SPECIFICATIONS

GOVERNMENT: United States of North America/USSN


Description/Overview:
         The seventh incarnation of the Von Braun style wheel space stations began construction in 2151 AD by the LaGrange Republics and the United States Space Navy. United Nations Space Corps forces eventually began building this wheel station as well as it was an easy design to construct, maintain, and service and its small size allowed it to be "towed" to practically any position needed in the Solar System (given enough time and fuel). At 120 meters in diameter (393.7 feet), this station was tiny compared to the O'Neill cylinders' Mark-IV Von Braun wheels that graced the forward end of the giant space islands. The Mark-VII was intended for utility, and multimission usage. A wide variety of subvariants were produced. The one shown here is the Mark-VIIA general purpose model, however, military models such as the Mark-VIID (Defense platform) were armed with space torpedo launchers, and laser cannon batteries. The Mark-VIIS (Science platform) had no weapons, and had a multitude of instruments on its bottom wheel: from all manner of telescopes to lab modules and biological habitat labs. The Mark-VIIM (mining platform) had industrial beam lasers used to melt asteroid material and cut ores. The "M" model also had electromagnetic tractor/repulsor beam emitters mounted on the ventral ring section and a rather large ion-engine array that allowed limited movement and maneuvering for the mining station to get in position over an asteroid (like a modern oil-well drilling rig). The Mark-VIIO (Outpost model) was a fuel and weapons depot for all three major military powers within the Sol system throughout the middle of the 22nd century. The Mark-VII VonBraun was an amazing design that served all of the military, civilian, and industrial powers of Earth for all of its lifetime.