Mission: Outpost 3

Oh sorry did do math correct then.

But I guess most likely coming Ark have failed or possible so damaged only few people have survived.

Edit: Focus is put all effort into get groundwork done. We should have enough exotic material laying around to keep us supplied for coming 1-2 turns.

Possible, but far from certain. We just failed to communicate (with a crappy radio), and we did some shenanigans with acceleration timing that might have caused it.

We will build a radiotelescope later to make sure.

That's what i'm doing, but we have only so many machines and only so much people.

Type 2 Reduced Military Bunkhouse
Constructed from mostly iron, steel and some glass, this compact habitation unit is composed of 4 seperate large rooms, connected by a single common area. Each room is big enough to house 10 persons on five separate bunk-beds, in addition to a single equipment locker and foot locker for each, one small table and four chairs. The common area is made up of three long tables and thirty chairs (non-removable; welded to the floor). All this is connected to a pair of unisex toilet/shower stalls, at the back of the bunker unit.

When the police force of Mars colony proved insufficient and significant amount of personell from Earth had to be temporarily housed - in order to deal with the religiously driven 'Mormon v Buddhist' conflict of 2015 - these types of military bunkhouses were build rapidly using the surplus of steel present on the planet. They were later upgraded to a level above the extremely spartan accomodations they provide, introducing the Type 3 bunkhouse. This blueprint lacks the basic interior carpeting, plastic tables and does not include matresses for the beds. Available colours for interior design are iron-red and steel-grey.

Files note that for proper ventlation in conditions where humidity or heat may be issues, installation of additional fans into the rooms is recommended; air circulation tends to be suboptimal in this simple box-like design.

Required raw materials:
Grade 2 aka 'low-quality commercial' Steel (alternatively, iron and carbon + processing unit)
Glass (alternatively, silicate compounds + processing unit)
Assuming all parts pre-build, difficulty of assembly on Heizenberg Uncertainty scale: 1.1 - Even a politician could do this, given enough time.

This will do. For now. The plan is ready.

The 71 of 400 progress should be 172 of 400.

Fixed.

February 2076
Expected time until Ark 3 Arrives: 3 years 10 months

Manufacturing & Building Action (2 slots):
[ ] Exo-skeleton Constructors (1 manpower) (1/2 suit under repair - Underground Atmospheric Sealing, 14 of 150 complete.
[ ] Manpower action (3 manpower)- Underground Atmospheric Sealing, 14 of 150 complete. -24 (-30 Manpower action base, + 2* (3 men))
"atmospheric sealing of underground outpost, install airlocks, ready it for the life support unit." -10 missing exo-skeleton unit.

(33 + 13 -10 -24 = 12)

Unfortunately, the work is slow. Despite being underground, dust from the stom slowly finds its way in in small quantities. Finding all those litte cracks in the mined stone, that could leak air, becomes even harder. Hardly any progress is made and vac-suited people running around seem to hinder more than help, this time.
Underground Atmospheric Sealing, 26 of 150 complete.

[ ] Factory (+10) (1 manpower): Type 2 Reduced Military Bunkhouse, -10 Psych card: Why aren't I mining?
-carpeting, furniture and extra ventilation for the above (queued)
(67 +10 -10 -5 Stig = 62)

The factory begins to greedily eat the ferrous ore you've been mining out of the ground, ever so slowly turning it into actual iron. The needs for it's carbon intake, are taken for now from your ship's life-support system's air recyclers. Robotic arms keep dancing about to a grander design, moulding and hammering sheets of metal and thick structural supports.
However, keeping the factory supplied wtih raw carbon is becoming a bottleneck - the crew is not breathing enough, as paradoxical as that sounds. And the ship cannot take the carbon gases from the air into it's system. Of course, Stig making a mess of organization and tightly scheduled factory runtime doesn't help either.
Type 2 Bunkhouse, 62 of 120

Mining Action (2 slots):
[ ] D&D Vehicles (1 manpower, 1 damaged):unused
[ ] Mining Bot Team (+8) (1 manpower) (1/10 bot missing): Continue Project Underground Outpost, Stage 2, 71 of 400. +5 OS-AI, +20 Psych card: Need to be mining.
Project Underground Outpost Stage 2, 172 of 400
(50+8+5+20= 83)

The bots keep digging into the rock with gusto and efficiency. Ferrous rock practically keeps flying out, until the bot operator announces she's finished another medium chamber and has started on the third. It also appears that thebots have dug through the strange not-iron. Almost as if it was an ore deposit...on a planet surface made of mostly iron and silicates.
Project Underground Outpost Stage 2, 255 of 400

Engineering Actions (0 slots):
+1 Slot, Hero: Stig
-Dustproofing of all vulnerable quipment that could be harmed by the duststorm
(92), Critical Success
Stig is quick to get some metal, and work it into sheets. Fitting them into bots, vehicles, haulers - everything he can think off, to plug the gaps without hindering their operation. He even builds a set of sliding doors to the entrances of the open cargo-bays.
And it seems to work. Not quite as much dust goes through the cracks and seams and cleaning them after work has become easier. Unfortunately, there isn't such a thing as dust-proof machine. Not without building an atmospheric seal and a metal box around it, anyway.

Maintenance & Repair Actions (1 slot):
[ ] Maintenance and Damage Control Bay (1 manpower) :
Exo-skeleton repairs, 63 of 100
Finally fix the damned thing.
(12)
No can do. I still need to rewire the control unit entirely, and that takes time.
Constructor exo-skeleton repairs, 75 of 100

Other Actions

[ ]Scout And Survey (1 manpower) (not used)

Wear And Tear (Storm In Effect)
(17 + 20 (Stig!) = 37)
The storm rages around and it is only Stig's alterations that save several machines this time. However, not everything get off lucky. A particularly bad gust of wind seems to turn the dust-storm into a sandblower.
The connecting power-cable between the underground complex being birthed and the ship looses insulation and is now bare to the elements; it can still hold a current, but is a hazard. And the inner parts of the wire were never meant ot be open to air as hostile as this.
Two mining bots are also taken out of comission momentarily, as dust physically stops their hydraulics, bearings and joints from moving. They need to be throughly cleaned, though thankfully Stig's emergency alterations seem to have prevented actual damage.

At least the winds calm down, and the dark overhanging clouds move past you. You can once again see the stars and the dim sun, and sand-like particles are no longer a hazard to everything. The storm has passed.

In the aftermath, Stig comes up with an interesting idea. Most of the equipment you have, isn't purpose-built to function in these conditions. But what if they were? Why use Earth-originating designs, when you know they keep breaking, or at times even underperforming, in local conditions. Stig proposes that someone study the effects local gravity and environment on machines, so that improved designs could be created.

*New Engineering Project Available: Eridani-IV Design Adaptation (-20)*
Storm no longer in effect.

Manufacturing & Building Action (2 slots):
[ ] Exo-skeleton Constructors (1 manpower) (1/2 suit under repair - Underground Atmospheric Sealing, 14 of 150 complete.
comes even harder. Hardly any progress is made and vac-suited people running around seem to hinder more than help, this time.
(-10, one missing)
Underground Atmospheric Sealing, 26 of 150 complete.

Continue, use basic spare parts for +10.

[ ] Factory (+10) (1 manpower): Type 2 Reduced Military Bunkhouse, -10 Psych card: Why aren't I mining?
-carpeting, furniture and extra ventilation for the above (queued)

Type 2 Bunkhouse, 62 of 120
Continue.

Mining Action (2 slots):
[ ] D&D Vehicles (1 manpower, 1 damaged):used
[ ] Mining Bot Team (+8) (1 manpower) (1/10 bot missing): Continue Project Underground Outpost, Stage 2, 71 of 400. +5 OS-AI, +20 Psych card: Need to be mining.

Project Underground Outpost Stage 2, 255 of 400
Continue, with both slots this time.

Engineering Actions (0 slots):
+1 Slot, Hero: Stig
-Rig a system for the factory that would allow it to make use of atmospheric gasses from above ground.

Maintenance & Repair Actions (1 slot):
[ ] Maintenance and Damage Control Bay (1 manpower) :

Constructor exo-skeleton repairs, 75 of 100 (on hold)
-repair the power cable and other dust storm damage, use basic parts for +10


Other Actions

[ ]Scout And Survey (1 manpower) - survey the mining area with GPR, try to map out different rock\ore types

[ ]Care and habitation bay - basic medical checkup of all awake crew (1 manpower)

Cleanup & fixed a few things.

Manufacturing & Building Action (2 slots):
[ ] Exo-skeleton Constructors (1 manpower) (1/2 suit under repair): Underground Atmospheric Sealing, 26 of 150 complete. -10 missing exo-skeleton. +10 basic parts.
[ ] Factory (+10) (1 manpower): Type 2 Reduced Military Bunkhouse, 62 of 120 complete. -10 Psych card: Why aren't I mining?
[ ] [ ] Factory queue: Carpeting, furniture and extra ventilation for the above

Mining Action (2 slots):
[ ] D&D Vehicles (1 manpower, 1 damaged): Used
[ ] Mining Bot Team (+8) (1 manpower) (1/10 bot missing): Continue Project Underground Outpost, Stage 2, 255 of 400. +5 OS-AI, +20 Psych card: Need to be mining.
Continue, with both slots this time.

Engineering Actions (0 slots):
+1 Slot, Hero: Stig
[ ] Hero: Rig a system for the factory that would allow it to make use of atmospheric gasses from the surface. +30 central computer.

Maintenance & Repair Actions (1 slot):
[ ] Maintenance and Damage Control Bay (1 manpower): Repair the power cable and other dust storm damage, use basic parts for +10

Constructor exo-skeleton repairs, 75 of 100 (on hold)

Other Actions
[ ]Scout And Survey (1 manpower, using remote control) - survey the mining area with GPR, try to map out different rock\ore types. +5 OS-AI.
[ ]Care and habitation bay (1 manpower) - basic medical checkup of all awake crew. Check status of injured crew member in cryo.

Ok, good you remembered about the computer.

@Marduk: I'm not sure how useful Stig's current task is. We're going to have more carbon available after the underground base is sealed and we switch on the recyclers.
@SakSak: Does the central computer have any designs for medical facilities capable of treating the injured crew member in cryo that we could build with currently available resources, including use of spare parts?

The atmospheric connection includes all atmospheric gasses, not just carbon bearing ones. Argon and xenon have some quite nice industrial uses too. Just as sulphur compounds, and we don't want to let them through the life support.

Even if we can, this is going to be a hard, hi tech project, that will tie up the factory for quite a few turns. Takes more than one to build even a super spartan hab module.

Would it be more useful having Stig provide an extra maintenance slot at +10 bonus and use that to fix the exo-skeleton?

I'm also unsure if this is a valid use of an engineering slot. Building the life support system last turn apparently wasn't:

I'd still like to know the actual cost so we have something to work with for planning.

It's a waste to use Stig for an almost finished repair.

Well, we are modifying an existing system here. I think it's very valid.

Well, doesn't hurt to know.[/quote]

If we're modifying the existing factory then won't the system be useless after we finish the underground atmospheric sealing?

Why would it be? It could include a pipe that reaches above ground and connects to the factory... Ok, got to specify that.

I've added it in.

Plenty. From designs similar to what you have on the ship, to a full-blown city-hospital.

Heizenberg uncertainty scale of hardness: anywhere between 2.0 and 5.5

Also, if you think the hab-module is taking too long: Remember, you're starting from raw iron ore and electricity, with a multipurpose-factory unit (ie. not build for this specific task) operated by a single person that could almost fit inside here:
http://phoenix.officewarehousespace...business-park/19th_ave_interior_warehouse.jpg

Could we upgrade the existing medical facility to handle it?

Is the factory actually going to be able to process carbon dioxide and other atmospheric gasses for resources?

And that reminds me, we need to fit the ore processor into schedule at some point.

Unfortunately, you're a bit short on space. You made the multipurpose care- and hab bay compact. There is nowhere within there to expand to or add the necessary equipment.

Sloooowly, with the modification you're proposing, but yes. Because, well, gas by it's very nature isn't all that dense. So there isn't all that much of solid material for any given small volume.

If we moved the unit to a cave and used the space to expand the unit, would it be possible?

Could the project include a pump and pressure tank to compress the atmosphere into liquid state to make it more effective? It's pretty cold already.

It (the Multipurpose Bay) was all specifically built to be a single component, to save installation time at the shipyard. To do that, you literally have to deconstruct the entire bay. But if you do that, yes.

The problem is in the volume of air that you can take in, without massive piping (large enough to comfortably fit people inside).

This is what i meant - take it apart, put it back together in cave with better spacing, put extra equipment into extra space.

Something along the lines of a submarine snorkel or smaller\bigger? How much would it slow the project?

As SakSak stated: massive piping (large enough to comfortably fit people inside).

If the problem is getting large volumes of air to the factory then we're probably better off building a separate extraction plant on the surface.