The Heracles is a jumble of old components made to look like a completely new craft.  Designed by GAIA engineers and assembled in lunar orbit by Southwind colonists, the Heracles represents the best of new technologies alongside the most tried and true of old technologies.  The reasoning for such a two-faced design is simple.  It saves money and the components are repairable on the run.  The Heracles’ mission is expected to last at least two years.  During that time if anything breaks down the crew must be capable of repairing it.  While there are limited stores of spare parts on board it is expected that something without a spare will likely break down and the crew must be able to improvise repairs.

The areas of the boat that are occupied by her crew are equipped with gravitomagnetic plating that creates artificial gravity.  While only exerting a force of .9g, it is sufficient to maintain the health and well being of the crew throughout their journey.

Crew quarters are small and cramped but have all of the necessities.  Each cabin is equipped with a desk-style console with a communications interface and reading lamp, a pull-out bunk, reconfigurable storage nets, built-in storage drawers, and adjustable lighting.

Access hallways are cramped.  A crew member may pass another on the deck only if one of them ducks into an alcove.  Alcoves are present at varying intervals throughout the ship and also contain access hatches for the boat’s various systems.  This allows the mechanisms to be accessed without impeding hallway traffic.  Critical systems (life support, gravity, etc.) have larger access alcoves that are about the size of small walk-in closets.

The boat’s inner hull is insulated with a patented material, Nurolate (TM GAIA 2116), which can be removed and consumed if the crew were to run out of food.  It is said to taste like a cola drink with all the sweetness removed but it will keep the crew alive in the case of an emergency.  Sections of the ship that would then be missing insulation could be locked off and accessed only by crew members wearing EVA suits.

The pilot pod is designed to seat a single pilot.  It is sealed off from the rest of the ship at all times and has its own life support system.  There are backup piloting systems that may be used in the event the pilot pod is lost or ejected but they are virtual in nature and lack a physical control interface.

One of the most popular areas of the ship is the viewing pod.  It is the only direct window on the outside world.  It consists of a tube within which the viewer must lie prone.  The end of the tube is then sealed before the porthole at the other end is opened.  The porthole itself is 36″ in diameter.  It contains a jettison system whereby the entire tube can be disconnected and blasted away from the Heracles hull.

The Heracles’ engines were designed by Dr. Elizabeth Hewitt and built by her team at the Southwind Colonies.  Based on existing Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rockets (VASIMR), Hewitt’s design increases the efficiency and maximum output of existing designs ten-fold.  Utilizing an off-the-shelf fusion power source, the Hewitt Hyper-Plasma Engine (HHPE) ionizes hydrogen into plasma then supercharges the resulting plasma into hyper-plasma which is directed out of each engine’s magnetic nozzle and harnessed as thrust.  Superconducting magnets powered by the fusion reactor (there is a redundant backup reactor on board) excite and contain the plasma and hyper-plasma.

Hewitt’s design is expected to have a long list of applications in space travel but is unlikely to become an important source of power on Earth since it must operate within a vacuum.  The specific design used on the Heracles has a long, slow, acceleration curve such that the engines must be constantly powered for the entire journey.  Once it leaves the solar system, the Heracles will be constantly accelerating.

The fuel for the fusion reactor(s) and the engines themselves is hydrogen.  Plentiful and cheap, hydrogen is the perfect fuel source.  The Heracles’ outer hull is an enormous hydrogen tank within which sits the habitable decks and mechanical elements of the boat.  This design actually uses the hydrogen as an additional layer of protection against interstellar radiation.  Access to most systems is through the previously mentioned alcoves.  If a system residing within the hydrogen tank were to need servicing, the hydrogen would have to be flushed out first and the entire tank cleaned and refilled afterwards.

Additional hydrogen is collected by four foils which dominate the exterior architecture of the Heracles.  These can be extended and retracted depending on what their role is at any given moment.  When extended, they act as hydrogen collectors and can be used as solar energy panels if the boat is close enough to a star.  When closed they help to protect the main module and the exposed hardware along the umbilical section.  Once the hydrogen is brought on board, it’s filtered, refined, and deposited for storage in the storage tank.

The exterior of the Heracles is equipped with numerous cameras for monitoring external conditions.  It is unlikely that the crew will encounter many astronomical phenomena of note on their journey but if they do these same cameras may be remotely redirected to provide external views in every direction.

The Heracles represents the very best of human ingenuity.  Fitting since it represents our first best chance at extraterrestrial contact.