This is a guide to eighty-four views of Concordia, grouped by where they are: streets and parks, the climb to the axis, the machine rooms, the spaceport and the outside of the hull. Each one opens the simulation at that exact spot.
Pick a card and press Open this view. The simulation loads at that camera position in Explore mode. From there you can walk, fly or press M to choose another view.
Every card links to /explore/?viewpoint=<id>. You can paste the same link anywhere, or add &overlay=gravity to open the view with an engineering overlay on top. The guide lists all the link options. To follow the story rather than browse, start with Open in the simulation: the family's breakfast or read the journey.
Look down a Concordia street and the road rises ahead of you until it meets the sky.
On Concordia the ring metro changes how much you weigh without changing where you stand. Ride against the spin at 100 km/h and you weigh 0.66 g.
From the street the sky looks like a sky. The ascender takes you through it at 450 m, and it turns out to be machinery: lit panels on frames, with the whole width of the rotor...
Four rotors turn at the heart of Concordia, but the station as a whole does not.
A city of a million people and its machines make about 40 GW of heat, and space is a thermos with no air to carry it off.
A hole in the hull of a rotor that holds 45 million tonnes of air sounds like a disaster.
An ordinary street in Tsiolkovsky (Rotor 1) at eye height. The ground is the rotor wall, so it feels like any street on Earth, and the lawns and buildings run on until they curve out of sight.
Open this view: Residential Street See on the map: Residential StreetA lakeside park a short walk from the family apartment, framed by low-rise housing. The path leads to the water, and the far shore bends upward with the rest of the city.
Open this view: Groundside Park See on the map: Groundside ParkCrowned towers, spires and one signature landmark seen from a park lawn 1.1 km away. Every skyline here is a cluster of landmarks set against the curve of the world.
Open this view: District Skyline See on the map: District SkylineA paved street in Noordung (Rotor 2) with a stately civic frontage on one side and a green square ahead. Beyond the square a tower district climbs the curve of the rotor. The generator that drew Tsiolkovsky drew a different city here, from its own seed.
Open this view: Noordung: Civic Street See on the map: Noordung: Civic StreetA promenade on the shore of one of Noordung's lakes. The reeds are planted, the path is paved and the ground climbs away along the ring to a bright sky. Noordung runs a 14 hour day, the longest on the station.
Open this view: Noordung: Lakeshore See on the map: Noordung: LakeshoreCopper-crowned towers and spires in Noordung from 120 m up, where the weight is about 0.95 g. Megaframe ribs rise between them and the ground climbs away along the ring in every direction.
Open this view: Noordung: Crowned Towers From 120 m See on the map: Noordung: Crowned Towers From 120 mA mid-rise street in Bernal (Rotor 3) at eye height: a bike lane, red-roofed terraces and a boulevard that runs on into the curve of the city. Bernal's day lasts 10 hours, the shortest on the station.
Open this view: Bernal: Terrace Street See on the map: Bernal: Terrace StreetA lakeside path in Bernal, toward its forward end wall. A resident walks the shore, towers stand across the water and the upper city fills the sky.
Open this view: Bernal: Lakeside Promenade See on the map: Bernal: Lakeside PromenadeBernal from 120 m up, looking along the rotor. Parkland, lakes and mid-rise blocks lie below, and the megaframe towers carry the eye up to the sky membrane and across the curve of the world.
Open this view: Bernal: Rooftop Panorama From 120 m See on the map: Bernal: Rooftop Panorama From 120 mA street through the urban core of O'Neill (Rotor 4). Tall arched frontages stand close on both sides and the street runs into the dense center of the district.
Open this view: O'Neill: Core Canyon See on the map: O'Neill: Core CanyonA paved plaza on the shore of a lake in O'Neill. A resident stands at the water's edge, reeds line the shore and the city rises across the lake and the ground climbs away along the ring.
Open this view: O'Neill: Lakeside Plaza See on the map: O'Neill: Lakeside PlazaO'Neill's urban core from 120 m up: a field of crowned towers and spires with megaframe ribs climbing between them. O'Neill is the forward rotor, and it reached full spin in 2044.
Open this view: O'Neill: Tower Field From 120 m See on the map: O'Neill: Tower Field From 120 mThe market hall of the capital quarter in Noordung (Rotor 2), a dome behind a portico on its own plaza. Energy and compute for the whole station are priced here, a few streets from the Charter Hall and the Court.
Open this view: Noordung: The Exchange See on the map: Noordung: The ExchangeThe seat of the Concordia Charter Authority, seen from the street in front of its portico. Gate towers and a vaulted roof stand over the colonnade in the densest core on the station.
Open this view: Noordung: Charter Hall See on the map: Noordung: Charter HallA columned portico and pediment on a street of civic frontages in Noordung. The arbitration courts sit here, in the same quarter as the Exchange and Charter Hall.
Open this view: Noordung: The Court See on the map: Noordung: The CourtThe estates of O'Neill (Rotor 4) from a raised walk: detached villas on lawns the size of a city block, with hedges and planted trees. The richest districts trade density for open ground, and the megaframe carries the density overhead.
Open this view: O'Neill: Garden Villas See on the map: O'Neill: Garden VillasThe estate district of O'Neill from 60 m up. Villas in their gardens line a curving street, with a lake and parkland beyond.
Open this view: O'Neill: Estates and Lake From 60 m See on the map: O'Neill: Estates and Lake From 60 mA rib of the megaframe rises from a lived-in neighborhood. This lattice carries the elevated city up to 1,500 m on the wall of the rotor.
Open this view: Urban Megaframe Base See on the map: Urban Megaframe BaseThe plaza at the foot of the ascender, where the metro delivers commuters. The boarding lift entrance is the doorway to the sky and the axis above it.
Open this view: Axis Station Plaza See on the map: Axis Station PlazaA raised quarter at 625 m, where weight is about 0.75 g. Planters line the deck edge, an inhabited bridge crosses the ring beam and, above the sky layer, the opposite upper city hangs overhead.
Open this view: Megaframe Plate District See on the map: Megaframe Plate DistrictHigh in the frame, near 0.32 g, long-span structure opens into sparse atmospheric process halls. Everything is lighter here, including the way people move through it.
Open this view: Low-G Atrium See on the map: Low-G AtriumThe end bay of Rotor 1 at the foot of its forward wall. Cantilevered ledges with coffered undersides step up, a train viaduct crosses the frame and a planted cliff rises to the sky seam.
Open this view: End Wall: Foot of the Cliff See on the map: End Wall: Foot of the CliffA 241 m ledge on the forward end wall, at about 0.9 g. A train runs along the track strip, vines trail from the planters and the city lies 240 m below.
Open this view: End Wall: Viaduct Terrace See on the map: End Wall: Viaduct TerraceThe upper end wall seen from about 2,150 m, at 0.14 g. Concentric ledge rings carry low-gravity halls, vaults and gardens, and the ribs thin toward the bore.
Open this view: End Wall: Upper Wall from the Axis Side See on the map: End Wall: Upper Wall from the Axis SideA visitor gallery above a deck of the farm hall. Racks of lettuce, basil and kale stand in four stages of growth beneath LED rigs, with nutrient channels and a harvest gantry.
Open this view: Farm Grow Deck See on the map: Farm Grow DeckTotes arrive on a belt and pass the wash tunnel, the optical sorter and the weigher in the process wing. Most of what grows upstairs is on a city table soon after.
Open this view: Farm Harvest Line See on the map: Farm Harvest LineCrates of salad, trays of loaves, bottles and wrapped pallets leave the process wing on freight pods. Ordinary food, moving the way ordinary food does.
Open this view: Farm Packaging and Dispatch See on the map: Farm Packaging and DispatchEarly in the climb the neighborhood is still familiar, and the horizon begins to rise around the cabin. Weight has already dropped to about 0.90 g.
Open this view: Ascender: 250 m See on the map: Ascender: 250 mThe cabin passes the sky layer and the blue ceiling becomes a lit machine, with the opposite city overhead and the open interior beyond.
Open this view: Ascender: Artificial Sky Breakthrough See on the map: Ascender: Artificial Sky BreakthroughThe panoramic cabin at 650 m, where weight is 0.74 g. Seats, rails and a glass floor gallery face the city curving up beyond the glass, with a live altitude and gravity readout.
Open this view: Ascender: Cabin Interior See on the map: Ascender: Cabin InteriorFour blade trusses with bronze lattice rise past 800 m. Three tracks carry cabins up and down, with the axis far above.
Open this view: Ascender: Tower From Outside See on the map: Ascender: Tower From OutsideThe hub drum turns behind its bearing collar, with four portals marked by bronze sunbursts. This is where the ascender cabins meet the stationary spine.
Open this view: Ascender: Rotating Transfer Hub See on the map: Ascender: Rotating Transfer HubInside the spine at the Rotor 1 hub, a carousel of eight chambers slows each carriage from rotor speed to rest in 96 seconds. An amber ring and a spin-rate display show the progress.
Open this view: Spin-Decoupling Lock, Tsiolkovsky See on the map: Spin-Decoupling Lock, TsiolkovskyStand on the spine and the city turns around you, once every 100 seconds. The spine is the only thing that holds still.
Open this view: Stationary Axis: City Rotating Around Viewer See on the map: Stationary Axis: City Rotating Around ViewerA 120 m tube that never turns, with ring lamps every 25 m, the express guideway on its stays, crew galleries and four utility trunks running its length.
Open this view: Axial Spine: Interior See on the map: Axial Spine: InteriorA 300 m vacuum gap separates the rotors. Rotor ends, bearings and service connections are all exposed here.
Open this view: Inter-Rotor Service Gap See on the map: Inter-Rotor Service GapA transit bridge joins Rotors 1 and 2, 45 m above the ground. X bracing, window bands and a lenticular truss carry people over the vacuum.
Open this view: Inter-Rotor Bridge 01, Outside See on the map: Inter-Rotor Bridge 01, OutsideA promenade and a transit lane run side by side, with window bands on both sides and a shuttle on its guideway. The far pressure door marks the next rotor.
Open this view: Inter-Rotor Bridge 01, Deck See on the map: Inter-Rotor Bridge 01, DeckRotors 2 and 3 turn opposite ways, so there is no bridge between them. A stationary service frame and slip seals fill the gap, and passengers cross through the spine.
Open this view: Counter-Rotating Interface, Noordung and Bernal See on the map: Counter-Rotating Interface, Noordung and BernalA car on the spine express, with restraint couches along the wall, grab rails, lockers and a destination display above the open end door.
Open this view: Axial Express · Interior See on the map: Axial Express · InteriorFive cars in a row run the spine at 140 m/s on levitation bogies. The cab nose carries a destination board and running lights.
Open this view: Axial Express · On the Guideway See on the map: Axial Express · On the GuidewayThe aft terminus platform with an express standing at it. A glazed end wall looks out on the free run, the service port, the bore and the blast iris.
Open this view: Aft Works · Panoramic Aft Gallery See on the map: Aft Works · Panoramic Aft GalleryWhere Rotor 1 meets the stationary structure: a sleeve and rim turn against the stator on magnetic bearings, with catchers that never touch in normal use.
Open this view: Aft Works · Tsiolkovsky Aft Bearing Gallery See on the map: Aft Works · Tsiolkovsky Aft Bearing GalleryThrough arched windows of the spine: rows of HVDC valve halls, breaker bays, capacitor banks and cooling headers. This is where solar power becomes city power.
Open this view: Aft Works · Converter Hall See on the map: Aft Works · Converter HallO'Neill (Rotor 4) and Ehricke (the industrial rotor) turn in opposite directions around the stationary spine, their hubs facing each other across the bearings.
Open this view: Bearing Gallery · Counter-Rotation See on the map: Bearing Gallery · Counter-RotationRing machines spin in their housings in the stationary bay. They hold the station's net spin at zero by trading momentum with the rotors.
Open this view: Momentum Control Bay See on the map: Momentum Control BayUnder ring 2: containment housing, motor-generator stators, bearing stacks and coolant loops, with the rim turning in the open side.
Open this view: Momentum Ring 2 · Close See on the map: Momentum Ring 2 · CloseAn open truss that is 70 to 80 percent vacuum, carrying cargo, tank farms and robotic logistics. Material from the Moon and the asteroids is stored and processed here.
Open this view: Ehricke Industrial Rotor, Wide See on the map: Ehricke Industrial Rotor, WideA tank farm on the outer band of Ehricke, the industrial rotor, at about 0.4 g. Six horizontal vessels and two spheres sit on a lattice deck in open vacuum. The view is from the middle band, looking outward.
Open this view: Ehricke: Tank Farm See on the map: Ehricke: Tank FarmA cargo tug carries a pod along one of the axial rails in Ehricke's outer band. Tugs move slowly and deliberately along these rails, hauling containers between the two ends of the rotor.
Open this view: Ehricke: Cargo Tug on the Rail See on the map: Ehricke: Cargo Tug on the RailA grow gallery and a utility plant of the 1,000 m service tier, seen from the open fringe. Glazed rack faces glow white and magenta beside vessels, air handlers and pipe racks.
Open this view: Service Facilities at 1,000 m See on the map: Service Facilities at 1,000 mA spacecraft floats unsupported inside a construction volume much larger than itself. There is no floor, so frames, tanks and tugs hold it from all sides.
Open this view: Zero-G Shipyard: Hero View See on the map: Zero-G Shipyard: Hero ViewThe open crew drum of a ship under construction, showing its deck stack, capture arms, a manipulator and an inspection capsule at working range.
Open this view: Shipyard: Open Pressure Section See on the map: Shipyard: Open Pressure SectionA tank on approach with its mover, held by tension lines, with crawlers and umbilicals around the cradles. The ship's propellant is built and fitted here.
Open this view: Shipyard: Tank Bay and Delivery See on the map: Shipyard: Tank Bay and DeliveryThe 108 m platform on its hump at 55 m, with screen doors, a canopy and a train set waiting. This is the Arbor interchange.
Open this view: Metro Platform: Arbor See on the map: Metro Platform: ArborFrom the street, the metro runs 45 m overhead on portal piers and carries on along the avenue. The line stays above so the street stays free.
Open this view: Metro Viaduct Over an Arterial See on the map: Metro Viaduct Over an ArterialA glass lift tower at the Arbor crossing, with a street door and canopy at the foot and a shaft rising 46 m to the platform deck.
Open this view: Metro Lift Tower: Arbor See on the map: Metro Lift Tower: ArborThe arrival hall of the port, in stationary zero g. Signage, public structure and docking views make up the first look at Concordia for visiting passengers.
Open this view: Passenger Spaceport Terminal See on the map: Passenger Spaceport TerminalPassengers float down the processing ranks of health screening, customs and security, toward the WELCOME TO CONCORDIA sign over the entrance.
Open this view: Spaceport Arrival Face See on the map: Spaceport Arrival FaceAn open concourse with glide rails, travellers, shop pods and gate pods along the glass wall under a zone arch.
Open this view: Spaceport Concourse A See on the map: Spaceport Concourse AA boarding bridge, a berth frame and a docked passenger craft, seen from the axial bay. Gates A01 to A05 open off the nave.
Open this view: Spaceport Gate A03 See on the map: Spaceport Gate A03Three slow wheels turn at 2 rpm, giving 0.13, 0.20 and 0.28 g. They are a gentle step between zero g and the full weight of the cities.
Open this view: Spaceport Rotating Lounges See on the map: Spaceport Rotating LoungesPier P1 on the outer face of the end bulkhead, with a freighter alongside, tugs working and the axial aperture beyond.
Open this view: Spaceport External Pier See on the map: Spaceport External PierThe 98-couch passenger cabin, seen from the starboard aisle. A window band and aisle lighting run its length, with a shelter bulkhead behind.
Open this view: Passenger Launcher Interior See on the map: Passenger Launcher InteriorA 10 km electromagnetic track and its gantries along the hull. This is the road that sends passengers away from the station at 1.5 g.
Open this view: Launcher Track: External See on the map: Launcher Track: ExternalThe silhouette of Concordia: four rotors, the spine, the shipyard cage and the spaceport on one 21 km axis.
Open this view: Exterior Hero: Complete Habitat See on the map: Exterior Hero: Complete HabitatAn open-vacuum bay in the shell exposes the industrial rotor turning inside.
Open this view: Exterior QA: Industrial Open Bay See on the map: Exterior QA: Industrial Open BayThe port frame from 6 km off axis: spokes, pier rings, the terminal citadel and the cage running back toward the yard.
Open this view: Exterior QA: Open Port Frame See on the map: Exterior QA: Open Port FrameLooking in from the shade side through the open forward cage, past yard ribs and frames to the hero ship.
Open this view: Exterior QA: Shipyard Through the Cage See on the map: Exterior QA: Shipyard Through the CageA three-quarter view of the station from 25 km, with radiator farms and the port against black sky.
Open this view: Exterior QA: 25 km Silhouette See on the map: Exterior QA: 25 km SilhouetteTwo hydrogen and two oxygen spheres, two storable tanks, sunshades, radiators and transfer lines, kept well away from the habitat.
Open this view: Exterior QA: Propellant Farm See on the map: Exterior QA: Propellant FarmA bank of radiators on pylons rises above the hull. Each panel is 400 by 200 m and turns slowly with the Sun.
Open this view: Radiator Field See on the map: Radiator FieldA 170 m dish on its lattice tower, with an equipment hut, an optical terminal and phased arrays. Optical links carry most of the traffic.
Open this view: RF Dish Station See on the map: RF Dish StationAn armoured housing with a reload magazine, interceptor cells, a net launcher and a Whipple skirt guards the forward end against debris.
Open this view: Forward Defence Battery See on the map: Forward Defence BatteryThe tethered power platform at the aft hub, with the HVDC tethers running back toward the station. This is where the station's power begins.
Open this view: Solar Infrastructure See on the map: Solar InfrastructureThe power platform from the shade side, lit only by Earthlight and its own work lamps. More than a dozen lamps outline the bus and truss.
Open this view: Power Platform: Night Side See on the map: Power Platform: Night SideAn asteroid hauler on approach: a 110 m truss, two 60 m solar wings and a thruster plate pushing a 22 m metal asteroid cinched in its net bag. Thrust is about 37 N, so a haul takes years.
Open this view: Bag Hauler: Under Tow See on the map: Bag Hauler: Under TowThe seven Hall thrusters and propellant tanks at the back of the hauler, with the station beyond. The hauler burns about 120 t of propellant per 30,000 t haul.
Open this view: Bag Hauler: Stern See on the map: Bag Hauler: SternThe aft face from far off: ribbed, red rim lights, a central tower, four landing masts with marker lights and two reactor masts.
Open this view: Aft Works: Far Read See on the map: Aft Works: Far ReadFour HVDC landing masts take the power tethers from the solar farm, 7 km aft. The station's electricity arrives here.
Open this view: Aft Works: Power Landing See on the map: Aft Works: Power LandingA black-start fission reactor on its 800 m mast behind a shadow shield, with radiator petals edge-on to the Sun.
Open this view: Aft Works: Reactor Mast See on the map: Aft Works: Reactor MastTwelve Whipple-shielded thruster pods, canted outward, ring the aft face. They help keep the station on its orbit.
Open this view: Aft Works: Thruster Ring See on the map: Aft Works: Thruster RingAfter launch the whole armoured mountain recedes behind the cabin. It is the first time the passengers see how large their home is.
Open this view: Post-Launch: Looking Back Home See on the map: Post-Launch: Looking Back HomeThe station sits at L5 with Earth and the Moon above it, shown at their true apparent sizes. Earth is 1.9 degrees across, the Moon half a degree.
Open this view: Earth / Moon / Habitat Context See on the map: Earth / Moon / Habitat Context
