Extractor Control Units

Finding desired liquids on hostile worlds can be almost as challenging a task as extracting it from the unforgiving environment, which often entails drilling kilometers below the surface or condensing fluids from the upper atmosphere. Once the liquids are discovered, the facility itself begins the relatively simple task of separating it from the ambient plasma interference, scalding magma streams, or potentially infectious indigenous bacteria. A surprising amount of valuable liquids can be extracted from hostile worlds, but only if the equipment is properly calibrated and carefully maintained.

Extracting gas from a gas giant requires more effort than simply opening a door into a container. Each specific type of desirable gas requires an ionized filament to be calibrated to attract only the right particles from the atmosphere. Even a fraction of a percent error could spoil an entire batch of product by tainting it with unwanted material. Likewise, once the gas is extracted from the surrounding air, the platform's equilibrium tanks must be adjusted to compensate for the added weight or buoyancy. Beyond that, it's a simple matter of supercooling it and transferring the liquid form into a container for transport. As one pioneer of this technology accurately described it, “The extractor itself is much like a living organism, breathing in what it needs and expelling that which becomes cumbersome.”

Finding desired liquids on hostile worlds can be almost as challenging a task as extracting it from the unforgiving environment, which often entails drilling kilometers below the surface or condensing fluids from the upper atmosphere. Once the liquids are discovered, the facility itself begins the relatively simple task of separating it from the ambient plasma interference, scalding magma streams, or potentially infectious indigenous bacteria. A surprising amount of valuable liquids can be extracted from hostile worlds, but only if the equipment is properly calibrated and carefully maintained.

This facility consists of seismic insulated platforms and heavy, jointed conveyor belts leading into deep tunnels. Extremophile drones, built to function in even corrosive, intemperate, and high- or low-pressure atmospheres, run a constant circuit along the belts, performing repairs and clearing away rubble. A staff of mining experts and technicians occupy the main building in case any of the automated systems fail.

This underwater platform and extendable extraction arms are capable of scouring the ocean floor for valuable materials and bringing them to the surface for transportation to processing facilities. A small habitation module serves as living and operation quarters for the human administration and maintenance crew, along with emergency surfacing capsules in the case of a seismic event or breach of the building's integrity.

This facility consists of seismic insulated platforms and heavy, jointed conveyor belts leading into deep tunnels. Extremophile drones, built to function in even corrosive, intemperate, and high- or low-pressure atmospheres, run a constant circuit along the belts, performing repairs and clearing away rubble. A staff of mining experts and technicians occupy the main building in case any of the automated systems fail.

Finding desired liquids on hostile worlds can be almost as challenging a task as extracting it from the unforgiving environment, which often entails drilling kilometers below the surface or condensing fluids from the upper atmosphere. Once the liquids are discovered, the facility itself begins the relatively simple task of separating it from the ambient plasma interference, scalding magma streams, or potentially infectious indigenous bacteria. A surprising amount of valuable liquids can be extracted from hostile worlds, but only if the equipment is properly calibrated and carefully maintained.

Finding desired liquids on hostile worlds can be almost as challenging a task as extracting it from the unforgiving environment, which often entails drilling kilometers below the surface or condensing fluids from the upper atmosphere. Once the liquids are discovered, the facility itself begins the relatively simple task of separating it from the ambient plasma interference, scalding magma streams, or potentially infectious indigenous bacteria. A surprising amount of valuable liquids can be extracted from hostile worlds, but only if the equipment is properly calibrated and carefully maintained.