Crimson Sparta
04-02-2004, 05:42
Relating to this (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=119310&highlight=)
Today marks a very sad day in Crimson Sparta. One of our space shuttles that was ferrying things back and forth to the asteroid crashed today.
The Sarov, one of our fleet of 7 shuttles, was damaged by a collision with another shuttle. Unfortunately, the accident happened right at the landing pad of the asteroid and sent the shuttle careening into Earth's gravitational pull.
Since the shuttle was upside down and spinning due to the force of the impact, the heat resistant tiles were facing the wrong way and the shuttle burned up on reentry. All 15 crewmembers died.
The other shuttle received minor damages but was not destroyed. It made a successful emergency landing. All 15 crewmen of that shuttle were taken to the infirmary on the asteroid and only sustained minor injuries. That shuttle will be out of service for at least 6 months while repairs take place.
High Lord and Emperor Usuengi Kentaka released a statement earlier about the accident. Below are some excerpts:
"The space program of Crimson Sparta is in its early days, and we must not back down from our new explorations and adventures. If anything, we must move forth in the memory of those who gave their lives for this cause."
"We cannot and will not halt our space program. There have been no reports of equipment malfunctions, as the onboard computers have told us. We believe that the main cause of this accident was pilot error on behalf of both shuttle pilots. Some have said that they are fatigued from this project moving so quickly. I stand by our space agency's assertions that all shuttle pilots are well trained and able to handle any situation. But we all make mistakes. Unfortunately some mistakes are more grave than others."
"The space program that we are pursuing now contains many projects that are off in the future. If we do not complete our space elevator now, our long-term project will fall devastatingly behind. Although we are ahead of schedule now, we cannot just leave a 2 mile high column in the sky without doing something with it. We must finish our space elevator as quickly as possible."
"The astronauts on the Sarov would not have wanted us to stop our exploration and technological advances. We should mourn them, remember them, but our progress should not halt because we have lost them. We must believe that their spirits are guiding us in the right direction in space travel."
Lord Kentaka continued, saying that the next shuttle mission would take place in 3 months, on schedule. If anything, Kentaka said that the shuttles will have to run more missions, due to the removal of two of our shuttles from the fleet.
Today marks a very sad day in Crimson Sparta. One of our space shuttles that was ferrying things back and forth to the asteroid crashed today.
The Sarov, one of our fleet of 7 shuttles, was damaged by a collision with another shuttle. Unfortunately, the accident happened right at the landing pad of the asteroid and sent the shuttle careening into Earth's gravitational pull.
Since the shuttle was upside down and spinning due to the force of the impact, the heat resistant tiles were facing the wrong way and the shuttle burned up on reentry. All 15 crewmembers died.
The other shuttle received minor damages but was not destroyed. It made a successful emergency landing. All 15 crewmen of that shuttle were taken to the infirmary on the asteroid and only sustained minor injuries. That shuttle will be out of service for at least 6 months while repairs take place.
High Lord and Emperor Usuengi Kentaka released a statement earlier about the accident. Below are some excerpts:
"The space program of Crimson Sparta is in its early days, and we must not back down from our new explorations and adventures. If anything, we must move forth in the memory of those who gave their lives for this cause."
"We cannot and will not halt our space program. There have been no reports of equipment malfunctions, as the onboard computers have told us. We believe that the main cause of this accident was pilot error on behalf of both shuttle pilots. Some have said that they are fatigued from this project moving so quickly. I stand by our space agency's assertions that all shuttle pilots are well trained and able to handle any situation. But we all make mistakes. Unfortunately some mistakes are more grave than others."
"The space program that we are pursuing now contains many projects that are off in the future. If we do not complete our space elevator now, our long-term project will fall devastatingly behind. Although we are ahead of schedule now, we cannot just leave a 2 mile high column in the sky without doing something with it. We must finish our space elevator as quickly as possible."
"The astronauts on the Sarov would not have wanted us to stop our exploration and technological advances. We should mourn them, remember them, but our progress should not halt because we have lost them. We must believe that their spirits are guiding us in the right direction in space travel."
Lord Kentaka continued, saying that the next shuttle mission would take place in 3 months, on schedule. If anything, Kentaka said that the shuttles will have to run more missions, due to the removal of two of our shuttles from the fleet.