What happens to all that debris?

cthia wrote:

MaxxQ wrote:There are several pods per tube, each pod holds five people. A pod lines up with a hatch, people get in, and the pod is ejected. The next pod moves into place, lather rinse, repeat.

Mission of Honor claims enough pods to evacuate 5,000 people. One pod at a time per 5 people and you'd be rinsing, lathering and repeating 1,000 times. It'd take 100 pod stations to cut it down to 10 times. Still seems like a slow process. And do remember, these are injured people who by circumstance aren't exactly speedy.

FYI Life pod 185 on Wayfarer is described as a "ten-man pod"; though only 5 were planning to escape the ship in it.

That book has probably to most description we've gotten of life pods; and even that isn't much.

Whether a five person pod or a ten person pod, the process MaxxQ described seems like a very slow process. One pod rolls around, ten people get in. One pod rolls around, ten people get in. The pod system is like a chamber in a .45. I guess that's appropriate since you're going to be shot out of it. Some people aren't going to have enough time. I guess that's appropriate because you're playing Russian Roulette. Some pods will be empty when you find them, I guess that's appropriate when you have a misfire.

In a ten pod system. Is that ten Ginger Lewises? Or ten Horace Harknesses? If it's ten Horace Harknesses at approximately 200 pounds per Beast, that's a ton alone. Plus at least a ton for the pod. A tractor beam that moves two tons will rip a human to pieces.

Whatever half of your body is trapped on the outside is going to be trimmed off by the tractor beam anyway. Like trimming the fat off a steak. Which may be necessary to keep the system free of debris inside the chute.

cthia wrote:In a ten pod system. Is that ten Ginger Lewises? Or ten Horace Harknesses? If it's ten Horace Harknesses at approximately 200 pounds per Beast, that's a ton alone. Plus at least a ton for the pod. A tractor beam that moves two tons will rip a human to pieces.

It has more to do with life support I suspect than absolute size, although average size is a factor. I.E. 11 smaller people likely could fit, but at a reduced life support endurance. I would be surprised if they are not running on bottled O2 for example. Simplicity matters.

ZVar wrote:

cthia wrote:In a ten pod system. Is that ten Ginger Lewises? Or ten Horace Harknesses? If it's ten Horace Harknesses at approximately 200 pounds per Beast, that's a ton alone. Plus at least a ton for the pod. A tractor beam that moves two tons will rip a human to pieces.

It has more to do with life support I suspect than absolute size, although average size is a factor. I.E. 11 smaller people likely could fit, but at a reduced life support endurance. I would be surprised if they are not running on bottled O2 for example. Simplicity matters.

Makes sense. They need to survive even if the pod's electronics get completely fried. So makes sense that they'd have bottled O2 as well as CO2 absorbing material that they can open (O2 alone isn't enough; got to keep the CO2 down as well)

I understand the logic, but you guys keep making the process too complicated. If it's a ten man system, it's a ten man system. The crew don't have time to sort themselves out by weight when they arrive. "Wait! I was 200 pounds a minute ago as you can see I'm only 100 pounds now! Let me in!" There won't be time to literally play musical chairs. And launching half full is approaching the insanity of launching empty.

BTW, the system answers the question for you on the age-old conundrum of whether the cup is half full or half empty. Death has a way of focusing your thoughts. Your argument will clearly be "But the damn pod is half empty!"

There's another worry about every occupant in the pod being reliant upon the same oxygen. If you happen to be a frail woman or severely injured crewman aboard a pod with a Randy Steilman, what do you think he and his crew will do to you to increase life support?

cthia wrote:There's another worry about every occupant in the pod being reliant upon the same oxygen. If you happen to be a frail woman or severely injured crewman aboard a pod with a Randy Steilman, what do you think he and his crew will do to you to increase life support?

The skin suit has its own supply; so if the crew were all expecting action, then they would have that additional amount each. Plus it can dispense medications.

cthia wrote:First, adding just a bit more broth to the stew.

Tlb, that should certainly interest you.

Loren, are you trying to make me pass out? I'm squeamish you know. And you're pouring salt into the wound. From all of our talk in the How To Abandon Ship thread, I get the feeling that pods are quite heavy. We know they are very robust to endure what they must. Relax even thinks they have to have huge compensators.

At any rate, a tractor beam that can physically move a pod weighing at least a ton?, will pull a body apart. Remember the episode of Star Trek which locked on to the fighter jet in the atmosphere? "Captain, twentieth century planes were not built to withstand a tractor beam." Well, bodies weren't either.

Anyway, even if an occupant is dragged into the pod bay by a tractor beam alive, he still has to get himself loose before being shot out of a cannon with enough velocity to clear the wedge and the incoming missile storm and resulting debris.

Why do you assume they can't make a weaker tractor beam that is safe for people?

Jonathan_S wrote:My working assuming is that if the pod do have an force close capability on the hatch it would only come into play when they've been told "launch by time <x> to survive." and the hatch is still open at the last possible instant before <x>. So at the last possible instant, where they have to launch to survive.

So if the bad choices at that instant are are:
a) the other crew in the pod manage to escape and survive with just my severed arm for company, or
b) the pod waits for me to clear the hatch and then fails to get far enough before the reactor blow and we all die in a cloud of plasma...
Well both options suck, but I hope they live to toast me at nice wake after burying my arm.

Exactly. You would not auto-fire a pod unless survival was impossible if you didn't fire it. We have multiple examples of battle situations where the captain knew the ship was going to die at time x.

Theemile wrote:4) People are not going to make it. This is a warship, it's not going to turn turtle at the first salvo, it's going to fight until it can't continue... and at that point there will be fewer crew... so why plan to evac all the crew in life pods?

This is actually discussed when Mike has to evacuate from her Agamemnon at Solon.

I disagree on this one--while people will die in combat so will pods.