This model is available in Vue .vob format for $9.00 at Cornucopia 3D.

Minerz Mule - a Fanz Brief History

JimCoe      02-27-2056

200 yearz befor that Eyear of 2049, on th West Coast of Earth’z ‘North American’ continent - daring adventurerz of all kindz wer rushing for mineral richez in Gold.

Unlike that previous Rush, th recent ‘2049erz’ were not prospecting gold fieldz in California, but th mineral rich ore bodies of th 1.8 Million planetoidz of th asteroid fieldz, between Mars an Jupiter.

As befor, a few violent an ruthless claim jumperz an pirates preyed on th hard work an good fortun of otherz. Law an order waz scarc an distant. Prospectorz wer advisd to equip thmselves with lethal force to fend off deep space marauderz.

Othrs, less brav but more cunning, preyd on prospectorz commercially. Among thz wer th “Outfitterz”. As in th former Rush, thir profits wer bigger an more secur than any of th prospector’z. One of th most successful Outfitterz, with dealerz in all major spaceportz, waz MagStar Industrial, maker of th now famous Magstar ‘Minerz Mule’ series of prospecting shipz.

~ Th ‘MagStar Minerz Mule’ ~

Makerz Mark on th Mule hull, Mule9L, 2048, livery of Rafe’s Rock Rats, Alden plant, Luna Union.

Th MagStar Industrial Corp borrowd itz nam from th astronomical designation of thoz starz with intense magnetic fieldz, in keeping with itz break-thru MHD [Magnetohydrodynamic] engines.

Lik it’s namesak, th four-legged ‘mule’ of old, th MagStar Mule waz reliabl, versatil, easy to maintain an inexpensiv to operat far from base. An it waz a lot less cantankerous - tho you might not think so from som of itz AI personality modulz.

Below are som old featurz and specz from th MagStar Industrial Corp docz:
[By kind permission of Merz Marantz, MagStar_PR]

~ Featurs an Specz ~

• Exclusiv 8 Megawatt mVASIMR™ main engin
• High efficiency mPulse™ electrostatic gas impulse attitude thrustrz
• Extrem maneuverz with sensitive custom Inav™ predictive nav modulz
• Simpl, nanohard, reliabel, easy to maintain systems
• Redundant systemz for extrem survivability
• Low maintenanc, long productiv life, high resell valu
• Easy piloting, trajectory match an dock with advanced AI modulz
• Inav™ even docks binary/triplet planetoids - without pilotz own orbital math solutions
• Smart DualDefenz™ laser/projectil weaponz keep your investment saf
• mA4™ - Advanced AI Armory Assist™ ultra-fast automatic targeting
• High survivability 240 hour, 2 person lifeboat, with 2 hi-reward CoffinPods
• EzAssay™ Intelligent Camera/Mass Spectrometr/Magnetometr based prospecting an assay
  • High sensitivity, high confidence differential assays - eithr passiv or excite by weaponz system laser.

Operating Environz:
   Designed and optimized for prospecting high vacuum singl, binary or triplet planetoidz in
   typical non-aerodynamic Asteroid Belt environmentz. Gravity wells up to Ceres normal
   [2.9% Earth standard].

Temperatur:
   0° K [-273° C] to +127°K [+400° C]

Physical:
   Size and Shap:
     Spheroid, 72 ft. [21.9 meters] high by 50 ft. [15.6 meters] wide

Mass [empty]:
   1,479 Metric Tonz

Payload:
   +0.65 empty mass, 961 Metric Tonz

Power Sourcz:
   Systemz and Engine electrical:
      Moto MicroFusion4-PN4 plant
   Backup:
      Gen4 Hydrogen Fuel Cellz

Main engin:
   Exclusiv MagStar 8.0 Megawatt mVASIMR™ [10,877 Metric Horsepower]
      [MagStar advancd Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket]
      [Advancd MHD systems undr old NASA licenz]

Fuel:
   Hydrogen [as H2] or Helium [as He2]

Fuel Sourcing:
   Station fueling or onboard processing of local native ore

Max Thrust:
   153,437 Lbs [682,488 Newtonz]

Efficiency:
   Max: 92%
   Typical: 87%

Specific Impulse:
   150,500 m/s

Plasma max temp:
   10 MK

Max Power Period [90% max thrust curve]:
    Supportz ConstantPower - no more multi-body cycling

Engin Featurz:

• Electrodeless design - No Plasma Injector Cathode to erod
  • No unplanned field replacementz an EVAs
• High efficiency mICR™ [Ion-Cyclotron-Resonance] heating
• RadGuard™ technology uses engine an propellant residual magnetic fieldz to form an effectiv ship-wide radiation shield
  • Protects from background cosmic rays an most solar flars
• Th VASIMR constant acceleration design gives a near-constant gravity field for more comfort an less time doing muscle loss prevention exerciz

Tactical:

   Range: 20.5 AU

   Endurance: MTBMF 248 Edays

Survivability:
   Shock an Vib: 15 GRMS
   Penetration: to CCMA-S92-2040

I hop you enjoyd this bit of Minerz Mule memorabilia.

      JimCoe
      Ceres.Hab2.L3.14123

~ End ~