Earthly Resupply
A resupply shipment from Earth is a big event for any space installation as it deliveres needed resources, spare parts and moral boosting comfort items that aren't available in orbital habitats, research stations in space, colonies and starports.
Execution
Sending a resupply mission to any space installation is a technological ballet of utmost complexity, orchestrated by the brightest minds of many interconected institutions, often even involving some form of the rarely seen corporate cooperation. Every resupply mission is planned down to the smallest detail and months, if not years ahead of time.
When a resupply mission arrives at a space installation the entire crew, or a large part of them, gatheres to unload the cargo. While the cargo often includes mission critical items, unfathomably expensive prototypes, cutting-edge technology and items classified to all but a few - what usually peeks the interest of the crew are the comfort items they have requested. After all, who can resist a Caramel Cluster Candybar?
Observance
The frequency of resupply mission any space installation recevies is highly dependant on several factors. How great the resource requirement to sustain an installation and it's profitability is usually the primary determinant how much attention a space installation recives from it's sponsoring companies. The size of the space installation is often also a factor indirectly, since larger installations usually have facillities that prolong the time the
space installation lasts on it's supplies. Some installations achive some degree of self-sufficency via hydroponic farming and advanced food processing technologies, thus eliminating the need for basic food resupply missions. Some mining operrations have manufacturing capabilities allowing them to turn mining yields into components, spare parts and even extentions of the space installation, greatly reducing the need of maintainence shipments.
Comments