Colonizing 102

All about a new life 02.

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A Governmental HO-GAC is aimed at a balanced self sufficiency. Its location will be determined by climate and geography, taking into account nearby resources for all basic needs. The city itself should not be on the best farm land, but close to it. Like wise a large water source should be nearby, but the city should not be directly next to its supply of drinking water. Although 100,000 is considered the right size, planers should project possible future expansion of the city to 1,000,000. 

 

Early focus of the colony establishment team will be; 1. Turning raw local resources into building materials, this means the gathering and processing of various stuff into lumber and concrete. 2. Building an infrastructure of water & sewage utilities. 3. Setting up a power generation facility, most likely a small fusion reactor, until wind & solar farms can be built. 4. Laying out the city plan onto the ground, roads and public transport system. 5. Building the emergency services centre.

Once these tasks are complete, the colonists are welcome to begin arriving.

An FVF has the same concerns and basic establishment pattern, but on a smaller scale. The village is not intended to grow over a 1000 people. It will serve as a local hub for a much larger population scattered in the surrounding country side.

Your ticket to ride.

 

Those emigrating to a FVF will each receive 5 tons of cargo allotment. As they are expected to do a lot to set up their own homesteads, it makes sense to give them more control over what supplies they bring. (300 tons of the Ship’s cargo)

People emigrating to a HO-GAC will each receive 1 ton of cargo allotment with their ticket, extra can be purchased. This cargo will consist of personal effects, not capital goods. (60 tons of the ship’s cargo)

Sick of life in the colonies? A return ticket to Earth will be free. As most ships returning will be empty, it really costs nothing to offer this sort of safety guarantee to colonists.

Frontier Village Farm cowboys.

 

Very possibly yes, if horses and cattle from Earth are imported to the new world. Ecological issues aside, a study has shown that a few breading pairs of horses would be much better over the next 10-20 years than the same cargo allotment used for a few vehicles. Trucks brake down and wear out, they do not produce new lil trucks ever. While it is sensible for the village to have a few pieces of heavy equipment, bulldozer, excavator, dump truck etc, the average farmstead is better off with a few horses.

Law & Order.

 

Going to a new world is an escape from the overly complicated Earth, and its 20 million pages of rules and regulations. But no place should be the wild west.  We certainly recognize the pioneer spirit that most colonists will have. However the general rules of civilized law will remain in effect. Major crimes will still result in major punishments, after a legal trial. Gun fights to settle arguments are not to be allowed.

Right of Early Home Site. 

 

As a sort of compensation for being among the first people on a new world, (those before the space station is completed) can put down a marker to claim a site for their future home. If the site ends up being with in a planned city, it will translate to a large urban lot, if it remains in a rural area it will be considered as 1000 acres. Proper documentation is required, one claim per person per world.

Ecological Impact Study.

 

A habitable world, implies there is some life on it. Orbital sensors can detect the generality of this, but for a meaningful survey of plant and animal life we need a science team to land on the planet. Questions; Is it safe for us? Is the air & water safe without filtration? Are the plants & animals toxic or dangerous? We can answer these things in short order. However understanding the local ecology and having any idea how we will impact it is a much larger question. 

 

Earth’s own history of colonization has shown that the introduction of new species to an area can have huge effects. Simply setting foot on a new world may cause a chain reaction of our microbes interacting with alien microbes. (This is part of the reason star ships have very good decontamination airlocks and plans in case of contamination.) 

 

Science teams are allotted one year of study. They will always ask for more time. The UN-HHC will demand an impact report. Unless there are some solid findings to show how we will destroy the ecology or how it is dangerous to us, the colonization time table will go ahead.

Colony Time Line.

Year 0. First scout ship surveys the system. They find a habitable class M planet. They search for signs of intelligent life. If none is found then the world is high on list for colonization. If aliens are found, then the diplomats take over mission.

Year 0.5 Second scout ship makes a more detailed survey of the planet. It leaves satellites to monitor the world for the next year, mostly concerned with climate data. The satellites also broadcast a “Hello is anyone around?” message.

Year 1. Third scout mission, aimed to answer specific questions about the world and to look at possible settlement sites.

Year 1.5 Fourth visit, collection of satellite data. Planning of colonies. The UN-HHC (Human Horizons Council) having ultimate authority over any such plans. The UN will establish one planned garden city on every habitable world.

Year 2. Ecological assessment study, science mission on world for several months.

Year 3. Construction of orbital space station and placement of a utilities satellite network. (work force 60) Finalization of colonizing plan. Possible arguments between Governments and Corporations over who gets what land.

Year 3.5 Completion of space station. New work crews land on world to lay out infrastructure of the colonies. Resource gathering & processing, water & sewage system, power generation, and a transport notwork. (work force 120)

Year 4. Shipments of bulk equipment and industrial vehicles, building of said infrastructure. (work force up to 200)

Year 5. Building of buildings, including homes for the soon to arrive colonists.

Year 6. First colonists arrive, most will be farmers. Up to this point all food supplies have been imported. The aim will be self sufficiency of food supply by year 8. The first year’s ground crop being mostly experimental, it will be supplemented by hydroponics houses. Incoming colonists this year about 300, including some children.

Year 7. Second wave of colonists about 300, mixed occupations, with 50% being in the primary resource industries.

Total population estimate by end of this year at 900 people. (not including staff on space station)

Population numbers are for one colony site, following the HO-GAC plan to build a city.

Note; an M1 Outreach carries 60 colonists, 5 ships would move 300 people.

The above plan would require 5 M1 passenger ships and 3 M2 cargo ships, at minimum.

There will likely be several other colony projects on the go at the same time.

For example; 

 

The FVF plan calls for much less work to be put in.

In year 3.5 a small work force will set up the village infrastructure.

Year 4 will see the arrival of the colonists, in spring. The timing is important because they will be responsible for building their own homesteads or houses with in the village. Depending on the availability of transport, we may have 60-180 people arrive in that year. More are not wanted, until the next year. (the project can be undertaken with 2 M1 Outreach ships)

By year 7 we expect a village population of 120, who are involved in non-farming occupations and a rural pop of 240, (most of that number being in 48 homesteads of 5 people each)

The FVF will not have all the fancy modern stuff expected in a HO-GAC. It will aim for quick self sufficiency at a 1900s level, however this does not mean the total abandonment of technology. Although many would be established with the goal of getting back to a simple life.