NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Picking up an old line. This is totally closed except to comment.

IC:
The good ship Skar Forscher (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=518903) transited into normal space near system X32-1. Everything seemed to be in order - G2V star and seven planets, including the Jopvian and the captive ferrinian.

Captain Jaek 's crew began the survey sensor sweeps.

Lt. Grubaer informs the captain that the sensor sweeps do indeed indicate the fifth planent is habitable, although a touch cooler and drier than Earth standard.

The sweep of the orbitally captured ferrinian planet indicates it is indeed interesting. Cpt. Jaek orders a series of probes sent to both the habitable planet and the fennarian.

With he preliminary sweeps finished, Captain Jaek and his staff review the data.

On the OLED screen two maps appear:

The "northern" hemisphere of the terrestrial class planet:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/Daistallia/daistallia2104/daisnh.gif

And the "southern":
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/Daistallia/daistallia2104/daissh.gif

And the data display comes up:

Report on the X32-1 system:

Feature X32-1
Type G2
Mass (M0) 1.00 1.00
Age on Main Sequence (Gyr) 10.00
Age (Gyr) 4.60
Radius (R0) 1.00
Surface gravity (m/s²) 274.2
Escape Velocity (km/s) 618
Luminosity (L0) 1.00
Absolute magnitude Mv 4.7
Apparent magnitude mv -26.9
Surface temperature (K) 5796
Peak wavelength (micron) 0.50
Ecosphere inner radius (AU) 0.99
Ecosphere outer radius (AU) 1.38
Star formation
Luminosity (L0) 0.71
Radius (R0) 0.92
Absolute magnitude 5.1
Apparent magnitude -26.6 -26.6
Temperature (K) 5539 5539 1.00
Peak wavelength (micron) 0.52 0.52 1.00
Ecosphere inner radius (AU) 0.84 0.84 1.00
Ecosphere outer radius (AU) 1.16 1.16 1.00

Daistallia Prime
Mean orbital distance (106 km) 182.36
Eccentricity 0.039 0.060 0.020 0.060 0.51 1.00
Axial tilt (°) 25.0
Year (Earth days) 473.02 Earth days (405 Local days, 1.30 Earth years)
Solar day (hr) 28.023
Radius (km) 6370
1/Ellipticity 294.1

Lithosphere
Mass (Earth Masses) 0.99
Density (kg/m³) 5490
Albedo 0.27
Inertia Factor 0.42
Typical surface gravity (m/s²) 9.77
Equatorial surface gravity (m/s²) 9.77
Polar surface gravity (m/s²) 9.80
Escape velocity (km/s) 11.16
Rotation period (hr) 28.0
Shortest possible period (hr) 2.64
Geosynchronous orbit (km) 40,303 above the surface
Maximum mountain height (m) 16670
Horizon distance (m) 3091

Atmosphere and Ocean
Atmospheric pressure (mbar) 914
Specific heat capacity (cp) (J mol-1 K-1) 26.9
Molecular weight retained 6.2 and above (N, O, CH4, NH3, H2O, Ne, N2, CO)
Nitrogen 70.8% 656 mb (ipp: 611)
Oxygen 28.6% 265 mb (ipp: 247)
Argon 0.5% 5 mb (ipp: 4)
Speed of sound at surface (m/s) 307.8
Temperature range of orbit (°C) -34.4 to -24.8
Greenhouse effect (°C) 36.00
Typical surface temperature (°C) -3.0
Scale height (m) 6703
Dry adiabatic lapse rate (°C/km) 12.43
f (Coriolis effect) at 45°N * 1E4 0.88
Mid-ocean tide height (m) 0.39

The biology section reports next. There no sophont species to be found. However, there are some interesting variants.

It seems that instead of one simple genetic base, there are multiple ones. Some species are based on "normal" DNA, others are based on RNA, Glycerol nucleic acid (GNA), and Threose nucleic acid (TNA). The most unusual forms are HDGTNA (Hexa Deoxyribo Glycerol Threose nucleic acid), which combines DNA, GNA, and TNA ina hexagonal helix structure.

There appear to be analogs of a number of earthly taxons. Most analogs resemble Carboniferous and Permina taxons. One particular note is the rather advanced state of certain plants - there appear to be a family analagous to the earthly Poaceae family.

The cheif biologist pauses, as a file comes up on the display.

Lithoderms (Phylum Lithoderma, from the Greek: λιθο-, "stone", and δέρμα, "skin")

Lithoderms are characterised by the possession of a hard mesodermal-skeleton made up of a combination a chitin like shell covered with overlapping carbonate and sillicate plates, as well as a segmented body with appendages on each segment. They have a dorsal heart and a ventral nervous system. The coelom is largely filled in with tissue and reduced to a system of narrow canals. Lithoderms have from 6 to12 appendages per segment used for feeding, sensory reception, defense, and locomotion. Lithoderms have a complete digestive system with both a mouth and anus. Lithoderms generally have a pre-segmental acron which usually supports compound and simple eyes and a post-segmental telson like segment.

Aquatic Lithoderms use gills to exchange gases. These gills have an extensive surface area in contact with the surrounding water. Terrestrial Lithoderms use book lungs, or gills modified for breathing air The gill chambers in terrestrial crabs sometimes have two different structures: one that is gilled and used for breathing underwater, and another specially adapted to take up oxygen from the air (a pseudolung).

Lithoderms have a closed circulatory system. Blood containing hemoglobin is propelled through the capillaries of the gills by two gill hearts (also known as branchial hearts). A single systemic heart then pumps the oxygenated blood through the rest of the body.

The skeletal structure of Lithoderms is a complex rigid mesodermal skeleton consisting of a thin skin covering a layers of tiny overlapping plates of sillica and carbonate over a shell of a chitin like polysaccharide, which forms a rigid support contained within tissues of the organism and strengthening them against attack by predators. The calcite is rich in magnesium oxide, confering a higher skeletal density and a stronger, more resistant skeleton. The skeleton takes the form of jointed plates and rings on the appendages that divide them into segments separated by joints.

"Here we have what seems to be the largest phylum, an interesting one similar to the arthropods of Earth."

OOC: This will continue on a rather irregular schedule.

IC:

"Here is another interesting phylum - the Kinespetria, or Kinespetrods. They seem quite similar to the molluscs of earth, but with much stouter shells, and some significant morphological differences.."

Kinespetria ("moving stones") is a very large and diverse phylum, which includes a wide variety of animals. There are approximately 150,000 species within this phylum.

Kinespetrods range from minute to very large organisms. The vast majority of kinespetrods live in marine environments, and are found intertidally, in the shallow subtidal and on the continental shelf, although some species do live in the abyssal depths of the oceans around hot vents. Not all are marine - there are also freshwater terrestrial species.

Kinespetrods are triploblastic protostomes and many demonstrate quadrilateral symmetry. The principal body cavity is a blood-filled hemocoel. They have a true coelom (eucoelom); any coelomic cavities have been reduced to vestiges around the hearts, gonads, and metanephridia (kidney-like organs). The body is often divided into a head, with eyes or tentacles, a muscular foot, and a visceral mass housing the organs.

Kinespetrods have a mantle, which is a fold of the outer skin lining the shell, and a muscular foot or feet used for locomotion. In most kinespetrods the mantle secretes a calcium carbonate/silicate shell. All species have a complete digestive tract that starts from the mouth and runs to the anus. Many have a feeding structure, the radula, mostly composed of chitin. Radulae are very diverse. Kinespetrods lack body segmentation.

The good ship has returned.

Among it's reports is a full Biological Overview

Biological Overview of Life on Daistallia Prime
Life on Daistallia Prime comes in many basic varieties, many of which, while distinct from Earthly organisms, are covergent with Earth life. In addition to the basic RNA and DNA based life of Earth, Daistallia Prime life is also based on GNA (Glycerol nucleic acid), TNA (Threose nucleic acid), and HDGTNA (Hexa Deoxyribo Glycerol Threose nucleic acid, in a hexagonal helix structure). The emipres are: acytota, prokaryota, and eukaryota. Both acytota and prokaryota are sub-divided into domains based on their genetic structures. Eukaryota is divided into several kingdoms as well.

Acytota
There are two main types of acytotic life: nanobes, virales, and viroids. These are completely identical and analogous to the previous known taxons.

Bacterioids and Protistoids
Following the acytota, the most primitive organisms on Daistallia Prime are the bacterioids, simple prokaryotes which do not have much in common besides a relatively simple organization, and the protistoids, simple eukaryotes which do not have much in common besides being either unicellular or multicellular without highly specialized tissues. The protistoids include the protazoids, sagenoerithids, ammocytes, and algoids. All of these may be based on DNA, GNA, TNA, or HDGTNA. And are classified as such, depending on their gene basis - D-bacterioids, D-protazoids, and so on. Otherwise, the cellular structure and behaviour of these organisms is virtually identical to earthly ones or to similar such organisms.

Fungoids

Following the protistoids in complexity are the fungoids, which are mostly close to earthly organisms.

Eukaryote Superkingdom

This consists of HDGTNA (Hexa Deoxyribo Glycerol Threose nucleic acid) and DNA based organisms. It includes the plantae , animalia, and hexoidea kingdoms.
http://daistallia2104.angelfire.com/biology/biologicaloverview.html

These are some notable native species found on Daistallia Prime.

Edible Species:

Pseudograins:
Afran - This is a nitrogen fixing starch plant that produces 3-5 pea-likes seeds in a pod.
Gha - This is a cone reed that produces small redish orange grains.
Shirn - This is a cone reed that produces maize like ears of pseudo-grain.
Tak - This is an edible puffball like fungoid. It is high in protein.
Bhakha - This is a cone reed that produces very small grains which are a high in protein content.

Psuedofruits:
Baenaib: This is a large scale berry fruit. Thebscale berries are arranged in two interlocking spirals. It contains a proteolytic enzymes similar to bromelainand papain.
Raimu: this is a small (2.5-5 cm in diameter) very tart, bright green kitrain fruit.
Wazu: This is a mid-sized (5-7 cm in diameter) kitrain fruit. It is less tart, and has an oil in the rind that is extremely high in flavanoids. It is golden yellow in color.
Raemoen: This is a mid-sized (5-7 cm in diameter) yellow, mildly tart kitrain fruit.
Saedron: This is a mid-sized (5-7 cm in diameter) dark green, rather sweet kitrain fruit.
Sitrain: This is large (7-10 cm in diameter) yellow, very tart kitrain fruit.
Choe Berry - The fruit of this scale berry are noted for a high concentration of sugars.
Pfoe Berry - The fruit and leaves of this scale berry are noted for high concentrations of capsaicinid-like and piperine-like compounds, as well as allyl isothiocyanate.
Bit - The fruit and leaves of this scale berry are noted for high concentrations of a number of xanthine alkaloids and tannins.

Others Plants:
Sukraed: This is a large cone reed. The interior is filled with a pith that is high in various natural sugars.

Animals:
Scrab - The "Spider Crab", or scrab, is a icosapod. They have a flat, broad carapace and are characteristically olive-green or blue on the back and white underneath, with blue or red areas covering the relatively small claws. Adult scrabs may reach a length of 25-30 cm and width of 15-20 cm. They are edible, and are noted as a delicacy.
Snakrab - The "snack crab", or snakrab, is a icosapod. They have a flat carapace and are characteristically olive-green on the back and white underneath. Adult snakrabs may reach a length of 10-15 cm and width of 5-10 cm.
Krashrimp - The "Krack Shrimp", or Krashrimp, is a dodecapod. They have a notably hard carapace, that gives theim their name. They are characteristically olive-green. Adults may reach a length of 3-5 cm.
Krael - The krael is a dodecapod. They have a notably hard carapace. They are characteristically blue-green. Adults may reach a length of 1-2 cm.

Dangerous Species:

Animals:
Cloud Nettle - this species of aculeatusnebul is a rather large, highly toxic aerial creature similar to the terrestrial "sea wasp".

Plants:
Glass Reed - this is a cone reed with stiff, very sharp blades. The plants grow up to 1 meter high.

Sharp Cane - This is a large (2-3 m high) dentophte. Like glass reed, the plant has stiff, sharp cutting edges.
http://daistallia2104.angelfire.com/biology/speciesofnote.html

And a report on the geography:
Geography of Daistallia Prime:

Daistallia Prime's geographic land mass is dominated by one very large continent (Krae) Two mid-sized continents (Drai and Fae), six small continents/large islands, and several large archipelagos. Krae is a long narrow continent aligned on a north south axis. The sentral area is dominated by a high mountainou region known as the Kraels. The highest peaks are over 15,000 m. The Northern and southern parts are significantly flatter. Drai is relatively flat and has a highly indented coastline. Fae is dominated by interior highlands, which reach lower altitudes, known as the Fraish.

The hydrosphere is divided into one large ocean (Pfar), one medium sized ocean (Zha), and two smaller oceans (Soud and Nodh). There are also several large seas. At the northern polar region is the Ark Sea, to the northeast of Krae is the Inland Sea, and to the south is the Linain Sea.

Biomes pf Daistallia Prime:
There are several major biomes found on Daistallia Prime. The most extensive biome is the forests. Forests cover 50% of the Daistallia Prime's land area. Much of the Daistallia Prime's forest area consists of dense triple canopy rainforest. At more northerly latitudes and alpine, this thins out into spase parkland forest and grasslands and tundra.
http://daistallia2104.gov.dai/daistalliaprime/geography.txl (http://daistallia2104.angelfire.com/planetdata/geography.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/Daistallia/daistallian%20planets/Daistallia.gif