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nanowrimo help.I've sent our solar system's first generation ship out into space, heading towards Alpha Centauri. They will be acting as an exploratory team as well, leaving their findings for the rest of humanity to eventually retrieve.
So this first ship has a higher scientific population, but it's also going to be a self-sufficient ship with three separate habitats (temperate, tropical rainforest, and taiga). I'm hoping you guys can help me determine what kinds of people absolutely have to be on the ship. I'm hoping to keep the initial population somewhere between 150-200 members, with genetic diversity helped via fertility banks.
The main space agency is ISACC, which is like a merger between NASA, ESA, RKA, and the military. A high percentage of crew is ISACC. Everyone is required to help outside their field to keep the ship running properly, so there's often some overlap. People with many proficiencies or artistic/cultural hobbies (music, dance, theatre, etc.) were preferred. Some folks get spaces due to sponsorship/political ties/cultural significance (for instance, a few people from the remaining royal families/native tribes/religious minorities/etc.) Crew comes from: Earth (much of which is still healing from nuclear holocaust), Luna (several colonies), L1 (the first satellite colony), and a few actually grew up on the ship, Akupara, which had to spend several decades proving self-sufficiency in orbit before it was okayed for departure.
Here's my current list of people on the ship. Please make suggestions (or corrections) if you have anything to add. Thanks for your help!
HUB:
Captain
Second/Aerospace Engineer
Pilot/Astronomer
Astronauts - 4
Systems Engineer:
- Communications Engineer
Hardware Engineer
Software Engineer
Nuclear Engineer/physicist - 2
Solar Engineer
Electrical Engineer
Mechanical Engineer
Life Support Systems Engineer
Waste Systems Engineer
Astrobiologist
Astrophysicist
MEDICAL:
Geneticists – 2
Family practitioner
Midwife
- apprentice
Oncologist
Nurses – 2
Virologist
Surgeons - 2
EMTs - 4
Holistic Healers -??
Psychiatrist
Biologists - 2
FARMS:
Farmers - ???
Zoo Keepers - 2
Veterinarian
Butchers - 2
Tanner
Carpenter
Horticulturalist/Grounds - 3
Botanists - 2
SOCIAL:
Social Administrator
Linguistic specialist
Museum Curator
Cooks/Chefs - 2
Librarian/Historian
Ministers - ??
Teachers – 2
Kids - ??
Sponsors/Politicos/People of Cultural Significance - ??
SKILLS:
Metalsmiths – 2?
Printer
Survivalist
Cobbler
Tailor
- Location:space
- Mood:
productive
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ahavah_ehyeh- Ahavah Ehyeh
Comments
I figure part of the farm work would include sheep shearing and spinning yarn. I don't actually know all that much about creating cloth though. I figured there were machines to make most cloths, and weavers and knitters and the like who would use plain yarn. Let me know if I'm off base, or overlooking something entirely! Thanks!
Anyone can learn to card, spin and knit, but that would be rough stuff. So, if you've got the machines to make the cloth, then you're good to go. ;)
If you're going to have metalsmiths, you're going to need a mining operation - I'd say minimum of 3 people to that.
You also would need some sort of restaurant or cafe and minimum of 2 people to run it.
A biologist and botanist would be good as well.
Are they all coming from basically the same culture? Or would you possibly get use out of a linguistic specialist & culture liaison to help people mesh well together?
ummm... have you seen Sunshine? They have a cool o2 lab that could produce food as well :-)
There is a cafeteria, with a chef and a sous chef. People rotate contributing to certain jobs, and the cafeteria is one of them (until the population grows, anyway). Dorms and homes have kitchens, too, for those who prefer to cook for themselves.
Biologist & botanist - Thanks! I had these two on my previous list, which I lost. I knew I'd forgotten some obvious ones.
They're not all coming from the same culture, but they are all required to speak English (the 'official' language of the ship/ISACC). A linguistic specialist is a good idea, though.
I haven't seen Sunshine. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for your help!
I think you've covered pretty much everything!
Wow your story is really detailed!
*is in awe*
The fact that you've put so much thought in the back story and the crew list...*is impressed*
My story is thin on details but thick on character development which means LOTS of dialogue which I can plan so well in my head but HATE to write. It's coming - I only hit 10,000 mark this morning so we're both doing well! There's still life out there getting in the way of our precious writing time eh? ;)
I love that you're my NaNo buddy btw! :D
xx
Want to know a secret? This is the same story I tried last year, which means I've really put two years worth of thought and research into it. I just had to scrap most of what I came up with last year, because my grasp of science was ALL wrong (probably still is), but at least I've been percolating on it a while. I thought I'd have these lists and the character sheets all finished by October! I'm wondering whether it's fair to add them to my word count, since it's technically still working on NaNo and was written in Nov...
Thanks again, sweetie!
I have used quotes and song lyrics in my writing but it's part of the essence of the story so I am hoping that's allowed..? If not I shall be aiming higher than 50,000 anyway to compensate!
xx
hehe
My brush with Christianity did leave me with a rather unhealthy interest in The Last Days prophecy. I'm such a cheerful person!
Yay for friends of the Lord! ;)
xx
Why do you need a zookeeper? If you mean for animals like cows and horses, it's MUCH more economical to ship them either as fertilized ova or in cryogenics (preferably both - decant the live ones and then implant the ova).
For most of the low tech stuff (spinning, weaving, etc), you're not going to need experts on board. You won't NEED that knowledge until the end of the voyage, so you can afford to just store the information to learn it and the equipment that can't be built in place at the end.
You're also going to need to plan in some redundancy. What happens if there's a catastrophe, and your midwife dies? Bring two - or better, four, with two of them doubling duties in another field.
That's what I've got right now. ;-)
I figured about the same with the low-tech, and I thought farmers and a resident survivalist would keep those kinds of skills alive and active.
I had considered the redundancy thing. The family practitioner would also help as far as birth goes, the surgeons if a cesarean would be necessary, and I'll likely stick a doula in there somewhere. Maybe one of my holistic healers or a minister, and I shall name her Mary Sue. LOL (I actually kinda like that idea). Eventually, as the mission progresses, everyone is going to be required to take at least one apprentice. I've tried to make the *really* important people have doubles in the other habitats, or assistants who could basically do their jobs.
Thanks for all your help! Keep them coming if you think of more.
I am going to have to take a longer look at your list, but I really have spent a lot of time thinking about essential skills. .
All I will add now is: don't understimate the need for unskilled labor. Metalurgy needs mines (as aimingforpeace mentioned), carpenters need lumber, traps and nets need tending, etc. Having a handful of people that can do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done are going to be very handy.
Just a random thing - I know you said that all the others would take on responsibilities not limited to their role, but...
How were you percieving the maintenance/upkeep of the ship's systems (the whole thing - from propulsion to life support to the computers)? Would it be something everyone did, or would you have a specialist team of engineers and workmen?
I'm imagining that the ship's systems would be extremely complex - and even with computerisation and automation, you'd still want to keep a close eye on it. I know from my friends that there are people who are gifted with engineering, practical things, and those whose talents are more... well... elsewhere, and I'd want the former looking after your critical systems. Even though you would want arty people on board, too.
I'd definitely add a power systems engineer and another software engineer. Power supply management is an incredibly complex area and I'd imagine over a huge ship it would be critical.
Sorry, I'm a geek! I've worked on complex electrical and mechanical systems, so these sort of things are the first that pop into my mind. Hope my rambles are vaguely useful.
Good luck!
Lins
I figured the systems engineers, the mechanics, and the astronauts would work together to keep the support systems running smoothly. I also had a massive nuclear holocaust the decimated a huge chunk of the earth, so they spent several hundred years working primarily on medical and biosphere technologies. Basically, biospheres and environmental revitalization became mandatory for continued existence. They've been doing the "habitat" thing for five hundred years, so I figure most of it is pretty well automated. The astronauts and grounds folks. I'll definitely add your suggestions, since you know more about it than I do! And software engineer is probably what I meant with "computer engineer". *blushes*
Thanks so much for your help!
I'd actually class computer engineer and software engineer differently, as the hardware is a completely different matter.
Most technical people I know of work well together - it's just the management that cause all the problems ;o)
I learned this from my old vet in Ohio while being a vet and in charge of the care of the dogs & horses (yes they apparently have Army horses) they also inspected all the food and made sure it was safe for humans. I also know that on Navy ships, people usually have 2 jobs. Such as a gunner might also be a cook or a plumber also a fireman.