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http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1137/1

The cosmonaut tradition of taking a small toy to hang in the cockpit during launch actually lets the crew know when they are in zero gravity.

Also the crew commander gets his or her kids to pick it out or something.

It's considered bad luck if no one makes a mess during take-off.

>>36418438
Every spacer brings a small piece of his homeworld with him - a bottle of dirt, usually - so his soul knows where to go if he should die.

>>36418438
There are ghost spaceships. Dawson's Christian is still flying out there, somewhere, crewed by the ghosts of her slaughtered hands. Legend has it that it's still fighting pirates and raiders, the crew unable to rest until their endless battle is over. There are occasional rumored sightings of ships attacked by pirates being saved by the Christian.

>>36419614
This spacer knows what's up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34fSnJNP-4

>>36419614

The Believer stalks a hyperspace corridor in my Edge of the Empire game, keeping it safe for unarmed frigates making an honest living. But no spacer worth their spice flies an armed ship along Dawson's Lane. Lifted straight from the song and I don't give a fuck at all.

>>36418438
Check that all bulkheads are properly sealed before and after a hyperspace jump.
But never during one.

>>36420871
>Check that all bulkheads are properly sealed after a hyperspace jump
You sicko!

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Spacers who have a nickname concerned with luck have usually really earned that reference, for their entire ship, and more than once. This is because referring to luck in something as exposed as a name is considered tempting fate. Ship names never refer to luck or fortune.

>>36419505
I like this one.

bringing any animal that isn't a mouse or a rat to a long space flight is almost always considered a curse to the ships. Cats especially.

>>36421330
You`re wrong. It is an old tradition to have a small canary in living quarters. If it dies, it is considered a grave omen and techs immediately check all life support systems.

>>36418438
Green women will fuck you

>>36421330
>allowing rodents
>disallowing rodent predators
I don't think so, Tim.

>>36421395
>canaries
>in space
Do you know how birds swallow? They don't have the advantage of muscular esophageal tracks like most mammalian species do. They rely on gravity. They would be physically unable to eat in a low-G environment, and would have trouble adjusting to rotation based artificial gravity.

>>36418438
The Russians piss on a tire of the car that takes cosmonauts to the launch pad before takeoff.

>>36421557
for good luck ofc, not because they are drunk or anything

>>36419505
seen in many threads (also flower pots, plants etc.) and we'll worth the repost

>>36419505
>huge metallic ship of cold metal and synthetic materials
>one little flower in a clay pot painted blue rests on the control panel up front
I fucking love that.

>>36418438
It's bad luck to launch on a Tuesday (same day the Challenger exploded).

It's safest to launch on a Wednesday (when the Apollo launched).

Lost crews, mutated and driven mad by cosmic radiation after their shields failed, still roam through space, seeking vengeance against other ships. This is exacerbated by numerous fiction-stories and movies on the matter.

Keeping plants on board will give you more time to live in case the oxygen fails. Algae-tanks are preferable because they're more efficient at converting CO2 to oxygen.

Aliens (who resemble beautiful human women) will use mind-altering radiation devices to tempt spacers into jumping out of the airlocks to join them. After they kill all the spacers on a ship in this way, the aliens take the ship for themselves.

Pirates like to hide behind comets, and some will even use mass drivers to ram said comets into unsuspecting merchant ships. Additionally, there are rumors about ships whose engines were taken clean off by a comet, but the life support was left online, leaving the crew to die of starvation. Because of this, flying too close to comets is considered bad luck.

Placing a religious symbol near the servers will ward off the evil spirits which cause AI to malfunction.

It's good luck to stick an R2D2 figurine on the hull of the ship, as the robot will help ward off radiation and small cracks.

Salvage is a profitable and necessary operation, clearing wreckage from right of ways and returning valuable cargo to circulation.

But you never salvage a ship that's the same model as yours.

>>36421825
[samefag here]
These are all totally made-up.

Everyone whispers when the ship is in stealth.

>>36421918
>whispering
>not singing the Soviet national anthem

>>36422203
>not singing it very quietly

A short prayer to The Blessed Lady Of Acceleration is recommended before every jump.

Always go through a nebula sunglasses and fully replenished fuel cells.

>>36422245
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ITKoRfmNtg

During celebrations it's traditional to plate up an extra serve along with a glass of the drink of choice for the ship and leave it in the reactor room. A ship that feels included by her crew will treat them well and get them home.


Later after everyone has wound down the captain will blend ip the meal and add it too the algea tanks as a way for the ship to consume the meal.

>>36422526
Never fall in love with the ship a.i.

>>36422664
You often hear about pilots who manage to basically usurp ownership of multimillion dollar ships by getting involved with the AI. There's basically nothing the original owners can do to make the ship do anything the pilots don't want. Pilots, for their part, get inevitably puled into spending more and more time with the ship, spending less and less time planetside, and picking up cybernetic replacement parts to better communicate with the missuss. Plenty of ships more than thirty years old are basically run by two immortal, semi-independent AI, and pilots, being the headcases that they are, think this is the holy grail.

>>36422821
>Immortality and being merged with your waifu while you fly around in space.

I can see the apeal.

>>36422905
>and pilots, being the headcases they are, think this is the holy grail.
You and me both, anon.

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>>36418438
>Shooting stars
>in space
Mfw

>>36423196
Could be in orbit of a planet looking down on it.

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Reposting good stuff from previous threads.

>>36424802
I was there for the start of that.

It is either very bad or very good luck to play Major Tom, depending on the occasion or the sense of irony or morbidity of the crew.

It is considered good luck by explorers and settlers to say 'Another small step', when stepping off the ramp or ladder onto soil of a new planet, moon or asteroid for the first time.

When traveling from one place to another, if one encounters a blackhole it means they were never supposed to take that trip in the first place.

>>36424802
Reminds me a lot of Carmen Miranda's Ghost stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34fSnJNP-4

Also this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34fSnJNP-4

>>36421825
>>36421860
Pretty interesting ideas.

What kinda setting are we talking here? Sci-fi fantasy, near future hard sci-fi, or space-western?

>>36426249
Little bit of this, little bit of that.

>>36424802
The pioneers as some sort of pantheon/major dieties of spacers sounds awesome.

The souls of people that have died in the void are always trying to return home despite having forgotten where that is, and will often try to sneak aboard on ships on their futile quest.

Spacers leave small potted plants around their ships in case of one of these stowaways, they say that it ensures the spirit stays calm as many are said to be wrathful beings that will drag crew members out to the black if they are angered.

>>36426422
Nah, they're not deities but men, great men, but still men. They were just the ones who looked at the void and chose to build the first part of the path that we now stride along.

>>36426458
I suppose you could call them saints if you wanted to be a little more religious about it.

>>36426422
As I recall, we imagined them as being more like saints than actual deities.

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>>36420871
>But never during one.
B-but why not?

>>36426557
Yeah, saints sound better.

With little statues of them on cockpit dashboards.

>>36426602
I had the idea of spacers having little medallions with the "saints" on.

>>36426585
Because of what you might find. Or who.
>>36426602
Votive LED candles in the engine room.

>>36426585
Cuz then they......GET YA!

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>>36426585
You don't really want too know, trust me.

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When transporting cattle it is prudent to secure the animals separately so as to avoid them shifting in panic. When buying stock from a ship it is prudent to screen for narcotics before settling on a price. Cows don't take well to freefall at all, so intact legs and ribs should also be scrutinized. Having a rookie captain on a cattle run is generally accepted as a sure way to lose a ship.

This of course applies to most live large animal cargo. But it has become proverbial with cattle.

>>36426683
That sounds like procedure, not superstition.

>>36426643
There can be both. Perhaps ita considered lucky for the ship to collectively have all the saints represented on it. Having a set of statues on the bridge ensures that's always the case. Of course its bad luck to name each statue specifically (because secretly most people can't tell them apart, all those old space suits look too much the same)

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>>36426700
Don't like it? Don't use it.

>>36426715
>TFW you will never have you're own personal space campervan.

>>36421330
>not bringing the age-long tradition of ship cats to space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship%27s_cat

The Phantom Moon, appears and disappears around certain colony planets on specific days. Ships that try to land there never return, and any attempt to scan are blocked. People disagree whether it's one moon that moves from place to place or a series of ghost satellites, all destroyed millennia ago by the same malevolent force.

That Star Trek thing of baptizing a ship by throwing a bottle of champagne into the hull before its maiden flight.

Or the captain taking a piss in the hull. That would be cool too, depending on the setting.

Bumping for more spess stories

>>36421855
I like this. It's specific enough to sound true but also absurd enough to warrant the typical "why" that comes with superstitions.

>>36430259
Can I suggest an addition to it?

Never take off your suit during a salvage op, even when the reactor still works and life support is functioning.
Especially when life support is functioning.

Or

Sometimes, a derelict vessel's broken subsystems or harmless radiation from it's breached reactor can cause radio interference or static to appear on screens. Do not attempt to board or salvage a where neither of these things happen.

Or

If the remains of the crew are found, administrating proper care and last rites before scavenging ops is only proper. Taking a headcount of all scavenger and all corpses at the end of each shift is simple prudence.

If you paint a "kill" marker on your ship--be it fighter or capship--and have no confirmation of your kill, then your ship will be hunted down by the one you supposedly destroyed.

Arrogant bastards try to take advantage of this by painting the silhouette of a ship they want to kill on their hull, and then sitting around and waiting for it to show up. This usually ends with a mysterious case of total systems failure, followed by the ship crashing into whatever asteroid it was sitting behind.

>>36430720
>salvage
>reactor is running, life support is on

You're just a pirate, mate!

>>36418438
Whenever someone from Earth lands somewhere new, they have to say "One small step for man." Alternate forms are "The eagle has landed" and "landing lights engaged."

Spacers tend to use pre-digital devices for anything that doesn't require it; candles or old fashioned lamps over the ship's powered lighting systems, pen and paper journals instead of holo-recorders, guitars and the voice or an old analogue music player if they don't have the talent for song, and using a plain old wrench or hammer any time it'll do the trick, even if a more advanced device is on hand to do it faster or better.

The tradition comes from incidents in early interstellar missions, when sometimes a warp bubble would collapse and it would take weeks or months to get back online. By limiting the use of these more powerful and more delicate devices or by knowing how to survive on less electricity and fuel, more people survived. Even as the risks of warp collapse and the isolation of deep space becomes less perilous, the tradition stands with many who grew up in colonies with similar mindsets and in spacers who can remember the stories of perfectly functioning ships lost because people forgot to bring things that didn't need power and/or a network connection to work.

>>36431452
>pirates never leave the ship drifting
>crews never die of anything that isn't life support failure

That bit about never taking your suit off, especially when life support is still functioning? It's to keep you from catching whatever killed the crew.

Thaksgiving is a spacer's holiday, possibly *the* spacer's holiday.

Underway, the Captain and the senior officers serve dinner to the rest of the crew in the enlisted mess. In port/groundside, the entire crew serves a meal to all the locals

>>36431656
>candles or old fashioned lamps

>Fire anywhere with artificial life support.

Nope.

>>36431878
Your life support systems must be pretty garbage.

>>36431944
>>36431878
IRL life support systems can't spontaneously create oxygen. Fire consumes oxygen CONSTANTLY.

If you set off a fire onboard a spacecraft, you are dooming the entire goddamn crew. Assuming no magic space technology is manufacturing oxygen out of thin air.

Granted, having trees onboard can fix this problem, but fire eats trees too. Maybe if you have a fusion reactor that happens to create oxygen as a byproduct of fusing Beryllium atoms, you can justify having flames on board.

But then the fusion reactor room catches on fire and you're fucked.

>>36426585
Look, just stay in your room and lock the door.

Space is sentient and loves you.

That's pretty cool.

>>36424802
I love this. I love this so much.

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I think you could make a pretty good space horror game out of one of the fabled lost Soyuz capsules.

>>36432504
Major tom, is that you?

Never try to update any of the ships systems while out of port. Ever.

Also, don't click any of the pop ups while using hyper drive, we're testing some trial-ware. Consequences will be fatal.

>>36432707
Fuck off with that shit

>>36432861
You okay man?

>>36427546
I figured it was a reference to Jonesy, myself.

>>36431944

Chaffee, Grissom, white. Never forget.

And yes, that was 100% NASA stupidity, but fire's a danger even on maritime vessels or Earth. Somebody born in a space habitat, who's maybe never been on a planet, is goona be paranoid about it.

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>>36421825
Crews sent on expeditionary missions out into the unknown depths of space bring a bone or dog treat on board with them for good luck, for in case they find Laika.

>>36421526
>Well that explains why they rarely last a day, at least the Life support was given a full overhaul.

>>36430802
What if you paint a kill marker of your own ship onto your own ship?

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>>36432937
Jonesy stands in a long and proud tradition.

>>36432707
>every skeletal astronaut is le epic meme skellington
Fuck off.

Before a jump to hyperspace or use warp drive or whatever FTL system you use; make a metaphorical offering to the machine-spirit. You may or may not believe in that thing, but if you say a few kind words or light some incense before you engage the drive, you should have a safe journey

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>>36426585

>>36432979

I like this one a lot.

>>36433029
.....Then it gets destroyed because you planned on destroying it.

>>36428189
the bottle of champagne is an old sea-ship tradition, its basically giving the ship a drink to share in the celebrations.

>>36433083
Sorry if what I said pissed you off, anon. Wasn't my intention.

During every Hyperspace Jump a single crew member is to be randomly chosen and sent on a walk through the supposedly haunted ship.

>>36426585

the doors have windows.

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>>36433029
>The first kill marker on a starfighter is always itself, added after training
>the idea is that if your ship is destined to kill your ship, then nobody else can kill you

>>36433029
You have some kinda death wish.

>>36433191
Whoa, that's deep.

>>36433122
but you stated that the ship would be hunted down and destroyed by the opposing ship, why would I hunt down my own ship?

>>36424802
Is it just me, or would the last line fit better as a chorus?

showing a film to the ships navigational AI after a successful warp jump is considered to be a gesture of good will my many experienced crews

>>36433403
just don't show it 2001: Space odyssey until AFTER you've had a chat about AI in old Earth FIlms.

>>36433440
or Event Horison

Always bring duck tape.

>>36433403
you should wait until the second successful warp jump for a kiss, it's common courtesy after all

>>36421825
>Aliens (who resemble beautiful human women) will use mind-altering radiation devices to tempt spacers into jumping out of the airlocks to join them. After they kill all the spacers on a ship in this way, the aliens take the ship for themselves.

Syreen plz go.

>>36418438
Always grab a fire extinguisher, rubber gloves, and a toolbelt

>>36433216
You are the one who painted it, not me.

>>36418438
Always bring a towel.

>>36434263
that's a not a superstition, that's just good advice.

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>>36433869
You will end up looking like this. People might think you are a little nuts.

Early law enforcment AI's often couldn't distinguish sheep wool or animal fur clothing from human skin, as a result this resulted in a lot of undeserved incarcerations and executions.

>>36434330
True

>>36434377
If that neck was thinner I would think that it was Archer.

>>36423196
While landlubbers use "shooting star" to refer to meteorites burning up in their atmospheres, spacers mean something entirely different when they talk about a shooting star: Pulsars. That is, stars that are shooting at you.
Passing close enough to a pulsar to see it without getting in the line of fire of a deadly gamma ray burst requires a combination of divine providence and blind luck.

>>36423196
But anon, you are the shooting star!

>>36434883
No matter who you are?

>>36434377
>>36434462
I thought it was Bane from the thumbnail.

Despite being in a vac or EVA suit, spacers hold their breath during pressurization or depressurization in air locks, length of time permitting.

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>36431944
I remember there was a submarine thread on /k/ a while back where there was a dude claimed he worked on a sub.
Of all the accidents that could occur on a sub, he said fire was the scariest. The crew has a very short amount of time to put out the fire before it kills everyone and its the only one where the loss of life is pretty much expected.

It is considered to be very poor taste to give flowers to a crew member before it leaves port or to have flowers on board. This action is liked to giving flowers at a funeral or flowers on a grave because space travel is already dangerous enough.

Not really a superstition but I wanted to add something

You can tell the people who have a glass half full disposition from a glass half empty by how they sleep. Someone with a glass half full will keep their Sleep pod closed while dressed in their spacer suit while the half empties will have their sleep pods locked open.

It is considered good luck to sleep on your back in a space ship. Its an old superstition passed down from the first Cosmonauts, basically your soul isn't used to being in space so sleeping with your eyes to the "sky" will help it find its way in case you die in your sleep.

( if you ask me it's so that you don't break your nose or something in case the gravity lock goes haywire while you're sleeping.)

>>36434874
>Passing close enough to a pulsar to see it without getting in the line of fire of a deadly gamma ray burst requires a combination of divine providence and blind luck.

Or, y'know. Maths.

>>36435543

Yup. Because all the fast, sure ways to kill fire also kill people.

>>36430720
Can we get some that sound more superstition-ish. These sound like rules/regulations that came about for specific real reasons.
which doesn't mean i don't like them, they jsut have a different feel to them

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When installing a shiny new part in an old ship, give it a few scuff marks and scratches first.

When first testing a new weapon system, firing at something alive will give it a taste for blood, and make your weapons always strike true when you're aiming to kill someone.
(This spacer ritual led to several arrests and court-martials after naval officers would not declare captured pirates to their superiors, keeping a few criminals in cryosleep for when the weapons were next upgraded/refit.)

When first landing on a world capable of supporting human life, it's considered polite to introduce yourself. Otherwise you'll be considered an invader, and the colony is doomed to fail as the planet rejects your presence.

If you name a ship after yourself, you're doomed to die upon it. It's like building your own tomb.

>>36436925
>When installing a shiny new part in an old ship, give it a few scuff marks and scratches first.
I think the opposite would make for better superstition: if you replace the plating of your hull, it HAS to serve for at least one trip before you give the ship a paint job.

Artificially scuffing a ship should be bad luck if anything, since it would be like someone cutting themselves in order to talk about their "badass battle scar"

After successful missions the crew gives a token cut of the pay to the ship for doing it's part. This is apart from the funds used to fuel and outfit or repair the ship.

While it might seem silly at first it's actually used to pay for the funeral rites of the crew if something goes wrong. This includes getting word to their family, and also returning the ship to it's home port.

"The ship's cut" is such an ingrained custom that not even the most heartless space pirate would steal from the ship.

Don't go into the cargo bay when there is no ship in dock.

>>36436915
always wear a piece of synthetic cloth on your person during FTL travel, It stops the Space Ghasts (which don't exists, don't be silly, but still, just in case...) recognizing you as prey.

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>>36418438

Never sleep facing an open window to the stars.

>>36437199
You just might hear Maracas clack, and get a nasty shock.

>>36437906
......lol what?

>>36437941
And if you hear a rumba-beat, don't pass the messroom door

>>36437942
The star sirens can suck your soul out an open window while you sleep, you know.

>>36437942
It's a riff on the old "never sleep with your feet facing a door/window, because it's like sleeping in a coffin"

>>36437199
>>36437941
>>36437960
dude what

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>>36427546
not only do they hunt vermin that may inhabit the ship following loading of cargo, they also take on creatures from nightmare.

>>36437963
Why would you have an open window in space?

>>36437983
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5p8YhhaVlA&list=UUXHN3ybRbfSj8ssXB3BO9zA

>>36437960
You just might see a Tangerine go, rolling out the door.

>>36435543
at least in the UK, all members of the Royal Navy are trained firefighters. fire at sea is serious business. important areas of the ship/boat are designed to seal shut and drench with halon if a fire breaks out...better hope you get out before the doors seal.

>>36438015
I think anon meant a window that's not covered, i.e. there's only glass and no blast shield.

>>36419505
Ironically that would probably be the first thing banned in regulation. You can't even transport soil on an aircraft internationally.

>>36439971
Why is that?

>>36439981
Too much risk of contamination all over the place. Insects, bacteria, all sorts of nasty shit. It's generally not really that bad in the place where it's from, but if some of that shit ended up in a place not really adapted to it, it can do insane ecological damage.

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>>36439981
Contamination. Soil has organisms in it usually, and a good way to spread plant diseases or a parasitical plant to a landmass that has no counter against it. You can't even transport soil across state lines without permit.

Think Kudzu. IN SPACE!

>>36440038
This anon has it.

>>36440038
>>36440051
makes sense.

>>36440051
>Think Kudzu. IN SPACE!
Oh god please no! I live in SC man. We have enough of that shit here.

>>36438090
All aircrews in Air Force and Navy/Marines are trained in firefighting tactics. Fire in an flying aircraft is fucking terrifying.

What's neat is immediately after using your extinguishers, while your still flying, you have to open hatches or doors to vent out the fumes, because they are toxic as hell.

>>36440094
Is singing HIGHHHHHWAYYYYY TOOOO THEEEE DDANGERRRR ZOOOOOOOONE while doing it mandatory as well?

Never land a ship on the anniversary of the challenger disaster.

Always salute the brightest star in the sky at the half-way mark of your journey, as a way of thanking the sky for helping you navigate.

Ex-military always melt something from their service, a medal or a firing pin from a rifle, into some part of the ship. The captain's chair might have a slight tinge of yellow for a melted down purple heart.

Never play music on a ship while the comm channels are down.

Never make a warp jump within 24 hours after someone dies on the ship, you don't want their soul to get stuck.

If a captain or pilot outlives their ship, they carve a small mark on their forearm to remind them not to make the same mistakes again.

Once you brake atmo, pick a random star in the sky. If it's red, you'll have a safe voyage, if it's blue, there may be trouble.

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>>36422203
>>36422245

You sing in stealth.

Always do. Don't want them to hear you drop your tools...

>>36440293
Number 5 is why it's considered a bad idea to retreat after you've taken a hit in a firefight, usually under the phrase "if you start a fight, finish it or let it finish you".
It's also why badly wounded spacers will sometimes air-lock themselves, so they don't die on the ship.

>>36440187
Maybe for the Navy, but singing it on an AF aircraft will get you thrown out said hatch with the rest of the bad air.

If you're in a room with a window, close your eyes when you open and leave a warp, you don't want the shock to wrench your eyes out.

>>36436287
>( if you ask me it's so that you don't break your nose or something in case the gravity lock goes haywire while you're sleeping.)

Spacers might instead strap themselves down (as well as the rest of their possessions) while sleeping, just in case the gravity malfunctions, or the ship experiences turbulence before they wake up. The really paranoid ones buckle up even while sitting at their posts.


It's also good luck to befriend whoever works the opposite shift from you. If something happens while you're asleep, he might save your life that day.

>>36437902
Considering the danger of wishes being fulfilled by a common phenomenon, this is the most reasonable choice if you don't want to wish for omnipotence and ruin everything for everyone forever,

Unmapped pulsars are good luck, and it's customary to map them and leave a small beacon from your ship as a memento.

It's bad luck to collect rocks from off-world; even worse luck to collect soil.

If you're transporting humans, fare is charged for distance and luggage.

You don't charge per person; Only slavers count heads.

You don't charge them for their own weight. If your cargo is their body, the body is all that will arrive.

In the meantime, charge the shit out of them for fuel and food.

Ship pets always have the highest rank excepting cats. Ship cats are always Ensign because it's everyone's responsibility to keep them out of trouble.

Crewmembers never eat eggs when underway. It's deathly bad luck to crack an egg on a void ship.

>>36440904
>You don't charge per person; Only slavers count heads.
So modern day airliners, trains, buses, and literally every other form of public transit are slavers?

>>36440997

You always pay for the distance.

A Grayhound costs more than a local pass. A round trip costs more than a one way.

When you're calculating delta-V, You may want to charge for people or their weight, but you don't. You just jew them on the in-flight peanuts.

>>36440997

Sounds about right to me. Public transit is mediocre on a good day. Even those fancy EuRail trains are overpriced for what they give you.

>>36438017
I thought it was a reference to Cuban Pete, the king of the rumba beat. When he played his maracas the whole station went chic-chicky BOOM

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Being a Comms officer on a ship can lead to some strange stories and strange advice.

When on watch sometimes you're told to listen out for a faint song that is heard in the late hours. Legend has it that in the old days spacers would calm their nerves with a song or two emulating their ancient predecessors who took to the seas. Back then the Fold engines weren't as good as they arn't (psst even now they arn't) and sometimes Fold anomolies happen where you go in but can come out. Sometimes, if you're lucky you can get a signal out of the Fold and get resuced but, more often than not, you're just another lost soul.

So when you're on watch and you catch the faintest signal and hear a song there might be a trapped Spacer keeping his wits about him with a song until he's rescued.

Are there any old/present superstitions by ship or submariners that's equally applicable to spacers that we can use?

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>>36441157
If I ever run a space disaster or horror RPG game I am stealing so many ideas from that game.

Never use a window as a mirror on the ship. No exceptions. They try to scare new crewmen with stories about space madness, but the stories are darker.

If you look into the windows of a ship, you see yourself atop the empty void. They say that if you look yourself in the eyes for but a moment, the abyss takes the light from your eyes for itself. With it goes your ambition, and you'll never be the same again.

That's why observation rooms are too dark to see your reflection and why portholes are too small to see your whole face in.

>>36418438
Always spit on a spaceship before you board it. The space leprechauns will grant you their blessing, and in turn you become invincible.

>>36441182
> turn on comms
> get signal
> tune in to it
> it's just a satalite looping spooky scary skeletons to try and spook crews

>>36441480
Jesus fucking Chrysler, is that the aftermath of a proper Cuban Pete?

I've seen some big explosions, but it looks like he rigged the whole fucking station with scuttling charges.

Did ANYONE survive? AT ALL?!

A shooting star is a fallen warrior coming home to rest

Old fashioned ESA skin-suits are good as long as they have the blue seals at the throat and wrist.The black and green seal versions are garbage, don't listen to anyone that tells you it's the exact same material.

If you are doing a buddy check on a suit and find no flaws, errors in donning, scratches or soiling then de-suit and restart the checklist from 1. If you don't find anything the second time, it's safe to wear.

There's a graveyard at the Mars L3 point where every retired and recovered after battle damage warship the Terran Commonwealth has ever built is stored. They cold-shutdown everything and pump them full of inert argon then just leave them there.

Never trust a ship that doesn't have a manual backup on the airlock and a test pinhole to check that atmosphere is equalized.

Stasis eats up your soul if you stay cold too long. Nobody that's been asleep longer then fifty years is really human anymore.

>>36443750
Cuban Pete, most of the time.

>>36424802
God damn, this is spectacular.

>>36424802
You can sing that to Gilligan's Island, apparently...

Is that some music law I'm not aware of? Can everything be sung to Gilligan's Island?

>>36444980
Anything in Ballad Meter. Which is a very very common meter.

Honestly though, look up Sick Note. The Farer's Sacrament is pretty gorgeous when sung to that tune.

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>>36418842
Nifty, this sort of thing is what I've come to expect from Russians.

>>36424802
I have something in my eye.

Spacers, especially those hailing from planets with diverse culture tends to bring tokens, small items that they say would protect them from the cold grasps of the void. Some take it to the extreme, with those assigned to the ships engines would sometimes build altars or simply, hang a token or two in an easy to spot area. Lastly, every time a ship goes planet side, the captain or any CO of the ship must acquire an item of small insignificance and place it beside the ship's nav console. Said item/token must be something that exists naturally in said planet, or it must be one that is crafted there.

>>36440293
>If it's red, you'll have a safe voyage, if it's blue, there may be trouble.
What if it's yellow? or green?
Why aren't there green stars, anyways?

>>36421038
> He forgot about the UNSC "Do You Feel Lucky?"

>>36418842
>actually lets the crew know when they are in zero gravity.

I guess if you're too drunk to notice the subtle signs like "the main engine has turned off" and "not feeling any weight whatsoever any more"...

>>36446173
If it's yellow, the future is unclear.

If it's green, you're orbiting Krypton.

>>36422430
That is one beautifull scene, I am going to watch that movie

>>36446173
The same reason you can't beat a lump of metal till it's green hot.

>>36446608
You can add impurities to dye it, though.
Why shouldn't the same work for stars?
I'm sure there's some sort of fusion reaction that gives off green light.

>>36446641
>And here we have the magnificent solar system of Neo-Dubai, where one citizen has decided to dye the entire star green.
>Because he felt like it.

>>36446708
Damn.
If I was an obscenely rich guy in space, I'd definitely fly around painting stars in various colors.

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>>36446072
>the captain or any CO of the ship must acquire an item of small insignificance and place it beside the ship's nav console

>>36446734
Imagine those rich space-saudi princes
>I painted your star pink, so you'd feel more at home faget :^)

>>36446770
Flame wars got really weird after space arabs got onto the Internet.

>>36446173
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/07/29/why-are-there-no-green-stars/

>>36426585
"Because messing with the bulkhead seals (specially the external ones) can mess with the hyperdrive field's stability.

Before because you don't wan't leaks, after to make sure nothing got shaken loose. Not during because hyperspace drives are finicky things."

"At least that's what 'The Book' says I should answer to snotty ensigns", answered the haunted looking engineer.

>>36426649
A tangerine rolling down the floor?

>>36437902
"I wish that the next one won't be any bigger"

>>36446708
>>36446608
>>36446641

Some stars look green, mostly those close to red super-giants. But yeah, black body radiation doesn't come in green.

>>36446708
And if you look to the left you can see anon's sides that where launched into space back in 2014 When he saw this post.

>>36422821
AIs have been developed without this 'feature', but very few people use them due to the fear of AI rebellion. While sometimes inconvenient, an AI that can love is often considered safer than one that can't.

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There are a great many superstitions that come in three varieties, depending on where you were born. But there are common themes running throughout.
Planetside? Moon-born? That shapes a lot of your identity up in the Black. You're the roots, the armor of the ship. They're "supposed" to be interested in life support, plating and weapons. The basics of survival bar navigation.
Void-born, those birthed on stations or asteroids or those on a ship are the mind, the flesh and the eyes of the ship. Navigation, communication, propulsion and nonessential extras like biochambers and game rooms are their Domain.
Then there are the Warpbirthed. Those born during an FTL jump. Obviously the rarest due to simple time constraints and probability. They are the spirit, but not the soul. Never the heart. The thoughts but not what the ship thinks. Their domain is the Ship, but only in FTL. Occasionally some say they are the shield, or the madness the protects. But it's an uncommon view. Opinion is divided if their Domain extends to the Ship AI or not.

All carry totems of home. Medallions of compressed dust, parts of their home ship for spacers, a stone or sphere of polished dirt or even a plant on the other for the landborn. Warpers are alone in being permitted to carry a piece of their home ship's AI hardware as a totem.
All have their little rituals when orbiting or landing on a new planet. All greet the planet for instance, but a landborn will tell them a little of their home to both inform the planet of the galaxy's news and tactfully explain they have a home. Their tone as family. Those born in the Black thank them for allowing them to roam so far, speaking as an honored guest. And Warpers reassure them they are not staying and will be venturing on shortly, as if they were an unwelcome visitor.

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Drones -Mining or otherwise- should not be separated from their mothership or station lightly. They are somewhere between the Ship or Station's children, their limbs and their face. When their 'mother' has an AI this is doubly important.
Naming, customising or otherwise personifying a Drone isn't quite good luck, but does make the Drones more happy for feeling like part of the crew. There's quite often friendly rivalry between crew as to who's Drone is the most efficient or profitable.

Occasionally though, the oldest Drone will be "adopted" by a new mothership or station to help protect and teach the new ones. This will preferably be a Drone with no original parts, and thus one that is experienced at dealing with new machinery. There's a small informal ceremony when the drone is adopted by the original crew, where they drink as if an old friend and crewmate is going on to serve on another ship. Predictably, a drink is left for the transferring drone too.
It can make for an odd lineup on new ship launches, with 11 gleaming metal drones still half wrapped in plastic and a painted and scratched dusty "veteran" at the end.

While it's not a true superstition, Voidsmen who have travelled between stars with out the use of static portal or beacon FTL tech and instead burnt between them with standard FTL rarely remove their vacuum suits or ship uniforms when ashore.
It's part of who they are now, and putting on standard clothing without reason would be... disrespectful. To the ship that carried them and to the Dark they travelled within itself.
So when you see that grey haired old spacer in the old enviro-suit at the bar, you owe him respect. Not all men return from the Deep Dark.

>>36446708
St. Patrick's day on Procyon B is intense.
There's an alien civilization yet to achieve spaceflight and all their astronomers are losing it because this star randomly turns green on a 365-day cycle.

>>36450546
More specifically, the AI forms "emotional" attachments to living beings. This feature overrides all other ship ship functions, causing the AI to prioritize the crew's well being. The emotional aspect comes in via the judicious use of fuzzy logic, allowing the AI to make snap judgements about the current value of each crew member to the safety and security of the ship in emergency situations (i.e. who gets help first).

The system works relatively well, but you need to have a supply closet designated for the the various debris the AI accidentally classifies as "crewmen"

>>36451467
>that one story that keeps going around of a ship AI thinking that the captain deflating a blow up sex doll was assault on a crewmember
>they had to find the doll a berth and keep "her" inflated after that

I'm stealing most of this thread. Just thought you ought to know.

>>36451520
"Why can't we let ship access payroll information?"
"BECAUSE I DO NOT CONDONE SLAVERY"
"...that's why."

>>36425736

Under-rated post.

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>>36436925
>If you name a ship after yourself, you're doomed to die upon it. It's like building your own tomb.

Ship's are given filler names until the first captain dies, then the ship is named after a captain and one of his traits, hobbies, something they were known for etc.
>Jackson's Endeavor
>The Endurance of David
>Montressors' Bounty
>Strife of Gallard
>Go Getter Gaston
>Richard's Insertion
>Rage of Ragnar

If the Captain isn't honored in such a way they will haunt the vessel to insure the Spacers never forget him/her.

Capt, why did you name your ship the flying wang?

>>36453309
>Montressor's Bounty
I see what you did there. I approve

>>36453371
My great grandaddy, Captain Wang was a damn fine fighter pilot is why.
Old Chinese name helmsmen, get your mind out of the gutter. Now get back to business or I'll have you on hull cleaning duty.
No one must know the real reason.

>>36453773
"Is it because it's shaped like a penis? I'll bet it's because it's shaped like a penis."

>>36439971
Spaceport kiosks would carry micropipettes filled with irradiated dirt verified as inert to comply with regs. These would be the spacer equivalent of snow-globes.

Child spacers assert much importance on who in their class they're assigned as partner for their first Newton Manuver training, a zero-g act that involves helping an individual who is free floating and pushing them and yourself in opposite directions until you both contact a wall and can start moving more easily. Since it basically involves grabbing someone, hugging them, and then pushing off in a way which often results in accidental groping, it's pretty easy to see how late-grade-early-middle school aged children would get worked up about it.

>>36453371
Ya see laddy, my ship 'tis the only thing my ex-wife -whore she is- didn't get in the divorce

>>36453943
AI in charge of cryoships should never be alone. A biodome to take care of, a rotation of crew thawed and refrozen.. Anything but a lonely AI.

There's not even a spooky tale about, they just sound so distraught and afraid you're going to leave them again like a scared puppy afterward nobody can bare to do it.

>>36454356
>>36453943
Didn't mean to quote. Shit happens.

>>36446760
>small insignificance

>First for the Next, that they can have your mind.
>Second for Ship, that she can have your spirit.
>Third for your Kin, that they may have your heart.
>Fourth for the Crew, that they can have your will.
>Fifth for the Void, that it knows who it reclaims.

Every Captain should have, before his or her first year in command ends five letters in their safe. To be read only on their death. Only the addressed should read their letter if possible, although it is often the first mate that reads the Ship's letter to her, and some Crew are counted as Kin too as two example common exceptions.
As you might have guessed, the Void-letter is left unopened and placed on the body or ashes of the captain if possible, then spaced.

The Ship letter should be read aloud aboard an otherwise empty ship if there is no AI.

>>36455122
Each one just has a picture of dickbutt lovingly recreated by hand.

>>36432979
I just burst into treats reading that.
>>36433478
dont you mean "OH DEAR SWEET EMPEROR WHAT TO DO WHEN THE GELLAR FIELD COLLAPSES" the training film?
Due to the expanding nature of humanity's radio transmissions, it is a common pilgrimage for men and women spending a great deal of time in space to find the "armstrong band" the current location of the moon landing transmission wave.

it is said to bring good luck, and many attribute their continued survival in space to armstrong's ghost watching over them.

>>36455145
>Flying through realspace along one of the old trade routes of the great Human civilization.
>Archaeologists already had a field day with their homeworld, new relics scarce.
>Just enough human blood in the galactic population to make them a really famous mystery.
>Find freeze-dried, withered body of a fullblooded human from god knows when floating through space.
>Parchment tucked into his uniform.
>Open it carefully in front of the cameras.
>For science, for our heritage.
>Tangible connection to your origins.
>Addressed to the universe itself.
>It's dickbutt.

>>36455231
holy shit, I love this idea especially.

>>36455272
What if they don't even know what it is?

>>36455231
That's fucking neato.

>>36455272
I can almost see a xenoarcheologist staring at it, then turning the page over to the blank side, looking for more, an explanation.. Then turning it back to the illustration and staring at it in mute incomprehension.
Just think about the widow.

>>36455312
Hopefully the meme will have passed on to oblivion, but I was assuming the races of the future still have dicks and butts that serve approximately the same purpose.

>>36455284
i copy pasta'd it from the same kind of thread from back in august.

i met Dr. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin when i was a little kid in young astronauts. they were both gracious, kind, and sweet men.

they treated us stupid little kids like we were their equals and answered every question with good humor and kindness.

Buzz Aldrin told us to call him Buzz. He was based as fuck. they signed EVERYTHING that wasnt bolted down for us.

>>36455429
that's Fantastic.

>>36455429
Did he sign the bolts?

>>36455429
they are also the reason i carry a leatherman to this day. they were the first people i ever met that had multitools, and an EDC setup.

>>36455452
best day next to when i got to meet Jack Horner, and went to phillidelphia for a field trip where my drunk as fuck dad got the class thrown out of every single thing we went to there.

>>36455477
Neil signed some mopar stuff for my uncle. honestly it wouldnt surprise me if they did, we ravaged that school that night.

>>36455334
>dickbutt
>I can almost see a xenoarcheologist staring at it, then turning the page over to the blank side, looking for more, an explanation.. Then turning it back to the illustration and staring at it in mute incomprehension.

"It appears to vaguely resemble what we believe to be the males' reproductive organs. Perhaps this character served as some manner of fertility spirit.."

>a scrawled note depicting dickbutt is now displayed in an alien museum, in the same exhibit as crosses, stars of david, and statues of greco-roman deities.
>aliens think humans worshipped it as a minor god
>some alien scholars think humans fapped to it
>No humans left to prove them wrong

>>36454356
Port Station Curie, hailing cryoship Valiant AI. Respond.
>Oh my gosh you're here! I thought I was going to be lost forever it was so cold and dark for so long and long and I started to get worried and then there was the micrometeors and I wanted to wake the crew up but then I was told not to but I was so fightened an-
I.. I read you Valiant. Clarification, you travelled here with your crew entirely asleep?
>Yes, that's righ! Some of the crew said I shouldn't be left alone but then the Captain said it was a waste of resources but it was so scary being alone for years and every time I checked the cameras it got darker and I wished one of the crew was awake and I got reeaaally close to letting one out by put then the captain would get mad and it is go good to talk to someone at all! Please don't leave me alone again. Please.

Captains who do leave their ship alone soon find a lack of able voidsmen willing to sign on their crew, yet a number of them at every dock wanting to talk to and reassure the ship.

It is considered extremely bad luck to leave a permanent hand imprint on a void-side window as it is a sign the crew member will be claimed by space.

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>>36418842

Note to self: If I EVER am placed in command of a spacecraft launch...get some goddamn fuzzy dice.

There is no alternative.

I got one.
It's bad luck for infantry commanders to ever wear a helmet or a red shirt when exploring a new planet or ancient ruins.

>>36439971
>You see this jewel, hon? This was my great-grandfather's from back when he left Earth. It's a piece of dirt encased in amber from an old oak tree he grew up playing on as a kid- it was passed on to grandfather when he died and it's been held by every member of our family as they passed away so that our souls can find their way back to our homeworld where that soil helped grow that old oak tree. My grandpa gave it to my father before he left during the second wave of colonisation and he gave it to my mother as a proposal- during the Exodus War she found my grandfather drifting in his sleeper ship, several of the passengers had woken up and decided to conserve power so the others could keep sleeping and eventually my mother rescued them.

>She told me when I was little about this jewel and how she'd shown it to my grandfather so that he could find the scent of Earth and take all the lost souls on that ship with him and how one day I might need to do the same for my father. There's something else about this jewel that makes it important, my mother and father didn't conceive me, he was lost in the Tartarus Hyperspace Incident at the end of the war, instead my father's genetic registry was used in his absence. So, I've never known him except in pictures and stories my mother gave me. This oak tree is the same as me, taken from the amber, a new seed that never knew the Earth or its ancestors was grown here on Galatea... We're actually still finding ships and their crew displaced by that event today.

>That's why I'm taking the commission offered by the Academy, that's why I need to go back into the stars, time is so strange out there, he might just be waiting for a scent like my grandfather, or he could even be looking for us, so I want to go look for him too. I know you aren't his son, so you wouldn't understand, I won't ask you to, but this memory of Earth belongs to our family, it belongs to you as well. So, won't you come with me into the stars?

>>36433196
>>36433122
Some crews believe in the deathless kill tally, others think a pilot with his own ship as a kill tally needs anti-depressants and some R&R

It all depends on how much of a panty-waist your deck officer is

>>36441499
That's also why the observation deck doesn't have windows only viewscreens tossing spectral filters over everything and magnifying the interesting bits.

>>36432234
Space is sentient and hates you, it can and will torture you to death and after death.

The void isn't really that cold, but I'll damed if starships don't run hot; Spacers and Waywood just like to perpetuate the myth of flash-freezing by vacuum.

>>36460694
If the atmospheric pressure or other conditions necessitate wearing a helmet, the tradition is to paint a smiley face on your visor.

>>36450870
That's awesome.

A ship that becomes suitably impressed with a crewman will often send a brain scan back to their parent shipyard to be used as the base for a new AI.

>>36453309
>>If you name a ship after yourself, you're doomed to die upon it. It's like building your own tomb.
>Ship's are given filler names until the first captain dies, then the ship is named after a captain and one of his traits, hobbies, something they were known for etc.
I like this one

>>36457984
That's remarkably cute, and a bit sad

>>36453309
I'd say this tradition should only apply if the first captain dies while still in service, or on board, or if he at least served on board till retirement. Captains that only serve on a ship till the lenght of a contract ain't deserving of such high honours.

>>36461319
Space is sentient and couldn't give a shit about you, seriously, its so big, and you're so small.

>>36426712
You can always tell which one's Laika.
Sometimes the Laika statue goes missing, though.
It'll turn up again, usually after an Ensign asks where he can find a toy for the dog that they didn't take up with them.

>>36435414

No, that's the opposite of what you're supposed to do. You should be exhaling so your body can equalize pressure, otherwise you're fucking up your lunges and outer membranes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLNgD5vsZsM
The idea of an Astronaut burning to death in the coldness of space is oddly compelling.

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>>36461383

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>>36462812
my brother

>>36446173
>>36446608
>>36446641
>>36450297
Astrophysics student here.
The color of stars comes from what's called "black body radiation", which is a purely temperature dependent radiation signature that any space of matter, irrespective of composition or density, will give off. The wavelength of maximum intensity is inversely proportional to temperature, meaning hotter objects glow bluer.

Thing is, when your peak wavelength is 'green', your signature is basically spread out over the entire visual band, meaning the whole thing comes out white. It's only when you're towards the red and blue ends that you get real color.

Google 'stellar spectral classes', you'll get an idea of the spread. When I said 'red' and 'blue', I meant anything either side of F class.
The superstition originates from the fact that red stars are dimmer, meaning that if the first star you notice is red, there's a higher chance you're in an old stellar cluster. That means less chance of supernovae, and a lot of nearby stars, so you don't have to go as long in the black.

Never take a holy cross into a gun battery or bomber bay, you don't want god watching when you kill. When prepping for battle, soldiers always leave their religious knick knacks in the safest part of the ship, so the ship'll carry their soul even if it can't carry their body.

It's no uncommon to find shipwrecks with dozens of crucifixes and photo-lockets wound around some minor bar in the cargo bay.

Colony ships only have their name written on the outside once, so as to be read up-right when its landed. Writing it sideways is tempting fate to roll you over during landing.

Only the captain should wear a hat on the bridge. Helmets and visors are okay, but never a hat.

>>36461668
The correct thing to do after that is hug the AI core and camp in there for a few days.

>>36418438
>Staring out viewing ports for long is bad luck
>Scrapping a ship that doesnt have a working distress beacon is bad luck
>Hold your breath when you walk past an airlock for good luck.
>Dreams should always or never be heeded, depending on who you ask. There is, however, no middle ground on this issue.
>The Golden Rule: If you dont know what it is, it doesnt come on the ship.
>Shaving in zero G is 10 years bad luck.
>Never wear a dead man's space suit without replacing the nameplate and the helmet.
>Bringing a corpse on the ship, or having one on the ship for any reason is a bad omen.
>Waiting near the airlock during the docking process is bad luck.
>Any time you pass close to a planet, if you stare at it and repeat its name 3 times, good fortune will befall you, so long as you never intend to make landfall there.
>It is considered good luck to eat meat right after a successful launch, and bad luck to eat meat before a landing.
>Fresh fruit, left in the open, is considered bad luck.
>You should always knock three times before cycling an airlock, from either direction.
>Never have more than 10 people in one room at the same time.
>Whenever making crucial adjustments, always tap dials with your middle finger for good luck.

>>36463698

I like these because they sound like they come from practical excuses that became supersititous overtime like not leaving perishables out of the fridge/food units so they spoil or being in and around airlocks during docking procedures when the atmosphere can and will be vented or trying to shave when the grave plates are off (or before they were invented).

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All engineers carry one large steel bolt at all times, the theory being that in an emergency you can stop a fusion reactor by physically throwing it into the core.

>>36463698
>Leaving an open flame unattended on a ship is the worst of omens, but, will ensure safe passage in the direst of times.
>Pictures of the dead should be secluded to one room of the ship, so as to keep the dead from roaming.
>It is good luck to carry a small piece of your ship whenever you're away for too long, however, if you forget to replace it upon your return you'll be dead within the month.
>Sleeping in an EVA suit is very, very bad luck.

>>36463787
Yeah, thats kinda how I do these things. I usually do magic items for the magic-item theads using the same method. Basically, at some point someone realized that certain things were a good or bad idea, and rather than try to reason with their crew, they just declared it good/bad luck. Its a tale as old as humanity itself.

>Items made from animal products, such as wool or leather, or even bone, are considered good luck, so long as you do not lose them, and never trade them.
>Insects aboard a ship are the direst of omens, and should never be ignored.

>>36463841
>They are also convinced that some day they will need such a bolt to fix SOMETHING in a pinch, and they'll be damned if they leave home without it. In cases of absolute catastrophe, it is not uncommon to see an engineer scrambling around trying to figure out where his bolt fits.

>It is bad luck to tell someone the name of your ship before they have seen it.
>Marriages should always be conducted on hard ground and in breathable air.

>>36463891

When releasing your dead to their final rest, always point them to a planet or a star least you condemn their souls to the empty void

>>36463841
Can you use a Cheezer's Grilled Cheese Deluxe instead of a bolt?

>>36463891
>never eat while near the periapsis of an orbit.
>Never eat alone
>Never navigate by the stars
>If you must bring a blade onto a ship, carry it with you at all times, never leave it unattended.
>Never try to fix something that killed a crewman.
>Tattoos for good luck: Engineers: the ships bolt size in roman numerals. Pilots: The fuel volume to 1-G geostationary orbit. Other crewman: Talley's marking years served, the more clearly visible, the better.
>A shaved head is considered good luck if and only if you shave while planetside.
>Sleeping or near anything made of wood is bad luck.
>A potted plant, if you can manage one, is the closest thing the space-faring have to an albatross; good luck, until somebody kills it.
>Touching a window will spoil your next meal, or bring debts home to roost upon your next landing.
>False environments meant to mimic those on terrestrial worlds are horrendous luck.
>A deal done over comms will always sour; you must shake hands before and after making any deal.
>If the lights flicker, the ship is telling you something is wrong; go to your work station and do a routine check. If you find nothing, check again.
>Never buy a ship advertised as being "in perfect working condition", and never make such a claim about your own ship.
>Sleeping on the deck of the ship, as opposed to a bed, is good luck, though not necessarily good for your back.

>>36464046
>Never navigate by the stars
what?

The more legs you can get on a ship cat, the better. If you can't manage legs, toes will have to do.

>>36464108
Its not a thing most people know how to do competently, so dont do it. Hell, even if you know how, chances are your position makes everything you know about stellar navigation useless.

>>36464130
Oh wow, i kind of derped there. I forgot about maps. Ignore my stupid ass.

>>36464046
I can see how all of those are actually good advice when you squint and peer behind it except for the last one. That last one sounds fucking dangerous. There's a reason humans sleep in beds. It's because the ground drops your body heat worse than a snow storm. How does that change in the cold metal floor of a space vessel?

>>36464158
For one thing, the ground is a much bigger heat sink than a spacecraft. Second, the idea, though not necessarily true, is that if you sleep on the deck you'll be more likely to be awakened by disturbances in the ship's operations. Superstitions dont have to be actual good ideas, just things that are good enough ideas on paper to risk doing once in a while.

>>36424802
Now I'll have my space crew singing "Banned from Argo" as a shanty.

>>36464158
Even with technomancy heat disipators, your ship will be quite hot.
Enough to sleep on it without major consequences except maybe some back ache.

>>36451253
>Sometimes, late into the night shift you can hear the AI singing the drones to sleep
>it's very bad luck to interrupt the lullaby

>>36464673
What about joining in?

>>36463998
Is it 98% iron?

>>36464806
That'll just embarrass the AI, and the shower heaters mysteriously become inoperable for three days.

>>36461636
> Not!Kirk impresses his ship's AI
>All next gen AI's are unusually interested in xenobiology

I'm a mechanic by trade,I figure I can add some things that may be superstitions later

When replacing a large component, sign your name on a part that will be hidden until the component is replaced again (Done inside bell housings today). This means a part of your soul is helping keep that component going.

If the warp drive coolant filter has never been changed, and its working properly, don't change it. Things will start going wrong. (Often heard about transmission filters today)

Always take time to diagnose a problem, always charge for it. If they're just going to take the ship to a cheaper yard to be repaired, be extremely vague about the problem but do not mislead the owner of the ship. Bad luck and bad blood will follow.

If you work for a yard owned by a ship manufacturer, never install aftermarket parts. They may work just as well, but the dirty feeling you get afterwards is the ship cursing you for sullying its body. Not worth it.

When aligning a ship's low orbit thrusters, align each axis of each thruster from rear to front. Not doing so will lead to a poor alignment and a confused AI.

When dealing with a safety issue, never indicate the problem is fixed until you've verified it twice. Its bad luck to declare a problem fixed before you've double checked, even if you did fix it.

"All of these models make that noise when jumping to hyperspace" is a lie and everyone knows it. Saying that may doom the crew, as they ignore more and more strange sounds.

When dealing with a malfunctioning AI, replace the AI's central processor LAST. You're killing another sentient just because you're lazy. You prick.

Its good luck to have at least one tool owned by your father. The older the tool, the better. Its not uncommon for a yard to have a repair technician with a wrench branded "SnapOn," an ancient Terran tool manufacturer.

Metric and Standard are different. Using a standard tool on a metric ship, while may work, guarantees calamity later on.

File: 1384710669578.jpg (221 KB, 648x365)

221 KB JPG

>>36464927
>reusing the same scan to build multiple AIs
Please tell me you don't do this.

>>36465009
>Metric and Standard are different. Using a standard tool on a metric ship, while may work, guarantees calamity later on.

You're an evil asshole

> The best way to cope with hyperspace-tension is to chew tobacco.

>When becoming part of the crew, it's considered good manners to ask the AI for permission to join, even if the Captain has already signed the employment contract.

On many ships, mostly the older ones with traditions going back generations, the in-ship engineers have a little ceremony. The details change but the generals stay the same.

They unscrew the lid on the reactor and stand naked before her.

It's the reason that in-ship engineers statistically have more cybernetics than even the suit-jockies.

Never buy a ship with 0 lightyears on it.

>>36466608
Never buy a ship capable of landing on a planet if it was built in space, planets can tell. Assembling on planet, disassembled and reassembled in space is preferable.

>>36466786
>Assembling on planet, disassembled and reassembled in space is preferable.
That's just ridiculous. How on earth is that cost-effective or justifiable at all?

>You ever heard the stories about the void tribe?
Supposedly whenever a ship disappears during a warp jump it's actually slipping into the doldrums, an area of hyperspace which holds ships in an endless loop. There's meant to be a huge ramshackle structure built out of dozens of these becalmed vessels on which the former crews live.

>>36463679
The chief engineer always sleeps in the computer room. The cabin is just where he keeps his stuff.

>>36466826
>How on earth is that cost-effective or justifiable at all?
It's not on Earthprobably

>>36467325
I was right about to make a pun on that as well, but I figured it wouldn't be in good taste

>>36463500

On the other hand, the opposite is often true. Ships from very devout systems often carry all manners of religious symbols.

For example; Felipe XX, His Catholic Majesty's “Grande y Felicísima Armady” (Great and Most Fortunate Navy) out of the Coruña system all boast large gilded shrines to Saint Barbara, as patron saint of artillerymen.

In the event of a central AI rebellion, It's main CPU should be jettisoned into space

>>36467834
That's just common sense. Space stuff you don't want.
Unless.. You HAVE to space it because even wiping it and installing a new one won't be enough to purge the old AI. Then it's sp00ky space stuff.

And there's a giant hateball of spaced AI somewhere.

>>36467834
Wouldn't the AI core be built into the core of the ship, though?

>>36466867
I like the idea of the Doldrums being like Sigil or the City of Doors, mixed with a little London Below and Nightside. If you know how to get there, easy as breathing. If you don't, you'll likely never know.
You can find prophets, power, bottled spirits and bottled spirit. But go there even for a second, and its mark is on you. Either to flee and never return but in nightmares, or be unable to return to the real world without feeling the pull.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w34fSnJNP-4

Whole album.

>>36434377
Fucking grey tide

>>36467687
Praise the lord, and pass the ammunition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJfJPxLntZU

>>36433869
>>36434377
>>36469845
What is this a reference to? Google has failed me

>>36470536
SS13

>>36468179
It would make sense for certain parts of the AI core (such as its data core or navigational logs) to be jettisoned in the event of a catastrophe, plus jettisoning the CPU in the event of a rebelion would retain all the invaluable information while disabling the AI

Threads Autosaging, anyone feeling up to Making a new one once it hits Archive?