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Flightsuit combatsketch01

Two Commanders fight in a zero-gravity environment

Gravity in the Elite universe remains a force that cannot be created or nullified on-demand, and anti-gravity or gravity-generation technologies do not exist in any form. Ships, outposts, and installations are traversed by floating, using suit microthrusters, or walking with the aid of magnetic boots, while starports, megaships, and other ships of sufficient size have rotating rings that rely on centripetal force to create artificial gravity.[1] The gravity of stars and planets directly affects how fast ships can travel within a system in Supercruise, with a ship capable of achieving greater speeds the further away it is from any celestial bodies.

Stations[]

Orbis Starport Outer Torus Detail

Close up view of the habitat ring of an Orbis station

Starports and Asteroid Bases are large stations comparable to cities floating in space. They rotate slowly to create internal artificial gravity for traders, pilots, tourists and citizens aboard. The rotation maintains the gravity. The free rotation of a station is a lot cheaper than other gravitational options.

The Ocellus and Orbis starports have different habitat rings. The rate of spin produces different levels of artificial gravity. Lower gravity levels are very comfortable for physical work. In the 0.1g of the docking bay a fit human could lift a one ton mass. Gravity would differ between each tower’s floors. The force of gravity would increase as residents traveled to the station's furthest reaches. This allows starport staff to handle heavy cargo at the station's center with ease. For many residents real daylight would be considered a rare privilege.[2]

Ships[]

Interdictor-cho-highRES

Majestic-Class Interdictor

Ship interiors are generally designed as zero gravity environments. Conventional ships require that pilots, crew, and passengers secure themselves in their seats and cabins in order to safely travel under acceleration while in normal space, but while the ship is not accelerating or is traveling in Supercruise, they can be traversed by floating or, if an individual is wearing a suit, they can walk thanks to tiny electromagnets built into the soles of their shoes and the standardisation of ferromagnetic floors. Some more advanced suits are equipped with microthrusters to aid in movement and provide an edge in zero-G combat.[3]

Some Megaships have rotating habitation rings that use centripetal force to create artificial gravity. The Majestic-Class Interdictor, the main Capital Ship of the Imperial Navy, has an internal rotating ring which provides comfortable artificial gravity for traveling nobles and dignitaries. In contrast, the Federal Navy's Farragut-Class Battle Cruiser is much more utilitarian and sacrifices comfort for durability and firepower.[4]

Celestial bodies[]

Celestial bodies such as planets and moons have many different strengths of surface gravity depending on their density. Notable gravity-related records include:

  • Non-landable Terrestrial Planets:
    • Weakest known gravity: 0.03 G (Oresqu B 4 a, Oresqu)[7]
    • Strongest known gravity: 228.42 G (S171 37 8, S171 37)[8]
  • Gas Giants:
    • Weakest known gravity: 0.26 G (Crevit 3 a, Crevit)[9]
    • Strongest known gravity: 404.86 G (Capella A 6, Capella)[10]

Gallery[]

References[]

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