Freelance Traveller

Earth Alliance Survey Shuttle

designed by Richard Page

This article originally appeared in the September 2012 issue.

The STG-19s Survey Shuttle configuration started life as a jury-rigged modification done by independent survey crews who wanted a small, versatile survey ship. Within a few years, ship construction companies were offering the survey shuttle as a standard model of the light shuttle. With the addition of the extra equipment fitted to the survey shuttle, the original 80T light shuttle has grown into the 90T survey shuttle.

Features

Firmpoints: Each Shuttle is equipped with 2 pairs of Firmpoints (0.5T, 0.2 MCr per pair; one pair permanently allocated to the Survey Module (q.v.)) which can be used to attach different types of modules to the shuttle. Each pair of Firmpoints are on either side of the shuttle and must use the same type of attached module (for example, you could attach 2 fuel modules or 2 cargo modules to the front pair, but not one of each). On the Survey Shuttle, the rear pair are permanently used to hold the survey module (thus making the hull ’Distributed’ rather than ’Standard’) and are unavailable for any other module. The most common modules used are 5T cargo and fuel modules (not interchangeable – you can’t use the cargo ones for fuel or vice-versa), which cost 0.01 MCr empty, have negligible mass and hold 5T of cargo or fuel respectively.

Survey Module: The Survey module is fitted as standard on the survey shuttle and consists of a pod containing 4 survey probes, a pod containing 2 sample gathering probes and a large gantry system to both deploy and retrieve them. It also incorporates an advanced survey sensor package (use as the survey sensor system – p. 45 of Mongoose Traveller: High Guard with the sample probe as a 2T mining robot with a 0.5T sample container with 10 separate compartments). Both types of probe have a virtually unlimited range around a planet and a flight duration of 6 hours, using 0.05T of fuel per 6 hours of flight (may refuel from the ship) and can return to the ship under their own power. The module takes up 15T and costs 12 MCr.

Landing Struts: The STG-19 Shuttles are designed to operate from ships, stations and prepared landing areas. Because of this, the landing struts are unsuitable for landing on unprepared or uneven ground. An ‘All-Terrain’ extendable landing pad system is available – it takes up 1T of cargo space and costs 0.2 MCr. This is fitted as standard on a Survey Shuttle due to the extensive survey module.

Other Features: Each survey shuttle is usually equipped with two or more lockers for EVA suits (located near the airlock), as well as many small compartments located in the overhead area or under seats to store light hand luggage. The galley is suitable for preparing light meals, snacks and hot or cold drinks suitable for zero-g consumption from pre-packaged stores. There is also space allocated in the survey shuttle for exercise machines to alleviate the effects of long periods of zero-g.

Optional Modification Package

One upgrade option available for the Survey Shuttle is the Lab Package – this removes one of the staterooms and 2T of cargo space and replaces it with a 4T lab area and a 2T storage area suitable for containment and analysis of hazardous materials. The modification is quite extensive and allows the sample gathering probes to deposit the gathered samples directly into the storage area for immediate analysis. The sample area can also be automatically vented into space if any materials become unstable. The Lab Package uses 6T of space and costs +0.7 MCr.

Deck plan key

1. Cockpit/Control Cabin.
2. Main cargo or transport cabin.
3. Airlock with fold-down powered ramp and ceiling access to Power Plant.
4. Engines (access panels located in airlock).
5. Sensors and Computer/Electronics (access panel located in crawl-space under co-pilot control console).
6. Basic single or double-occupancy cabin.
7. Exercise Equipment.
8. Analysis Lab and Sample Storage.
9. Sample collection probes.
10. Survey probes.
11. Survey probe retrieval gantry.
12. Sample collection probe retrieval gantry.
6. Fresher.
7. Galley.
12. Lockers.
23. Landing strut well.