Tue, May 25, 2021 at 5:25 AM
David,
The solar cells have been installed and the shuttle arrived a bit sooner than expected so the painting crew has already been busy. The only thing missing now are the registration numbers and (of course) a station name... plus a christening.
Would one actually want to smash a bottle of the bubbly onto the surface of a space station so that the glass fragments and champagne floated around it for a few years?
If you have any suggestions... of course, set 'em down in a reply.
Small question: Do we refer to this as a "High Dock" or a "Highdock" ?
Kind regards,
- Ignatz
PS Almost time to move on to the spaceman.
Tue, May 25, 2021 at 6:11 AM
Ignatz,
This looks beautiful! I don't think there'd be a christening in the traditional sense for a ship. Likely there would be many types of ceremonies, depending on the local traditions. Upon delivery to a star system, from a drydock or station assembly company, the ceremony, if any, would be held by the new owner. If there was a champagne bottle to be broken, it would happen on the inside, not the outside. But speeches, prayers, celebrations would look different everywhere you went.
As for the spelling, it's "highdock", one word. They're extremely common, though they vary greatly in design details. A well settled star system, with a billion or more inhabitants, might have a couple dozen of these, sprinkled throughout the star system. They sit at jump points, or act as waystations along shuttle routes in-system. They act as attendant facilities to larger colony stations, or as science, military, or traffic outposts. Their size allows for ease of placement almost anywhere.
This is truly beautiful!
-David