What with all that talk of fuel tanks freezing over people out there
seem to have this idea that space is cold. Only objects have temperature, space
is a vaccuum and thus has no definitive temperature at all.
Remember your thermos flasks? A vaccuum is a very good insulator. If
anything you ship will be too hot. When half the solar panels were ripped off
Skylab when it first went up the team had to contend with temperatures over
100oF at times. A spaceship adsorbs all radient energy, raising the
temperature. The life support system radiates this back into space. That's
why they're all bright and shiny. Remember how important Albedo was in the
old Scout's book?
In my own campaign the engines can process their fuel at a variety of
temperatures (certain are more optimal of course). The life support then uses
the fuel mass as a heat sink. Before jump the fuel is cooled (possibly using
outgassing/evaporation). During jump the ship can't radiate energy and so the
heat is pumped into the fuel tanks too keep the place livable. After exiting
from jump the heat is then pumped outside.
My players are crewing an old standard Scout ship. We all already know
the problems that design has with life support. And they are manning eight
people! The jump starts OK but as the days lengthen the temperature raises,
the smell gets worse, and people get narky. The crew nearly mutinied when they
had to jump twice without flushing the air system.
Other thoughts:
If your maneuver drives work better with preheated fuel, you can get one
hell of a boost coming out of jump.
Assuming skimming heats you up, a quick skimm followed by a quick jump
means one hot trip.
Mold and mildew can be a problem when your life support goes slightly
wonky. They are in Mir. Hot humid air... it's no wonder Scout ships smell.
Misjumps that cause you to stay in jump longer are real headaches. The
heat exhaustion will probably get you before the 4D-madness.
Jo Jaquinta
[email removed]