Why bother with rockets?

[Soulwind]

Disclaimer: I haven't done any rocket building yet. 

Do I have the information wrong or is there little point to rockets?  Lots of resources to build, lots of training and higher morale requirements, and using up 1-3 tons of petroleum in order to go get 1 ton of some other material?

Now I love big complex contraptions to do things, but that doesn't sound very useful to me.

[Carnis]

IT does seem a bit futile now, but consider: petroleum comes from renewable co2.

Petroleum can now Be traded for non renewable diamond, raw metal, even slime which is hard to renew.

[SkunkMaster]

I have a rocket with 7 cargo modules. 1 trip to the ice planet nets me 18 Weeze seeds. The trips takes 9 cycles.

 

[SakuraKoi]

21 minutes ago, Carnis said:

IT does seem a bit futile now, but consider: petroleum comes from renewable co2.

Petroleum can now Be traded for non renewable diamond, raw metal, even slime which is hard to renew.

Well, rather than just Slime, it is also Algae which can become more Oxygen with Terrariums than Water would along with Algae (from the slime) in the Oxidizer.

And indeed, it is trading Petroleum for resources which is not just 1:1 but 1 to 1.5/1.85 (see below). Surely the previous/in the preview 20t made it obvious that much more is gained but just test it yourself in the sandbox how many liquid tanks you need to carry how many cargo bays to wherever. 

Though it is ofc a concern what resources will be all brought back since one has no choice, otherwise it'd again be obvious that the ice brought back could turn into more petroleum through oil wells even without cooking it (through a refinery). 1kg Water=>3.333kg Crude oil=>1.666kg Petroleum, never even mind all them side-products.

I.e from the Ice Planet even with Cargo Bays only 21% would be Ice (luckily the CO2 becomes petroleum 2:1 or 4:1, methane produces more water than ice of the same mass and pure oxygen is only 2nd to Terrarium Oxygen with lightning). If one were to go to the Organic Mass, it'd only take Slime&Algae which are about even (21% and 24%). 

 

What's the optimal (most fuel-efficient) build for the Ice Planet? 3 Tanks:

2 Liquid Tanks could carry 3 Cargo: 1.8t for 3t=>1.66666

3 Liquid Tanks could carry 5 Cargo: 2.7t for 5t =>1,85185

4 Liquid Tanks could carry 6 Cargo 3.6t for 6t,=>1,5 also can make it to Organic Mass

 

What's the optimal build for Organic Mass? 4 Tanks (but one might as well 3):

2 Liquid Tanks can never make it

3 Liquid Tanks could carry 4 Cargo 2.7t for 4t=>1.48148

4 Liquid Tanks could carry 6 Cargo 3.6t for 6t,=>1.5

 

At least you will always return with more mass, never even mind that some much CO2 is also produced at the start. Anything that requires 5 Liquid Tanks is too heavy, the weight penalty gets ever bigger.

[blash365]

Concerning building costs, they are one-time only, since the rocket is reusable. The only running costs are fuel, (maybe) cooling and a bit of electricity to open bunker doors/move gantries.

 

Is the fuel always burned completely?

[Christophlette]

42 minutes ago, blash365 said:

Is the fuel always burned completely?

It is. Even if you put 4 full liquid fuel tanks, they will be consumed even to reach the first planet. That's something that should change. But you could also prepare multiple rocket. One for each planet ^^

[Carnis]

@SakuraKoi very interesting figures.

If petrol can be traded for water at near or above 1:1 ratios. Then the whole natural gas boiling via sourgas will become a futile exercise of Extreme engineering.

We would Be better off cracking Crude to petrol and going For Rockets.

 

Edit:

Since at the organic mass only liquid tanks take polluted water, could we do 100% polluted water rocketry trips?

[SakuraKoi]

1 hour ago, Carnis said:

If petrol can be traded for water at near or above 1:1 ratios. Then the whole natural gas boiling via sourgas will become a futile exercise of Extreme engineering.

Well, if you take it easy: Organic Mass. The only liquid is polluted water so 3,6t would become 6t times 3.33333=>20t Petroleum=>5.5 times as much

and given the figures I have now available (the numbers indeed vary) for the Iceplanet

2,7t would become 5t, those 5t would be:

29% Ice which'd be 1,45t  => 2.416t Petroleum (Refinery) or 4,833t (Natural Cooking) (with "only" 21% ice, 1.575t or 3.15t, still enough)

23% CO2 which'd be 1.15t => 0.575t Petroleum (Molten Slickster/Natural Cooking), 0.2875t (Refinery)

23% O2 which'd be 1.15t, if you use Electrolyzers that'd save 1.295t water which'd be 2.158t or 4.316t Petroleum

23% Methane which'd be 1.15t, after the NG Generator, 0,8625t water and 0,2875t CO2

The water would become 1.437t or 2,875t Petroleum

The CO2 would become 0.071t or 0,143t Petroleum

Together: 4.833+0.575+4.316+2,875+0.143=

12.742t Petroleum for 2,7t, nearly 5 times as much (x4.7)

Even if you are lazy (no cooking, no Molten Slicksers) it is half as much (+a bit due to Natural Gas) yet twice as much

 

=>On the Iceplanet you can easily get water near 1:1 ratio for Petroleum and this does not include the water saved. Additionally all is supposedly frozen. Resources by Petroleum gain/water saved: O2>Ice>Methane>CO2

=>On the Organic Mass one will get more Water, only has to clean it for Oil but no Power or Cooling

 

Now imagine how much one would get if one would get 20 times as much

 

Legal Disclaimer: All theory because getting an astronaut is a PITA even in a sandbox. Color me surprised if the method of acquisition is actually different. 

[Carnis]

How to get The solid Oxygen out from The Rockets though?