NationStates Jolt Archive

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Stevid Space Administration (SSA)


The Stevid Space Administration (SSA) has always been one used primarily by the military; the industry had benefited from the bloated defence budget and had frequently been asked to shuttle up satellites for use by the military. With even more complex and extravagant shipping and tracking technology, older satellites were destroyed by the military as target practice while newer and more advance space fairing machinery took to the cosmos to better supply the military’s tracking and surveillance needs. Of course the SSA was an independent corporation that was just used by the military more so than civilian science groups although university science teams from across the Empire would bid highly to get their space projects into the black void, the SSA had conducted many civilian tasks which included a probe landing on the moon, several men actually walking on the moon, and then sending various probes to Mercury, Mars, Europa, Titan and most recently, Pluto. Another recent probe sent into the void by Stevid was Lusitania II which successfully navigated and scanned the outer regions of our solar system that is cluttered with asteroids and debris known as the Kuiper Belt, it was twenty years in the making the results were more than satisfactory with these (http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA00333.jpg) pictures being sent back to Earth. In short, the Stevidian Space Administration was extremely popular with the public and had been part of many fabulous scientific discoveries within the boundaries of astronomy.

However with Stevid’s recent hostilities with almost all of its neighbours, the SSA has been forced by the government and military to turn down civilian contracts in favour of the military’s and so Stevid’s advancements in the space industry are lagging behind many other nations’ own space administrations. Stevid had only one space station called Unity I, it was manned by eighteen astronauts and was a military station armed with six ten kiloton warheads and also controlled the Star Wars system operated by Stevid too. It was never intended for peace and had been constructed during the Communist regime which promoted war, however additions have been made to the station for it to act as a weather watch satellite and even an extremely powerful telescope had been fitted to provide high resolution, colour pictures of the universe. Such pictures include this fabulous discovery of a B-Class Geomorteus planet in orbit around the star Alpha Centauri (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0403/sedna_nasa_big.jpg) accompanied by a small moon at the edge of the Ecosphere of the star system. The station was a technological miracle as far as the SSA was concerned, the very basics of artificial gravity generators had been mastered and so gravity was present on the station and the latest in air refinement and purification generators were also installed on the station, it was a truly remarkable piece of engineering- the downside was that it was always at condition red and always had its deadly missile armed and ready to launch, all that was needed was a target and the press of a button before all out war ensued.

But now was a time for change, already the nation of Damirez had approached Stevid on many occasions looking for economic and political co-operation and their own space industry had been probing around the SSA and made a proposal to combine their efforts, to co-operate and achieve acts in space no other nation could imagine. Word reached the press faster than light, soon stories about a man being sent to Mars or even Titan had been suggested. Damirez already had a base on the moon but now a joint venture could be established and so a Stevidian/Damirez Lunar or even Martian base. It was possible and it was an offer that the SSA could not refuse and in the changing political climate where peace was being heavily promoted by the Holy Empire, the SSA could freely advance into the cosmos without the military breathing down their necks making sure their new surveillance or space nuclear launch satellite was deployed safely. Clearer horizons were in prospect for the Stevid Space Administration.

No time was wasted by the SSA and government approval for talks with the Damirez space industry was almost instantaneous, the first thing both countries had to do was show the world they were united perform something big and extravagant but not something that would totally rock the world, just enough to raise some eyebrows while making both populations of the states leap with joy at the new venture… a jointly owned and operated space station, completely civilian and armed with only scientific weapons and weather monitoring equipment.

The proposals were drafted immediately before anything had really been agreed but Stevid’s advances in orbital craft was top notch, the military had of course been asking the SSA to launch countless satellites into orbit and a space station was well within the expert knowledge of the designers of satellites and space stations. It was to be big, like this corporate alliance between the two countries, big enough to house a sizeable crew of around thirty or even forty people with room for civilian visitors from the planet’s surface (commercially this could be worth gold to both sides). Gravity would be created with enough facilities onboard to keep the crews occupied and also enough scientific equipment to keep the scientists happy. It would also be the first step to establishing planetary bases beyond the space station, Lunar and Martian bases would transfer crews back and forth to the station in the future after completion. From there onwards more stations could be built in orbit of the Moon and possibly Mars (perhaps even beyond). And if the industry in Damirez found itself struggling finically then Stevid could quite easily come to the rescue, they were no horizons in the space industry because space is naturally infinite. Anything could be achieved at this stage and projects could be work on simultaneously, a station and a Lunar base could all be achieve in a matter of years (or even months with the man power and the masses of funding). The partnership between Stevid and Damirez was entering a new era, an era that had made Stevid a new international friend and an era that not only made Stevid a world power but also a galactic one. Both nations would benefit heavily from this partnership and it was from this point onwards that both the countries would surge beyond every other nation on Earth with a space program.

“The sky is the limit…”

“The sky is the limit, an old saying of the human race, one signalling that nothing is impossible if you really try. Many hold those words in high regard as signifying optimism and progress. Indeed, what other limit is there for the human race? Especially, for our ancestors who had not all the wonders we have today, from the ships sailing with ease across untameable seas to planes cutting through the infinite blue of the celestial window. Truly, who wouldn’t believe that the sky is the limit?

The Damirans never believed in those words. Ever since the earliest recordings in our history, mentions are made of an infinite sea, one awaiting for us to explore it and discover its secrets. Skilled in mathematics and astronomy, our ancestors knew that the sky isn’t the limit and although they lacked the means, they always dreamed about reaching beyond the blue sky, beyond acknowledged limits of human knowledge.

Always daring, always dreaming the Damirans ventured in the sky far earlier than their time. Hot Air balloons made with the simplest means, primitive parachutes and even what today we can recognize as gliders. Always daring, always anxious, they were the first explorers of this country, trying to gain what was, in their view, the birthright gave to them by haven. This thirst for the sky as many identify it was quenched by the other great mystery of the time, the sea as many chose the sails over the dream of the sky. But no matter what, our people remained with their eyes aimed at the sky.

It was not until relatively recently in our history that we reached the infinite sea beyond the clouds and we knew from the first images our missions provided that it was all we wanted and more. For a country owning more planes and ships than cars we know that it is our destiny to reach there, and one day, when this earth will no longer welcome us as a race, to find a new home, there, among the stars.“ - Professor Lucas Sheridan

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From the moment The Principality set beyond the atmosphere of Mother Earth it knew that there was no turning back. Space opened its arms to the explorers coming from a nation that longed so much for it. For Damirez the harsh void of infinity was a challenge like no other, but there was no regret in the nation for the trillions wasted with research and exploration of this vast domain. If there was any regret, it was probably related to the fact that often, despite sustained efforts by the nation, various programs had to be delayed due to various events. But even with all the setbacks the world set upon Damirez, its space industry was extremely well developed with various companies competing for supremacy.

From the Weccanfeld war to the bloody Succession War, Damirez always managed to maintain a vast network of civilian hardware up in the skies. Although well versed in the use of space as a place for military confrontations, the nation preferred exploration and development over exchanging blows with enemies. It was indeed regrettable that massive investments had to be made in various defence networks, but, under the law of causality, it was an accepted phenomenon.

It did however become clear that although The Principality was a very rich country, it would soon be unable to keep up with all its proposed projects. The recent creation of the federation, which brought the nation of TheWickerMania in a close union with the Damirans, required huge investments in the poorer country, increasing the life standards and improving the overall condition of the larger nation. Although the process was successful, the sheer amount of resources required by this left The Principality wonder about the future of the space program.
It was however clear that the program will not be cancelled. For the Damirans this was a matter of national pride and a survey made by a non-government organization showed that the people were willing to accept more taxes than see the program cancelled. However, alternative solutions had to be found. Despite an unexpected increase in the funds for the DSC, a partner had to be found. The executives of the DSC were the ones that received this mission and they didn’t waste time.

The Damiran Space Conglomerate was a union of all the Damiran private space companies and the main responsible for many of the successful projects of The Principality and hopefully soon of the federation. Among the latest successes of the DSC were the first Principality unmanned probes leaving the solar system, the exploration missions across the solar system and, perhaps the most important ones, the lunar base of the nation and the various outposts they maintained around the earth, not accounting for various other similarly important missions or projects planed by The Principality, such as the Venus Terraforming Proposal or the Mars Colonization Initiative, both considered by the engineers of DSC as possible projects in the near future.

Among those contacted by the DSC was the Stevidian Space Administration, the space agency of the Holy Empire. Until recently involved in conflict, the country dedicated vast amounts of resources for the use of space for warfare, but recently, shifts in those policies could be seen as the Empire started promoting a different policy. When the SSA accepted cooperation, the DSC officials knew that there was nothing left but start working.

A number of possible projects were forwarded to the Stevidians, among which the design of a new way to take cargo into space, greatly decreasing the costs associated with space travel and various designs for space stations to orbit the Earth and unsurprisingly a Lunar Base. Of course, perhaps the most interesting proposal was that of a series of bases in the solar system in the near future, mainly around Venus and Mars.

But, following the desire of the Stevidians to show the importance of this cooperation and in a general feeling shared by many Damirans, the first project was the creation of a space hotel, the first out of many while preparing the first sizeable colony outside the planet for the two nations.

With speed given by experience, the astronauts of the two nations started working at the base, a minor development in face of what was planned, but one with great importance as it represented a symbol for the two nations. A small base for them to remember, the first stepping stone for the people of the Holy Empire and those of the Federation and a proof of their intentions.