Micro- and Macrologistics panels( Micrologistics panel gives you information about items stored in your base, and scatered around it )
( Macrologistics panel is used to sell/buy items from various sources )
Traditionally, logistics analysis for space missions has focused on the delivery of elements and goods to a destination. This type of logistics analysis can be referred to as “macro-logistics”. While the delivery of goods is a critical component of mission analysis, it captures only a portion of the constraints that logistics planning may impose on a mission scenario. The other component of logistics analysis concerns the local handling of goods at the destination, including storage, usage, and disposal. This type of logistics analysis, referred to as “micro-logistics”, may also be a primary driver in the viability of a human lunar exploration scenario. With the rigorous constraints that will be placed upon a human lunar outpost, it is necessary to accurately evaluate micro-logistics operations in order to develop exploration scenarios that will result in an acceptable level of system performance.
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20080040197_2008039375.pdfWe all know what a "Locator" function is. You go to computer terminal, and by locator you find the location of various items/equipement scatered around the map. That is micro-logistics.
We know for a fact that a colony on Mars will have to order some items/parts/equipement from Earth. That buying is macro-logistics.
Morover....in Mars Colony we mine resources not only for our own base but we sell them to Earth aswell. Selling is also macro-logistics.
But that's not all...NASA scientists, have developed a micro-logistic's computer program that automaticly counts EVERYTHING that is stored inside storage-boxes. You can see on a film how it works here:
http://spacelogistics.mit.edu/What I propose is to make two different computer panels that player (usually: base commander) would use to check on base items status and resuply.
Micro-logistics panel would have 3 functions:
1) LOCATOR
2) Stored items list
3) Order item transfer function
The first one I do not need to explain.
The second one works like this...by checking on micrologistic's panel you immidiately know:
a) How many GPR shots you have in storage
b) How many drill parts you have stored
c) How many Ore and raw elements you have stored
d) How many seeds you have
e) How much fertylisers you have
f) How much fish food you have
g) How many fish eggs you have
h) How many MRE-meals and food suplies you have
i) How much medical suplies you have
j) Additionaly....it could tell you how much water, oxygen, methane, hydrogen and other basic elements you have stored, even if those aren't item's or equipement.
k) Other...
The third function "Order item transfer" works like this: If some item's are needed elewhere base commander selects them and selects where they should be transfered (coordinates or place). This request immidiately appears in "WORK ORDERS" on the right of the screen. Players on they'r way there take's the items with them. That way, no one forgots anything, and base commander give's orders.
Macro-logistics panel would have one basic function: ordering shoutle. Using shoutle you can buy and sell stuff.
In order to order (lol
) a shoutle, base commander get's to that panel and selects the time, that cannot be sooner than 24 h.
The shoutle is dropped of from orbit, but in order to prepare for the delivery it needs those 24 h.
He also selects from where the shoutle would come:
-from Earth (then, the time of the delivery would about 40 days)
-from the Moon (also around 40 days)
-Phobos
-Mars Cycler (this is a ship that will be used for sending large groups of peeple on Mars - it will support local mars-bases, by resuplying, maintance and manufacturing --->
http://www.spaceislandgroup.com/mars.html)
The cost and time of delivery of various equipement is different depending on the source. It should also change a little over time (once higher, once smaller prices).
Delivery isn't free! Even if you order a shoutle with nothing loaded on it, you still will have to pay for the fuel it burned for entering the atmosphere and for leaving it, aswell as for maintance. Since a shoutle will burn more or less the same amount, when it enters atmosphere, you will pay the same amount of money for that service. How much?
Simple calculations (correct me if I'am wrong). 5.000 kilograms of fuel required for entry and liftoff (am I wrong?). Every kilogram is worth 10.000$ RIGHT NOW, but in the future, and considering low Mars gravity, it will cost you 1.000$. That will cost you: 50.000$ for the fuel, plus maintance ~50.000$. That means, every ordered shoutle will cost you
100.000$. You pay even for the fuel you didn't use during liftoff.
That is of course the price of the ordering the shoutle itself. If you ordered it with something else, you pay for it aswell.
For instance: another augar would cost you 200.000$. So ordering a shoutle that would have augar with it would cost: 100.000$ + 200.000$ =
300.000$Could you order anything more?
That depends only on the mass of the object, becouse the size doesn't matter (in cosmic technologies, everything could be folded).
The shoutle could carry up-to 2.000 kg.
For instance: if Augar weights 1.000 kg, you could buy two.
Since we only need one, and we don't want to lose money on ordering a shoutle with free space on it, we buy something cheaper that we need....like water.
We order 1.000 kg of water, that cost's 100$ for each kilogram (well.....this is Mars we are talking about, and water is worth there more than gold. If you would like it cheaper, you can order hydrogen, and change it to water on your base. Since it's 17 times lighter, it would also cost less...15$ for kilogram maybe).
1.000 kg of water for 100$ would cost 100.000$.
So totaly, ordering a shoutle with 1 augar and 1.000 kg of water will cost: 100.000$ + 200.000$ + 100.000$ =
400.000$When the shoutle comes, you just have to pick up the package, before it automaticly leaves. If you leave it inside the shoutle, it will be considered as selling the things it has inside.
What about selling things?
If we ordered a shoutle for 400.000$, after unloading the cargo, we might, aswell, sell some stuff we have, by simply...loading them onto the shoutle. When the shoutle reaches it's returning destination, with a cargo you have loaded into it, everything that was there will be sold, and the base money account will be automaticly filled.
For instance...we unloaded the shoutle, and we have 2.000 kg free shoutle cargo space, that we can fill-up.
We have, some Thorium ore, that is useless to us, becouse we don't have the necesary equipement to refine it, but it's priceless fuel for thorium nuclear reactors on Earth, so selling it there, would give us lot's of money. For 1 kg of thorium ore, you would get 10.000$. We have 50 kg of that ore, se we would get 500.000. That alone, pays itseflf for the trip of the shoutle (-400.000 + 500.000 = 100.000$ of pure profit). But we still have 1950 kg of free space on the shoutle! We can fill it with useles resources, like Halit, 4$ per kilogram. 1950 x 4$ = 7.800$.
Sum of expenses: -400.000$ + 500.000$ + 7.800$=
107.800$ 
http://spacenet.mit.edu/
http://spacelogistics.mit.edu/classes%20_supply.htm
