Buglet

Back Home the Grapes Ripen [Space / Light Sci-Fi RP]

I believe that either Jupiter has life or it doesn't.
But I neither believe that it does, nor do I believe that it doesn't.
Raymond Smullyan

Setting

Caelus Tech, a fast-growing space agency in the United States, has recently gained a lot of media attention due to its prior successful missions. Caelus Tech President, Riley Mason, utilised this media attention in 2047 to help his latest brain-child gain momentum; his plan was to send a manned mission to Jupiter and its moons.

The state of affairs on Planet Earth had remained largely unchanged from 30 years prior. Humans had only briefly ventured to mars, and no further; military operations continued as normal and there had been no major wars since World War II; and the worlds economy was still fluctuating. Caelus Tech, like all space agencies of its time, was struggling to remain funded. Riley Mason was forced to rely on weather and satellite-related missions to maintain income until his company's series of successful probe missions to Jupiter provided a moment in the world's spotlight. Their funding increased with every successful mission and public interest sky-rocketed. Soon, thousands rallied at Mason's public speeches and many hoped for the eventual manned mission.

In 2047, Mason announced Caelus Tech's next mission - a manned spacecraft was to visit jupiter. It was promised that astronauts would set foot on each of the four major moons (Europa, Ganymede, Io, Callisto) and collect samples from each. Public donations increased rapidly after it was announced that the main task of this mission was to search for extraterrestrial life. The mission was called Nos Discere.

Caelus Tech Timeline

2019

• Funded by Virgin, launches its first satellite.

2022

• Launches second rocket. Successfully puts high-powered camera in geostationary orbit of Earth.

2025

• Begins research into surface rovers and unmanned orbital stations.

2027

• Hires twenty ex-NASA planetary experts. Lets them go after six months.

2028

• Begins ten-year break from exploration-related missions. Income becomes solely reliable on weather and communications contracts.

2038

• Launches first space probe in ten years. Successfully lands a surface probe on Phobos.

2041

• Designs and prototypes the Cornibus Spaceplane. Successfully puts a team of three astronauts into orbit and then returns them to Earth 72 hours later.

2042

• NASA uses Cornibus to take a team of astronauts to the surface of Mars.
• Launches probe towards Jupiter in order to scout locations for possible manned missions.

2044

• Launches second probes towards Jupiter with mission to orbit Europa.

2045

• Renovates Cornibus to be lighter, more efficient, and more powerful with manned mission to Jupiter in mind.

2046

• Hires mission-planners to draft Nos Discere mission.
• Completes renovations on Cornibus.
• Begins training astronauts for Nos Discere.

2047

• NASA's astronauts return from Mars.
• Announces Nos Discere for December that year.

Rules

• Post length is at the RPer's discretion. Lazy replies will be frowned upon!
• Please contact Buglet if you wish to leave/join this RP.
• You may RP more than one character!

Character Sheet

• Name:
• Age:
• Physical Appearence:
• Extra Information (nationality, temperament, etc.):
• Mission Specialization (pilot, chemist, engineer, etc.):
• Anything Else:

Back Home the Grapes Ripen [Space / Light Sci-Fi RP]

@greywolf375Sweet! Please PM me! We can sort out some plot points and get an OOC up tonight!

Back Home the Grapes Ripen [Space / Light Sci-Fi RP]

Bump - still need this 1x1!!!

Back Home the Grapes Ripen [Space / Light Sci-Fi RP]

@Midori Hi there! Please PM me if you're still interested. Thinking of making this a 1x1!

Errant Son's 1x1 services [Casual advanced, currently searching]

Still looking? PM me!

Men vs. Women Race to 1000

256

Back Home the Grapes Ripen [Space / Light Sci-Fi RP]

@MonkeyBusiness@Ellion if either of you are still interested please Pm me.

Back Home the Grapes Ripen [Space / Light Sci-Fi RP]

Bump - still looking. PM me with questions!

Back Home the Grapes Ripen [Space / Light Sci-Fi RP]

@Nevixpm me and we'll talk about it if you like!

Back Home the Grapes Ripen [Space / Light Sci-Fi RP]

By being seldom seen, I could not stir
But like a comet I was wondered at.
- Henry IV: Part 1, Act 3

The noise from the large crowd dimmed until the area was silent. Atop the podium, standing behind a Planetary Flag, the president of Caelus Tech Incorporated cleared his through; the sound, akin to the sound of nerves and anxiety, echoed throughout the arena. Before him, thousands upon thousands gathered to hear the speech that would solidify the future plans of Caelus Tech. In impatient silence the crowd waited for the man to begin talking.

'In the decades before you and I, through glass lenses, dreamers watched the midnight dance. Since before humankind could read, write, or talk we have gazed at the stars in awe. From there come our ancient gods and reside our heavens, far outside the reach of any man in history.' The President cleared his throat again and kept his eyes fixed on the crowd - not a single person was looking anywhere but him.

'When I, twenty-eight years ago to this day, founded Caelus Tech I swore to myself that the dark, unknown sea between here and the far reaches of our Solar System would one day bear the Planetary Flag; I swore to you all - the human race - that the waves of exploration will send manned spacecraft to orbits and surfaces only previously seen by robots. Footprints will cover the tire tracks of rovers; occupied orbital stations will decommission unmanned satellites; and the eyes of man will see what only remote cameras have captured. I do not intend to postpone these promises to you. Thirteen years is long enough, and today I pledge to act upon these promises.'

Clapping emerged from the crowd, but was cut short by the continuation of the speech, The President's voice gained momentum and volume and, atop the podium before the crowd, he spoke to the hearts of all listening.

'Twenty-eight years ago today I was a dreamer. My heart yearned for us to see the stars. I watched Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn glide across the sky and I pictured a rocket launching into the unknown. That is why, today, I stand before you with a promise. In the next year, you will see a manned rocket launched into space. In that rocket will be a team of astronauts destined for the moons of Jupiter. In that rocket-'

Before the president could finish his speech, the crowd stood as a whole and applauded loudly. Cheers and clapping filled the stadium in which they were gathered. The President, his face like that of a child looking into the sky, merely basked in awe at the crowd's response.

Setting

2047. Caelus Tech, a fairly new Space Program in the United States has gained momentum due to a long series of successful unmanned missions into outer space, including a mission which landed a rover on Ganymede. In a speech by the President of Caelus Tech, it was promised that the next mission was to send a manned mission to Jupiter and its moons. This is the story of that mission.

Important Notes

• The characters we will play are the astronauts on the Caelus Tech mission. The exact timeframe starts from around a few days before launch. Character details are up for the RPer playing them to decide (nationality, personality, skills, role, etc...)
• This is a realistic RP, in that everything in it is within the boundaries of possibility. As such, there are no superpowers, shapeshifters, etc...
• This RP will have what I call a 'plotmaster' - someone who decides critical events and when/how they take place. The plotmaster (most likely me) will be the person who provides external uncontrollable events for the characters to deal with. For instance, a component on the spacecraft might break.

Rules

• Posts must be at least a paragraph long. I appreciate that, in some situations, the RP does not allow for a long post and a paragraph is all that's needed. Please no lazy 1-sentence posts; they slow down the RP and add almost nothing.
• Please let me know if you want to leave/take a break from the RP. It's very disheartening when fellow RPers disappear without a trace!
• Please be dedicated to the RP. If you can't post regularly then perhaps this isn't for you.

Conclusion

Please post interest below and I will drop you a PM when the OOC is up! This was originally an interest check for a Small Group, but I have decided to re-brand it as a 1x1!

The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it,
can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.
- Galileo Galilei, 1632