Art Diary #8 - Orbital Stations




Attitude thrusters and the stations power generator lie at the very bottom of the "needle" to minimize issues with accidents or heat exchange.

Here's another rendering that splits the station into pieces so it's easier to see the individual elements as they were constructed by the artist.

Another type of station configuration opts instead to leverage the existing rotational cylinder elements used by the dreadnought and super dreadnought military vessels. Note in the below image how the cylinder is literally that of multiple super dreadnought habitation modules configured here into a permanent station. The center of the habitation module has been replaced with a specialized joining structure, but the original form is entirely recognizable. In fact, this is not even a case of artistic re-use, but is fictionally exactly what happens, with retired super dreadnoughts being carved up for pieces, elements such as their habitation modules being repurposes for cheap station elements. An example of this can be seen in the covert research station that serves as the backdrop of the short story "Only Ever Backwards".

The tighter positioning of the fuel supply and attitude thrusters - not to mention the fact of its reuse as well - is an example of this particular cylindrical station type being something of a "budget" choice, and as such very popular in the outer reaches of the solar system. When manufacturing is distant and local supples unreliable, everything must be reused and refurbished if there is to be any hope of survival.