Reboost technology

One can find advantages to every possible location, but the general consensus is that placing your settlement closer to the Earth will result in significant atmospheric drag. Although research indicates that micro-particles in the Low Earth Orbit are quickly absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere [12], frequent collisions of gas molecules with the settlement can result in orbital decay [13]. Furthermore, the more the orbit decays, the lower the altitude of the settlement drops, speeding up the decay process. This positive feedback effect can be countered by periodically adjusting the colony’s orbit. Two ways of achieving the desired result are pushing the settlement back on its path using a second spacecraft’s engines or using the settlement’s own to correct any deviation. Every module in the Honeycomb Space Settlement has three large engines available for any task which might require propulsion, including reboosting. Additionally, there are five other hidden engines on every side of the cell, used for steering and fine-tuning any location related aspects.

The engines have a radius of 6 m e te r s (2 0 ft) and can provide up to 3 5 m illio n horsepower or 2 6 0 9 9 4 9 5 kilowatts. When not in use, the power is redirected from the engines to the rest of the settlement.

In case of an emergency, the engines are immediately enabled and assigned the task of removing the module from the lattice and transporting it towards safety. In the unfortunate event of system malfunction, the engines are powerful enough to push a disabled module which has been connected to the main cell.