SCEDQuest Q2 2059 Results
Missions
Another quarter full of belt probing and not much more. The SCEDs scientific advisors and universities working in cooperation with them have accused the organization of neglecting their scientific mission, for if the treasury demands that many resource prospecting missions into the belt they can make it official and support the effort through official channels.
New Johnson Training Center (Stage 3) 528/400
A colossal influx of funding finally brought the next stage of New Johnson to completion, doubling the amount of Astrotechs that should have completed their training at the end of the year.
High Security Materials Laboratory Module (Requires Gagarin-Stage 3) 5/5
Following assembly of the expensive and delicate internal laboratory module parts planetside and their launch into orbit, the HSM Laboratory has been completed. Built to the highest safety standards it should allow for an observation of the novel material far away from earthside civilian targets. If on purpose or as a coincidence, the Treasury began implementing a project to research the novel material towards the end of the quarter as well, leaving the SCED with some of the budget allocated for an orbital research station. The unexpected influx of funding has left the leadership asking what should be done with the extra money, as it'd allow for a project too large for normal funding levels.
[]Lunar Deep Space Crater Telescope "Craterscope"
The dark side of the Moon is isolated from all Earthside disturbances by billions of tons of rock. The lack of an atmosphere and the low gravity allow for construction of a truly colossal telescope to look within the deepest parts of the universe, and even take high resolution pictures of nearby star systems.
[]Orbital Fusion Testbed
Deuterium-Deuterium fusion has been used groundside for a while now, but adapting the technology into space has so far not been attempted. There are many challenges to be overcome, but a zero gravity capable fusion reactor should allow for near unlimited power generation anywhere in the solar system.
[]Alpha Centauri Probe Planning
The G-Drive would allow SCED to send a probe to the nearest star system on reasonable time scales. If 0.5g can be maintained during the entire flight, the first data would arrive at earth roughly 11 years after the mission's launch. However even developing the required technological solutions will be expensive and actually constructing it would be outside the SCED's scope.
Lunar Seismic Imaging Array 195/150
The details for the seismic imaging array have been figured out. It will consist of a number of sensor modules all placed in a particular area. After setting it up, a metal rod launched from orbit at the surface will provide the necessary impact energy to chart the Moon's internal structure.
Tiberium Monitoring Satellite 81/100
The monitoring satellites are based on existing designs, and much of the internals are just adaptations of existing modules. However, given the importance of their task, and the difficulties involved with getting usable data through the thick Venusian atmosphere, the sensor arrays and power systems have yet to be finalized, and the hostile radiation and temperature environment due to Venus' closer orbit are significant obstacles in their own right that have not been fully addressed.
He3 extraction Experiments 22/100
He3 experiments go poorly this quarter, with a promising method resulting in worse yields than expected. The research team is preparing some of the slightly less promising methods for testing, but requires further funding to perform those tests.
Venus: Tiberium Sampling 221/200
Planning for the Tiberium heist has been completed. The first step will be to procure a Tiberium sample, which will be done by dropping multiple sonic charges encased in protective shells onto the pillar fields, which will be provided by GDIs military RnD. The second step is extraction, which will be done via specially designed containers built to function long enough in Venus' environment to grab a piece and fill a number of balloons with a lifting gas. A dedicated rocket drone will then be used to transport the sample back into Venus orbit, where it will be put into the Tomb. The Tomb is a double-walled T-Glass container, with the outer section filled with liquid Helium cooled down to as close as absolute zero as possible. The inner containment area of the Tomb will be as pure a vacuum as can be managed. Artificial Gravity will keep the sample piece floating in the center of the box, unable to touch the walls. The external shell of the Tomb is studded with multi-spectral sensors, to try and ensure any emission that makes it through the containment layers is detected and recorded for analysis.
In Lunar orbit, Pathfinder and the crew will deposit the Tomb in the Tartarus Satellite at Earth-Luna L2, which is capable of nearly indefinitely powering the Tomb and a small Inhibitor. In an emergency, the Tartarus satellite has enough delta-V to bring the Tomb into an orbit that will eventually collide with Venus. All three of these items will require a dedicated effort to implement and the proposed plans have already gone out to the SCEDs RnD Division.
Manned Martian Base 323/300
Initial planning for the Mars base has been completed. Due to the longer distance from Earth, the initial base will be larger, require more staff and be built with greater supply storage in mind. This way the inhabitants would be able to survive extended periods without resupply in case of an emergency. With most of the initial Lunar surface infrastructure will be useable with a few modifications for the Martian surface, the only question left to answer is as to where the base should be located.
[]Elysium Mons
Elysium Mons is a volcano on Mars located in the volcanic province Elysium in the Martian eastern hemisphere. The most interesting feature however has been the discovery of the Transuranic element. A base here would allow for easier research of the area and the material itself.
[]Utopia Planitia
Utopia Planitia is a large plain within Utopia, the largest known impact basin on Mars and in the Solar System with an estimated diameter of 3300 km. It is the Martian region where the Viking 2 lander touched down and began exploring on September 3, 1976. The region is rich in Heavy Metals and would allow for better research in how to extract and utilize local Martian resources.
[]Martian North Pole
The Martian North Pole has access to the largest frozen water and carbon dioxide reserves of the red planet. A base here would be mostly noteable in having access to a practically limitless water and oxygen supply.
