I'm not looking for overly fanciful one-time-only disasters that could cause delays, but more normal and common issues. Suggesting the outbreak of war between Earth and Mars, for example, would not be a normal event and is not what I'm looking for.
1 answer
I came up with some basic ideas before posting the question:
Space weather
Radiation problems can severely damage a spaceship's instruments, making navigation and flight severely dangerous or impossible. Additionally, impacts from micrometeroids/debris can damage the ship, even if protections like Whipple shields are in place. While the spaceliners should be prepared to deal with a minimal level of such problems, and unforeseen impact could mean substantial delays.
Additionally, electromagnetic events could cause damage a spaceship's communication systems, which would be imperative for any journey. There's virtually no other way for control centers to track it, or to know the status of the mission. Without communications, the ship is crippled. Fixing the systems could cause a decently long delay.
Fuel/oxygen leak
Apollo 13 had to be aborted because of the explosion of an oxygen tank. While the astronauts made it home, thanks to some ingenuity on Earth and in the ship, it was an extremely close call. Airplanes do have issues with depressurization, and have crashed because of explosive decompression, but in a long space mission, losing even a tiny bit of fuel or oxygen can be devastating. It's nine months to Mars; a small leak before leaving the space station could kill the crew. If there is a problem with this, there will almost certainly be delays.
Delayed Earth-to-station shuttles
People have to get to the space stations via small shuttles, which are quite more extensive than airport monorails or taxicabs. If one is delayed or has a problem, approximately ten people could be left on the ground, or could be dead. Spacelines will be very reluctant to let flights go before everyone has boarded in such a case - except in cases of extreme shuttle delays - because space travel is not too cheap, and not exactly regular. If you miss your flight, you could be set back days or weeks, and spending that time on a space station is not fun. At the same time, going back to Earth is expensive.
It's since been pointed out that alignment issues could mean that flight windows are narrow. A large amount of flights in a short time could mean that a person could always maybe catch a later flight, and waiting just for the sake of a few passengers could set the others back a long time. It seems that the spaceline might prioritize the rest of the flight.
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