Re: World building question for physics buffs

Jacey Bedford <lookinsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
If I've got a planet orbiting an active star with unpredictable
electromagnetic storms, what level of tech will be possible for any
developing colony?

Anything requiring radio waves will be out, so:
* nothing micro-chip-based
* no TV or Radio or radio-based telecomms
* no computers or electronics except is specially shielded installations
(i.e. you can have probably a mainframe-type computer system if it's
created totally within a shielded area, but you probably can't network
it)

If the ionizing radiation on the surface of the planet is strong enough
to kill all these things, it's probably strong enough to cause health
problems for any humans living there.

But yes, you have the basic idea. As solar radiation increases,
first the AM and shortwave radio fails, then FM, then digital signals
(which presumably have some error checking). Power grids will short out
before microchips stop working. And solar storms speed the development
of rust, so pipelines and other rust-prone equipment can fail.

Note that microchips will keep working in a harsher environment than
the microchip production facilities. So you could have some existing tech
from off-world, but no means to duplicate it.

* no orbiting satellites because they'll get fried on a regular basis

Satellites are right out, yes. You might allow some hardened
geosynchronous sats, which will find it hard to communicate with the ground.
Low orbit will be deadly.

But presumably anything mechanical will be fine as long as there's no
element of electronics in the control systems, so steam-driven,
oil-driven machinery should be fine, yes?

They're fine as long as they're made of nonconductive, rust-free
materials, or maintained well enough that they don't corrode too quickly.

Coal and natural gas - no problem on a basic level until you get into
sophisticated control systems.

Aside from pipelines failing (and natural gas pipelines tend to explode
when they breach), no other problems.

What about electric power generation/storage/grid?

Don't know about storage. Generation should be fine for a while. The
grid will have problems, though -- a grid is basically a balance between
supply and demand, and random solar currents make balancing difficult.
It will suffer intermittent failures. Ramp up the solar storm and the grid
will go down, and normal means of generation will have problems. (But you
might be able to generate power from the geomagnetic environment, if things
get that bad.)

What about phone-line-based communications?

Simple phone lines might have some static, and the wires and switches
will corrode, but they'll be one of the last things to fail.

What kind of dumb things do I have to watch out for. i.e. a clockwork
watch should be OK but a digital one is a no-no.

Film cameras will fail at some point -- the ionizing radiation will
make developing film impossible. Radiation detectors will be useless.
And cancer will be epidemic. You'll also get terrific auroras.

Are basic prop-driven aeroplanes OK without flight computers? What about
navigational systems?

Navigational systems are in trouble. Aeroplanes will be fine if their
controls and engine work. Avoid hydrogen-based dirigibles.

(Am I ultimately looking at a steampunk world?)

I despise steampunk, so I can't help you with that one. :) Make the
world what you want it to be.

.... ...
Remus Shepherd <remus@xxxxxxxxx>
Journal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/remus_shepherd/
Comic: http://indepos.comicgenesis.com/
.

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