Space Transporters
When it comes to transport cargo around at large distances and zero gravity someone may want to have the most efficient way to do so.
In Sci Fi Movies we normally see big vessels for cargo transportation. Actually those vessels need to move their own mass even when the transporter is empty and it also may be very complicated to bring cargo into them in zero-gravity conditions.
Some of those problems are also true for the humans of the 21st century. So if they need to transport vast amounts of goods, they will not hire a thousands trucks for that, they will establish a railway.
An that's what happened in Age of Asteroids. They use Cargo Liners being capable of pulling large amounts of cargo t bring gathered resources from the asteroid belt back to earth and the other planets.
Cargo Containers
Transfering Cargo from Storage Facilities up to the transporter can be quite tricky. In Age of Asteroids everything is meant to be as modular as possible and so they came up with standarized cargo pods. Those are actually cubes made out of a framework and reinforced thin foil, so when empty they do not waste any space and are easily constructed from sratch or can get completely recycled.
Those pods are equipped with electromagnets on some crucial points so they can be safely secured to each other by inducing electricity, tied or joined.
Getting Cargo to the Ship
Cargo Space Liners will hover over a Storage Tower. This tower will have a Cargo Pod connected to a cable. Because of the rotation of the asteroid and the resulting centrifugal force, the Cargo Pod will move away from the tower (controlled by longen or shorten the connected cable). The Cargo Pod will eventually reach the Cargo Liner, where it is held in place by electro magnetic force. Any other Cargo Pod will then get connected to this new pod and so on. That way, the Space Liner will grow with every cargo box loaded.
Space Liner Crew
Space Liners are equipped with 1 or 2 crewman. There is not much to do and there is no gravity, so there is not much inside the Liner. The Cargo Liner will be under way for several months to carry cargo from the asteroid belt back to the big space stations at earth or mars.
Beside generel fuel and life support systems, Cargo Liners are equipped with High Tech Recycling Systems.
There is a steadily growing amount of private traders using those transport vessels to visit asteroid colonies and providing them with special goods.
Development Progress
The last days I was heavily busy with integrating all the necessary AI work to make the Cargo Liners capable of being loaded. As before, there is no predefined animation, the Cargo Liners are steering autonomously, getting the cargo pods lifted and pushed around and finally go ahead and take their way back to their next waypoint.
Unfortuntaly, I haven't recorded any video footage yet, but you will see some of it in the next few days.
Feel free to ask any questions or bring suggestions!
