Rendezvous with Rama

When a very large and unusually regular object enters the solar system on a hyperbolic trajectory, Earth dispatches a scout ship to rendezvous and investigate it.

Motifs

• Big Dumb Object

  Perhaps the most famous example of this motif, the titular Rama is an extrasolar object that passes through the inner solar system. A team is dispatched to explore the inside of Rama, which spins to induce apparent gravity on its inside surface. A huge cylinder, Rama is at first frozen but begins to show signs of life as it nears the sun, becoming more temperamental and dangerous to the exploration team.

• O'Neill Cylinder

  Rama ends up being an O'Neill Cylinder with a large interior surface, weather, and robotic maintenance crews. Homes and inhabitants are puzzlingly nowhere to be seen.

• Reactionless Drive

  Rama seems to accelerate with a "Space Drive", a drive that has no detectable exhaust.