NationStates Jolt Archive

At 1000 local time, the RHLS Brittanic was launched from Heignton Space Port carrying the second module of the Shildonian Space Station. It's mission is to rendezvous with the Initial Power Module (IPM), which was launched early last week atop a Black Prince unmanned rocket. The rendezvous will take place later today, and the two modules will be docked tomorrow. After the docking, two of crew aboard the Brittanic will perform a two hour EVA to verify that the docking was successfully completed before returning to Earth aboard the Brittanic in a weeks time.
A further four missions will be required before the SSS becomes ready for habitation, though the entire construction period will require 30 launches spread over a four year period, as well as numerous unmanned resupply missions to prolong crew endurance.
Once completed, the SSS will be used to supplement the research being carried out aboard the two Shildonian Orbiting Laborataries (SOL), as well as Earth observation and on-site maintenance of satellites and other orbiting vehicles.

High Chairman James Hillary makes a TV appearance from his office in Shildonia City.
"Today is an important day in the history of the Shildonian Space Program. We are no longer mere visitors to space. Today we become residents of the Cosmos. The Triple-S is now a small oasis of life in the vast expanse of space, home to a small intrepid band of explorers consisting of two officers of the Shildonian Flying Corps, Grp Cpt Walter Frisbee and Flt Lt Lionel Mandake, and Captain Alice Walsh of the Shildonian Fleet Air Arm, the first Shildonian woman in space. They will remain in orbit for a period of four months, primarily checking out the systems aboard the Triple-S, but they will also find time in their busy schedule to conduct research on, amongst other things, human endurance in micro-gravity, agriculture and metallurgy.
Earlier, I said space was a vast expanse. Well, pretty soon it will be getting a little bit less vast. Yesterday, at the missile test range near Hylia, the SSA tested a revolutionary new rocket, called the Hermes. Unlike traditional rockets, which rely on chemical reactions to produce thrust, the Hermes harnesses the power of the atom to produce thrust, allowing for far greater efficiency and speeds.
I will now let you return to your business, but I will be sure to keep you all updated on the progress of the Triple-S, and the rest of our manned space program. Good Night"