Raw Planetary Materials

The abundance of water on terrestrial planets is often a misconception: What many refer to offhandedly as "water" is often an amalgamation of many liquids, microscopic particles, and saturated compounds combined with water and other liquids. Aqueous liquids represent those liquids from which pure water can be separated easily from waste or hazardous particles, but only using the proper equipment.

At the very bottom of the food chain are autotrophs, those organisms that produce carbohydrates, proteins, and fats for higher life forms to consume. When properly gathered and ordered, they can be plied into industrial fibers, which then go on to contribute to advanced material technologies.

Iron and nickel are two widespread, easily recognized examples of base metals, or those metals that oxidize relatively easily. Their tremendous usefulness in numerous applications ensures that base metals are always in high demand. Thankfully, so is their abundance on most planetary surfaces.

Often referred to as the building blocks of life, carbon compounds form the basis of most organic material; hence, they are ideally suited for use in the early development of advanced, reactive molecules, such as those used in biofuel and supertensile structures.

Organic flora and fauna growing on worlds across the cluster technically qualify as “alien life,” though none of it has registered as sentient. However, their usefulness as comestibles or building materials in other areas of industry is invaluable.

The churning core of lava planets is rife with felsic magma, or silicate material that is infused with lighter elements, from which basic silicon and other atomic matter may be extracted. Silicon is abundant on many terrestrial planets, but the fastest and easiest way to obtain it, given advances in planetary mining processes, is from felsic magma.

In small quantities, heavy metals are vital to life, providing essential minerals for biological processes. In bulk, they are commonly found in most construction materials, forming the most basic components of computer electronics and reinforced structures.

An electrolyte found in a raw, natural form is called an ionic solution, especially in terms of planetary astronomy. Only after a lengthy process of extraction and refining can the resulting fluid go on to be used for medical, industrial, or nutritive applications.

Any life form too small to be detected by the unaided human eye qualifies as a microorganism, yet as a whole, this classification of biology covers an enormous and diverse spectrum. From parasites and viruses to fungi and insects, the study or industrial application of these creatures is just as broad.

This colorless, odorless, and usually nonflammable substance is one of seven known monoatomic gases, or those that do not easily combine with other atoms. They are thus well suited for a variety of manufacturing implementations.

Highly resistant to corrosion and oxidation, noble metals are somewhat rarer than base metals, yet they are just as sought after for their different electrical, material, and chemical attributes. When painstakingly refined and purified, some noble metal ores can produce "precious metals."

The orderly, compact nature of crystals makes them well suited for a staggering array of manufacturing processes, in which they are just as often the product of the factory as they are incorporated into many of the tools and machinery used therein.

Harvested in mass quantities, planktic colonies are used for much more than just a bulk food source that flourishes in water-rich environments. Their cumulative biomass has advanced properties that contribute to some of the most advanced material and medical sciences in New Eden.

Consisting of any number of volatile atomic structures, reactive gases are the most useful when applied to the fields of explosives, molecular restructuring, and electrical conduction. Great care must be taken when storing or transporting any sizeable quantity.

When found in harvestable quantities beyond the unapproachable heat of an active star, plasma is said to be in a “suspended” state. Specialized electronic equipment is used to attract the ionized particles into collection tubes, after which it can be stored, transported, or applied to a variety of technologies.