OldCanon:Spacelab

From TEPwiki, Urth's Encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Infobox space station

The Spacelab is a space station in Low-Urth orbit (LUO). An international collaboration that was initially coordinated by South Hills in mid-2017, it has since grown to involve 12 nations in various areas of construction, research, and supply. Comprised of over 25 modules and trusses, the Spacelab is the largest sentient-built object launched into space and is visible from most of Urth's surface with the unaided eye. Sections of the station are made up of contributions from South Hills, Kuthernburg, East Cerdani, Xagrurg, Free Syllvin, Tretrid, and the Atlae Isles.

Currently, the station has a total crew compliment of twenty two individuals: four-person crews from Free Syllvin and Xagrurg, three from South Hills and the Atlae Islands, two from East Cerdani and Kuthernburg, and single individuals from Lazlowia, Zukchiva, Tuvaltastan, and Lapimuhyo. The crew is multi-species as well, boasting two Vulpines and a Lutryne along with the human crewmembers. Each nation that contributes more than two astronauts is required to contribute a living module for them to stay in; otherwise, they are welcome to have their personnel bunk in any open habitation space in another area. The position of station commander, who is responsible for the organization and mission planning of the entire station, as well as the authority on crew saftey, health, rescue, and resupply, is rotated among the senior members of the crew. Currently, the commander of the station is Commander Charles May of South Hills. He will retain his position until the next crew launch mission, at which point he will transfer command to another nation's senior representative.

Spacelab is one of few manned orbital installations left in orbit, and the first to be built after the Kessler syndrome that was a result of the Four Days War. Many nations are critical of the project, citing high development and sustainment costs of such a massive orbital installation, the logistical difficulty of nearly a dozen competing nations launching supply and crew replenishment missions, and the difficulty of integrating the disparate countries and cultures into a cohesive working environment. However, participants have each signed agreements and made the necessary preparations to ensure that the station is operation and habitable for the foreseeable future, which includes avoiding the militarisation of the station itself, speaking Codexian as a common language while aboard, and to afford each nation the right to prosecute any crimes occurring in their respective sections of the station.

Station Structure

File:SpaceLabStructure.jpg
The layout of the SpaceLab station. Dotted lines represent lower sections, while bold lines represent upper modules.

The primary purpose of the Spacelab is to serve as an outpost in which to conduct scientific experiments in the effects of microgravity. Currently, the station supports research into chemical reactions, biology, botany and agriculture, astronomy, astrophysics, and stellar magnetics. It also maintains a suite of refueling systems that can be used to resupply spacecraft traveling to or from destinations elsewhere in Urths' orbit or beyond, potentially serving as a jump-off point for missions to the moon or other planets.

The station has an intentional crew capacity to support 28 people. There is sufficient space aboard the habitation and storage modules for short-term visitors to stay in temporary sleeping bags; however, the life support systems can only maintain a sufficient air and water supply for 25 people for long periods of time. The crew compliment will rotate off in shifts of several months, which is different for each participating nation, due to the effects of spaceflight on living beings. The station is serviced and supplied primarily by the shuttles of the Emberwood Coast Space Exploration Administration, Xagrurgian Space Agency, and the National AeroSpace Program of South Hills, with cargo support from the orbiters of participating nations such as the unmanned Fortschritt vessels of the Cerdani Space Program.

Modules

Module Name Nation Tonnage Purpose Occupancy/Output
SS00 South Hills 1.7 tonnes Structural Component
SS01 South Hills 1.7 tonnes Structural Component
SS02 South Hills 1.8 tonnes Structural Component
SS03 South Hills 1.8 tonnes Structural Component
SS04 South Hills 1.7 tonnes Structural Component
SA00 South Hills 3.5 tonnes Solar Array 43.3 kW
SA01 South Hills 3.5 tonnes Solar Array 43.3 kW
RA00 South Hills 3.7 tonnes Radiator Array
RA01 South Hills 3.7 tonnes Radiator Array
AL00 South Hills 1.2 tonnes Airlock 4 crew
Explorer South Hills 11.3 tonnes Living Module 6 crew
Centre South Hills 22.8 tonnes Habitat
Ksav Kuthernburg 10 tonnes Living Module 4 crew
VMN Kuthernburg 6.8 tonnes Research Lab
MassSpaz Kuthernburg 3.8 tonnes Storage Module 6 m3 cargo
Friendship Cerdani Democratic Republic 9 tonnes Living Module 8 crew
Peace Cerdani Democratic Republic 4 tonnes Solar Observatory
SA02 Cerdani Democratic Republic 3.4 tonnes Solar Array 41 kW
Infinity Federal Republic of Xagrurg 7.6 tonnes Living Module 6 crew
X.N.M.A. Federal Republic of Xagrurg 2.8 tonnes Observatory
Kindley Federal Republic of Xagrurg 9.6 tonnes Laboratory
Percha Free Syllvin 4.8 tonnes Living Module 4 crew
Jardin Free Syllvin 7.6 tonnes Greenhouse 22 m2 crops
Propulsor Free Syllvin 8.2 tonnes Fuel Tanks 8 tonnes
Gateway Tretrid 2.6 tonnes Airlock
SA03 Tretrid 3.4 tonnes Solar Array 42.6 kW
LSS1 Tretrid 7.7 tonnes Life Support 8 crew/day
CH01 Tretrid 1.6 tonnes Storage 12 m3 cargo
Skyward Atlae Isles 8.6 tonnes Living Module 3 crew
L1-CHEM Atlae Isles 4.3 tonnes Laboratory
Guardian Atlae Isles 5.1 tonnes Laboratory

Crew Compliment

Nation Crew Crew Quarters
South Hills STATION COMMANDER Charles May, Jr.
CHIEF ENGINEER Stacy Freeman
Alex Volin
Explorer
Kuthernburg COMMANDER Linda Villacres
DOCTOR Jorge Bienvenida
Ksav
East Cerdani Peter Murdoch
Sigund Jähren
Freundschaft
Xagrurg Sam Pipua
Samuel Griffin
Nathan Drew
Bert Cunningham
Infinity
Free Syllvin LIEUTENANT Asone Galiguez
WARRANT OFFICER Serez Monton
WARRANT OFFICER Henirq Limtonce
DOCTOR Beatrix DeLangue
Percha
Lazlowia Erik Weisz Explorer
Zukchiva Garia Catori Explorer
The Atlae Isles Angela Graebner
Lily Ma
Caroline Park
Skyward
Tuvaltastan DOCTOR Antonov Yaszemski Freundschaft
Lapimuhyo DOCTOR Ruvv Hygs Freundschaft
Emberwood Coast CAPTAIN California Alistair
COMMANDER November Rose
ENSIGN Polly Lu
ESV Reliant