Challenger Planetoid
Some seventy thousand kilometers above the Root, the Beanstalk ends at the Challenger Planetoid. This rocky, irregular asteroid acts as the Beanstalk’s flying counterweight in geosynchronous orbit, stretching the buckyweave tether and keeping it taut. The asteroid is about five kilometers across. Capturing and towing it into orbit was a remarkable feat of engineering in and of itself. The planetoid’s position at the end of the Beanstalk gives it .04 G spin gravity, which is still microgravity.
The Challenger Planetoid is often called “the Castle,” a reference to the old fairy-tale beanstalk. The asteroid’s link to the Beanstalk and the construction to make it a travel hub were accomplished not by giants, but by construction workers and engineers. Much like Midway Station, the Castle services and maintains beanpod oversight and repair facilities. It provides accommodations for travelers and staff, and it serves as a popular tourist destination for those who can’t afford a trip farther out. The planetoid is divided into Nearside and Farside structures: Nearside faces the Earth, while Farside never sees it.
Although its gravity is a bit stronger than Midway Station’s, the Challenger Planetoid, as large as it is, still isn’t massive enough to generate noticeable (let alone useful) gravity for people living on its surface. However, it does contain structures able to generate their own, much stronger, spin gravity, such as Castle Club. This enables the inhabitants to experience gravity on a regular basis to counteract some of the long-term biological consequences of living in space.
The Castle serves as a major spaceport to the rest of the solar system. Flights constantly arrive from and depart to Luna and Mars, and some ships are starting to venture toward destinations in the asteroid belt. Cargo beanpods constantly launch off the tip of the Beanstalk in a never-ending stream of automated shipments. In addition, routing passengers and cargo traffic down the Beanstalk is typically more economical than landing spacecraft on Earth. With a few exceptions, such as heat-shielded bulk ore deliveries dropped into approved ocean landing zones, most cargo destined for Earth takes the Beanstalk down, and this includes the eternal flow of He-3 containers.
The Beanstalk ends at the massive Challenger Beanstalk Terminal. Since the terminal is on the near side of the planetoid, any beanpods launching directly into space seamlessly transfer from the end of the Beanstalk onto a dedicated mag-lev launch line. The beanpods zip through the center of the planetoid and shoot out of the far side. Most cargo craft are unstaffed or crewed by bioroids. Passenger craft have a crew of humans, bioroids, or both.
Like the rest of the Beanstalk, the Castle is managed by the SEA. However, given that Challenger Planetoid is many times larger than Midway Station, it has far more privately held structures and leased portions. Mining activity at the Challenger Mines is strictly regulated to avoid compromising the asteroid’s structural integrity, mass, or anything else that could affect the Beanstalk. New construction must be thoroughly reviewed, and the largest structures must be strategically located and balanced out.
The Castle’s heavy industries produce materials and goods for its own use and for export. These are mostly privately held companies subject to heavy oversight by the SEA. Due to the Beanstalk’s continual backlog, most exports are destined for the Moon or Mars.
The Challenger Planetoid’s unique crossroads position and easier access to and from the rest of the solar system makes it more attractive than Midway Station for wealthy individuals wishing to live and work along the Beanstalk. Stories of outrageously luxurious accommodations featuring materials from across the system abound, though most are more rumor than fact. Still, tales of Challenger’s wealthy residents making trips to Midway or the Moon for slumming around certainly help the rumors spread. Anyone with a complaint about society’s division of wealth can find plenty of examples throughout Challenger’s sprawling structures.
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