NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Ok then. My question, so how is this Elastic thingy going to be attachted to both the VentureStar and the Projectile. Since the projectile will be breach loaded and the VentureStar being outside the SOLG. Nice drawing by the way, lol. Just like I said before though. Its a completely unmanned gun, so getting the projectile loaded is no problem but keeeping it attached? Or even attaching it when its loading? lol That will be funny.

lol, mass confusion..... hahahahahaha.....

Anyways, I will wait for your IC response and we will go from there.

OOC: Ok then. My question, so how is this Elastic thingy going to be attachted to both the VentureStar and the Projectile.

Anyways, I will wait for your IC response and we will go from there.

OOC: I'm imagining a very long stick...I'll RP it IC:

IC: Tyrone was relieved. Spartan Alliance had allowed him to use their superweapon, at least on a one-shot basis. But right now, all he needed was one shot. The WG NADA ship, Janus I was still stuck on the pad, after months of bureaucratic wrangling. Their latest issue was about the size and placement of sponsor logos on the booster rockets. If Tyrone could get to Mars before NADA, he would set the tone for WG's exploration of the planets.

The Spartan Alliance had raised some valid questions after granting the use of the SOLG gun. Tyrone could understand their concerns as a backfire in a cannon like this could do much more damage than simply wiping out the gun. But in keeping with his allegiance to the KISS principle, Tyrone had tasked the engineers at Argent Interplanetary to come up with an easy solution.

The engineers produced a probe called the VLS (Very Long Stick) that fit into a socket on the front of the breach-loaded projectile. The VLS was simply a long tube containing the E.P.P.E.T.S.D. that would be carefully manuevered down the barrel of the SOLG by the VentureStar. Once the VLS was in place the VentureStar would position itself near the SOLG, paying out the necessary length of E.P.P.E.T.S.D. as it went. The VLS was made of a material that would bend and shatter as the E.P.P.E.T.S.D. flexed through its energy transfer phase, far from the SOLG.

Tyrone looked out of his office window, up toward the night sky. One way or another, he would get VentureStar to Mars ahead of NADA's Janus I. If this didn't work, there was always Plan B...

Chryse Planitia, Mars (soon to be renamed Ares Base)--

"What's the word from MSA?" asked Lydia.
"Wasted Genius is launching two capsules. One from NADA, one being funded by a private businessman." said Steven, with obvious distaste. "Betweeen you and me, I hope NADA wins. That explosion on Venus was the work of the Spartan Alliance, but the government's still trying to determine if it was deliberate, or just a larger scale version of that accident we had on Mt. Kilimanjaro a few years back. that's all I know."
"OK. How's work with the old ISPP coming?"
"Still works, and we're probably going to be able to use it for a power source. Make take a few days, though."

OOC: the ISPP (in-situ propellant production unit) was part of my earlier, aborted attempt to get to Mars. I figured, as long as it's up there, might as well find a use for it.

Houston Flight Control, NADA Headquarters

Conference Room 225D, NADA Marketing Department.

"Look, I'm telling you, we'll just slap the Pepsi sticker over the old Coke sticker," Rob Marco, Asst. Director of Marketing exclaimed. "I think we can even leak a picture of us doing that to the local paper. Pepsi will probably pay us an extra 20 mil..."

"Well we wouldn't have to be courting Pepsi if Engineering could light the candle. Coke is threatening to pull their sponsorship if we don't launch during sweeps week." The Director of Marketing, Bob Martin was pacing back and forth looking at the ground.

"Any more news from Wendy's?" He continued.

"Yep they just signed on for another three months," Rob said, "Look Bob, so far Janus I has been sitting on the pad steaming away for months. VH1 has a reality show about the astronauts filming right now. This ship is making us a lot more money right where its at instead of disappearing in all of 2 minutes into the afternoon sky. Don't worry about the sponsors, thats my bag. You just keep the engineers off our backs so we can do what we need to do, when we need to do it."

Bob looked at the shot clock on the wall. It had been displaying "20:20:20" just above the Swatch logo for over a month.

"Well I'll talk to them again," Bob said, "but these guys are never happy until they get their ship off the pad...."

OOC: Bad news, guys. Just heard from Tarayshia. She said she's real busy right now and needs to drop out of the RP. WG, have you heard from that friend of yours?

Astana, Kazakhstan Territory, SSTO Launch Facility

The SSTO sat on the launch ramp awaiting the end of the count down which was at 5 minutes remaining. The SSTO was carrying a SOLG shell with a covential explosive, so that the shell may explode before impact into any planet. Along with that was a new V2 SOLG shell. The V2 shell was composed of 8 nuclear warheads arranged in a circle arround a cylinder in the middle. On the inside was a small detonation device that would cause the massive 8 warhead fusion reaction.

Comm: Incoming message from the Arkbird.

Commander: Patch it in.

Arkbird: This is the Arkbird we are ready to receive our SSTO shipments after the SOLG has received its shipment.

Commander: Aye your shipments should start arriving today. Please read me off what is requested.

Arkbird: 2000 crew remains to be sent. Chemical Laser. Food and Water. The rest of the list will be sent after first shipment received.

Commander: Aye. SOLG SSTO Launch in 1 minute.

Arkbird: Arkbird out.

Outside the massive ramp was gleaming in the morning sun. As the clock counted down 5 4 3 2 1. The SSTO accelerated at massive speeds reaching the end of the ramp and lifting up to the SOLG like it had done before routinely.

OOC: WG, have you heard from that friend of yours?

OOC: Yep, he's locked himself in his dressing room and says he won't come out until he gets the jarful of M&M's that he was promised in his contract. Damned talent, they're so tempermental...

VH-1 Reality TV: The Capsule

Episode 12: Battle of the Ages.


The newest VH-1 reality series is documenting life on WG's Janus I spaceship. In this episode, the reality show focuses on a feud that has been brewing between Mission Specialist John Albee, a 59 year-old NADA veteran and CRav3n (pronounced "Sea Raven"), a 26 year-old astrophysics student and snowboard champion from Colorado State University.

In the style typical of reality shows, the episode is a compilation of events that have been happening over the past four months as the crew readies itself for interplanetary travel. Since NADA will not permanently scrub the mission, the 20 member crew is required every day to put on their uncomfortable orange flight suits and helmets, get in the capsule and strap themselves in, waiting for a launch authorization. The spaceship has been on the pad for months and the routine is starting to fray the nerves of even the most professional astronauts.



Clip 1:

Mission Specialist Albee is seated three rows back in the command module. He is seen moving around in his seat, apparently searching for something.

Mission Specialist Cronin: "Hey John, d'you lose something?"

Mission Specialist Albee: "Yeah, I'm looking for my Sta-Dry packs."

Cronin: *smirks* "Your what?"

Albee: "Sta-Dry packs. You know, like the silica sand packets you get in a bottle of vitamins to keep the contents dry."

Cronin: "What the hell are you doing with those?"

Albee: "Well, after sitting here sweating every day for the last month, I decided to bring a few of them on board. I stick them in the intake hose of my suit air supply and they really work to keep the humidity down. But I can't find them. I know I left them in the arm rest compartment yesterday..."

Scene cuts to hidden camera footage taken previously. It shows CRav3n rummaging around Albee's seat for something. The voiceover is Cronin continuing the conversation with Albee.

Cronin: "You know, I saw Sea Raven in here last night. I wonder if he knows anything about it."

Scene cuts to CRav3n, fast asleep in his seat and looking very dry and comfortable.

*special effects: "K-chung" sound effect over camera zoom to peaceful look on CRav3ns face.*

Scene cuts to an obviously frustrated Albee.

Albee: "Why that punk-BLEEP motherBLEEP. I'm going to rip his BLEEP off and BLEEP him with it."

In Orbit Around Earth, SOLG Sector

The Arkbird maneuvered into position about 50 meters off the starboard side of the SOLG.

Arkbird: Arkbird to SOLG Base we are in position.

SOLG Base: Arkbird, SOLG is ready for modifications.

Arkbird: Aye, beginning modifications.

The Arkbird launched un-manned drones to begin creating the VLS that will catch the VentureStar to the Projectile when fired.

Arkbird: SSTO Base this is Arkbird the SSTO is coming into view.

SSTO Base: Aye beginning SSTO docking procedures with SOLG.

The first of 5 SSTO vehicles had reached the SOLG, the last 4 were shipments to the Arkbird.

Arkbird: Second SSTO coming into view preparing Arkbird for docking.

SSTO Base: Aye beginning SSTO docking procedures with Arkbird.

The day would go on with the Arkbird receiving her Chemical Laser, 2000 crew, food & water, and other things. The only SSTO to the SOLG would unload the new V2 SOLG shell and the Low Yield Explosive Shell for the VentureStar.

OOC: Wow, you guys have really been going around in my absence. Just tell me the month and year and what has happened, and I can have a suitable summary of my nation's condition up ASAP.

OOC: It's December, 2137(as of August 28). I'm on Mars, WG is right behind me, I'll let Spartan explain what he's doing, Tarayshia has left, but she might be back, so her lands are now a Maineiacs protectorate, and I have no idea what's happened to Defuniak.

OOC: Ok summary of what I am doing...

The SOLG- Sattellite Orbital Linear Gun, plain english, big a** rail gun in space. Fires the V2 projectile a shell housing 8 nukes in which before ground impact the nukes all trigger at the same time causing massive fusion explosion. Other type of armament: Normal solid steel projectiles. Rail gun launches projectile shell smacks object no explasion but massive transfer of energy.

WG wants to use SOLG to catapult a space ship to Mars. Thats what the other stuff is about. The Arkbird is an atmosphere hopper, skims atmopshere to gain speed and jumps off it, armament: chemical laser, pulse AA lasers, AA guns, unmanned drones, numerous 105 howitzer guns, and other crap.

That good so far? And from what I gathered in previous post your country is in Civil Chaos and Political Chaos.

I think thats all.

OOC: The RL date is 24 Sep, 2006. By my calculation the Earth NA date is November, 2140. Is that correct?

OOC: The RL date is 24 Sep, 2006. By my calculation the Earth NA date is November, 2140. Is that correct?

Sounds right. Sorry I haven't been posting, real busy just now. Probably won't be free until next week.

OOC: Same here real life is killin me right now, a crap load of work.

OOC: Its been awhile since my last post, so a lot of Earth NA time has gone by. Please consider the next couple of sketches about WG's foray into interplanetary travel as historic events being recalled several years later.

Background information about Wasted Genius interplanetary travel:

After 16 months of grandstanding on the launchpad, the WG NADA rocketship, Janus 1, lifted off successfully. However, the journey out of Earth NA's atmosphere was to be the last error-free part of the 6 and one half month trip to Mars.

As planned, the Argent Interplanetary ship, Venturestar, with Tyrone Kessler on board, was launched in cooperation with the Spartan Alliance's SOLG team 6 months later. The trip lasted only a few hours. Mr. Kessler's text message, sent as he entered Mars' gravitational field, summed up what everyone else had been thinking. The message read, "I'm OK. Helluva ride. Too dangerous to repeat."

OOC: For this bit, I thought a lot about how a computer system's voice should sound. Its really a big deal in Hollywood, so I thought I should at least attempt to get it right. I considered the stiff female voice of the computer in classic Star Trek. Then I thought about HAL 9000 in Space Oddessy: 2001. I also remembered the computer voices in the movies Wargames and TRON. Nothing really scratched the itch. I doubt anyone could still relate to the robot's voice from Lost in Space. And the Cylons (classic Battlestar Galactica) were just silly late 70's monovox. But then it came to me. The all-time perfect computer voice of any TV or movie computer - any of you ever watch Knight Rider?

(If not, check it out: http://www.knightrideronline.com/)


In orbit around Mars, aboard the Argent Interplanetary ship Venturestar. Tyrone Kessler is preparing to make course adjustments to complete the last part of his mission. Kessler is talking with the Venturestar's voice-recognition computer system to get a mission update.

Kessler: "OK K.A.T.T., where are we, relative to Janus 1?"

KA 2000 (K.A.T.T.): "We're way ahead of them Tyrone."

Kessler: "What do you mean? Are we ahead of schedule?"

KATT: "Of course not Tyrone, I've executed every navigational instruction perfectly. We're exactly where we should be and at precisely the right time. It's the Janus 1 crew that's running late."

Kessler: Calm down, I wasn't dissin' you're ability to run the ship. What happened to Janus 1?"

KATT: "You DID tell WG NADA how to fix the gimballed-thruster problem like I asked you to, didn't you?"

Kessler: "Yes KATT, I spent an entire six hours waiting at the end of a very long conference table to bring it to their attention."

KATT: "Well apparently your powers of persuasion are losing their luster. Just take a look at this CNN clip:"

KATT displays a video clip of a recent CNN broadcast, which is a reporter's voice over a looping series of graphics created by NADA, panning on Janus 1 rocketing away from Earth toward the distant planet Mars.

Reporter: "WG NADA states that the Janus 1 Mars mission is behind schedule by three days because of difficulties with the ship's gimballed-thrusters. The gimballed-thrusters are nozzles that can be moved to change the direction of the ship. The current problem is that the thrusters are moving back and forth rapidly, not unlike a bum wheel on a shopping cart. This has reduced the effectiveness of the rocket engines and has created the need for multiple manual course corrections to keep the ship on the correct trajectory to Mars. CNN is told by our science editor that there are several key points during the voyage where very precise velocity and directional adjustments need to be completed or Janus 1 will either crash into Mars or careen off into deep space. We will keep you informed of the events as they unfold."

KATT: "Tyrone, did you speak to the Director?"

Kessler: "Yes KATT, I told him exactly what you said."

KATT: "Well he apparently didn't listen, and now it looks like more NADA astronauts are going to pay the price."

Kessler: "Maybe not, KATT, maybe not."

KATT: "Tyrone, what are you thinking about doing?"

Kessler: "Helping a few astronauts who are headed for trouble in the solar system's biggest shopping cart..."

"These damn machines have become too much like us!!" cried Jim Smith, NADA Flight Control Systems Liaison. He scrolled through lines of telemetry output from the computers onboard Janus 1. He wasn't really talking to anyone, but just then Rawley Jones walked by.

"Hey Jim, you figure out the gimballed-thruster thing yet?"

"Yeah, I think so. But you won't want to hear the answer."

"Try me."

"OK, of course you know the computer systems that control the different mechanisms on board Janus 1 all communicate with each other. And you probably know that when something requires a coordination of systems, the computers all decide what to do based on a voting process."

"Yeah, I follow you..."

"Well, there are over 10,000 separate computers on Janus 1, and apparently when the ship started its orbital transition burn, something went wrong with the voting process."

"OK, now you're losing me."

"The voting process was intended to make sure that all of the computers cooperate. In this case the opposite is happening."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well two of the computers have gotten into a fight. One of those two computers has priority over several other computers, and has decided to disregard the voting process and take the engines off-line. The other computer also has systems under its control and keeps bringing the engines back on line. On top of this, a back up system is trying to work its way up the ranks to control everything and is moving the gimballed-thrusters back and forth in an attempt to force one of the other systems to yield authority to it."

"Sounds kind of like congress."

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you design a rocket ship by committee."

OOC: Alright lets get back to work.....

Spartan Alliance Space Department Headquarters, Stalingrad, Russia Territory

The command room sat with great patience during the SOLG firing of the VentureStar. As a couple hours past after the firing they received a message from Mr. Kessler,"I'm OK. Helluva ride. Too dangerous to repeat."

Afterwards the SOLG was moved back into position.

*Wired Telegram*

To WG Space division (under Mr. Kessler)
From Spartan Alliance Space Department

We are greatfuly pleased that the expirement worked and that the project got the VentureStar to Mars in a matter of hours. If both of our nations governments approved, we would like to continue the use of the SOLG not only as an Orbital Linear Gun, but as a space transportation system. If you would like to supply the ships or build the ships together, we can both start sending people and probes far into space and begin massive exploration. This would benefit both the space community and our nations. We hope you consider our offer.

Space Department

OOC: A little trivia to help us figure out where to pick up our RPs -

RL date is December 12, 2006. Earth NA date is June, 2147

Earth NA dates of previous posts:

Maineiacs: December, 2140
Wasted Genius: August, 2141
Spartan Alliance: November, 2141

I'll post something soon to bring Wasted Genius up to date.

MSA HQ, Cape Canaveral:


"So that's it then?" asked Tim
"Yep. All activity suspended until further notice. No more funding." replied George
"Just like that? with Ares II sitting on the pad?"
"Yeah, I'd get used to looking at it. They didn't even give us enough funding to move the damn thing."


OOC: I'll post an ad for the RP after finals week is over on the 22nd. Also, I may set the clock back a bit (just a decade or two, Mr. Peabody's not sending us back to the 21st century).