Starports

Fellow MT junkies --


  After spending some time over the July 4th weekend at Lambert Field
in St. Louis, I got to thinking what a class A or B starport in the
universe of MT would look like.  I came up with the following kinds of
questions.

o   What kind of facilites are there?  Obviously there are those that
    are stated in the various manuals (construction and repair
    facilities) and hotels and restaraunts.  What else?

o   What kind of people services would there be?  Obvious things such
    as hotels, restaraunts and bars, what else?  How many?

o   What kind of ships would one be expected to see?  A lot of real
    small free trader type ships, or major ships with just smattering
    of smaller ones....

o   What kind of facilities would exist for the small starship
    captain?  Would each ship be awarded a gate to a concourse?  Or
    would they have to park out in a general landing field and walk or
    ride to the facilities in the starport, sort of like how some
    yacht clubs have their boats just anchored out in the water, and
    you need a dinghy to reach the shore.

o   If a smaller ship captain were denied councourse access, I suppose
    that it would mean that these facilities did not exist or were
    being used by larger (more regular) ships?  Are there many people
    transport lines available?  Is space travel more like air travel
    today except longer, or more like ocean-going travel in the past?
    (i.e.  More cargo and less passengers)

o   What approximate size would the average class A or B starport be?
    Both orbital and land-based?  For orbitals, approximate tonnage?
    Also, would it be advantageous for these orbital stations to be
    maneuverable?  I mean more than occasional manuevering to maintain
    orbit, more like changing from a low to high orbit or vice-versa.
    For land-based starports would the size of the starport be
    comparable to small city?  What would be its population?

o   Who would control the starport?  Would it be under the jurisdiction
    of the local government or the imperium, or ruling subsector?  Who
    would be responsible for the investigation of crimes in a
    starport?



    Well, thats about enough questions for now.  I never thought that
    this subject was discussed in great enough detail in the original
    game, and has not been expounded upon in the revised editions
    either.  Any opinions are welcome.

    -- Toucan