Space Scanner

Space Scanner

Sends a Green Signal to its automation circuit when it detects incoming objects from space. Can be configured to detect incoming meteor showers or returning space rockets.

Networks of many scanners will scan more efficiently than one on its own.

Research

Celestial Detection

Dimensions

2×4 tiles

Category

Automation

Power

-120 W

Decor

-5 (Radius: 1 tile)

Auto Out

Green: Incoming target detected
Red: No target detected

Other Properties

Susceptible to flooding

Materials

Refined Metal

25 kg

Space Scanner is a building that can detect incoming Meteor Showers, Rockets, or Interplanetary Payloads. It sends a Green automation signal when the selected target is detected, and the little screen at the bottom turns red. The Green automation signal will persist through the entirety of the event, even if the Space Scanner loses line of sight to the sky.

You can also build the scanner completely under ground, so that it never has sky access - as long as other scanners have appropriate sky access, the automation signal will still be sent.

Light-blocking tiles or materials within the range of space scanners decrease their Scan Network Quality, and can delay the detection time.

Placing multiple space scanners will allow the Scan Network to detect events much earlier and more reliably.

Details

Example of minimal space required for maximum quality.
(15 tiles to the left, 13 tiles to the right)

• Scan Network Quality is affected by the total coverage of the sky, and so is dependent on asteroid size. Covering half the sky in the Scanner Network's range results in 100% Scan Network Quality. To provide the maximum quality to the Network, a scanner must:
  • Have the center tile exposed to the sky (the tile above the bottom left corner of the scanner).
  • Have 15 tiles on each side of the center cell exposed to the sky in a V shape centered on the center tile, for a total of 31 tiles. This does not include tiles above the build limit. [Additional quality for each successive tile, calculated from center and not passing any blocked tile]
  • Fit under the upper limit of the map (could fit 9 tiles between the scanner and no-build zone).
  • NOT have its view of the sky obstructed by enough material to completely stop light from reaching the checked tile.
• If the center tile is blocked, Scan Quality will always result in 0%.
• Scan Quality is NOT affected by:
  • Any tiles under the V-shaped view of the scanner.
  • Whether the scanner has the Space Exposure status or not.
• At 0% Scan Network Quality, scanners will detect incoming objects 1s to 200s before they occur.
• At 100% Scan Network Quality, scanners will always detect incoming objects 200s ahead of time.
• Each percent of Network Quality adds 2 second to the floor of detection time.
• Each fully unblocked Scanner covers 31 tiles of sky. On a default vanilla asteroid that has a map width of 256 tiles, this results in an additional 24% in Scan Network Quality - at least 5 Scanners are required to cover half the sky and reach 100% Scan Network Quality.
  • On other asteroids with different map widths, a fully unblocked Scanner will result in a different increase in Scan Network Quality.
• Detections are in sync, so every Scanner configured to detect the same incoming space object will provide a Green automation signal at the same time.

Bugs

• Rockets will not appear on the scanner's list of objects to detect immediately and it is unclear when it actually happens. Reloading the game should resolve it.

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