Exploration Team Design

[caters]

I am trying to design an exploration team so that they can explore what Kepler Bb, the planet I am constructing, has in store for them. Here are some things I want for my exploration team:

• They must be able to see the world around them from all points of view (top down, bottom up, low, high)
• They must not have too many or allergies are a much higher risk
• There must not be too few people or the chances of success will be low
• The team must be able to address the threats listed below

Threats present on this planet:

Venomous Animals

Venom is a concern - mild, but still concerning. Even though these people have a super immune system that reacts quickly to venom and poison, some people might be allergic to venom without realizing it. So it isn't the venom directly that is the problem but rather the amount of venom and chance of allergies. I mean, if Alma, one of my characters, stands her ground against a venomous snake, she might get bit more than once. This could lead to allergies or worse, death. That is a big problem for a small civilization, and more so for a much smaller exploration team.

Allergy from venom

All that might be left after death, a skeleton.


Natural disasters

If you are exploring, you don't have a permanent shelter. And while there is an underground city where my people can handle pretty much any disaster (from floods and droughts to tornadoes and blizzards), an exploration team away from any underground city would not be nearly as prepared. Here are just a few natural disasters they will have to face:

Wildfires are not common on Kepler Bb but can happen before thunderstorms. Burns are a major risk even far away from the fire because fire spreads quickly, and is very hot. The only safe spots outside the underground city will be wherever water is, like in rivers and lakes.

Floods are a big problem for people outside the city, especially flash floods. They can come without warning and drowning is a risk, especially for children and weak people. A baby can drown in just a few inches of water, way below their head level(water birth I think is the only exception since as long as the placenta is still in there, being born in water is like being born in an amniotic sac that isn't broken. Weak people will more easily sink to the bottom and drown there.

These are just a couple of the natural disasters they will have to face. This is where high numbers come in handy, because the more people there are, the higher the chance of survival is for every single one.

Additional Problems

So I mean, they might want to pack a lot of stuff (A single Kepler Bb humanoid can carry a whole bear for a short distance without muscle injury). But that leads to higher risk of muscle injury, or if they trip, fractures. It would probably be mostly water and other essentials they are carrying, but individuals like my character Alma will be able to fly. When Alma is in flight mode (not the "fight or flight" type but you know, actually flying) she has secret pockets in her wings to carry precious stuff like maps, bird chicks, and her little girl, Kate.

Context Related to Problems with Packing

In fact, in one of my previous chapters Alma started exploring at 8 years old and a convocation of eagles stopped her in her tracks and she had to find a water source. Once she found that water source she got an eaglet from the convocation of eagles, put it in one of her wing pockets, carried it home and then flew back east towards the river to catch some fish and made a pond back home.

Anyway, what would be a reasonable size for an exploration team?

 

[ThinkerX]

How far are they going?

Are they exploring for something specific?

You mentioned flash floods. Is water travel an option? A boat can hold quite a few supplies. Also, water travel was a preferred method for the early explorers here on earth.

That said, you might want to check out sites dedicated to backpacking.

 

[caters]

The distance, I have no clue on but I do know that they are exploring to find new sources of food and possibly some animals to start domesticating. I mean, right now, they essentially have no milk unless you are talking about breastmilk for people below 2 years old. Eggs are hard to find and sugar is essentially absent at this point in time on Kepler Bb. Water travel is an option but the nearest river for water travel is more than 20 miles away. The nearest lake isn't as far away as the river but it is still pretty far away from the civilization(the civilization relies on rain for water).

And how would sites dedicated to backpacking help me besides stating the obvious(that you need to pack enough water to keep your thirst down as you look for a water source and you need to pack enough food to keep your hunger down and you need to make sure you are wearing the appropriate clothing for the weather)?

 

[ThinkerX]

The distance, I have no clue on but I do know that they are exploring to find new sources of food and possibly some animals to start domesticating. I mean, right now, they essentially have no milk unless you are talking about breastmilk for people below 2 years old. Eggs are hard to find and sugar is essentially absent at this point in time on Kepler Bb. Water travel is an option but the nearest river for water travel is more than 20 miles away. The nearest lake isn't as far away as the river but it is still pretty far away from the civilization(the civilization relies on rain for water).

And how would sites dedicated to backpacking help me besides stating the obvious(that you need to pack enough water to keep your thirst down as you look for a water source and you need to pack enough food to keep your hunger down and you need to make sure you are wearing the appropriate clothing for the weather)?

First, establish a reliable route to navigable water. Preferably something that can be negotiated with wheeled vehicles - push carts if nothing else. Twenty miles along something that could pass for a road should be a one day, dawn to dusk trip for people in good condition. Spending a month or two prepping that route is well worth the effort.

Next, turn that nearest navigable water point into a supply base. For inland water travel, they'd want something light and strong, like a canoe made of hide or bark stretched over a frame. Ideally, two or more canoes.

Plants require water - aka a river or lake. Soil along the flood plains is more likely to be fertile. Animals also require water, including herd animals that might possibly be domesticated. All the more reason to explore via river or lake.

As to the backpacking sites...there should be articles there for putting together the best light-weight pack - the things you really need, instead of the things you think you need.

Additional note: From a writing perspective, the more principle characters in the expedition, the harder the story becomes to write, as including everybody becomes more difficult. Two or three people is fine. Four or five is doable with care. More than that, and you'll likely have craft issues.

 

[Russ]

I think the key piece of information you need to answer your question is missing.

What it the level of technology available to your exploration team?

Edit: Now that I think about it there is not nearly enough information in the OP to answer the question accurately.

 

[valiant12]

4 or 5 people. Probably more if you want them to domesticate large animals.
Keep in mind that you are writing fiction and few characters mean that you can give each of them unique personality, character flaws, etc.
Also it is more logical to send several small groups instead of one big one. If you send one group of 20 people and they all die in a fire or fail to find useful resources you won't achieve anything, and in the worst case scenario you lose 20 people. If you send 5 groups of 4 people there chance of survival and finding useful stuff increases.

But that leads to higher risk of muscle injury, or if they trip, fractures.

Honestly that’s boring. If you want something bad to happen to one of your characters, you should be more creative.

 

[caters]

Why so small though? I mean sure this lowers the chance that someone will have life threatening allergies in any given group but small groups as far as I know have low survival rates(one of the reasons why lots of people are needed for colonization). I mean the bigger the group, the higher the individual survival chance is and the higher the individual survival chance, the higher the group survival chance. Natural disasters are an example of where safety lies not only in preparation but also in numbers. Sure, a few people might burn to death in a fire but more people will have escaped to the water just in time, especially the ones that have the ability to fly.

And for any group, a death is sad for at least 1 person but the fewer people there are in a group, the more people will be sad percentage wise and the more intense the sadness is for each person.

And if they are looking for useful resources, the more the better for gathering those resources as well as finding them because gathering resources whether it be fruit, eggs, animals to domesticate, or a source of sugar has its own unique threats.

Gathering fruit has the risk of poison. But my Kepler Bb people have a fast, beneficial reaction to poison(namely antibodies tagging the poison and inactivating it and then the poison getting excreted).

Gathering eggs has the risk of the bird that laid those eggs either pooping on you or trying to hurt you. Either way, not good and infection is now a risk.

Gathering animals to domesticate has different types of risks depending on the animal but in general it would be the animals trying to hurt you in defense(like if herbivores decided to stampede).

Gathering a sugar source doesn't have many risks besides frostbite if it is from tree sap in the winter. If it is from honey though it has the risk of being stung by a lot of bees. I have read that 10 bee stings is where they draw the line in people without anaphylaxis between life threatening and not life threatening.

Less than 10 bee stings and you should be okay if you don't have anaphylaxis(rare but emergency allergy).

More than 10 bee stings and they will treat you as if you had anaphylaxis(at least that is what I have heard), even if you aren't allergic at all due to the amount of venom.

 

[ThinkerX]

The expedition size applies to core members relevant to the story itself. The actual size of the expedition could (and should) be much larger - perhaps a couple dozen. Too large, though, and the expedition will remain dependent on outside supplies.