Space travel in the Earth That Is setting is unthinkably fast by the standards of the 21st century. Thanks to technological breakthroughs, energy is easy to produce, and thrust is extremely high. Travel times anywhere in the inner system are only a matter of days, while travel in the outer system is still only a matter of weeks. There are three core technologies: the Gravitic Reactor, the Gravitic Thruster, and the Moghadam Regimen.
The Gravitic Compression Helium-3 Fusion Reactor represents the pinnacle of fusion technology in the Sol system by 2500 AD, utilizing advanced gravitic compression fields to ignite the fusion of Helium-3. Unlike earlier magnetic confinement reactors, which required enormous energy to sustain the reaction, this cutting-edge design uses controlled gravitational forces to compress the fusion plasma to the necessary density and temperature more efficiently. By manipulating gravity at a quantum level, the reactor compresses the Helium-3 fuel into a stable plasma state, minimizing energy losses and dramatically increasing reaction efficiency. The gravitic compression allows the reactor to reach ignition with far less input energy, while the fusion process itself is clean, producing minimal radioactive waste. This technology has become the foundation of power generation for the major powers in the outer solar system, from the mining colonies on Triton to the industrial hubs of Chandra, enabling the generation of immense amounts of energy required for planetary-scale industries and interplanetary travel. With its compact design, a single Gravitic Compression He3 Reactor can power an entire space station or fuel the drives of large spacecraft, making it a critical technology for military and civilian use in the resource-scarce outer system.
The Gravitic Thruster is an extraordinary leap in propulsion technology, utilizing gravitational manipulation to achieve unparalleled thrust levels. By generating localized gravitational fields that compress and expel any available matter as reaction mass, this thruster allows spacecraft to achieve near-instantaneous acceleration with absurd efficiency. By leveraging quantum-scale gravitic fields, the thruster can compress reaction mass to extreme densities, ejecting it at relativistic speeds to produce multiple G's of continuous acceleration. Vessels equipped with this technology can sustain high-thrust burns for weeks at a time, enabling interplanetary journeys that would have once taken months to be completed in mere days. In military applications, spacecraft can maneuver in previously impossible ways, changing vectors rapidly while maintaining extreme acceleration. Civilian vessels benefit from the gravitic thruster’s unmatched range and fuel flexibility, making it indispensable for deep-space cargo haulers, exploration missions, and passenger transports. The beauty of the gravitic thruster lies in its ability to use almost any material—from hydrogen harvested from gas giants to dust and debris found in space—as reaction mass. This versatility makes it an ideal engine for long-term deep space travel where traditional fuel sources are scarce.
The Moghadam Regimen, developed by S. Blake Moghadam of Mars, is a revolutionary genetic engineering treatment that makes the human body immune to the harmful effects of prolonged exposure to low or zero gravity. The Mareekhi regard it as a divine miracle, a major reason the former scientist is now considered a prophet. Originally devised to address the challenges Martians face living in reduced gravity after Mars was terraformed, the regimen rewires the body's muscle and bone growth processes at the genetic level. It enhances cellular regeneration, strengthens the skeletal system, and promotes continuous muscle density maintenance, preventing the muscle atrophy and bone density loss typically associated with life in microgravity. The treatment can be applied to any adult safely through a series of advanced gene therapy sessions, and its effects are heritable—two people who undergo the Moghadam Regimen will pass the genetic enhancements to their offspring, creating a new generation of humans perfectly adapted to space environments. While this technology originated on Mars, it has spread throughout the solar system, especially among spacefaring populations such as the Belters and residents of moons like Triton, where low gravity is a constant challenge.
- Various types are used, the vast majority being civilian vessels between "Medium" and "Huge" sizes. "Giant" or larger spaceships are limited in number, and only the Saturn Federation and the Luna Free Soviet have the resources to build them in any numbers. Ships are built with decks stacked toward acceleration, with drives at the back.
- To enter the atmosphere, the ship cannot be larger than "Large" and must have the Atmospheric modification. Only "Small" vessels will have an aerodyne shape for regular atmospheric operation, while "Medium" and "Large" vessels are tail-landers.
- Each point of acceleration listed for a starship equals about 0.1gee. A ship cannot sustain more than 1gee acceleration for long periods without having special accommodations for the human crew. "Top Speed" is essentially meaningless in actual space.
- In space combat, each 1" of range equals ten miles of actual distance for missiles and beam weapons. Projectile weapons are useless beyond a few miles range and are generally used for point defense, if at all. Dedicated warships carry lasers, torpedoes, particle weapons, and occasionally mass drivers. Civilian vessels usually only carry lasers, though nearly all vessels are armed in the Earth That Is setting.
- Defensive technology includes "Armor" and "Shields". Any ship with "Shields" is immune, at least temporarily, to radiation from nuclear explosions and gas giant radiation belts. All ships have sufficient protection to be effectively immune to solar flares beyond Venusian orbit and cosmic rays.
- No FTL technology exists in the Earth That Is setting.
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