[Starport/Downport] Size of port

[Dave Chase]

How many ships should be able to dock at a :
Class A spaceport
Class B spaceport
Class C spaceport

How many ships should there be ground space at a :
Class A downport
Class B downport
Class C downport
Class D downport
Class E downport (or does it matter here?)

Does a certain class of port (down or space) have to be of a certain size (volume/tonnage) or is just the services able to be rendered the important determining feature?

Are there set/required crew positions based on the size (classification) of a port?

Should a Class A or B port have rental quarters available for visiting/docking ships?
Or for passengers of docking ships?

Should there be a minimum of rental storage space available based on a ports classification?
Or does it depend on what kind of port it is? (Scout base, repair base, military base, merchant base, etc)

Dave Chase

 

[BP]

Starport class is defined based on services/facilities - so all the above are dependent on that as a minimum only.

Downport option may supersede need for accommodations for travellers and rental spaces for Starports. But needs often don't match realities in RL...

 

[rust]

Dave, these questions are treated in detail in the GURPS Traveller supple-
ment Starports, I would highly recommend to take a look at it.

 

[Gee4orce]

Dave, these questions are treated in detail in the GURPS Traveller supple-
ment Starports, I would highly recommend to take a look at it.

I was going to say the same thing, so I'll just quote instead

 

[Dave Chase]

Thanks guys.

I was posting these threads as a point of dicussion as compared to me seeking set answers.

Dave Chase

 

[DFW]

How many ships should be able to dock at a :
Class A spaceport
Class B spaceport
Class C spaceport

How many ships should there be ground space at a :
Class A downport
Class B downport
Class C downport
Class D downport
Class E downport (or does it matter here?)

Does a certain class of port (down or space) have to be of a certain size (volume/tonnage) or is just the services able to be rendered the important determining feature?

As IRL, supply (amount of facilities) follows demand. So, unless you supply the "demand" side data points, the Qs are not answerable with anything approaching reality.

 

[phavoc]

There's going to be a few variables there. General rule of thumbs are going to be a) is the starport serving a high-population world, and b) is the starport a local sector shipping hub.

Ports serving multi-billion population worlds are going to be big. There are actually going to be a couple of ports spread around the world, but one will be the "main" one. It's going to be the one that deals with the smaller ships, most likely will have the manufacturing and shipbuilding portions. Though you can always split things like that off if you want.

Ports serving as trade hubs are probably going to have a larger orbital presence than downport presence. It's far cheaper to service starships in orbit than having them land. That means in addition to your primary starport terminal, you are going to have a whole host of orbital cargo warehouses, trans-shipping hubs, etc. The downport would most likely be smaller.

And yes, the GURPS Starport handbook is a wonderful reference.

 

[vitalis6969]

Does a certain class of port (down or space) have to be of a certain size (volume/tonnage) or is just the services able to be rendered the important determining feature?

Services rendered and technology level would determine the type of starport. Though, for cost practicality, volume of traffic would probably compare very closely with quality of port.

Should a Class A or B port have rental quarters available for visiting/docking ships?
Or for passengers of docking ships?

Every port type barring X would have some type of rental quarters whether it is a room at the Marriott or a rickety cot at the bar/trade post/general store built next to the pressurized earth of the landing "field".

Should there be a minimum of rental storage space available based on a ports classification?
Or does it depend on what kind of port it is? (Scout base, repair base, military base, merchant base, etc)

It would all depend on the type of base and the size it was built at.

-V

 

[zero]

I just decide that the higher quality the spaceport is, the more space it probably takes up.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

CT Adventure 5 - Trillion Credit Squadron had some numbers on military facilities. The basic parts I remember that the the amount of facilities was Population/1000*GovMod (which varied by type and peace/war status) and that ship repairs and ship building used the same facilities.
Class A ports could build starships.
Class B ports could build nonstarships.
Period. no builds elsewhere.

Then again this was for military vessels so YMMV. It also mentioned expected amounts of hydrogen stored and ready for fueling per week based on starport