Theta Station

Realism vs. imagination in the design of space stations

When I first sent out Alien A La Carte to a Beta reader, one of the comments that came back from one reader was that they wanted more description. Many writer guides eschew the dumping of descriptive paragraphs, but at the same time, I wanted the reader to feel connected to Bae as he “finds his feet” in a realistic space environment.

I started with the International Space Station, watching video, looking at schematics and how it was put together, and decided I wanted to go bigger and bolder. I looked to larger scales such as Larry Niven’s Ringworld series and decided that the scale there was too vast, truly world building rather than space station building. I wanted something that was more intimate.

I though about every day objects and how they would appear in space, and eventually came up with a space station that in my mind at least looks like a cross between the I.S.S., a hoverboard and a segway. The main column of the space station at zero-g, running between two rings where the gravity varies. With a “vertical” column in the middle along which are located the sleeping quarters. One ring occupied by the military and the other by a secret project, which Bae later comes to discover.

This suited me well, but then I needed to go back to the I.S.S. to grab a touch of reality, and add airlocks and portals between segments of the station. Once I added in the power plant, I imagined my station would start to look more realistic, but possibly more like something out of star wars than nasa, with veins of cooling pipework running on the outside.

The trick then was to show this station without describing it in painstaking and potentially boring detail. I am interested to know what you think the station looks like based on the description in the book – I would love to see your drawings!

2 thoughts on “Theta Station”

  1. Greetings LizaRose,
    My name is Tom Sedar, after years working as the Homicide / Major Crimes Prosecutor on the Island of St. Croix I decided it was time to tell my story.
    Synopsis: When ex-homicide detective, Mad Dog Cotton, was first approached by Betsy Rourke to find her missing husband, he declined the job. He changed his mind when Betsy offered a piece of Spanish pirate treasure as partial payment for finding her husband. Within hours of accepting Betsy’s gold coin, Mad Dog is thrown into the danger and madness that is the dark side of the tropical paradise called St. Croix.
    I have had the opportunity to look over your blog and I would be honored if you would review The Gold of St. Croix. The book is 338 pages long and I would classify the genre as murder/mystery with a tropical twist.
    The Gold of St. Croix was originally published in 2012 by CFS Publishing. The second edition was self-published by IUniverse on June 26, 2020. Click here to link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gold-St-Croix-Tom-Sedar/dp/1663202699/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=gold+of+st.+croix&qid=1594669654&sr=8-1
    If you are willing to invest your time in a review, I will be happy to mail you a signed copy of The Gold of St. Croix for your review or a book stub for the e-book. I will be launching the book in mid-November and your review would be a great way to let readers know about The Gold of St. Croix.
    Thank you for your time.
    Respectfully,
    Tom Sedar
    I’m sorry lizaRose I could not find an email on your Theta Station site but I did find this form.

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