OOC: I’m a bit busy now, so I’m not going to be able to launch habitation modules. To expand the station, PM me so I can expand the station. If it isn’t on the picture on the letter, it is not actually part of the stations. On the weekends, I might be able to work on expanding the station, but I’m not able to do much of anything until Friday the 16th.
(please note that there can’t be any crew without habitation, so just wait until I’m available or somebody launches one with the proper paperwork so I could add it to the map. I also want one of my astronauts to be the first crew on, so if you’re sending the first mission to it, PM me)
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The following is an email sent by a cabinet member. All text (except those in parentheses) have been written. Thank you.
To anyone interested:
Recently, Emberwood Coast launched a space station for countries against the Fire Pact. In response, the Fire Pact has worked on its own space station. There is just one problem, and that is either you have to reach an impractically high inclination, or it is partially for military purposes. (OOC: Makes me think of the Salyut stations and Skylab. Oh, what you can read on Wikipedia.) Instead, Tretrid’s space program has decided to launch their own space station, so study how materials react in zero G, and of all things, the space program wrote that “One of our main goals are to take pictures of Urth showing that everybody is part of the same planet, and that politics isn’t all that matters.” Of course, this is solely a project to aide with further exploration of beyond the vast stretches of Urth. I invite all nations on Urth to join this project and further study of science and experiment with technology in zero G! (OOC: Doesn’t everything seem more awesome when it’s in zero gravity?)
James Stevenson
Minister of Domestic Affairs
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A space center on the outskirts of Draeset, 3:20 PM PST
“T-60.”
A rocket was sitting on the pad, which was venting a vapor. It consisted of two solid rocket boosters on the side of the first stage, an engine fed by a fuel tank. Above the first stage was the second stage, which was designed to control itself without the payload, meaning that it could boost the payload into orbit, separate, and deorbit itself without losing contact, and running out of fuel just as it hit a trajectory that would cause it to burn up in the atmosphere.
“T-60.”
Mission Control announced that all systems were go. The rocket was ready to go.
“T-30.”
The voice of the SPSR’s flight director, Ted Clayton, boomed across the area where spectators watched the rocket, ready for liftoff. Sadly, there was no popcorn.
“T-12…11…10…”
The vents turned off. The rocket was fully fueled, ready to fling the station’s control module to orbit.
“9…8…7…6…5…4…”
The liquid-fueled engine ignited.
“3…2…1…0…”
The SRBs lit, spewing flame into the launch pad.
“Liftoff!”
The launch clamps released, and the rocket was in the air. At T+5, Clayton spoke, “This is the first module of an international project to further scientific progress. All nations are welcome to contribute.” The crowd cheered. At T+30, Mission Control announced that all systems were nominal. At T+180, the SRBs separated as their fuel ran out. The flame from them were gone, and the glowing exhaust from the first-stage engine was almost indistinguishable from a star. The broadcasts for the launch changed from the view at the launchpad to the telemetry seen by Mission Control. About half a minute afterwards, Mission Control’s displays changed to orbital mode.
Several minutes after the mission, the station was in orbit.
OOC: The space station has a roughly circular orbit, is a quarter of the way to geosynchronous orbit, and 62 degree inclination.
Attached is a map of the station. (behold my terrible ability to use GIMP!)
