Battle Field Earth

[Bkeela]

This film was recently released in Australia, and I must say it is an utterly pathetic film. The only thing of interest was the portrayal of an alien colony on Earth, which was totally surrounded by a glass metal framed structure. The aliens obviously didn't breath oxygen, and got around outside with breathing apparatus that consisted of only to tubes stuck in the nose.

Anyway, I was just wondering if this technology would work with human colonies on Alpha Centauri. Would it be feasible to build a giant enclosure around a base with an artificial environment? Or would this be a waste of power? And would it be possible to get around in Plantets atmosphere, with merely two tubes feeding oxygen into the nostrils? (Providing their bodies were conditioned to the new pressure) Or would fully pressurised space suit have to be worn at all times?

Bkeela.

[Eurhetemec]

If you check out the back of your SMAC manual, it somewhat answers the questions you ask, pretty much. Chiron (AC) is about 1.3 Gs, with an atnosphere 90% Nitrogen, 8% Oxygen, and various other gas. Due to the planet's size and gravity, there is enough Oxygen to breath at sea level. However, the Nitrogen would cause so-called "Nitrogen Narcosis", so the manual suggests people would need to wear some kind of pressure suit (atmopsheric pressure must be greater than Earth, too). I don't know if that would be really necessary, a mask might be good enough, or it might not.

Farming would be easy in that atmosphere, and Earth plants would grow, though they would be hamped by the lack of Carbon Dioxide, in most cases.

I always assumed the colony buildings were rather gigantic, and contained alot of things. A dome would have to be tough, though, with the increased atmosphere pressure (however, a geodesic dome is a very tough structure, so, as long as it was tall as well as broad, it should work).

People would probably be quite squat and powerful on Chiron, what with the increased gravity and all, and low blood-pressure might be a more serious condition.

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"You're standing on my neck."

[Bkeela]

quote: If you check out the back of your SMAC manual, it somewhat answers the questions you ask, pretty much. Chiron (AC) is about 1.3 Gs, with an atnosphere 90% Nitrogen, 8% Oxygen, and various other gas. Due to the planet's size and gravity, there is enough Oxygen to breath at sea level. However, the Nitrogen would cause so-called "Nitrogen Narcosis", so the manual suggests people would need to wear some kind of pressure suit (atmopsheric pressure must be greater than Earth, too). I don't know if that would be really necessary, a mask might be good enough, or it might not.

Yes, I realise that if you or I were to suddenly be transported onto the surface of Planet, we wouldn't last long. But surely humanity could be conditioned to the high pressure over time. For instance, whilst deep diving, a diver is exposed to pressures which can be fatal. To exit these pressures, it takes time to gradually rise up and condition the body back to normal pressurisation, otherwise "The Bends" results. But surely an entire community could be conditioned over time to live in these abnormal pressures, so that pressure suits are not necessary. If not the settlers, then surely the first and subsequent generations born on planet.

quote: People would probably be quite squat and powerful on Chiron, what with the increased gravity and all, and low blood-pressure might be a more serious condition.

Yes, I don't like this certain fact. I would much rather a race of tall, elegant humanoids, than squat dwarf people. Plus, on this world, it would be much more difficult to build the tall, imposing base structures we see in artwork, and in the game.

Bkeela.

[Hydro]

Bkeela is correct. The atmospheric pressure wouldn’t be a problem for long. All that would be required for breathing is a nitrogen scrubber to reduce its percentage of the atmospheric mix. In the early days a mask or an implant would work fine. Later blood borne nanos could scrub the nitrogen either in the lungs or the bloodstream. Ultimately humans could engineer their total adaptation to Planet. The higher gravity would be a problem that would lead to early mortality due to primarily (as Eurhetemec suggested) cardiovascular problems. I suspect that a combination of medical intervention and genetic weeding (those with weak hearts wouldn’t last long) and eventually a little genetic manipulation would take care of this, too. Eventually, as strange as it sounds, humans might be at home on Chiron.

Hydro

[Eurhetemec]

Yes, I thought BR was being overcautious about the Nitrogen, and a scrubber of some kind would be all you'd need.

I'd suspect genetic engineering of some kind would be the solution for all sensible factions (GEing to planet conditions has been explored in a couple of other, albeit ancient, strategy games), and then there's always nano, or even more "hard-tech" stuff for those too nervous for that.

I suspect, in the game, that BR never really considered this, and assumed the large, sealed, structures instead, and people working outside in suits. It doesn't really matter, either way.

As for disliking "squats", well, it wouldn't be too severe, not at 1.3Gs, maybe a few inches shorter, perhaps only two or three, and definately much more muscular than average Earth humans, probably in a good, ropey, way, not a scary body-builder way (not to mention that when skin got less taught the effects would be uglier, marginally). You could GE that out, and get VERY powerful people of "normal" size. You wouldn't want to get into a fist-fight with a Chironian...

At, say, 2Gs, not only would the die-off from cardio-vascular "issues" be much greater, and falls MUCH nastier, then people would actually resemble fantasy Dwarves a good deal more. You'd need alot of support to survive *well* in such conditions, but after a few generations, you'd see people MUCH better adapted to it.

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"You're standing on my neck."