 
Encyclopaedia of the Galactic Echo

Everything you need to know about the Far Future...

Copyright Simon Coates 2014

All rights reserved

Smashwords Edition

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electrical or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.

  www.galactic-echo.com
Foreword by Simon Coates

Welcome to the Galactic Echo!

Six years ago I got the idea about writing stories about a possible reality that could happen in the far future. It seemed like a bit of fun at the time, so I sat down and thought about the sort of things that might be happening then. Will we be living amongst aliens? Will we be living in outer space? Or would we be fighting robots? Who knows? And what would I call it...

What I wanted to do is create something a bit different to the usual science fiction out there. So, I wanted to 'keep it real', and focus on things that really could happen, rather than a future that would be highly unlikely or a total nightmare (do you want aliens to invade Earth with an objective of exterminating us? No neither do I!). So, I did quite a bit of research, looking at population growth models, reading up about what futurologists and others have predicted - rejecting around 95% of what they think, of course - and then, using a certain degree of artistic licence, finally coming up with ideas about what I wanted my stories to be about. And yes it has been a ball.

The Galactic Echo is a fiction concept of what life might be like in the far future, around the late 23rd/early 24th century. The stories that are produced take concepts from this potential future, so this book is essentially a guidebook about what life might be like, so that the stories make more sense. To be specific, this guidebook is written as if it is the very late 23rd century, in the year 2298. The reason why it is this date is because one of the books, The Diary of Silas Volante, is written as a sporting contest in the year 2299, therefore by having this book written before this year means it doesn't give the game away for that book (I do make it difficult for myself sometimes!). The books in general are written as if they are based at the beginning of the 24th century, so this guidebook gives a general background to them, so you will be able to understand the stories better. It is stated that the Galactic Echo is 'Tales from the 24th Century', so for all you pedants out there, I hope that explains that (and yes I am one myself!). In this book you will be introduced to some of the things that go on in this possible future existence, and written as if they are real and that the far future is actually happening now – this is really important to bear in mind when reading this book otherwise it would read very odd...

This book is a general guide to a possible future, and from there the various stories are based. See this guidebook as the foundation of the stories, thereby setting in stone the ideas and concepts of what is happening at that time. So for example, the first book published was 'The Diary of Silas Volante', a year in the life of a Formula X racing pilot. You can read all about Formula X here, how the sport came into being, the history including significant people right up to the time that the diary is based in, giving you a basic grounding for the story itself, so the book will be understood better. Another book is 'Bike Racing into the Red', which is about a racing cyclist who takes on the challenge of the huge 240 mile hill climb up Olympus Mons - in this guidebook, there are details about Olympus Mons along with an event preview for this epic event.

So, the general idea of the Galactic Echo is of what life might be like in the late 23rd / early part of the 24th century. Of course, it is impossible to predict what will actually happen, but what the Galactic Echo is about, is to look at a possible future reality, of what might really happen at that time. Obviously, as a science fiction concept this is nothing new; however what is a little different with the Galactic Echo is that it is based on a possible future reality that not only could actually happen, but is a future that people would probably want, something that seems to be missing from current science fiction ideas. As an example, it seems that similar science fiction concepts and franchises focus on two main avenues:

\- A future that focuses on concepts that are very unlikely, or use technology that seems impossible to us at the present day – or at the very least ideas that even today's most pre-eminent scientists do not know are even theoretically possible, such as a warp drive in the starships in Star Trek, for example, or time travel with Dr Who.

\- A future that we most certainly would not want – such as robots taking over the world and threatening to exterminate humans in Terminator, or alien invasions in War of the Worlds and Independence Day.

Of course, the sci-fi franchises named above are absolutely fantastic in their own right, it certainly wouldn't be right to criticise them! The idea for the Galactic Echo is to offer something that is not like them, and unique in its own right. And yes a bit quirky as well. There didn't seem much point in basing the idea on something that has gone before. So for example the following ideas feature:

\- A population of humans of around 40 billion, achieved by researching population models and a bit of artistic licence. It sounds 'about right' (yeah, good enough for me, thank you).

Living on the Moon and Mars – the suggestion here is that we will be living on these terrestrial objects by the 24th century, it is a nice idea, and something that certain countries are looking at as a possible future reality – so let's have that one in. It certainly makes the stories more interesting.

\- Commercially available space travel – yes this is a big thing. Whether it will really ever happen is debateable, but if we lived on Mars and the Moon it would have to be possible – and affordable. So for instance a return journey to the Moon would cost the equivalent amount as we spend today on a short one-hour flight in an aeroplane. This sort of transport would have to be available to the average person, rather than being only accessible to a few select astronauts with billions of dollars of government funding.

\- Humans live to over 200 years old. It is certain that in the 24th century we will have found cures for illnesses and disease that are fatal to us today – so certain that we will be living longer in the future than we do now. So an age of 200 is maybe possible?

\- No aliens; why would there be? Life has been on Earth for millions of years and in that time there is no evidence that we have ever been visited by an intelligent race of creatures from another planet - yet. Sorry I don't believe in conspiracies!

And so on and so forth. The ideas above have been developed in this guidebook, thereby laying the foundations for the stories produced. Hope you enjoy this book, and if you have any comments about the ideas written about in here please email me, address at the end of this foreword. Look out for the advertisements for various companies and organisations that exist in this future reality, which have been inserted at various points that add a bit of colour. I think they are pretty cool. Everything from spaceship dealers to auction houses, and loads more in-between.

Oh yes before we begin, you might be wondering where the name Galactic Echo comes from. Well, when I got the idea for this, the first thing I did was offer it as a newspaper, reporting on events of the 24th century as if they were real and happening now. In North East England there is a newspaper called the Northern Echo, so using this name, and altering it for an audience across the solar system (which it would have, if we lived on Mars), the name came up. It sounds kind of quirky and sci-fi, I like it, so there you go.

And remember – from now on, from this page onwards, you will be transported into the late 23rd century. This book describes this time as if it is actually real. Enjoy the journey.

Welcome to the Galactic Echo. Welcome to the future.

Simon Coates

Founder, Galactic Echo

November 2014

www.galactic-echo.com

editor@galactic-echo.com
++++IMPORTANT MESSAGE+++

From now on, this book is written as if the late 23rd century is actually happening, so that events that 'happened' in the middle of the 22nd century are written in the past tense!

So, get comfortable, sit back and enjoy what it has to offer...
Table of Contents

Introduction – Approaching the 24th Century

A Brief History

Government

Life on Earth

Life on the Moon

Life on Mars

Life on a Spacestation

General Spacestation Notes

Type 5 Spacestation Notes

Economics and Currency

Domestic Power

23rd Century Household Pets

Holidays

Antiques and Collectibles

The Mars Terraforming Project

Wildlife on Mars and the Moon

SecMars, the Mars Timing System

IronO - The Mars Metal

Healthcare

The Full Brain Transplant

Formula X Spaceship Racing

Solar Marathon

The Palatia-Sonnar X1 Speed Project

Spaceship test - 2298 Solar Racing Horizon Formula X Race Ship

Other Sports : Targetball, Football, Hoverball

The Olympus Mons Cycling Hill Climb

Olympus Mons Hill Climb Event Preview

Transport in Space - the Public Highway

The Spaceship Industry – Personal Spaceships

Classic Spaceships

Preparing for Long Distance Space Journeys

Comparison of a Formula X ship to a Public Spaceship

Spaceship test - Gilbern Golden Dragon

Significant People in History

Important Organisations and Companies

Employment in 2298: Entertainment & Leisure

Food industry

Healthcare

Service Industry

Transport

Glossary
Introduction – Approaching the 24th Century

Sometimes, to wonder where we are going in our never-ending journey through life, it is worth just stopping for a moment and to look back to where we were, just a few centuries ago. Indeed, people from that time would be absolutely in awe as to what we have achieved today – from the amazing engineering achievements of making Mars and the Moon habitable, to astounding advancements in healthcare, meaning it is entirely feasible for us to live to over 200 years old. It is sometimes good to stop to think and wonder where we might be in one or two hundred years from now. Some predictions are probably quite easy to make, but no doubt there will be certain aspects of what we do then that cannot be predicted today. And of course certain achievements are as impossible now as they were then, despite huge progress in the fields of science and technology. For example, science fiction writers have for many centuries written of people travelling through space in amazing spaceships faster than the speed of light, and of contacting alien civilisations. This of course today is as remote a reality as it was then... however living on Mars, which was only imagined in science fiction then, is now a reality.

The space race, which was widely acknowledged to be the pinnacle of human achievement during the industrial age of the 20th century, resulted in Neil Armstrong being the first human setting foot on the Moon, and was probably our finest achievement of that time. It is amazing to think that travelling to the Moon and back, which cost the equivalent of billions of credits then, can now be achieved by anyone on a modest budget by purchasing a spaceship designed for public use today. And it is nice to see the same spirit of that adventure living on today, with the now 'classic' Earth to Moon race as part of the Formula X racing season. One wonders what Mr Armstrong would have thought of that!

Life today, as it has done for centuries, has many challenges. As we adapt and change the way we do things, life for us humans evolves. In leisure, for example, a thrill seeker might have parachuted off a mountain face in the 21st century... today, that same person may well find themselves strapped into a Formula X racer, about to start a spaceship race. And someone who built bridges on Earth in the eighteenth century might today be a gravity engineer on one of our massive spacestations, orbiting Earth.

As we approach a new century, it is always nice to look back to the various aspects of our lives which have evolved over the centuries, as it is certain that many of you out there look forward to this next era in our existence.

A Brief History

The following is a description of significant events from the early 21st century to the present day in the late 23rd century.

In the early part of the 21st century, the world was a very fragmented place – of course, the 'world' as we know it today, includes the Earth, where humans and all life evolved, to more recently over the past centuries, to the Moon, and then Mars, and latterly into spacestations orbiting the celestial objects. Back then, the world was just the Earth. Wealth was held by a number of countries, the richest being USA, Japan, China, and various countries of Europe. One of the biggest problems, which to some extent still exist today in the 23rd century, was that the majority of wealth across the world was held by a small percentage of privileged people, and the world's resources were held by these rich countries. Many wars were fought between different countries, indeed when one reads the history of the world from medieval times, the world has seen many battles for all sorts of reasons. From the second world war in the middle-20th century, essentially due to the German Nazi regime seeking absolute power, to various battles in the middle-east of the world, fighting over the dwindling resource of oil, which powered the richest countries insatiable desire for fuel. Other fossil fuels were used to power the various machinery of the time, including gas and coal, but oil was the dominating energy source, as it powered the engines for transport vehicles, be they sea-faring ships, aeroplanes or cars.

This burning of oil was one of the biggest problems that the world faced – oil powered the power stations, and essentially drove the world economy. At that time, the nations that were the richest countries on Earth used oil as the main power source, thereby keeping their wealth and the price of oil high, until the inevitable happened... oil began to run out, and so the developed nations had no option but to finally start developing alternative fuels, which of course are now widespread, i.e. nuclear and solar power. Up until that point, it became clear that the wealthy nations had certain vested interests in keeping oil as a major power source, as it generated their wealth. They undertook all sorts of tactics such as holding back with developing solar and nuclear power until it became inevitable that they would have to adapt or would face major energy power problems.

A further problem with burning oil as a power source was that doing so released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which warmed the planet. Again, the oil-producing nations used highly questionable tactics during this time, choosing to divert the blame for 'global warming', even stating that it wasn't happening as a result of human activity, until the evidence was clear and beyond doubt. However, it is quite clear why they did this when the motives for doing so are revealed. These countries relied on oil for their economy, so they had vested interests for the world to keep using it in large quantities. However, over time, the oil reserves were at such a low point that it was becoming so scarce that the price was very high and the alternative power systems, solar and nuclear, became the main power source, which of course is the situation we have today.

At that time, around the early part of the 21st century up to around 2020, there was the transition towards wide-scale use of the alternative power sources, and global terrorism became a huge threat to the developed world, resulting in many people being killed. Followers of certain groups, using the cover of respectable religions to recruit people to undertake these acts, used certain extreme measures such as suicide missions, which caused many people to be killed along with the terrorist. The ultimate goals for these terrorist groups were to get people to follow in their ideologies, many of them highly questionable, such as wanting countries to run under extreme rule of a highly oppressive regime, so basic human rights were denied to many people.

The global warming effect was at its peak around the years of 2020-30, with many extreme weather events, including hurricanes, earthquakes and, as a result of the ice caps melting, flooding, causing millions of people across the planet losing their homes and livelihoods and many perished in these disasters. The effects were mostly felt in the poorest parts of the world, and the archives show that the world population at that time actually reduced, because of these terrible disasters and there was unprecedented unrest across the planet. With the distribution of wealth between the richest and poorest people becoming ever wider, there were widespread riots and conflicts. Previously, wars occurred across the world, in isolated areas, but this time conflict was all over the planet, as the all the nations of the world slowly recognised that something needed to be done.

Despite the unrest of the time, there were huge breakthroughs in science and medicine. The most significant of which took place on October 5th, 2037, when Russian astronaut Sergy Abramov became the first human to set foot on Mars, 68 years after Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon. Abramov's immortal words, "Well, it's red, dusty, barren, but one day might just be called home," were uttered, thereby continuing the tradition started when Neil Armstrong uttered, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," as he set foot on the Moon.

Onto the next few decades, the developed nations of the world started to invest heavily into renewable energy systems, with solar power and nuclear power stations emerging across the globe, so the primary reason for the unrest disappeared. As a result this investment in renewable (or at that time, termed 'alternative') energy, not one nation had a monopoly over the power supply of the world. With oil and gas, the previous main power energy, the unrest came from the nations having this natural resource and effectively holding the world to ransom. Now, as all the nations of Earth were able to be responsible for their own energy, they didn't need to fix prices for other countries, so the main reason for wars ended.

Towards the end of the 21st century, the third world became more wealthy and its people began to enjoy more of the lifestyle that the 'first world' people had enjoyed for centuries, but only after the United Nations had prosecuted many officials for bribery and corruption, which had resulted in only the privileged elite holding onto the majority of the world's wealth. With more people living prosperous lives, the gap between the richest and poorest people began to reduce, as the world entered a period of stability. However, the world population was increasing, which put more pressure on food production, and that became the next major problem for the governments of the world. After the upheaval of the 'energy wars', as they became known, the world entered a new threat, the 'food wars', where nations struggled against an increasing demand for food. This was exacerbated by the advancements in medicine research, which saw humans living to ever longer lives – by the end of the 21st century, it was normal for people to live beyond 150 years. The price of general foods increased, so that the wealth gap between the richest and poorest people increased again. These 'food wars' resulted in a number of conflicts across the planet, causing many people to lose their lives. However, the United Nations stepped in, forcing the most powerful nations on Earth to sign up to treaties to ensure that the food industry would operate with international laws in place to ensure that the poorest people in Earth would not be disadvantaged and unable to have access to basic food and water resources.

It was at around the end of the 21st century that oil was essentially 'written off' as a energy fuel. Oil reserves were held around the world, but it was not in sufficient quantity to make it a viable fuel. It was only being used on a small scale, mainly by people wanting to use old machines that used oil, such as vintage machinery.

At around the same time, technology and science moved to a new level, with the most significant developments being in the explosion in space travel becoming the next boom industry. This laid the foundations for the first bases on the Moon, and terraforming on Mars, for the planned habitation of the planet. Plans to do the same to Venus were shelved, as it was deemed too hostile to ever support life in a sustainable way, therefore Mars became the natural choice for the second planet for human habitation. On November 21st, 2090, the first ever spacestation in Earth orbit was officially opened for normal human habitation, named Primus (Latin for 'first'). Prior to this there were many spacestations orbiting Earth, but these were for scientists and researchers. Primus was purely a spacestation for people to live in, as a normal day-to-day existence, which was ground-breaking at the time. This spacestation featured space for 100 people and an artificial gravity system. It is still in operation today.

Back on Earth, worldwide legislation made it a disadvantage for families to have more than one child, to tackle the population explosion problem, which was enforced across the globe as it became increasingly normal for the people of Earth to rule more as one entity, rather than multiple populations to have separate laws defined by their separate countries. This proved successful, as the growth rate of the entire population of humans slowed to just 1% per year at the beginning of the 22nd century.

There was massive growth at the start of the new century in artificial spacestations, and by the third decade of the 21st century the first of what are now known as a 'Type 5' spacestation was built, the Isaac Newton, which still orbits Earth at the present day. At the time of its inception, it was the biggest ever spacestation ever created, and indeed this spacestation is still being constantly extended, now over 15 kilometres long, and having a total population of over a million people. It remains the biggest spacestation in existence at the present day.

By the middle of the 22nd century, spaceship technology progressed at an incredible rate, with the record set of a speed of 1 million miles per hour for a remotely controlled craft, and onwards to 2170, the most complex engineering project the world has ever witnessed saw the successful completion of the terraforming project on Mars, with the planet being made officially safe for humans to inhabit. The first humans arrived to live there on December 12th, 2167. At around the same time, the Moon became habitable, with the system of the secure 'domes' being employed. It had been decided that a terraforming project used on Mars would not work on the Moon, so domes were created instead, where the population would be protected from the harsh lunar environment from an immensely strong artificial covering over the population areas.

Progress continued into personal spaceships, and by the end of the 22nd century craft were generally large 'buses' which would transport people to and from the Moon and Mars from Earth, as the human population began arguably the most exciting chapter in its history. People could feasibly live entirely on another object other than Earth, and indeed some people living on Mars and the Moon are known to have never visited Earth, where all known life first evolved. Personal spaceships for individuals, however, would take another half a century to become a reality - if people had 'private spaceships', it would generally mean they would own a large craft which meant this option was only open to the richest people in the world, or would be owned by large corporations. The big breakthrough in spaceship technology came with the installation of solar and nuclear powerplants into them to produce the raw fuel for the engine, so effectively the ships worked by making fuel 'on the fly' rather than a solid fuel system which had been the norm up to then.

Healthcare progressed in leaps and bounds, with what were considered very complex operations now routine, in particular cosmetic surgery proved increasingly popular, with people going for operations to make them look a lot younger than they actually were. In some bizarre lawsuits, some people actually sued their spouses when they finally discovered they were marrying someone who was actually 100 years older than they claimed to be, usually by employing private detectives, which initiated all sorts of legislation to ensure people could find out easier how old someone really was, as there was no way of knowing by looking at them. In particular, brain transplants proved increasingly popular, where people could have their brain placed in a 'shell body', an entirely artificially created human body, grown in laboratories. This made transfers possible, for example, so people could be 'transplanted' inside a much younger body, or for someone born as a male to be placed into a female body. Entire ethic law was hastily modified to keep up with these astonishing scientific developments, as these possibilities threw up all sorts of legal problems for people. As a result of these breakthroughs, certain medical professionals turned into some of the wealthiest people in the world. At the end of the 22nd century, one of the greatest medical discoveries was made by Shenna Avant, when she found a cure for the common cold, thereby eradicating the oldest medical condition known to man.

At the turn of the century, with more and more people living in space, a universal currency was introduced, the 'credit' which came into being on the very first day of 2200. This coincided with the Earth population feeling as if it was becoming closer, with the people seeing themselves more as people living on Earth, rather than being 'American', 'British' or 'Belgian'; they increasingly considered themselves to be one people, although of course their local identity stayed.

On September 7th, 2232, the official swearing in process of the central government was undertaken on Earth, which recognised that the human population was now spread over the solar system, and that it would be better for them to have a central power base, to govern all humans.

By the middle of the century, humans could now expect to live over 200 years old, and increasing research was undertaken on personal spaceship travel. On May 1st 2250 a company called Galaxis introduced the first ever 'production line' personal spaceship for an individual, the Solar Explorer, and the government introduced new laws for the public to travel in these ships, and a new 'public highway' was set up in space. Other companies quickly followed suit, and the spaceship industry was born. It now became possible for a person to be able to travel between Earth and the Moon as a normal daily commute.

With private spaceships becoming popular, it was inevitable that people would start to take an interest in how fast they could travel, resulting in individuals tuning up their own spaceships, boosting their power to huge levels, sometimes resulting in catastrophic consequences. From this amateur 'sport', a racing series was born, Formula X, which very quickly gained huge popularity, as an official body, the Galactic Motorsports Council was founded. A yearly championship was organised, comprising of teams racing over set routes over the course of the year. Another motorsport event, the Solar Marathon, was held in 2284, where teams of spaceships flew to Neptune and back, for a total distance of over 6 billion miles. The event now takes place every four years, having quickly gained almost mythical status as the most physically challenging event for man and machine. In its history, many pilots and crewmen have lost their lives in their pursuit of racing glory, despite many advancements in technology to make the sports safer. Spaceship racing, in Formula X or the Solar Marathon guise, remain the most dangerous activities undertaken by people in the 23rd century.

In other sports, with populations now living on the Moon and Mars, their unique atmosphere made the population invent new pastimes, with hoverball proving popular on Mars and the Moon, due to their low gravity atmosphere. On Earth, football is still the most popular sport, with a history now spanning over four hundred years.

And so on to the present day, as a new century approaches... who knows what it might bring?!
Government

With a total population across the solar system of in excess of 40 billion people, the job of governing the entire human race is huge and complex. Employing tens of thousands of employees, across multiple departments and areas, the mechanism of government is very large and complicated. As a basic guide, the government is organised as follows:

Supreme Governor – The highest office of all is of Supreme Governor, currently held by Phillipe Steinway, a Frenchman who came to power in 2297. He holds the balance of power within parliament for all humans.

Vice-governors – the Earth, Moon and Mars all have their separate leaders, who report directly to the Supreme Governor. The Vice-Governor of the various celestial objects is directly responsible for all government of those areas, including their orbiting spacestations and spaceships. Current holders of these posts are Johnathan Bybring (Earth), Obdier Shandon (Moon) and Blue Rayfish (Mars). It is normal for these post holders to have been born on their respective celestial object that they control.

Government departments – There are ten separate departments of office which are: finance, education, security, transport, social security, health, leisure, environment, population and power. Each celestial object has a minister responsible for each department.

The ministers are elected every five years in a fixed length parliament to the relevant posts. Every member of the adult population has the right to vote, but can only vote for one celestial object parliament; so for example if someone travels a lot and lives in various areas of the solar system, they must still declare a 'home' area, which is the parliament he/she will vote for.

Life on Earth

Population in 2298: 34 billion

Collective term for someone born on the Earth: Earthite

Capital City: Tokyo, Japan

The Earth is where life began, indeed at the present day despite an extensive search of the solar system and beyond, using the most advanced telescopes and detection systems, no intelligent life has ever been known to have formed on any other celestial object.

The Earth remains the main population area for humans, with a population of 34 billion people, which is nearly ten times the population of Mars, and almost twenty times the population of the Moon. Earth also has two Type 5 spacestations orbiting itself, the Isaac Newton, the first Type 5 spacestation and Genesis, which is under construction.

Earth has many areas of outstanding natural beauty, which are protected by law, including the Lake District in England, Yellowstone Park, the Grand Canyon in the USA, the Amazon rainforests and various mountain ranges in France and Italy, amongst others. It is still the preferred place to live, and as a result, property prices tend to be higher than similar sized houses on Mars or the Moon.

The planet itself is organised in various sections, taking advantage of the relative ambient conditions and weather. The main power systems are solar and nuclear, positioned in the most advantageous locations, for example the main solar power stations are in the Middle East and other areas where sunlight is highest. Countries located in Europe are the heartlands for vegetable production, due to their relative temperate climates suiting this. Indeed, food export to the Moon and Mars is a major economic strength of the Earth, as certain foods such as ground-based vegetables can only grow on the Earth.

Life on the Moon

Population in 2298: 2 billion

Collective term for someone born on the Moon: Moonion

Capital City: Sinus Iridium

The first successful manned mission to the Moon was completed in July 1969, when Neil Armstrong set foot on Earth's natural satellite. It took a huge effort to accomplish this, and was regarded as the finest human achievement of the 20th century. It was nearly two hundred years later, in 2165, when humans started to live there. Due to the dangers of the natural lunar atmosphere, for humans to live there in a normal fashion, a team of scientists lead by Heinder Sordim were tasked with the job of creating the solution to this problem of making the Moon habitable. This resulted in the use of massive 'domes' which cover the lunar surface, protecting the vulnerable population from the harsh lunar atmosphere. The domes are constructed with a very special cocktail of materials, which stretch over the entire area where humans live. The material is immensely strong, even able to survive small meteorite impacts. It is placed over the Moon surface, about one mile high at the peak and along with the artificial gravity systems buried into the Moon, they make living conditions for humans safe and pleasant. People can venture out onto the wider Moon surface, indeed this is a popular pastime amongst explorers, using specially adapted automobiles. However, it is a legal requirement for the people to carry with them their anti-radiation suit at all times, which is designed to protect a person if they were subjected to the natural Moon atmosphere.

The government of the Moon is located on the sole orbiting Type 5 spacestation Centaur. The areas of the Moon which are the main population centres are:

Sinus Iridium, Bay of Rainbows, located at the northern area of the Moon. This is the capital city of the Moon.

Mare Serenitaris, Sea of Serenity, located south of the Bay of Rainbows.

Euler, located to the west of the Sea of Serenity, which looks onto the large crater that the area is named after.

As on Earth, people living on the Moon have their own unique customs, including leisure activities. The most well-known and popular is the sport of targetball, where players shoot a ball into a target area of varying distances. The sport of hoverball is also very popular on the Moon.

The date of June 20th, when Armstrong landed on the Moon in 1969 is celebrated every year and is an official holiday. The Moon has a number of major tourist sites, not least of which is the original landing site of Neil Armstrong, which attracts many visitors each year. The lunar craters on the Moon are also major sites of interest.

Life on Mars

Population in 2298: 4 billion

Collective term for someone born on Mars: Marsian

Capital City: Arcadia Planitia

The project to make Mars safe to live on for humans took sixty years, and in that time the near neighbour to Earth has seen its population grow to over 4 billion at the end of the 23rd century.

Early life on Mars, after it had been terraformed, was chaotic, with very little law and order. As Mars was built on and developed as ordered by the government of the time, the building areas were safe and well protected, but outside of these areas it was pretty much under the control of localised gangs. There were widespread reports of mafia-type organisations who kept control of their areas by rule of gun. With the government many millions of miles away on Earth, and their building programmes on target, no one seemed to care. The government were getting their projects done, and what happened outside of this was seemingly of no concern to anyone, indeed many murders went unsolved. Many people were reported missing and never found. Women routinely suffered rape and other terrible crimes, but prosecutions were virtually unheard of; it was simply swept under the carpet and forgotten about. In particular, the long distance freight pilots who transported goods from Earth to Mars, who earned huge amounts of money for these dangerous journeys, liked to play hard. The gangs living on Mars were aware of this, and had a ready supply of prostitutes for these travellers. As a result of this, there were many unwanted pregnancies, and with healthcare virtually non-existent, babies would be routinely disposed of by the gang owners. Life was hard during the early years of the human colonisation of Mars. As more and more humans began to live there, however, things calmed down a bit, although there are rumours that there are still mafia organisations existing on Mars at the present day.

The capital of Mars, Arcadia Planitia, is in the north west of the planet and that is where the main government and administration buildings are located. Marsians enjoy a more 'natural' lifestyle than Moonions, where the population live under 'domes' and an artificial atmosphere; on Mars the air is breathable and the gravity of the planet, despite being less than Earth, would be comfortable for an Earthite to live. With the terraforming project, Mars has an atmosphere safe for humans to live in, so they can walk about outside just as on Earth. Mars does have areas with artificial gravity in specific locations, which are installed underground, so that these areas feature the same gravitational strength as Earth.

Mars has a number of significant areas, none more so than Olympus Mons, the largest known mountain in the solar system, which is a protected site of special natural interest.

Every year, Marsians celebrate the commemoration of the landing of Sergy Abramov on 5th October 2037, which was the first successful manned mission to Mars. They also hold remembrance events across the planet on the date of March 15th, when the scientific spaceship Moonbase 3 exploded in Mars orbit in 2274, killing all 1,215 people on board.

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, but unlike the Earth's moon, these moons are not habitable. This is due to them being too small and the atmosphere being too harsh for humans to live on them, although there are isolated areas on these moons that are occupied by scientists undertaking research on them.

Life on a Spacestation

There are a number of spacestations in existence, ranging in size and purpose. Briefly, a spacestation is a man-made artificial satellite that orbits around a celestial object, housing a population of people. Originally, satellites were launched into space that were unmanned for communications and other purposes, but more recently have been built with humans to live on. These satellites are generally huge structures, and are classed beyond 'satellites' and known as spacestations. They have a population of humans living on board who go about their ordinary lives, just like they would on Earth, Mars or the Moon. The main difference is the object is entirely man-made with lack of space compared to living on Earth. The main reason why spacestations exist is to allow the population to move away from Earth, the Moon or Mars so to alleviate the overcrowding there. People who live on spacestations do so for various reasons; some people have employment in industries that allows them to work from home, so to speak, so they can work in their own apartments on board the spacestation. Some people however just like the experience, and some have apartments on a spacestation as a second home. One of the main appealing points of such a home are the amazing views of the celestial object the spacestation orbits, which are quite breathtaking. Some business owners own apartments on spacestations as a way of promoting their business, as having meetings there are sure to impress clients.

Spacestations have different roles to play. The main population stations, the Type 4 and 5 models, which house people, are built to allow them to live a life that is a close to normal as possible, so have shopping and leisure areas. Some stations are specifically designed to be used as research facilities, and some are used as prison ships, collectively known as Jailbirds.

Spacestations feature an artificial gravity system, so the gravitational effect is the same as Earth, and on the larger stations, have separate areas for leisure, with shopping areas and green spaces.

The first ever spacestation in existence was launched on November 21st, 2090, a spacestation named Primus which was set in orbit around the Earth. This spacestation still exists today, proving their longevity. It has a population capacity of 100.

There are a number of spacestations orbiting planet Earth and the Moon, along with a number orbiting Mars. They all have the capacity to move such as when meteors threaten, but once set in orbit round a planet or moon they stay there permanently. They are effectively an entire world which is completely independent of the mother planet or moon, each with their own power stations and other essential services. There are five different types, numbered 1 to 5, depending on how big they are:

Type 1 – a small station, up to one kilometre in length. Used mainly for scientific research. Have one or two main hangars for spaceships arriving and departing with limited living quarters.

Type 2 – between one and three kilometres long. A Type 2 is commonly used for heavy manufacturing such as solar and nuclear powerplants. Relatively dangerous work so risk is minimised for the Earth by having them orbiting in outer space.

Type 3 – between three and six kilometres long. Small self-contained units that are the preferred type for use as prison ships, or Jailbirds.

Type 4 – between six and ten kilometres long. Massive units which are totally self-reliant. Most designed as circular in shape with their own atmosphere and are small moons in their own right. Most are considered as self-contained population centres.

Type 5 – anything over ten kilometres long. Truly massive satellites, with a population over a million with culturally different peoples.

Materials transport

Spacestations have their own fleet of dedicated material carrier spaceships. These ships feature gigantic hulls for maximum storage ability, to supply the needs of the population.

Cleaning ships

Spacestations require frequent maintenance which is undertaken by numerous contractors to ensure the station is sealed against meteor collisions and other hazards. They co-ordinate evasive action with spacestations and satellites if large meteors are detected. Other cleaning machines collect space debris round planet Earth and Mars to avoid objects damaging satellites and spaceships as they orbit the planet.

General Spacestation Notes

There are a large number of artificial man-made satellites orbiting the various populated celestial objects, the most notable are detailed below.

Type 1

Explorer 12 – a famous station, which is where most state of the art research is carried out. Seen as the dream destination for budding scientists. Famous mainly for genetic research for humans against health problems and disease. Explorer 12, which orbits Earth, is the premier research station into studying the effects of humans living in space.

Moonbase C – was destroyed when an experiment went wrong with nuclear fission on 15th March 2274, and all 1,215 people on board were killed. The station orbited Mars. This tragic event is commemorated every year on Mars.

Type 2

Ecobase 3 – an ageing spacestation, was the station that discovered many breakthroughs in solar energy. Many prototype spacecraft are built there.

Type 3

Jailbird 2 – an infamous prison ship as it is the biggest in the solar system. Measures five kilometres long and holds many prisoners. Orbits the Moon.

Jailbird 9 – maximum security prison ship. Many murderers, psychopaths and other prisoners who are deemed a significant risk to the general population are sent there and live their lives out on the ship. On this Jailbird there are frequent riots and unrest due to the general mix of prisoners on board. Orbits the Moon.

Type 4

Jupesat. A massive ship, which took many years to build. A journey over the ground would measure nine kilometres. Jupesat was one of the first Type 4s, and indeed was one of the biggest spacestations at the time of its construction, and named after the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, as a result (JUPiter SATellite).

Excalibur – currently under construction over planet Mars. Will measure eight kilometres round the diameter when complete.

Dension – orbited Earth. One of the first Type 4 stations. Was the subject to a civil war which claimed many lives and left the ship critically damaged which ended April 10th, 2269. Still orbits Earth in a dilapidated state. Ongoing negotiations as to what to do with this station.
Type 5 Spacestation Notes

The person who first proposed and idea for a truly massive spacestation was Miles Lysander, who died in 2297.

There are four currently in use. The basic shape is the same, i.e. circular with their own artificial gravity. They are so big they have their own residential, industrial and retail areas. Some people live their entire lives on a Type 5. One of the benefits is the controlled weather, so everyone knows when it will rain, for example. Feature truly stunning views of the mother planet or moon. Some wealthy individuals have sites on them as holiday homes. The accommodation is generally quite small due to the immense cost involved in creating such a huge machine as a Type 5, and in fact property prices reflect that; apartments measuring any decent size on a Type 5 command premium prices, and increase exponentially when spaceship landing rights and large living areas are added in.

Having such colossal objects in orbit means that the population of the celestial object will see them easily. A Type 5 will generally block out significant sunlight for the time it moves overhead. For some people, a hobby has emerged, Type 5 Spotting, with many people gathering at certain locations to observe the spacestation moving overhead. A person doing this hobby is known colloquially as an 'anorak', a term devised for people who used to undertake train spotting in the 20th century on Earth, watching when steam locomotives travelled past them. Watching a Type 5 spacestation come past is simply the current version of the hobby.

To date, there are four Type 5 spacestations in orbit around a celestial body:

Isaac Newton – the first Type 5. 15 kilometres long. Orbits Earth. This station is constantly being extended, so is the biggest Type 5 in existence, with a population of 2 million people.

Genesis – the second Type 5 orbiting Earth. Length 12 kilometres. Population will be over 1 million. Still in construction, with a major extension planned to make it the biggest Type 5.

Centaur – orbits the Moon. Length 13 kilometres. Population 1.1 million, it is the only Type 5 spacestation in Moon orbit. The majority of the population who live on Centaur have employment on the Moon.

Zylander – the first and only Mars orbiting Type 5. Length 12 km, population 1.3 million. Has a very famous restaurant on board, Caymans, believed to be the most expensive and luxurious in the galaxy.

Construction of Type 5 Spacestation

The following is the general timescale to the construction of a Type 5. It usually involves many contractors, with a bewildering variety of skills, from materials engineers, general construction workers, spaceship transport pilots, logistical experts, and so on. The general construction of smaller spacestations is the same, the main difference being that the build time is shorter. Any Type 5 spacestation is by far the largest man-made item ever constructed by humans, taking around a decade to complete from the initial design to opening to the public.

Months 0-12 (one year) : Initial plans drawn up regarding design and size of station.

13-24 (two years) : Tendering of main contracts. Detailed investigation into materials availability.

25-48 (4 years) : Initial construction of outer shell of spacestation.

49-60 (5 years) : Finalisation of outer shell. Installation of inner skin and artificial gravity system.

61-72 (6 years) : Construction of essential resources – nuclear powerplant, transport infrastructure, etc.

73-108 (9 years) : Building of retail/residential/industrial units.

109-120 (10 years) : Finalisation of construction. Opens to the public.
Economics and Currency

The currency used by all humans is the credit and cent, where 100 cents = 1 credit. Usually denoted as Cr (credit) and ce (cents); to avoid confusion the shorter version of credit is written with a capital C. Also, the price if stating credits has Cr denoted before the price, whereas cents has 'ce' written after. As a basic guide as to what the value of credits is, the following are typical values of various items purchased at the end of the 23rd century:

Small chocolate bar = 50 ce.

Pre-made lunch – two sandwiches, packet of crisps, drink = Cr 3.50.

Pair of trousers = Cr 20.

Pre-owned spaceship = Cr 20,000.

Average yearly salary for an employee in a full-time job = Cr 22,500.

Four bedroomed house = Cr 175,000.
Domestic Power

In order for everyday life to take place for humans on the Earth, the Moon, Mars and the various spacestations, a critical aspect is being able to provide enough domestic power to allow these areas to operate. When fossil fuels ceased to be a viable fuel for everyday life in the 21st century, massive investment was made into alternative energy sources, resulting in wide-scale development into nuclear and solar power. To this day, these power systems are used as the main power suppliers for human activity, along with wind and wave power where the geographical and climate allows. The government department responsible for this area is the Ministry of Power.

For spaceship engines, solar and nuclear power is used, with their powerplants miniaturised to fit inside the hull of a spacecraft. The main differences between the two systems for engines is that solar is generally quieter and ultimately more powerful, whereas a nuclear power system is a bit cheaper. For travel to outer planets, nuclear power is more efficient due to the distance to the Sun being greater, so solar power is less effective.

Power stations are strategically placed on the planets and moons where necessary. Nuclear waste is transported by waste ships and ejected towards the Sun so it is harmlessly destroyed. On the Moon and Earth, solar power is more common, whereas power stations on Mars are all nuclear due to the planet being further away from the Sun. Each area on the Earth/Moon/Mars has its own power company. Power stations on space stations usually belong to the areas which have the main contract for overall responsibility for the spacestation construction.
23rd Century Household Pets

Humans have for many centuries kept household pets, which evolved from the idea of animals being used for a specific task to the concept of companionship. In current times, advances in technology have made robotic pets possible, allowing more people to have pets who would not normally have one.

People living in busy industrial areas for example would not be able to keep a dog or cat due to lack of exercise space, or people with busy lives would find that pets would be kept on their own for long periods of time which would be cruel to the animal.

With robotics, those problems are now no longer an issue. Today, people owning dogs are just as likely to have a robotic dog than a real dog. The advantages of a robotic version over a real animal are as follows:

\- The pet does not need to have exercise;

\- It does not leave any mess;

\- It never dies;

\- It can be programmed to behave in a certain way, so items such as furniture will not be damaged by the pet;

\- It stays in its most attractive form. Generally, puppies are seen as very cute, but of course a real puppy grows into a dog - with a robotic version they stay as a puppy.

The technology inside a robotic pet is phenomenal. With current robotics developed to a very advanced level, movements of limbs and features of the animal are very life-life. Each pet is built around a skeleton giving it form, with the fur giving a very real consistency and providing the robot the feel of the real animal. Inside each robot there are thousands of sensors and tiny motors to control each little movement, with subtleties of movement giving the impression that the robot is a real animal. The main senses of a real animal also work in a robot version. It has optical eyes and can recognise people, working ears to recognise sounds, so it will react to its name. Also it is programmed to act exactly like a real animal, so will lay down to sleep for a certain length of time, with it having a working 'breathing' system it looks like it is asleep as the body moves up and down, just like a real animal. Even top animal experts cannot tell the difference between a real animal and a robotic version, looking at them for a length of time.

The robotic animals are powered by ingesting special food in the way a real animal will eat; the material taken in by the robot is converted into power for its internal batteries.

The robotic animals have proven to be extremely popular, with owners becoming as attached to them as they would do with real animals, however as expected there are people who still prefer real animals as they grow old which a robot never does, and obviously due it simply being a real animal rather than a robot.

Holidays

In the 23rd century, holidays are as popular as ever amongst the population. With Mars and the Moon being colonised, there are now many places for people to visit. From the initial Seven Wonders of the World on Earth, we now have the Ten Wonders of the Solar System, which include sites on Mars and the Moon. They are as follows:

Yellowstone National Park, USA, Earth

Yellowstone became the first national park in 1872, and over four hundred years later, still enthrals and fascinates people who visit today. Unique across the solar system for the diversity of wildlife and unique geographical features, including most famously the fabulous range of hot water geysers.

Black Forest, Germany, Earth

Huge forest area in Germany, one of the most popular areas for people wanting a peaceful holiday. It is the location for Ultra Natural group, who live life as naturally as possible, doing away with modern methods and technologies.

Olympus Mons, Mars

The largest peak in the known universe, Olympus Mons stands head and shoulders above any other natural wonder on Mars and anywhere else for its sheer size. With a summit over 14 miles from the ground, and 600 kilometres in diameter, Olympus Mons stands three times higher than Mount Everest on Earth. There is a permanent base for scientists to study the volcano at the summit. Visitors are advised to consider the unique atmosphere on the upper slopes of Olympus Mons before travelling there, where temperatures are below minus fifty degrees and the air unbreathable the higher you go. Automobiles require special modification to tyres and other parts to enable them to cope with the extreme conditions there.

Valles Marineris, Mars

Extending to a simply incredible 3,000 kilometres long, 30 kilometres across and up to 8 kilometres deep, this is the largest canyon known in the solar system, far larger than the Grand Canyon on Earth. Various viewing points and tourist places are dotted along the whole area offer spectacular views of this amazing natural wonder.

Lake District, England, Earth

The Lake District is an area in north-west England, popular with people wanting a holiday in a place to 'get away from it all'. Features multiple hills (known locally as 'fells'), forest and diverse wildlife. Many villages remain there as they were many centuries ago, with the population upholding many traditions unique to the area.

Human landing sites on the Moon and Mars

In 1969 Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the Moon, and a little over a quarter of a millennium later, Sergy Abramov did the same on Mars. The sites these men visited and laid the first human footprints down have become protected areas, which tourists can go and visit. The actual footprints themselves are preserved on the very ground they were created on.

Amazon rainforest, Earth

The biggest forest on Earth, the Amazon rainforest was under serious threat during the early part of the 21st century due to deforestation until protected by law. Today, the forest is preserved as a magnificent natural wilderness. Popular with people who want a peaceful holiday within nature.

Various lunar craters on the Moon

The Moon is littered with impact craters which are the result of meteorite impacts which pelted the lunar surface. Each crater is named and is a protected site, and is of great interest for people studying the history of the Moon.

Galapagos Islands, Pacific Ocean, Earth

Became famous as the main study place of Charles Darwin, which formed the basis of his theory of evolution in the 19th century, which is still seen as a hugely important study today, nearly 500 hundred years later. The islands themselves became a protected site after human activity placed a lot of the unique animal species under threat. Today, with the population made up of researchers and natural history scientists, human interference is no longer a factor, guaranteeing the future of the islands as a nature paradise. The numbers of tourists are strictly limited, making a visit to the islands a rare privilege for a lot of people.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Earth

The largest reef system in the world. The reef system was yet another natural wonder that may not have existed past the 22nd century if the human population had continued the way it had. Thankfully, due to measures to protect it from erosion and the effects of pollution, the great reef can be once again enjoyed by many people.

Antiques and Collectibles

Articles and items of history have always been of interest to people, with a vibrant industry existing to serve this need. As always, items with important heritage or interesting history have always been sought after. Jewellery made from precious metals command high prices, with older items worth considerable sums of money. In the 23rd century, objects that attract high value are those that have contributed in some way to modern society, dependent on where they are. For people living on Mars or the Moon, anything related to spaceships is in high demand, with items with great historical significance gaining high value, as without spaceships being developed, life could not exist on these celestial objects.

For Earthites, antiques that have a large following are items that date back many more years, as humans have come to live on Mars and the Moon relatively recently. For these people, antiques relating to art and jewellery are highly sought after, as well as items such as documents dating back centuries that had some sort of significant impact on the population at the time.

On Mars especially, there is a huge interest in spaceships, purely down to the fact that without a spaceship industry, life on Mars would not have been possible. Early examples of ships can attract huge prices, especially if they have proven provenance of having travelled during the time of the terraforming project. Items such as inventory rosters or other documents used in this time can command high prices, purely because it was all part of the time of making Mars safe to live. There is also a huge interest in Formula X racing on Mars, in particular there is a very vibrant classic spaceship scene, where privateers own and run their own spaceships. Values of these machines can run into millions of credits, dependent on how successful they were when they raced in the championship. As such a ship represents what an 'ultimate' spaceship is, being purely designed as a machine to go as fast as possible without compromise, they are highly sought after.

The Mars Terraforming Project

When Sergy Abramov landed on the surface of Mars, he became the first human being in history to set foot on a planet other than Earth. These first footsteps laid the way for humans to begin work on their most ambitious project ever, that of changing the red planet from a lifeless, hostile environment to a thriving and successful place to live.

The project to make Mars habitable (more commonly described as 'terraforming') began a number of years before Abramov and his crew had landed there. Scientists, studying the unique environment of Mars, knew the basic fundamental aspects about what needed to be done in general. With the Abramov visit resulting in numerous samples of the Martian surface being brought back to Earth, the scientists were able to analyse them. The project proper got underway when missions to Mars became more commonplace, as the people on board were tasked with specific jobs to further this research. This was the first stage in the complete project that laid the foundations for the terraforming to begin.

The first aspect of the natural atmosphere of Mars that had to be tackled was the extreme cold. This was done by planning a controlled greenhouse effect, and then to inject chemicals into the Martian atmosphere to create a natural barrier for Mars, much like the ozone and other outer atmospheric layers are on Earth. This project took many decades, and when complete, it was a poignant moment when the people working there were able to remove their helmets and protective clothing and breathe and really feel the atmosphere of Mars.

Along with making the atmosphere safe, scientists also installed artificial gravity systems inside Mars, thereby making the planet feel as if it had the same gravitational effect as Earth. However this was only in areas of human settlement and not throughout the planet, leaving large areas having natural Mars gravity, such as the site of Olympus Mons.

The project was officially completed in 2167, taking more than sixty years to complete. Once this was achieved, people then started to develop Mars into a habitable place by installing the basic infrastructure such as buildings and roads, to the point that they started living there. The atmosphere is continually monitored to this day to ensure it is safe for humans to live there.
Wildlife on Mars and the Moon

Once human colonies had been established on the Moon and Mars, humans started to make these areas feel like home, which included having a wide variety of natural elements, including birds, animals, flora and fauna and other living species such as insects. With Mars having no life known to have evolved on the planet, all living organisms there have been transported from Earth, which includes not just livestock but also plants, trees and grasses. After planning the first seeds on Mars, certain areas have grown to proper wildernesses with a wide variety of natural species thriving there. Indeed certain areas of the planet were specially developed as wild spaces, with an abundance of woodland and green spaces, with little human habitation. This has grown over the time this has been there, and to many Marsians, is an area to visit to be reminded of the wonders of nature. The areas have natural Mars gravity, therefore the growth and lives of the various things that exist there are very different to how they live on Earth. With the low gravity having a huge effect on life on Mars, trees grow very tall, and certain species of birds are able to thrive. The Great Bustard, for instance, struggles to fly on Earth due to its immense weight, being the heaviest flying bird in the world. On Mars, however, it flies much easier and as a result enjoys a good and healthy life on Mars. Birds of prey that usually swoop down and catch prey on Earth have had to adapt to the lower gravity atmosphere as their dives do not achieve the speeds they managed on Earth, so their hunting takes on a different form.

On the Moon, there are very few birds, as what life is there is held in the secure dome areas. Green areas which contain trees and grasses constitute the main fauna on the Moon, and are regularly enjoyed by the people who live there.
SecMars, the Mars Timing System

A day on Mars is almost the same as on Earth, 24 hours and 37 minutes, with a year the same as 686.9 Earth days, or almost the same as two Earth years. This difference made it important for Mars to have their own time system, as Earth time would become out of kilter if used on Mars.

To calibrate the time in some meaningful way, a group was set up to agree the format that time would be used across the planet. The key problem was that a day on Mars was a difficult number to divide in a convenient number as on Earth with 24 hours per day/60 seconds per minute. The only division possible with whole numbers is 211 minutes per hour, with 7 hours for one day (1,477 minutes, or 24 hours and 37 minutes). As this was not a satisfactory outcome, since this was not easy for people to work with on a daily basis, it was decided to lengthen the time value of a second slightly, to keep the time format the same as on Earth, i.e. 24 hours per day and 60 minutes per hour. A second on Mars is therefore the same as 1.025 Earth seconds, or 2.5% longer, which is the basis of SecMars, the name given to the time format on Mars.

When humans started to populate Mars, watch makers started to make timepieces with SecMars timing. The majority of watches sold are mass-produced by a number of companies, but for a Marsian wanting something a bit more special, the most sought-after watch is produced by Forlami.

For reference, the time system employed on the Moon is the same as Earth time.
IronO - The Mars Metal

Mars is predominantly covered in a type of iron ore, amongst other materials, that is utilised in many different applications. It is normally mixed with other metals and materials, to be used as a sort of steel for structures and building materials. However, for most people living in the 23rd century, the most well known use for this material is in jewellery. In its raw form, which people regularly collect on the surface, it is of no monetary value. The high value of IronO comes when it is processed into its final metal form, which is long and complicated, hence why it only gains its value when it is treated in this way. Only a few processing plants exist across the planet to be able to undertake this work.

In a very complex operation, the raw material is harvested from the planet surface to begin its transformation into a useable metal. It is placed into a processing plant, and then heated up to a very high temperature. It is normally mixed with a variety of metals, depending on its ultimate application. For jewellery, the metal it is mixed with is normally silver or gold, or, for the most valuable, platinum, and from there is machined and shaped into its ultimate form, be they rings or watch cases. It is a very unusual material with a unique lustre and colour. Certain jewellers across Mars have embraced the material and have become true artisans in the creation of IronO jewellery.

The value of IronO jewellery essentially depends on the material it is mixed with, but generally very old pieces crafted in the first years of this material being made, command very high prices as they are very rare and sought after.

The naming convention for this material is to state IronO first, followed by the precious metal, for example IronO yellow gold, or IronO steel.
Healthcare

One of the areas of human endeavour that has made huge progress over the centuries has been healthcare. Ailments that killed us a hundred years ago are now treated as a matter of course, the most significant being the virtual eradication of cancer as a disease. Another huge leap forward is in the technology of 'nanobots' where people have tiny sensors in their bodies, which aids the detection and removal of diseases and illnesses. Limbs are now routinely changed, where the limb to go onto the patient is grown artificially in a laboratory, using the basic structure of the person's DNA so that the limb is an exact match. There is also the possibility of the brain transplant which allows a person's brain to be moved from their body into another body which can potentially give them many more years to live. The average age of a person is now around 150 years, with people living to over 200 as a matter of routine.

However, with humans now living away from Earth, where all human life has evolved from for millions of years, new problems and illnesses have emerged, such as:

\- Space deprivation – a stress-related problem as a result of living in a small area such as on a prison ship (Jailbird) or spacestation.

\- A new type of cancer, which is generally termed as 'space cancer', which is the effect of people living on Mars and the Moon. Despite the atmospheres being carefully engineered to be as close to Earth as possible, there are people who suffer reactions to living on these areas.

\- Headaches and muscle wastage, as a result of someone returning to Earth from a long stay in an area such as Mars, which has lower gravity. As the person adapts to the lesser gravity of Mars compared to Earth, the body has to re-adjust to the stronger gravity of Earth, which for some people is difficult. The body generally copes better going from a stronger gravity area to a weaker one, rather than the other way round. Mars does have stronger gravity areas, but people sometimes do not stay in these areas long enough, resulting in their bodies altering to a lower gravity situation.

Cosmetic surgery is now a normal practice, using techniques that are very advanced thanks to unprecedented technological breakthroughs over the past number of centuries. For example, people can get any face they want from a simple transplant, with cosmetic surgeons holding catalogues available of faces to choose from. In some cases the entire skin along with complete limbs can be replaced. In terms of using cosmetic surgery, people are placed into three categories:

Group A – The most intensive. Will change parts of their bodies as and when required. It is possible for someone to look like they are in their thirties when they are over 200 years old. Also used by people who have genetic modifications to live on Mars so they cope better with the lower gravity situation.

Group B – Only change parts as and when theirs wear out or if surgery is essential such as when they suffer extreme burns.

Group C – Eschew all forms of artificial enhancements preferring to 'age' naturally. The Earth-based group Ultra Natural endorse this type of living as a pre-requisite for being able to be accepted into the group.
The Full Brain Transplant

In the past centuries, along with space exploration, one area of human endeavour that has progressed in simply incredible ways is that of healthcare and medicine. And with regards the developments humans have made in this field, there is one particular practice, whether the most important is arguable; but in terms of controversial, it is without doubt; the full brain transplant.

In the late-22nd century the technique of allowing a human brain to be moved successfully from one body to another was perfected, and from there began the most intensely debated ethical issue of modern times. On the one hand, there were people who, living in a dying body, suddenly had the option of allowing their brain to be moved into a healthy body, which is generally regarded as a massive leap forward in healthcare for people. However, people with otherwise healthy bodies then went in for this operation, so that, for example, a person of 150 years old could be transplanted into the body of a 25 year old, thereby making them appear much younger than they actually were. Also, a male could have their brain transplanted into a female body, hence why this became such a massive ethical issue. For many people, it began the whole argument about what people really are; if the brain can be changed between bodies, then we really are just a brain and our bodies are just the 'details'? In terms of saving lives, however, it is a huge leap forward, as someone with a failing body and just a few more years left to live, can suddenly have their lives extended many years, possibly a complete lifetime.

When the technique became available to use, it was originally intended for people with healthy brains, but dying bodies. The brain transplant would then allow them to live a lot longer. The bodies that were used were those that had been donated by people, in the way they always have done when they decide that their organs could be used in the event of their death. This time, however, their entire body could then be re-used. There were a few bizarre stories of people recognising these people who they believed had died, because the whole body would be the body of the deceased person, including the face. This practice is now illegal, although it is still believed to go on with numerous 'underground' operations taking place. For the purposes of legality, the face of the patient must be utilised on the donor, hence why donor bodies are grown in the laboratory, so when they are called on to be used for the operation, the skull is sculpted to be identical to the patient.

There have been some very high profile cases that have become ingrained in local folklore, before the legal protocols were put in place. The most famous case was in 2216, with Strickland Ejot, who was a 164 years old, a highly successful businessman who was able to afford the Cr 1m price tag for a brain transplant. He was suffering with ill health, with various ailments, and was given no more than a few years to live. His brain was 100% healthy, and being a wealthy individual, decided to go through with the operation. This was successful, and Ejot then settled on Earth to begin his new life. This time, however, he had chosen to go for the body not of a male, but a 25 year old female, changed his name, and soon attracted the attentions of certain men. After a few relationships, he was eventually discovered by one of his 'boyfriends' of the time of his true past. He then moved to another area and claimed to be a lesbian, and had a few very intimate relationships with other women. This case was settled out of court by Ejot paying an undisclosed compensation to his victims, who claimed they had been totally duped, but for Ejot he claimed he had experienced a unique feeling, as he wanted to know what it was like to be a woman in different sexual relationships.

Today, the legal issues have been sorted out, making it illegal for someone to change sex or be transplanted into a body that appears many years younger. The face of the patient is scanned and is reproduced onto the donor body, which are now more commonly grown in the laboratory, rather than using bodies of people who have died. These bodies have all the necessary nervous system, skeleton, blood vessels and all major organs, so are just waiting for the brain to be installed so that they come to life, and the patient is then living in a new body, but as close to their original body as possible.

The only hospital where the operation is recognised takes place in the Supreme Hospital of Saudi Arabia, as it is the only place that has invested the capital for the necessary hardware and personnel to undertake the operation. The operation itself has a higher success rate than in the early years of offering this procedure but is still not guaranteed to be a success. It is believed that a number of legally unrecognised doctors undertake the operation in secret, to bypass laws so that men can have the transplant into the body of a woman, for example. However, as these operations take place in complete secret, very few of these have been discovered.

This operation itself was, and still is, the longest and most complex medical procedure of all. The two bodies, the donor body and the person who will have their brain taken out, are taken into the operating theatre, and a slow and complex process of transferring the brain begins. The donor body will have been selected from the ones in storage as the most suitable match to the patient, and the face of the patient will have been scanned and reproduced on the donor body. The donor body is prepared by having the top skull area entirely open, with the blood vessels exposed; the body will have been in cold storage up until this point. The person having the brain transplant is operated on, by having the top of their skull removed, and the brain is slowly but surely transferred to the other body, as the blood vessels and the nerve bundles are connected to the other body. This part of the operation is absolutely critical; if just one nerve is not attached correctly, the patient can suffer irreparable brain damage or even death.

After this is complete, the physical brain is then moved into the new body. When this transfer is complete, the person is kept under observation for at least 48 hours, to ensure everything is as it should be, and after a few tests with the person fully awake the person is discharged. The whole process takes around 1 week. The whole operation is very risky and dangerous. Even with the technique being constantly refined and improved, one in three of all patients who go in for this operation die, as the operation is tremendously complex, there are many vessels that have to be connected correctly, and even if the surgeons undertake everything 100% correctly, there is still the possibility of the host body rejecting the brain. When an operation has complications, then the patient almost certainly dies within a week, there is no going back, such as putting the brain back into the original body. If everything works well and the patient survives, they normally have around a month to adjust to their new body. So, for example, if someone was 2 meters tall was given a new body of someone who was 1.9 meters tall, they will have to learn to walk slightly differently (it is rare for the donor body to exactly match the original body of the patient). For most, this adjustment is a slow process, and the physical side effects are usually head aches that can vary in intensity and seriousness. The operation can only be carried out with the patient alive; if, for example, someone dies in an accident, there is no way of rushing them off to the operating theatre to place their brain into a new host body. Once the patient has died, blood stops flowing into the brain, which means the brain is damaged beyond repair and cannot be saved.
Formula X Spaceship Racing

The fastest, loudest, most dangerous and downright most outrageous sport in existence is Formula X spaceship racing, which has quickly grown from its early beginnings in 2283 to become a big money enterprise. Over the course of a year, teams compete in their search for glory in the Galactic Championship, racing on various set courses across the solar system which are usually a number of laps around a celestial object, or between two objects, for example Earth to the Moon.

In many respects, racing spaceships as a competitive and organised sport was a normal activity to undertake, once spaceship manufacturers had mastered the basic requirements of making spaceships safe and reliable. The spaceships used in modern Formula X utilise many prototype technologies that can find themselves being used on public spaceships, and indeed certain manufacturers use racing as a way of testing parts in this way.

The first championship in 2283 was the brainchild of a group of enthusiasts who had modified their own spaceships which were production ships, but changed so much that they were basically stripped-out spaceships with highly modified and tuned engines. The championship that year comprised of the ships racing from the Earth to the Moon, stopping for a few days and then making the return leg to Earth, thereby making it a repeat of the Apollo Moon missions back in the second half of the 20th century. The first champion was John Messier, flying a modified Fellucia Scorpion, although Inster Bleckl, piloting a Palatia-Sonnar H3000 was killed in the first race, thereby becoming the first fatality in this most dangerous of sports. Since the beginning, there has been an average of one fatality each year, although with safety improvements, the number of pilots killed has reduced in recent years, with efforts to balance out the risk factor without reducing the appeal of the sport in the first place. Such a dilemma has been a problem faced by racing organisers since the first days of motorsport in the early part of the 20th century.

The second year of the racing series saw Messier retain his championship win, but as his two opponents were both killed, it became clear that safety considerations had to be looked into; not just for the competitors, but also the support crew and the public that came to watch. It had become obvious that the ships were basically highly dangerous machines, racing against each other, with no concessions to safety. The next twelve months were used to audit the sport fully to ensure it could become as safe as possible, so in 2285 there was no racing. To aid this, an official body was incorporated, the Galactic Motorsports Council, which runs the sport to the present day.

2286 saw the return of the sport, and there were many changes. Firstly, there was intense interest shown by a number of companies, as they sought to sponsor the various teams and pilots. Secondly, in answer to the safety problems, the ships were no longer modified public spaceships, but full-on bespoke racing machines. It was regarded as a success by everyone concerned, because the public fell in love with the sleek, beautiful, custom spaceships that had virtually no resemblance to the sort of machine you could buy from a dealer, and the pilots themselves became celebrities. The competition format was changed too, with the championship being decided by the pilot gaining most points over the course of the year over the four races, which were single laps of the Earth, Moon, and for the first time, Mars, starting a huge love affair with the sport on this planet. The final race was five laps of Earth to the Moon. Despite the safety improvements, Miles Formil, racing a Fellucia Star Glider, was killed in the single lap race over Mars. Gilmon J'olum in the Britus A Type claimed the championship, winning all four races, which was to start a dominance by the Mars-based team in the sport, which has seen them develop today into the most successful Formula X team of all. By the end of the 2286 championship, the sport had achieved a huge gain in popularity, with the public seemingly intoxicated with the mix of speed, sound, and sheer intensity of the ships racing over their homeworlds.

Over the following years, the ships became more and more powerful, lighter, with better aerodynamics, and this led to them going faster and faster, as the teams sought to out-develop their rivals. By 2291, a typical Formula X ship was pushing out over 12,000 THz, and weighed just 16 tons, giving a power-to-weight figure of 750 THz per ton; this compared to a typical public ship which had a ratio less than 10 THz per ton. Add the factors of a racing ship having no autopilot and absolutely no creature comforts at all, made the ships offering immense performance and being utterly terrifying for an unqualified pilot to fly. Of course, only pilots with a racing licence are allowed to fly a racing spaceship, rather than a general member of the public, so only a small number of people have ever flown a racing spaceship.

In 2293, a major change came with the introduction of solar powered racing ships. Solar power had been available for a number of years to the public, but it had taken a few years before this engine type was suitable for racers. This change saw the dominance of Britus seemingly come under threat. They still won races, but from 2293 they could only watch as Jason Stanton in the Japan Racing JR2 took the championship, and then from 2294 to 2296 a hat-trick of titles was claimed by Harlen Alcantar with the Sunstar S2. However, with new signing Shas'olum, Britus were once again crowned champions in 2298. During this latest championship, the ships in hard-tuned form produced power in excess of 15,000 THz, and were capable of flying up to speeds approaching 3 million miles per hour in the Earth to Moon race.

In the past ten years, there have been far less fatalities than the early years of racing. The last fatality in racing was Isias Jadin in 2296 while racing a Britus Alexander Fleming and he remains the only pilot to have suffered a fatality as a previous winner of the Galactic Championship.

At the end of the 2298 season, over the entire history of the sport, the most successful team by a long way is Britus, with seven championship victories, having entered every year. They have also won 33 races out of 83, meaning a phenomenal 40% of all individual races have been won by this team. The next best team is Sunstar, a long way behind Britus with 14 race wins, followed by Japan Racing with 12.

Formula X spaceships are developed on a constant basis, each team looking to improve their machines, so older ships are obsolete in terms of racing at the very top level usually after just one or two years. This aspect has made a racing spaceship a prized item amongst (wealthy) fans. Of the ships that have been made available on the open market, value can vary, but a guide is that prices start at around Cr 3 million for a ship with race history, but can easily be double that for a race winner. The only actual overall championship winner sold in this way was the 2298 Britus Henry Ford, which sold for Cr 15 million. Early racers, especially race winners, command virtually any price. For less well-heeled fans, items such as single engine components, pilot clothing and race programmes are sought after.

In less than twenty years, Formula X racing has grown from being a 'jolly' performed by a few individuals to being the biggest sport in the world. The budgets of the teams are huge. Britus, the biggest team, are sponsored to the tune of over Cr 100 million per year, with substantial backing from Force Major-Greenbelt, a large insurance company. Teams such as Fellucia are spaceship builders for the public, so the race team is seen as a marketing tool for their products. Even the smallest teams have large budgets which allow them to compete, but against the significant budgets of the bigger teams, race wins are unlikely for these outfits, as they don't have the resources to develop their spaceships to the standard of their better funded rivals.

The list of the Galactic Champions is shown below. Pilot is shown with the team and ship name in brackets.

2283 John Messier (Fellucia (modified) Scorpion)

2284 John Messier (Fellucia (modified) Scorpion)

2285 no races – sport effectively banned

2286 Gilmon J'olum (Britus A Type)

2287 Beckton Monter (Britus B Type)

2288 Sean Wrightson (Fellucia GT-M1)

2289 Helen Gibson (Britus C Type)

2290 Helen Gibson (Britus C Type)

2291 Isias Jadin (Britus D Type)

2292 Isias Jadin (Britus E Type)

2293 Jason Stanton (Japan Racing JR2)

2294 Jason Stanton (Japan Racing JR2)

2295 Harlen Alcantar (Sunstar S2)

2296 Harlen Alcantar (Sunstar S2)

2297 Hunter Dessente (Jupe Racing Team Model 1)

2298 Shas'olum (Britus Henry Ford)

Solar Marathon

The second major motorsport in the 23rd century is an event called the Solar Marathon. This is by far the longest spaceship race of all, where specially modified spaceships race from the Earth to the outermost planet Neptune and back, for a total racing distance of six billion miles. This event continues man's insatiable desire to undertake events of extreme endurance; in the 20th century bicycle races such as the Race Across America and the Tour de France were inaugurated, as well as car races like the 24 hours of Le Mans. The Solar Marathon is simply a more modern equivalent of those events.

The event is widely recognised as being the ultimate test of man and machine. The ships used are heavily modified versions of spaceships available to the public, so that they can cope with the immense distance. They feature no autopilot, so have to be flown all the time by a human pilot and have a crew of four people. Each team employ a rota system for each person to fly the ship at specified intervals. The other crew members sleep, eat, exercise or undertake everyday maintenance tasks on the ship.

Travelling to the outermost planet and back is fraught with danger. The main difficulty with the race is that once the ships are past the Jupiter orbital plane, recognised as the outer planet area, signals from the ships take a long time to reach command areas. If a ship has problems, no-one will know about it for a long time. It is noted that ships in difficulty past the orbital plane of Saturn will have to wait many months for rescue. Past this planet, and no rescue craft will travel as it is deemed too risky. This is why it is recognised as a very dangerous race. However, with humans conquering ever more areas of space for human habitation, it is a logical race as an extreme sport in the 23rd century.

The Solar Marathon racing ships are generally ships that start life as a standard public spaceship, as they have certain specifications that a solar marathon ship needs, such as living quarters and areas for the crew to exercise and tend to day to day matters. They are then taken by the teams and modified as necessary. The engines are nuclear powered, as solar power is next to useless when they fly out into the outer planet area, being too far away from the Sun to allow the solar panels to work. The engines produce in excess of 10,000 THz, a lot less than a Formula X racer, but a solar marathon ship engine is tuned to give high power for a long period of time, so maximum power is largely unimportant. Put simply, the spaceships used are a cross between Formula X racers and public ships, utilising ideas from both.

The first event was held in 2284, which saw four teams take to the start line, apprehensive as to what they had got themselves in for. As no one had ever travelled the entire solar system non-stop before, it was seen as a huge adventure, as nobody was even sure if any team would make it back. In an eventful race, which saw the Earth based team Ultimate Cruisers fail to start due to engine failure, it would take the winning team, Team Germany, nearly two years to complete the journey, to huge fanfare on their landing back on Earth. The race wasn't without tragedy, however, as the Briggate Race team were stranded near the orbital plane of Jupiter. The third team on the race route, Lunar Explorer, stopped to offer help, giving them supplies, but were unable to re-start the engine. They also allowed them to come on board to join them – something the Briggate team did not accept, as they did not want to affect the race chances of Lunar Explorer. A distress transmission was sent to Earth to rescue the stricken team, but by the time it had reached them, it was too late. All the crew had died, as their power supply which cleaned the air inside the ship had failed, thereby leaving the crew breathing noxious gasses. The rescue ship arrived just a couple of days late. The Lunar Explorer team, on hearing the news, were distraught, after reflecting on their offer to allow the Briggate crew to transfer to their ship.

This story has become ingrained in motorsport legend as a powerful anecdote of team spirit, camaraderie, and sadness of people dying in an activity of intense competition.

Four years later, the race was run again, on what has become a traditional time frame for the event. This time, Lunar Explorer were back, along with a number of other teams, including a works factory Fellucia entry. This ship was the first to fail, however, at the orbital plane of Jupiter, but luckily they were rescued after their distress message was picked up by the rescue craft. At the sharp end of the race, it was Lunar Explorer who triumphed, winning by 47 days ahead of Earth-based Ultimus Adventure.

For the next two events, in 2292 and 96, Frontier Enterprise were victorious as the average speeds increased dramatically over the first events, as the team's knowledge of the race improved. In 2296, the Frontier Enterprise team covered the distance in a new record of one year, 6 days and 4 hours, a massive reduction in time from the previous event, which took them 144 days longer to win. Their average speed for the 6 billion miles was 673,000 mph. This is nearly double the speed of the 409,000 mph for Team Germany to win the 2284 event, or close on a full year less!

The Palatia-Sonnar X1 Speed Project

When Sunstar set the highest ever speed achieved on official test runs of 1.2 million mph with their Type C spaceship, their reputation was sealed in producing the most exciting spaceships people could own and use on the public highway. This record lasted many years, and when Formula X racing began, people thought that this record would be consigned to the history books. The Type C had a huge 5,000 THz engine, but would be no match for the pure racers. However, despite racing machines easily beating the speed on their test runs and during races, the key was that no team had ever officially submitted their racer for an official test, so the record remained.

It was Palatia-Sonnar who threw down the gauntlet in 2289 with a project that aimed to not only beat the record but totally annihilate it. When they sat down to plan their attempt, they first calculated how fast their current Formula X racing machine could go. Their racer at the time was the Nebulus 1, which they simulated on a test run using computer models, and worked out that if they tuned it up to the absolute maximum it would probably achieve around 4 million mph. Impressive, and that might have been how Palatia-Sonnar decided to go, until someone pointed out that the speed of light was 670 million mph, so a target was set - 6.7 million mph, or one percent of this ultimate speed. For a marketing point of view, this target was clear and obvious as achieving this would be extremely prestigious. It was clear even a Formula X racing machine would be nowhere near capable of the performance required, so the team embarked on a project that involved designing and developing a completely bespoke and unique spaceship, dubbed he 'X1' with the ultimate objective of achieving that seemingly impossible speed.

Palatia-Sonnar set out the project to run for three years. The first year would be to develop a useable spaceship, with some test runs, which would move into year two for the first proper attempts to break this ultimate record, and the third year as a final year to set a definitive top speed.

The ship itself used a lot of unique ideas. The basic design of the ship was along the same lines as a Formula X racer, but a lot bigger, as it was powered by a solid fuel cell to go alongside the nuclear engine. The team realised it would need a simply astonishing amount of power to achieve the required speed. An engine producing energy on the go as per a normal spaceship would simply not be enough, hence why it had the added fuel cell. During the planning stages, computer models were used to calculate the amount of power required from the engine, each week seemingly adding thousands of terahertz. At first, they planned to have 55,000, but eventually settled on 85,000 THz, which would instantly set a record for the most powerful machine ever produced by humans when the engine was built. The power figure was truly terrifying, no one had any idea how this would work in the real world. Works Palatia-Sonnar pilot Plius Jil'kol was the person chosen to fly the machine, which was ready at the end of 2289. The test run would be a set course between Earth and the Moon, over a three-week period when the authorities gave confirmation that it could be done, so that the X1 was the only spaceship flying in that section of space for a duration of time. This was a small window of opportunity for the team to set their speed record.

The runs were blighted with problems, however, with the engine never running under full power. Despite this, they did manage to achieve a speed of 2 million mph, so a new record had been set. Plius said it was simply staggering, he had never flown anything like it. He said that he couldn't fly it steadily, it was badly balanced, but it showed phenomenal potential. The team packed up, ready to go a year later.

Their second attempt went much better. The ship had numerous improvements, and the atmosphere within the team was positive as they flew the ship again. History repeated itself again, however, with the ship having problems running at full power. Despite this, they did improve the record, to 3.6 million mph, which had at least put it beyond the capabilities of a Formula X racer.

Onto 2291, and with Plius retiring from Formula X for that season, the speed attempt would be his last motorsport event. This time the team put everything into their runs, with an early flight giving 4.7 million mph, with the ship performing really well. However, this proved to be a high point, and subsequent runs couldn't match this speed, so this figure became the top speed achieved by the X1 in that year.

The team decided not to continue for 2292, and with that the speed record was finally set at 4.7 million, a record that remains to this day. With no plans on the horizon from any other team to attempt to break this record, the record is likely to remain on the shelf for many years. Plius said of his record attempts:

"The ship was absolutely amazing. The complexity was far greater than anything I had seen before or since, quite a work of art. The power figure of 85,000 THz was unprecedented, the most powerful engine ever created, before or since. We set out to break the speed record and put it on the shelf, and to that end we succeeded. However for us, the ultimate number was 6.7 million miles per hour, or one per cent of the highest speed there is, to which we failed. The guys did a great job, but not achieving this does leave a tinge of disappointment. And yes it hurts a bit, but boy was it a great thing to do. It is a pity Palatia-Sonnar canned the project after three years but these things cost vast amounts of money and I can fully understand their decision. One thing that will stay with me forever was the sound of the engine. It was absolutely amazing at full throttle."

In 2298 Fellucia made an attempt to break the record with their Formula X racer GT-M3, tuned to absolutely maximum power. Their reasoning was that if their ship was able to run at full power for the complete run, it might just about break the record, because although the X1 had much more power, its record run had been done with the ship only at full throttle for a limited amount of time. Their run was faultless, but they fell short on ultimate speed, with a recorded maximum of 4.3 million mph.

Spaceship test \- 2298 Solar Racing Horizon Formula X Race Ship

The following is the second detailed spaceship test report written by John Messier, Formula X Galactic Champion in 2283 and 84. For this test, Solar Racing gave permission for John to fly the ship over Earth a number of times and to give you a unique insight into what a Formula X racing spaceship feels like. Such an opportunity is very rare indeed, not just the aspect of getting an actual test report on such a unique machine, but the fact that it was the actual current ship rather than a retired ship from a few years ago. The test was done a week before the sixth race of the 2298 racing season which comprised of one hundred laps of Earth. Over to John...

"Right, first things first. This is an incredibly valuable machine. Formula X spaceships are of course not available to buy in the normal sense; you would generally only be able to buy one if it came up for auction. And even if you did get hold of one, they are not legal for use as a mode of transportation anyway. To put things into perspective, a Formula X ship that won the Galactic Championship would easily be worth over Cr 10m. The ultimate toy, you could say. This Solar Racing machine sits in second overall in the championship, so if it ever became available to buy, it would likely sell for the same sort of value, if a bit less. It is actually frightening to think about this, considering my job is to pilot it. This is a ship with no autopilot, don't forget. And being a highly tuned racing machine, very, very sensitive handling. And I am going to be flying this thing a few hundred meters above sea level on Earth, at speeds approaching 300,000mph. This should be interesting... I promise to be very careful... The great thing about this specific machine is that this one is one of the top racers in the current year, so it represents the absolute state of the art in spaceships today.

So, down to business. In this test I wanted to find out what a modern Formula X spaceship was like. This is a fantastic and very rare opportunity to be given. My objective is to answer the questions you will no doubt have wondered about, if you follow Formula X; what is such a ship like this really like to fly? What does the acceleration feel like? What sort of sound does it make in the cabin? How does it compare to, say, a Sunstar Type C, the most powerful and fastest public ship ever made? I hope I will be able to answer these questions in this very unique test.

Firstly, the basics. I did compete in the early years on Formula X, which was a totally different sport than it is today. The ships we had were basically modified public ships; but as I competed I do have a racing licence, one of the pre-requisites to be able to pilot a Formula X ship.

OK, the specification; that will hopefully put this into some sort of context. The Solar Racing Horizon has a maximum power of around 16,000 THz, and weighs 9 tons. A normal public ship such as the very nice Galaxis N5 has figures of 320 THz, and 35 tons, respectively. That gives a power to weight ratio of 1,800 THz per ton for the Horizon, and 9.14 THz for the Galaxis. That is 200 times more!! My old racing ship had 6,500 THz and weighed 25 tons, so 240 THz per ton. And it felt disgustingly rapid. This Solar Racing has over seven times the ratio of my old racer. Seven times!! So the Horizon is really off the scale. Even compared to the Sunstar Type C, with 200 THz/ton, the Horizon is literally off the planet. I'm beginning to think this experience of piloting this ship is going to be quite memorable, and that my ideas of what constitutes a 'fast' spaceship is going to be completely altered. And then you consider the cost of putting this team together, just to end up with a machine like the Horizon, the Solar Racing team has a yearly budget of Cr 30 million. That really is a colossal amount of money. So, with the basic stuff dealt with, let's have a close look at the machine.

The ship itself is very sleek and minimalist. It really is quite small; seeing it in the flesh really hits home how miniscule it actually is. It is a very focussed flying machine indeed with absolutely no extraneous details. In many ways it is what a spaceship should look like, shorn of all the bits we expect to have on our public ships, such as sleeping quarters, lounge area, and larger engine compartments for the artificial gravity system and so on. I think it looks stunning in the flesh, a real mean machine. Just the sight of such a beast is enough to get me excited. The main body is sleek, with a huge thruster unit at the back, with the two side units for steering. This ship looks amazing, it is a pure race ship, designed for one purpose, to go as fast as possible. Pure Formula X. Let's get on board and fly the thing.

To prepare to fly a Formula X racing ship is not a straight forward process. Firstly, it is a two-man job to get you in the pilot seat, where you are securely fastened to the ship; in fact, the harnesses are actually attached to the chassis, so you really are literally fixed to the ship. My head is then covered by the special helmet.

"Five minutes in this thing on full throttle without the helmet and you will be deaf," retorts the man helping me in, and then my neck is secured, to the point that my head can barely turn more than a few degrees, "Otherwise your head will be ripped off with the acceleration force," again from the same person.

His expression indicates to me that he is not joking. Right-oh then.

I have now no way of talking to anyone face to face, as the technicians close the hatch and switch the main power on. The process of getting the thing started is very complicated; it takes about five minutes of getting certain systems engaged and then we are ready.

The starter spins up and the engine literally explodes into life as the main engines start up. Holy mother. What a noise! The sound coming from the back is absolutely massive; even with the soundproofed helmet the noise just penetrates through and into my ears. My body shakes uncontrollably from the vibrations of the ship as it reverberates to the engine being turned over. It is so bad I have to cough uncontrollably. And we haven't even got going yet!

After a quick briefing from central control, I get the machine to hover above ground, and ease the control to accelerate; they advise me to take it easy, just to get used to the feel. Even though it is just cruising, barely above 1,000 mph, there is a perceptible increase in the engine sound. The controls are very close to hand, and the messages coming from central control keep me informed. Maybe they are questioning their sanity allowing a complete stranger loose in one of their machines!

After a very slow lap of Earth, I get the go-ahead to really give it some. The control is very easy to move; there is almost no resistance in the movement as I push the accelerator down. The engine note responds instantly and the ship fires forward. My jaw at this point would hit the floor if it could, but it is held tightly in position by the helmet. The noise coming from the engine is absolutely astonishing as the ship surges forward. I then go for full throttle.

Oh. My. Goodness. Words not allowed to be printed here come from my mouth as the ship accelerates with simply incredible force. It is absolutely savage. The speed just piles on, increasing by thousands of miles per hour in what seems like seconds. The view out of the window is just one of the horizon of Earth, and I am going so quickly, I have to constantly make the ship lose altitude as the curvature of the Earth becomes a constant corner. The sheer noise of the engine as we close in to 200,000 mph is pure violence. The noise of every mechanical movement seemingly magnified many times over, to the point where it feels like I am in the engine, or that the engine wants to break out behind me and join me in the cockpit. It sounds absolutely wonderful, like it is really, really angry, when pure race engines are at their best. It is like the Gods of War are sitting in the engine, having a very heated argument.

It is difficult to describe the feelings to be honest, things happen so fast. The sheer intensity of the noise, the vibrations, and the savagery of the power delivery is utterly intoxicating, bordering on absolutely terrifying. Going for the turbine bypass facility to liberate more power increases the intensity even more; the noise is now full of 'pops' and 'bangs' as the energy from the engine goes straight to the thrusters. And the cockpit is very hot; despite having a special suit that keeps me cool the heat just piles on. After going full throttle I go for a fast lap of Earth, which I do in 6 mins 47 secs; I thought this was really fast, I couldn't see where I could have gone faster, until I realise that the racing pilots earlier in the year lapped in less than five minutes; serious respect! Of course, that race was ten laps; the ship I am in is set up for one hundred laps, so it is detuned substantially, but hey...

Time comes to slow down, so a good chance to test the brakes; I go for reverse thrust. The force is utterly amazing. From the savage acceleration, we go for mind blowing braking force. Now I know why the neck is held in tight; without this restraining gear on I really feel as though my head could be ripped clean off my shoulders. And I'm not joking either. After a total of three laps I am spent; to think this machine did this for the 10 laps race and now set up for the upcoming 100 laps race of the Earth is staggering; how on earth they are able to race flat out for so long leaves me in awe of the current crop of racing pilots.

To sum up then; this ship is truly amazing with utterly insane performance. The savagery of the power delivery is absolutely off the scale, way, way ahead of anything including the fastest public ships. To have been given the chance to fly this ship is a rare privilege. Many thanks to Solar Racing for giving me the chance to fly their machine and I hope it gave you an insight into what it is like to fly one.

Overall – Wow what a machine. Absolutely amazing.

Pros – The speed, noise, feel, balance, and probably a hundred other aspects I can't think of right now.

Cons - You've got to be kidding!"

Other Sports : Targetball, Football, Hoverball

Targetball

When humans began to live on the Moon, they started to develop their own unique ways of living, and one of those ways was to invent new sports and games, the most popular being a sport called targetball. A fundamentally simple game, it involves hitting a ball at varying distances against a target, with a point gained for a "hit" and no points gained for a "miss". The challenge comes in being able to judge the aim and flight of a ball in a low-gravity situation, hence why it is very popular on the Moon.

After low-key beginnings, the pastime became more and more popular, and over time local populations began to organise competitions, until the game was played over the whole Moon. A formal championship, known as the 'open' championship was inaugurated in 2240, which was won by local player Jad'ghism. From that initial competition, the open is held yearly as the centrepiece tournament of the sport.

Over the history of the sport, certain players have become very famous, none more so than Tyke Olbrim, who was open champion every year from 2281 to 2293. Moonions dominate the sport; in the history of the open, only one non-Moonion has triumphed, when Earth-born Hans Smith took the title in 2294.

The open championship features a qualification round where a large number of competitors compete, with the top seven players going through to the final, joined by the reigning champion from the previous year who gains automatic entry. In the final, each player will shoot the ball against 10 targets of varying distances over ten rounds, so will hit a total of 100 shots. The championship winner usually scores 85 points or more; the record was set in 2285 when Tyke Olbrim scored 95 points, the closest anyone has ever got to scoring a perfect 100 points.

Football

With a history stretching back to the late-19th century, football is one of the longest running sporting games in history, and is still very popular in the 23rd century on Earth. In the latter half of the 20th century, the game developed into a big-money sport, especially in the European areas of the Earth, as well as being popular in certain South American countries. Local competitions between teams from different areas of the Earth competed in national and international tournaments, as well as national teams competing in world championships, the 'World Cup', which became one of the biggest sporting competitions of all.

Still very popular today, but only really played in any big way in Europe on Earth, the main competition now is the European League, where teams based in the big cities of Europe on Earth compete by playing matches against each other, with the champion gaining the most points over a season.

Hoverball

A close relation to football is hoverball, which is a game played in zero gravity, so it is popular on the Moon. The rules are similar to football, in so much that the game is played with two teams opposing each other, with the objective to score a goal by putting the ball into the opposing team's goal area. Even the match time is the same, with two halves of 45 minutes. However, the team size is smaller, with a hoverball team being made up of six players, rather than eleven in a football team. Also, another main difference is that players can hit the ball with any part of their body, so can hit the ball with their hands, rather than in football, where the goalkeeper is the only player who can do so.

The main competition for hoverball is the Galactic Championship. There are two leagues, the Mars and the Moon championships, where each team plays each other and gains points for a win or a draw. The Mars Championship has seven teams, the Moon Championship has eight. The winner from their respective leagues play each other in the Galactic Championship final.

The Olympus Mons Cycling Hill Climb

When people started to live on Mars, it was inevitable that the various geographical features of the planet's surface would attract the attention of scientists and geologists. One of these was the volcano Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the known universe. There was a building constructed at the top with a road leading up to it, which became the base for scientific researchers studying this geographical marvel. The road became an obvious target for cyclists searching for the ultimate hill climb. Such an event is planned for the end of 2300.

The climb itself will be a huge challenge. Olympus Mons is a shield volcano, but on a scale far greater than anything we know of anywhere else. The unique feature of Mars that made it the giant it became was due to the crust of Mars being stationary, rather than moving like it does on Earth. When the volcano erupted, the lava built up around the volcano, so with the surface of Mars remaining in one place, the mountain that it formed became so high. On Earth, with a revolving crust, no volcano could form such a high mountain. So it was that Olympus Mons became the highest mountain we know of.

The hill climb will be the most challenging cycle race of all. The start is at the base at ground level, with the first five miles going up the vertical cliff face of the volcano. The road up this section is like a typical mountain the French Alps, with multiple switchbacks and hairpin bends. The distance of this part is fifty miles. After that, the gradient flattens off to rise to the very top, with the finish line being two hundred miles later. A further challenge comes from the temperature drop down to around minus fifty or sixty degrees. Add in a landscape which is totally featureless and barren, the net result being a ride of unparalleled difficulty, regarded by many cycling experts as being far harder than any event on Earth.

The one thing the competitors won't have to worry about is being burned by lava. Olympus Mons last erupted 40 million years ago and is not expected to suddenly spring back to life anytime soon.
Olympus Mons Hill Climb Event Preview

The following document is the official event details for the cycling hill climb planned for 2300.

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The MARS ATHLETICS BOARD

with support from the

Earth-based GALACTIC CYCLING ASSOCIATION

the MARS TOURIST BOARD

and the GALACTIC HEALTH ALLIANCE

Proudly present

THE OLYMPUS MONS VOLCANO HILL CLIMB (MOM400)

to be held on the service road of Olympus Mons on Mars, the longest and highest paved road in the solar system.

To be held on 4th November 2300, first rider off at 7am.

On behalf of the organising committee of this unique sporting event, I would like to welcome all riders, support crews, spectators and stakeholders to Olympus Mons for the ultimate cycling challenge. The event offers the competitor the chance to cycle up the highest peak in the known Universe, to provide a unique challenge for cyclists of all abilities and levels.

I would also like to thank the efforts put in by the many people who are involved in some way; from medical staff, race marshals and other volunteers, without which the event could not take place.

I wish all the riders a successful ascent of Olympus Mons.

Thaddeus Drayton

Event Organiser
EVENT DISCLAIMER

Towards the summit of Olympus Mons, with temperatures expected to be less than minus fifty degrees, along with an atmosphere that requires the use of breathing apparatus, the dangers to people in that environment are well documented. As such, riders and their crews need to be aware at all times the hostility of the environment.

Competitors and their support crews are advised to take time to ensure they are aware of the various support notes provided to all teams, which are rules which must be adhered to. Anyone not compliant with the specific rules of this event will be liable to disciplinary action, leading to possible disqualification from the event.

RIDERS TAKE PART AT THEIR OWN RISK

Specific Event Details

Total distance: 240 miles

Vertical Height Gain: 14 miles

Olympus Mons has a unique shape due to the way it naturally formed millions of years ago. The first section is a climb up the vertical cliff face along the service road which has been created as a zigzag pattern. The road here is 50 miles long, with an average gradient of 10%. The corners come at around one mile intervals, with the gradient increasing to around 15%, the straights feature a gradient of around 9-10%. The second section, which leads to the finish, is 190 miles long, is completely straight, with a gradient of a consistent 5%. From ground level to the very summit of the climb, the temperature drops consistently. The ambient temperature is around 10 degrees at ground level, at the top it will be minus 50 degrees or lower. The finish point will be a line across the road, with the riders led into the service area and taken into the scientific building for medical check-up. Only with the all clear given by the staff on duty will the competitor be allowed to leave the building and return back to ground level.
Course description

Course Code MOM400

START at end of layby on the road leading off the base road of Olympus Mons, just before the sign "No unauthorised vehicles beyond this point". This road is signposted as 'Olympus Mons Service Road'. Continue on this road for approximately half a mile to the base of the Olympus Mons climb. Continue on this road to ascend the first section of Olympus Mons to reach the first summit. Continue on this road for the next 100 miles to the official checkpoint where breathing apparatus will be provided to all riders. This is a mandatory stop for no less than ten minutes. Continue on the road to the FINISH which is just before the Olympus Mons Scientific Building.

The following notices are the specific rules around the event.

\- The event will be ridden under general rules regarding the conduct of time trial racing. Riders will set off at one minute intervals and are not allowed to draft other riders.

\- At various points on the course, the 'split times' of the riders will be relayed to the support crews. If they do not wish to be given this information, then they must inform the organisers before the start of the race.

\- Each rider must have an appointed support crew. There is a maximum of two vehicles allowed per rider. No drafting of the support car is allowed by the rider.

\- The rider may be given help as necessary by their appointed support crew. At no point must the vehicle be driven forwards whilst the rider is inside the vehicle.

\- At around 150 miles, there is a checkpoint where riders are required to take on board the breathing apparatus. This is a mandatory stop. To eliminate riders gaining an advantage here, the stop will be enforced for ten minutes for each rider.

\- The rider may stop at any point on the course, but when resuming they must restart where they stopped.

\- Riders will be classified as official finishers if they finish their ride no less than twelve hours after the winner. Riders outside of this time limit will be permitted to complete their climb of Olympus Mons, but will be classified as a 'Non-Official Finisher'.

\- On finishing the race, the rider will be taken into the medical area immediately, to be checked over by the various medical staff present.

\- Official results will be announced when all necessary compliance tests and checks are complete.

\- Crews will be issued with distress beacons which may be deployed in the event of some sort of emergency to the rider or crew that requires extra help over and above what they can deal with themselves. In such an event, riders and their crews are advised to employ this emergency facility at the earliest opportunity, as due to the nature of the terrain, help can take much longer to arrive than normal.

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Transport in Space - the Public Highway

When human travel in space to the Moon and Mars started to become a routine affair, it became clear that a more formal system had to be set up to allow the traffic to move smoothly to and from their destinations. This ended up becoming the formalised public highway in space, which has grown in importance over the decades to the present day as public space travel has become popular, as private ownership of spaceships has increased.

The main routes are Earth to the Moon, the Moon to Mars and Earth to Mars, and vice versa. The system employed to ensure safe passage is with a type of laser beam which is invisible to human eyes, but is detected by spaceships which sets the most direct route at that precise time to the direction of travel. As the celestial objects move in their various orbits, the highway constantly changes. Within the travel area inside the laser beams, impact detection systems spot potential problems such as meteorites and other space debris and signal to the spaceships so that avoiding action can be taken. The highway is being constantly upgraded to take the increased volume of traffic, so that travel can continue as efficiently as possible. However, accidents do happen, which leads at times to traffic jams in space with multiple spaceships hovering at a standstill until the highway is clear.

Outside the normal routes, there is no highway as such, for example for someone wanting to travel to Neptune or beyond. However, public spaceships are generally not designed to travel outside of Earth and Mars orbital planes, so anyone taking a spaceship outside of these areas does so at great risk.

There is a speed limit of 300,000mph which applies to public spaceships and is rigidly enforced. There are discretions applied, such as to emergency vehicles, that can travel at greater speeds. Also, during special events, such as Formula X races, the highway used for a race will be completely closed. There are also special events such as the speed record attempt by the Palatia-Sonnar X1 spaceship when the highway will also be closed.
The Spaceship Industry – Personal Spaceships

With people now living on the Moon, Mars and associated spacestations, it is clear the spaceship industry has become an extremely important part of human society. In short, had spaceships not been developed to allow humans to travel in outer space to and from various celestial objects, then living on them would not be possible. The major breakthrough was to develop spaceships that were not only reliable and safe, but also relatively affordable. Today, a pre-owned spaceship that could feasibly take a person from Earth to Mars in comfort can be obtained for as little as Cr 15,000, or about the same as a reasonable yearly wage.

The first significant personal space transport projects to take people outside of Earth atmosphere and to another celestial object were the Russians and the Americans with their Apollo missions in the mid-20th century, culminating in the first successful landing on the Moon. Of course, these missions cost the equivalent of many billions of credits, and were undoubtedly the greatest feat of human achievement of the time. Obviously, for people to travel as a matter of routine was important in terms of getting populations established on the Moon and Mars, not just in terms of making it much cheaper, but also to make the process less complicated. For the 20th century missions, the astronauts had to undergo intensive training, an aspect that had to be removed from modern travel. To make this possible, spaceships were developed to be much more simple and easy to fly. So much so, that today, anyone can board a spaceship and travel into space with just a simple pilot licence, which takes some people a few weeks to achieve.

The pilot licence process involves the prospective pilot learning the basics of what the main spaceship components do, so is taught, amongst other things, about engine parts, turbines and thrusters, and how an escape pod is deployed. In terms of flying, the pilot has a number of sessions in a simulator to learn the controls and what happens to a ship in the event of certain components failing. Also, the basics on how to take off and land safely, and of undertaking routine tasks on an engine. There is a practical test, which is done in a real spaceship, where the pilot takes off, undertakes a number of manoeuvres, and lands. The theory test covers the legal matters of flying, such as knowledge of speed limits, flying zones and conduct in certain conditions such as overtaking slower traffic.

When humans started to colonise Mars and the Moon at the latter part of the 22nd century, the only way to travel there was by large cruiser ships, which were chartered by professional pilots. As more and more people lived outside of the Earth, it became obvious that people would begin to need to travel in a more personal manner. There was huge investment made into this area, mainly looking into making a spaceship small enough for a few people to travel in comfort, safely, and quickly from one place to another, at an affordable price for a significant proportion of the population to purchase. That breakthrough came in 2250, when Galaxis introduced the Solar Explorer, which was followed by other models from manufacturers, to the point today where there are spaceships for almost any budget and intended use. For top luxury, Gilbern offer their hand crafted machines, whereas sporty models are produced by Sunstar. For someone who can't afford a new ship the second hand market can offer space travel on a modest budget.

The personal spaceship industry is still in relative infancy today, with new developments taking place all the time. Since 2250, after Galaxis brought out the first ever private ship, many manufacturers have followed with their offerings. For powering the ships, two main systems are used, nuclear and solar power, each offering advantages over the other in terms of price and ultimate power. Normal cruising speeds achieved with these vehicles in outer space are in the range 200,000 – 250,000mph, with the legal speed limit on the normal 'space highway' of 300,000mph. All spaceships have a cockpit for a pilot, although it is possible to allow the ship to fly itself with its on-board autopilot. The engine is usually strategically placed to produce efficient power – it can either be above, below, in front or behind the main cabin. All have sophisticated navigation systems on board. Main body cladding is a type of material to protect the occupants of the ship from the harmful effects of radiation and other dangers in space. Most have a limit to how close to the Sun they can go, with respect to the anti solar radiation protection they have, and a heat shield to allow it to safely re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. Some ships have sleeping quarters and areas to relax for long distance travel, with top luxury ships offering large compartments for maximum comfort. All ships have an escape pod facility; once they get to a certain size, for example, able to accommodate more than five people, they have more than one pod.

Legal Spaceworthy Test

All spaceships for public use have to go through a yearly test to allow them to be used on the public highway in space. Items checked are:

Seals on body cladding against solar radiation, and a working heatshield to allow the ship to enter Earth's atmosphere;

Exhaust (turbine) heat and sound level from engine;

Autopilot system, every ship must have a system that can effectively fly itself. The autopilot usually takes control in difficult flying situations, such as in heavy traffic or landing;

General noise levels;

Escape pod, for use in the event of an emergency, such as complete failure of the engine or other critical system, occupants need to rely on the escape pod for safety. Some ships that are designed for more than one or two people may have multiple pods.

Artificial gravity system. By default, the gravity system is set to give a gravity feel as on Earth, so this system would be checked to ensure it is within tolerance of this setting;

Valid insurance and tax.

Brief history

Galaxis were the first company to put a spaceship on general sale, with their Solar Explorer in 2250. Powered by a nuclear engine, the ship gave a few wealthy individuals the first glimpse of personal flying in space. The ship is very rare now, with an original low mileage Solar Explorer commanding almost any price. Sunstar came along ten years later with the first ever solar powered ship, which provided travellers with a more higher performance option. Solar powered engines power more luxurious ships as this type of engine is quieter and more refined than nuclear. Other companies have entered the market, such as the unique Britus with its tremendous high speed capacity; however, the outright speed record belongs to Sunstar, with the Type C, powered by its massive 5,000 THz engine, with a record breaking top speed of 1.2 million mph. Although this had a solar engine, it was most definitely not quiet or refined!

Spaceship manufacturers

The following companies are involved in the construction of personal spaceships, along with details of current spaceships available to buy new.

Britus

The most successful Formula X racing team became a public spaceship builder in 2290 when they produced to date their only model which was designed for public use. It didn't actually have a name, and was produced in very small numbers, with only ten being made, which was an attempt to create a public spaceship as close as possible to a Formula X racing ship. As a result, today the ship is extremely rare and valuable.

Fellucia

Large producer of spaceships, having a works Formula X racing team, they also manufacture freight cargo ships. Their ships for public use are big sellers as they tend to be seen as good value, a little below the luxury offered by more expensive makes. Have a reputation for very reliable and well built ships.

Siesta - with a price tag of Cr 120,000 the Fellucia Siesta is one of the cheapest new spaceships on the market today. Powered by a 200 THz nuclear engine, the Siesta also the least powerful, but is a good choice for someone after a basic spaceship.

Galaxis

The company that started it off, with their Solar Explorer model which was on sale from 2250, and was in production until 2265. Their ships today are of high quality and aimed mainly at the business traveller.

N5 - superb cruising machine from Galaxis, with a smooth 320 THz solar powered engine and space for two people to sleep on board. List price Cr 220,000.

N6 - like the N5, but with a more powerful engine producing 400 THz and offered new at Cr 280,000.

Gilbern

Based in Florida, Gilbern manufacture the most expensive and luxury ships on the market today. Their ships offer the owner absolute top quality regardless of price. Popular with wealthy business people.

Golden Dragon - the most expensive ship on sale today, priced at Cr 1.5m as a 'rolling chassis', with unlimited options to customise the interior. Colossal solar engine produces 1,600 THz.

Silver Cheetah \- smaller version of the Golden Dragon, but with a length of 50 meters, is still huge by any measure. List price Cr 1.2m.

JSC

The Japanese Spaceship Corporation make ships similar in specification and price to Fellucia.

Strato - priced at Cr 90,000, the JSC Strato is the cheapest new spaceship available today. Popular with commuters travelling between Earth and the Moon.

Palatia-Sonnar

Main rivals to Galaxis with ships designed for business commuters.

H6000 - a popular choice with business travellers going to Mars from Earth, with capacity to sleep four in luxurious comfort. List price is Cr 300,000 which is more expensive than rival models from Galaxis, but with the H6000 engine rated at 500 THz it has superb cruising ability.

Sunstar

The more 'hardcore' sports ship builder. Sunstars have huge engines producing very high power outputs. Of note, their Type C model, which was sold in 2280-85, still holds the record highest speed ever achieved by a public ship, touching 1.2 million mph in official tests.

Type F - with a solar powered engine rated at 2,500 THz, the Sunstar Type F is the most powerful, and with a top speed of 500,000 mph, fastest spaceship on the market today. Popular with speed freaks and anyone wanting a high performance ship - with deep pockets. New cost is Cr 400,000.

Type G - slightly detuned version of the Type H, but still offers 1,900 very loud terahertz from its solar powerplant.

Yamamoto

Spaceships from Yamamoto are large ships, mainly designed for long distance cruising. Main sponsors of the Japan Racing Formula X race team.

Meteor-X - continuing their tradition for large cruiser ships, the Meteor-X is the latest spaceship from Yamamoto. With a length of 60 meters and sleeping capacity of 25 people, the ship is a popular choice for taxi firms or as a hire vehicle for long distance travel. With a 2,000 THz nuclear engine mapped for long distance cruising, a smooth ride is guaranteed.

Classic Spaceships

With public spaceships now having been in production for nearly half a century, some ships produced by manufacturers have become sought after 'classics', the most significant as follows.

2274-80 Sunstar Type C

With its huge engine producing 5,000 THz, the Type C remains to this day the most powerful ship ever offered for sale to the public. With a purchase price of Cr 5 million, it was only ever available to a small number of people who wanted to experience what a spaceship would feel like which put performance and speed above all other considerations. It was in essence a Formula X racing machine, detuned with the minimum of modifications to make it legal for the public to use. Each one was hand built in the same workshops as the Formula X works team. When it set the record for a public ship of 1.2 million mph, its place in the history books was guaranteed. A good Type C will cost around Cr 2m, with low mileage examples worth many times that.

2290 Britus

With Britus achieving tremendous success on the Formula X racing circuit, for 2290 they concentrated on making a spaceship that was as close to a racer as it was possible to be while being legal to use for the public highway. It was built along the same lines as the Sunstar Type C, the main difference being that it had a nuclear power engine, whereas the Type C used solar power. Like the Sunstar, the machine was very raw and loud. Britus made just ten examples, thereby making the ship very rare. Examples hardly ever make the open market, as ships tend to swap ownership with deals made in private.

2250-65 Galaxis Solar Explorer

The first ever ship offered to the public. Produced for fifteen years and continuously improved during this time, the Solar Explorer remains a popular spaceship even today, with many owners using them daily. Despite its age, the ship offers good service to users. The early examples of this ship command huge prices, especially those with early chassis numbers.

2275-85 Gilbern Eclipse

Today, Gilbern is the choice transport for many important individuals, including politicians and industry captains. The first ever model from them started production in 2275 and was produced for ten years. Popular with business travelers wanting a spaceship that put luxury and refinement above any consideration of cost. The Eclipse was sold mainly as a 'rolling chassis' as owners tended to customize the interiors so as a result no ship is the same as another. The entire ship was hand built and beautifully finished, which accounted for its huge cost. For many people, owning a Gilbern is a dream, but due to very strong second hand residual values, is likely to remain a dream. New they cost Cr 500,000, a good used Eclipse is worth around Cr 400,000 - and with servicing costs added in, the adage of 'if you can afford to buy two Gilberns you can afford to run one' rings very true.

Preparing for Long Distance Space Journeys

Today, travelling between Earth and the Moon or to the various orbiting spacestations are seen as routine journeys. Travelling much further to Mars is to take on an ultra distance journey and is subject to a number of points which should be addressed by anyone contemplating such a trip.

The key aspect to travelling to Mars is that the distance can vary widely, depending on the position of the celestial objects in their orbits around the Sun. At its closest, Mars is around 54 million km from Earth; at its furthest, the distance is 400 million km. If using a modern spaceship, this translates to a travel time of around week to over a month, so naturally people tend to wait with this journey when the orbits make it advantageous to travel there in a reasonable timeframe.

When taking on such a distance, a traveller is urged to take extra precautions on their journey. With the distance being so long, in the case of an emergency, rescue can take much longer to arrive than normal. Also, travelling such huge distances make a mechanical problem more likely than if just going from the Moon to Earth which is a much shorter journey, due to the far greater stresses placed on the components of the spaceship. What hits home for most people wanting to do this is due to the fact that Mars is barely visible with the naked eye when viewed from Earth. Even using a powerful telescope the planet is only just noticeable as a red disc, so the magnitude of the journey becomes very clear.

Official advice when undertaking this journey includes the following:

\- Ensure your spaceship is in sound mechanical condition. A basic service and check can be undertaken by most garages to ensure the engine is performing to normal tolerances and that everything is in good order, in particular, the turbine and thruster systems.

\- You have to consider the suitability of the machine used for this journey. Some public ships are much better than others for long distance. Sunstar ships, for example, are sold on the premise that they are sporty machines with no real living space - they have no sleeping areas, which is a major issue for a journey that will take many days. If in doubt, it is a good precaution to check with your spaceship dealer on this.

\- Inform various people of your journey with expected times for reaching various points on the way. It is a good idea to keep in regular contact with someone 'on the ground' on both Mars and the Earth so that if no signal is received at the expected time, emergency services can be contacted to attempt to gain contact with your spaceship.

\- Take enough food and water and other essential supplies. Even if the orbital position of Earth and Mars positions them to be as close as possible, it is still a huge distance, taking close to a week to complete the journey.

\- If you are travelling with Earth and Mars being far apart, with the Sun positioned at the halfway point in your journey, it means you will have to take into account the extra distance to navigate around our natural star safely. Also, flying close to the Sun will result in the gravitational pull of the Sun having a profound effect of the way a spaceship will fly. Spaceships come with a safety setting which allows a minimum distance to the Sun, which must be adhered to. It means obviously that the journey will take a definite curve in travel trajectory in the middle of the journey as the ship avoids the Sun. This is a critical aspect to the journey, as getting this wrong can result in catastrophic consequences.

\- The most important consideration is to realise that although there are services available in the event of rescue being necessary if your spaceship has a problem, the general consensus is that you are 'on your own' and expected to undertake routine maintenance tasks on your ship. Rescue can take many weeks to arrive, especially if you are around half way between Earth and Mars.

Beyond Mars is known as 'no man's land' as the next planet on is Jupiter. Leaving the orbital plane of Mars is purely at your own risk.

Comparison of a Formula X ship to a Public Spaceship

Formula X spaceships are fire breathing, highly tuned speed machines, compared to refined, quiet, comfortable public ships, but just how different are they? To answer this question, they can be separated by a number of different categories:

Purpose

A racer is an out-and-out racing machine; a public spaceship is designed to transport one or more people from one destination to the next, which essentially differentiates the two ships in terms of their intended function, and from there the main differences become apparent.

Engine

Power compared to vehicle weight. The lighter and more powerful a spaceship is, the faster it goes; a very simple concept, and one which is taken to the extreme in comparing a Formula X racer to a public ship. The top racers have (as at the end of the 2298 season) an engine producing in excess of 15,000 THz. The list of Formula X championships above shows how the racers have gained more power over the years, along with becoming lighter and lighter, as more research is put into the ships to make them more efficient with better and lighter materials. A public ship has an engine of typically 500 THz, although the most powerful have over 2,000, but although this seems a large enough number, they are much heavier than the racers, the lightest public ship on sale today is the Fellucia Siesta at 29 tons, three times the weight of a typical racer. The highest power-to-weight ratio of a public ship was the Sunstar Type C which featured 200 THz per ton; pretty impressive, but compared to a Formula X machine of nearly 2,000 THz per ton, puts that into perspective...

Shape and design

As a racer only exists to race, the design is totally uncompromised. The shape of a racer is purely dictated to by the necessities of accommodating the highly tuned and powerful engine and specialised turbine and thruster units. The cockpit is also located in the most strategic position to allow the pilot the best view to give him or her the ability to position the ship in the most advantageous way during a race, and also of course to minimise the risk of hitting their fellow competitors, which is an ever-present risk in close-quarter racing. A public ship, on the other hand, is designed to minimise engine and thruster noise and vibration, so the accommodation is generally placed as far away from the powerplant as possible. Also, the windows for the people on board are usually placed to allow them to see outside, for the best views of planets and moons.

Living accommodation

This of course is where a public machine has one up over the racers. Public machines are generally very comfortable and feature living quarters for the travellers, including sleeping facilities. A racer has none of these accoutrements. Of course, it does not need them, as they are used in races that take typically less than an hour, a pilot won't have time to think about relaxing. Public ships that are designed to go long distances, for example travelling from Earth to Mars, a sleeping provision is essential.

Pilot flying aids

A public ship can fly itself, indeed some owners don't ever venture into the cockpit, or captain's bridge. On the other hand, a racer has no pilot aids at all or even an autopilot; they have to fly and control the ship all the time. The essence of the sport is to make it a true test of a pilot's flying skill.

General flying comfort

Featuring state of the art soundproofing, to the point shown in the fantastically expensive and luxurious Gilberns where any thruster noise is completely removed from the living quarters, public ships are nice places to be in when on a long-distance journey. A Formula X spaceship, however, has no soundproofing at all, or in fact any filtering out of the sensation of flying. A pilot wears a special racing suit with a helmet, which features built-in soundproofing, without which, they would be totally deaf within ten minutes, with the ship on full power. A racing ship is an incredibly noisy place to be.

Ease of flying

With the autopilot on, a public ship can fly itself. A racer, however, does not have one, and along with the vibrations and sensations of the ship filtering directly to the pilot, a racer is an incredibly difficult machine to fly smoothly. In fact, to fly one, it is a legal requirement to have a special licence, as in the wrong hands a racer could be a lethal weapon; the slightest movement of the controls can cause the ship to veer violently off course. For the pilots who fly these machines, they describe them as the ultimate test of man and machine. It is not difficult to see why. Flown well, with the ship well set up and balanced, with the pilot in complete control, is a symphony of perfect mechanical and biological harmony.

Performance

An obvious one really, a racer is much, much faster than a public ship. If you think public ships are fast, prepare to have this idea of what 'fast' is, to be completely re-programmed. As a guide, a typical public ship can cruise at around 200,000mph, close to the legal speed limit of 300,000mph, which is surely fast by anyone's standards. For maximum performance in a public legal spaceship, one has to look at the Sunstar Type C which was sold between 2274 and 2280, which hit 1.2million mph in official top speed tests. the Britus, regarded as a Formula X machine for the public to use, could hit close to the million mph mark. All very impressive, but how does this compare to a racer? Well, when you look at the average speeds across the various courses, you begin to realise what these monsters can do. During 2298, the five-lap Earth to Moon race was won by Silas Volante with an average speed of just over 2 million mph. Also, the maximum speeds hit on this race were believed to be over 3 million mph. It is not just terminal velocity though where a Formula X ship impresses; it is simply the way the machines accelerate. They increase speed at phenomenal rates, in fact with so much violence, if the pilots were not wearing head gear that holds the head firmly, they would actually suffer neck fractures...!

Cost

Public spaceships come in at around Cr 100,000, to well over Cr 1m, but if that is beyond budget, the second hand market can offer good money savings. A well used, older ship can cost from around Cr 20,000, which is remarkable value when you think of what these machines can do. Even more remarkable when you compare them to a racer. The costs for a retired Formula X racer are totally off the scale. To give you an idea, the best funded teams such as Britus are funded to the tune of Cr 100 million per year, a truly staggering amount. Of course, a huge amount of that money goes into research and development, as the teams are constantly moving their ships forwards in terms of engine power, aerodynamics and general setup. So how much would a racer cost to buy? Naturally, you cannot purchase a current racing ship, when they have finished racing for the season, most are placed into storage or held by the team's factory; some of them go on to be displayed in museums. Some of them do become available from time to time on the open market. Of course, many of the teams are reluctant to do this as some of the technology used are highly guarded secrets, but of the ones that come up for sale, the general consensus is a starting price of Cr 1m, that is for a 'basic' racer. For a ship with one or two race wins you can easily double or treble that amount, and then for an overall championship winner, budget for over Cr 10m. And as for servicing and running costs, well if you need to know then you probably can't afford it...'eye-watering' is a word that springs to mind...

So, those are the basics... Probably best leave them for the racetrack, and take something else out for the pint of milk!

Spaceship test \- Gilbern Golden Dragon

With this ship being the most expensive on the market, this test was to see what this mean machine was all about. John Messier, Formula X Galactic Champion in 2283 and 2284 was given the keys to this dream machine, so let's see what he thought of it...

"OK, it isn't easy to ignore the fact that, at 1½ million credits, this is not exactly your everyday transport. But when you see the spec sheet you will notice the numbers that cannot fail to raise the eyebrows of someone used to more mundane machinery – how about the 1,600 THz power rating – with cruising speed of 300,000mph? But seeing this machine as simply a high speed device is displaying naivety at its highest. People buy Gilberns for one reason, the whole reason why Steven and Margaret Gilbern decided to go into this field of manufacture – to offer simply the best space cruising experience possible, regardless of cost. So, we can finally experience what a small number of wealthy individuals have been used to since 2275, when the first Gilbern became available, the Eclipse. The machine on test here is only the third ship introduced by Gilbern, as they don't replace their machines that often, preferring to only introduce a new model when they can offer significant improvements from the previous spaceship. A big ask when they are already built to the highest standards in the first place.

Firstly, the look of the thing. It is the most stunningly beautiful spaceship I have ever seen, and absolutely massive, at 60 meters long. As its name suggests, it is mostly a golden hue on the metal cladding. I am almost apologetic touching it and marking its perfect body panels with my fingerprints. The shell makes use of new developments in metal sheeting – a material which Gilbern manufacture themselves, which offers improved soundproofing called 'Cerandion', that also integrates the solar power units.

Moving to the lower section of the ship, we have the solar power unit. I cannot believe how big it is. Gilberns have always had big engines, but this is taking it to the next level. Gilbern build big engines to allow a large capacity, and then tune them down for least stress, so they have better cruising ability. Also, a physically large engine will make less noise, all important aspects for luxury travel. As opposite to a Formula X powerplant as you can get. Amazing to think it can pull this beast along at close to 1/3rd million miles per hour! The main turbine units are polished to an impeccable finish – details that will simply delight a new owner, proving the lengths Gilbern go to in their attention to detail. The level of soundproofing employed is incredible as well. Thinking back to the list price, I'm beginning to think it's almost cheap!! Either that or I'm becoming a convert...

Getting in, I am instantly hit with a wonderful smell of leather. You go straight into the sitting quarters, which is as you'd expect – full pile carpet and top quality upholstery. It looks like a living room that very wealthy people live in – which, in view of who will buy such a ship, is exactly correct. When Gilbern design their interiors, they try and create an atmosphere for the occupants like they are at home and it certainly works here. A very luxurious pad indeed. You could almost do away with your house and live in one of these.

I decide to take the ship for a test run, from its base in Florida to one of the Moon bases. Most owners will of course allow the autopilot to take them there – but I decide to take control. A tough job, I'm sure you'll agree, but someone's got to do it...

Initialising the engine I think there is a fault – there is absolutely no noise at all. However, the display in front of me indicates we are ready to go. I engage the thrusters, and can hardly believe my ears as we appear to move with a barely perceptible hum from the solar cells. Soon, I am in Earth orbit and with barely a twitch the ship launches towards our natural satellite. The autopilot takes over, and soon we are cruising at 200,000mph. The engine is barely audible at all. Landing on the Moon is completely without drama. Cruising back to the Earth I decide to try out the various systems on board. The music system uses state of the art surround sound. I am also assured the ship has the latest in satellite technology to allow the owner to engage in business dealings while on the move. I am not going to argue with this. Landing back on Earth is faultless.

In conclusion, this is by far the best spaceship I have ever been in. The attention to detail is staggering, the craftsmanship on show is amazing. The quality of fittings and the general flying experience is beyond anything on the market today. It is not surprising that Gilberns are so sought after by people with sufficient wealth to buy one.

Overall – A magnificent ship. I thought the Palatia-Sonnar H6000 was the reference for business cruisers but the Golden Dragon is really in a different league.

Pros – Beautiful design, virtually silent engine, magnificent opulence, etc, need I go on??

Cons – Err..."

Significant People in History

Abramov, Sergy (Earthite, male) – astronaut, first human on Mars

Born 15th March 2009, died 12th November 2056

Uttering the immortal words, "Well, it's red, dusty, barren, but one day might just be called home," while stepping onto the surface of Mars, Sergy Abramov was the first human ever to set foot on another planet other than Earth on 5th October 2037.

Part of a five-person multi-nation team that formed at the beginning of 2030 for the first ever manned mission to Mars, Abramov was joined by the following crew:

Dr Andrea Kowlowski, USA, pilot and medical doctor;

Steven Briggs, Great Britain, logistics and flight engineer;

Kung Fi Koom, Japan, co-pilot;

Nasser Hussian, Iran, computer technician.

All five astronauts undertook extensive training in simulated areas and did controlled experiments to ensure they would be as best prepared as possible to undertake the mission. Their spaceship was constructed in Cape Canaveral, USA. In 30th October 2036 the ship took off from Earth, and had a relatively trouble-free journey to Mars, which took almost one full year.

Abramov was the first person to set foot on Mars, saying his immortal words, followed by the rest of the crew, and they spent a total of five hours on the Martian surface before returning to Earth. This return journey took just over one year, and they were greeted as heroes as they touched down successfully.

Tragedy was to befall Abramov, when on a mission to the Moon in 2056 ended in his rocket exploding soon after take off due to a fuel leak. Thus he was deprived of his dream of seeing if his words would come true of seeing people living on Mars, which happened just over one hundred years later.

The landing site is preserved on the surface of Mars, which has become a location of scientific importance, which sees many tourists visit every year. This was made possible by Abramov's decision to seal his first footprint in the Martian surface as soon as it was made, as if left exposed to the Martian surface it would have disappeared. By preserving his footprints, in readiness for humans to re-visit the site, it ensured that this piece of human history was kept alive.

Avant, Shenna (Earthite, female) - medical doctor who discovered a cure for the common cold

Born 3rd June, 2160, died 15th December 2201

Regarded as one of the greatest medical minds of all time, Shenna Avant worked on a number of projects before being thrust into the limelight with her discovery of a cure against the common cold.

Her early career was relatively unremarkable, which had her working with numerous teams within a number of medical hospitals on general medicines. It was during 2189, while developing antidotes for various skin conditions that she made her astounding discovery.

Noticing certain cells being destroyed after a course of treatment, she isolated these samples and with the help of computer simulations was able to calculate the formula for her special medicine. After further analysis she realised the cells being destroyed were infected by the flu virus, and it suddenly dawned on her that she might have found a cure for the common cold. She received permission to test her medicine out on a number of people suffering flu-like symptoms, who were totally cured within ten minutes. After further tests, which saw more people cured, it was officially confirmed that the common cold had finally been cured, which up to that point was probably the oldest illness in human history.

Tragically her life was cut short after she was killed in a car crash, two weeks before she was to receive her Nobel Prize for services to medicine.

Caldera, Donovan (Earthite, male) - founder of Ultra Natural

Born 3rd September 2067, died 1st March 2169

Born into a family with a long history of roles within the Christian church, Donovan Caldera was expected to continue the family's devotion to the bible and the Christian way of life. He did, but not in the way many expected. He started his career as a vicar in a local parish, rapidly working up the ranks within the church, at one point looking likely to be promoted to the position of bishop. However, his life took a different direction as he approached the age of 50.

Noticing an increasing reliance on artificial means, including robots, computers and electronics, Caldera decided that humans appeared to be living lives as slaves to machines, and decided to incorporate an organisation dedicated to a more 'natural' lifestyle. This was the founding of the group 'Ultra Natural', which began in 2116.

He set the ground rules for this organisation, which he decided would be available to anyone who wanted to join. Regarded as a pioneer, and unusually for someone like this, respected across the spectrum, he became the voice of reason in a world increasing reliant on computers for its day to day living.

Today, over one hundred years since he passed away, the organisation has grown in stature to the point that it is very respected across all walks of life.

Lysander, Miles (Earthite, male) – spacestation designer

Born 27th February 2098, died December 18th 2297

With a life spanning close to a staggering 200 years, Miles Lysander became arguably the most important spacestation engineer of all time.

Born in South Africa, his early years showed a passion for mechanical and electrical objects. Much to his parent's annoyance, he would take certain machines to pieces, with varying levels of success in terms of putting them back together in working order. He graduated with a degree in mechanical design, and began work on satellites for a number of space missions. His talent showed in his early career, and he began to specialise in engineering better living areas for people living and working in space.

In 2120, Lysander was instrumental in the design of the Isaac Newton, the first ever super spacestation to be built. His talent was to design the living accommodation in a very creative way, using light, space and what he called 'feel', to package everything a person would need in a very small space. When the spacestation was launched, Lysander continued to work in the industry, designing the living spaces in many spacestations and satellites. He was regularly recruited by the public spaceship industry to design the living areas on board their ships.

When Lysander turned 100, he took a back seat in his work, and took more time for leisure, but was still involved with various projects, often taking a lead in the setup and design of spacestations.

In his later life, beyond his 150th birthday, Lysander kept up a remarkable heath, regularly undertaking exercise and he gradually slipped into retirement.

Lysander died in 2297, just before the announcement by the government to create a new Type 5 spacestation to orbit Earth. It has been decided to name it Lysander by way of tribute to him, a move that has gained unanimous agreement by all people involved in the project. Construction is expected to begin in the early part of the 24th century.

Olbrim, Tyke (Moonion, male) - targetball player

Born 14th April 2260

Widely regarded as the greatest targetball player of all time, Tyke Olbrim achieved phenomenal success in the sport, winning the Open Championship a stunning thirteen times in a row, retiring in 2293 after his final win.

He was born with a rare talent of tremendous hand and eye coordination which gave him his uncanny ability with the ball, which was obvious to everyone who saw him play.

Olbrim was discovered as having a talent for the sport at an early age, being touted as a potential champion at just twelve years of age. Taken under the wing of a local sports club, he was given the opportunity to hone his skills. His first championship was in 2281, where he stunned everyone by winning the whole competition outright, starting a dominance in the sport that had never been seen before or since. He was instantly made into a celebrity overnight.

He followed up his first win with an unbroken run of a further twelve championship wins, regularly scoring over 90 points, with a peak of 95 points in 2285, a record that remains to this day and the closest anyone has ever come to a perfect 100 points. His last championship came in 2293, when he announced his retirement, thereby drawing the line on an amazing career which saw him win every Open Championship he had ever entered.

In a remarkable family of targetball players, his younger brother Rebum Olbrim won the Open Championship between the years of 2295-7.

In retirement, Olbrim has continued to be involved in the sport, as he developed a very strong rapport with journalists and was a fans favourite during his competitions. Today, he is involved with coaching prospective targetball competitors.

Shas'olum (Marsian, male) - full time professional Formula X racing pilot

Born 1st March 2259

Shas'olum began his career, much like the other Formula X pilots, in a role connected to the sport, but harbouring dreams of winning the galactic championship one day. He was a mechanic for the Fellucia team, before being noted as a possible future talent by the Rebus Racing Academy when he trained for his spaceship flying licence. His potential was tested by the Jupe Racing Team, and was put on a training programme where he showed impressive test results, and was taken on as a test pilot for the same team for the 2293 season. A full time pilot seat became available following the retirement of their full time pilot, Actor Menmon. Despite the ship being quite uncompetitive, Shas'olum impressed with some high placings, and, following a full season in 2296, he was offered the ultimate pilot seat, racing for Britus in 2297. Critics viewed this appointment with some scepticism as there were other more experienced pilots in the running for this seat, but Shas'olum delivered the goods, winning his first race and going on to take 2nd place in the championship.

The following year was the season when Shas'olum fully repaid the trust placed in him by the Britus team. He won 4 races and went on to take the galactic championship, achieving his long-time ambition. It is anticipated that Shas'olum and Britus will achieve considerable success in the coming years.

Sordim, Heinder (Earthite, male) – Chief engineer for Moon habitation

Born May 2nd, 2116

Arguably, the greatest ever human engineering achievement was the successful terraforming of Mars, but the project undertaken to make the Moon habitable for humans was no less difficult.

Heading a specialist team of expert geologists and scientists, Heinder Sordim led the investigation into this project, which began in earnest in 2149. In just ten years, after many visits to the lunar surface, the team had enough research to begin construction of the first permanent settlement on the Moon. In 2165 the first humans moved to the Moon and the project was complete.

Heinder herself was recognised at the time to be a brilliant engineer, who had a wealth of experience in varying projects on Earth and the Moon, and for many was seen as a logical choice to lead the mission to make the Moon habitable. Her own work on the project, apart from leading the team as project director, was to develop the material for the dome system, which is today widely used on the Moon surface. It was believed initially that the Moon could be terraformed like Mars, but the research and tests carried out by Heinder's team discovered that this was not possible, due to any atmosphere quickly disappearing off the Moon. So work began on a 'dome' system, which is what the Moon has to this day.

Today, despite being over 180 years old, Heinder still holds an active role in Moon habitation, being a board member of the directorate of Vicklady-Sonderling Enterprises Ltd, the company that constructs the dome system. Also, she advises the current government within the Moon Safety Commission on developments regarding the population of the Moon. She is widely admired for her dedication to her work, causing current Supreme Governor Phillipe Steinway to consider her one of the most significant people in the history of the human race.

Steinway, Phillipe (Earthite, male) – Supreme Governor

Born 15th August 2239

The position of supreme governor, the highest position of power for humans, is currently held by Frenchman Phillipe Steinway.

Steinway had an unremarkable childhood in the middle of the 23rd century, but it was noted during his time of education at university that he had a real passion for politics. His first job was as admin clerk for a local government office in Paris, France. It was during the rapid development of solar power that he campaigned successfully against the construction of a powerplant in his beloved countryside outside Paris where Steinway discovered a talent for engaging with people. He had certain ideals that he campaigned passionately for, and quickly became noted as a highly intellectual individual, who had a certain grasp on issues and could see all sides of an argument. Steinway moved up the political ranks, and as he moved up in his career, he harboured dreams of landing the top job of supreme governor. Some of his supporters reckoned he was such an influential character with good ideals and morals, that he would be very good for people if he were to gain this position.

It was during the elections in 2297 that he won power, with a majority support from most areas of the population, and is regarded as a popular person to lead the human race into the 24th century.

Tallantyre, Remus (Marsian, male) - industrialist

Born 24th July 2213

From very humble and difficult beginnings, Remus Tallantyre built up one of the biggest engine manufacturing plants, being the head of the company he founded. Despite his advanced age, Remus still works full time in his company.

Born on Mars, to unknown parents, Remus was likely to have been the product of a prostitute who gave birth to him. For many babies born at this time on Mars, living any length of time was lucky, and Remus was one of the lucky ones. He suffered terribly in his early years, but once he became an adult, his entrepreneurial and business talents showed through. He set up business on his own, and registered a patent for an aspect of engine design that proved to be very significant. His design was very quickly adopted as the industry standard for spaceship engine design, and his company grew rapidly.

The success achieved enabled Remus to become phenomenally wealthy. He owns a number of luxuries that such wealth can acquire, such as apartments and houses across Mars, Earth and the Moon, most notably his built-from-scratch mansion in North Yorkshire, England, on Earth.

Friends and colleagues describe Remus in different ways. Recognised and respected for his achievements in business, but with a reputation for being a ruthless individual. Remus has never married, preferring to have short term relationships with all manner of women, regularly hiring prostitutes. He is also known for running his business with an iron grip, with anyone disagreeing with Remus being given their marching orders without hesitation.
Important Organisations and Companies

Britus - Formula X race team

The most successful Formula X racing team in history had very small beginnings, starting as a small engineering company involved with engine development for a number of different manufacturers. The company was started in 2240 by Zemlin Britus, and was involved with cutting edge technology for nuclear power for transport ships from Earth to the Moon and Mars. Over the years, the company became a full-on engine maker in its own right, creating complete units and became a leading light in this field of engineering. This success led to Zemlin Britus to gain considerable personal wealth, which enabled him to purchase and own a number of spaceships, which he then customised himself to offer increases in power.

With a group of friends and colleagues, Britus was one of the founding members of the sport what would become Formula X racing, and created a spaceship that was one of the four that competed in the first ever Formula X races. Rather than fly himself, Britus gave the pilot seat to an employee and close friend Qu'imbort, who finished second overall in the first year of competition.

In the second year of the championship, the team suffered the tragedy of Qu'imbort losing his life when his Britus Model 1 exploded. Although this was a personally devastating loss for Britus, rather than stop racing, he decided to make it his mission to create the best racing spaceships in the world, in memory of his great friend. Indeed, although not known if true or just an urban myth, it is claimed that every single Britus spaceship made since has the name Qu'imbort printed somewhere in the chassis.

Britus was, and remains to this day, a pioneer in safety for Formula X spaceships, who was involved heavily during 2285 to audit Formula X to make it safer. In 2286 the team had become a full-time Formula X racing team, and laid the foundations to their dominance of the sport. That year, Gilmon J'olum won every race in the season, and with it the overall championship, in devastatingly dominating fashion. Images of Zemlin Britus himself in tears when he embraced Gilmon after the last race, with family members of the late Qu'imbort in attendance are amongst the most iconic and touching in the history of the sport.

Over the next few years, the team enjoyed phenomenal success, winning the championship in 2287 with Beckton Monter and then in successive years from 2289 to 2292. The championships in 2289 and 2290 were significant in that the Britus pilot was Helen Gibson, therefore becoming the first ever female Formula X Galactic Champion. In fact, the team finished in the top three in every championship from the first years right up to 2296, when the team suffered its second fatality when Isias Jadin lost his life. He won the championship in 2291 and '92, so is to date the only pilot ever to have died having won the championship previously.

At the end of the 2298 racing season, with support from sponsors including the large insurance company Force Major-Greenbelt, Britus has become the benchmark team in Formula X, with seven Galactic Championship wins, and 33 individual race wins. Many consider his personal ambition of wanting to create the finest racing team of all to have been achieved. Current pilot is Shas'olum, who is the reigning Galactic Champion having won the title in 2298 in commanding fashion, being crowned champion with one race still to go.

In 2290, Britus created their one and only spaceship for the public. Sold without a model name, it was simply called 'The Britus'. It was, and still is, considered to be the closest ever spaceship made for the public that is like a Formula X racer. Produced in just one year, it featured a completely hand-built and bespoke 4,000 THz nuclear powered engine, and peerless fit and finish; exactly as Zemlin requested from his engineers. With just ten made, priced at Cr 3 million, which all sold before production began, this spaceship is one of the most sought after ship for collectors, with examples now valued at double the original asking price. Owners state the ship has simply staggering performance and handling, with the most astonishing noise from the engine.

Zemlin Britus himself is described by many as having a domineering personality, choosing to rule his company with an iron fist (he would joke that he prefers to use something like a titanium composite, iron is a bit old-fashioned...). Despite being over 100 years old, Britus himself still works full-time in his company, with strong involvement in the development of the team and the spaceships, with a 100% commitment to absolute perfection. Colleagues say he is difficult to work with, but will reward good work very handsomely. Many people consider a job at Britus to be the ultimate for a spaceship engineer.

Forlami – watch maker

The most well-known Mars based jeweller was founded by Eagerm Forlami in 2237, originally manufacturing small jewellery pieces made of IronO, the precious metal unique to Mars. He produced mainly rings and necklaces for men and women, but decided to branch out by setting up a watch making facility, as he realised the need for people to have a nice wristwatch; there have been many manufacturers on Earth making high-quality watches for many centuries, but he was the first to offer this on Mars.

Today, the Forlami watch range is wide, offering a number of differing styles and types, each individually hand made out of a variety of IronO materials, mixed with gold, silver and platinum. The most sought after are the watches known as 'Grandes Mechanique' which offer dual time facilities for Earth and Mars, as well as the moon phases of the Mars natural satellites Phobos and Deimos. The watches that offer a mechanical movement for the seconds timing for both Earth time and SecMars are said to be amongst the most complex and difficult to manufacture. The range starts at around Cr 500 for a standard SecMars timepiece in IronO, going up to Cr 10,000 for a watch in IronO gold, and onwards to over Cr 100,000 for a complex timepiece in IronO platinum. Forlami still makes necklaces and rings and other jewellery, but the watch making side has become the main focus of the company.

Forlami is the appointed Formula X timekeeper, and for 2299 is the main sponsor of the 100 lap race over the Mars moon Deimos.

Dr Ghislac & Partners – cosmetic surgery clinic

Founded in 2243 by Dr Ghislac, this private clinic has become the most well-known cosmetic surgery clinic in the world, which pioneered various practices that have become routine today.

The company was the brainchild of Dr Ghislac, who in his early career undertook extensive research into cosmetic surgery techniques. With his reputation increasing across the human population, Dr Ghislac realised the way forward was to open his own clinic, but was unable to fund such a move. He joined forces with a number of individuals who had the necessary capital to make this dream a reality. The clinic was opened in Germany on Earth, and has remained in the same building ever since.

Dr Ghislac, as well as undertaking complex cosmetic surgery procedures on individuals, has kept up his research into improved technology in this area, to the point that his clinic is now regarded as the finest of its type anywhere, and always boasts a lengthy waiting list of clients. This success has led to Dr Ghislac and his partners to gain huge riches, independent estimates put his personal wealth to be in excess of Cr 1bn.

The procedures undertaken by the clinic cover all aspects of cosmetic surgery, using state of the art machinery and technology. A typical procedure would be to alter a customer's face who is, for example, 140 years old, to one that would be naturally found on a person of perhaps 25 years old. He is in heavy demand with public figures, especially film stars and actors who are able to take on roles for a much younger person, despite the actor being perhaps over 100 years old. Other procedures include an entire body skin change, where the skin of the customer is entirely replaced with synthetic skin grown in the laboratory of Dr Ghislac.

On a personal note, the huge financial wealth gained by Dr Ghislac has enabled him to live in phenomenal luxury, his preferred method of transport is by Gilbern spaceship, which he uses to travel between his clinic, his huge mansion in France, and various spacestation apartments, and exclusive house he owns on Mars.

Gilbern - spaceship manufacturer

Manufacturers of the most luxurious and expensive spaceships available for purchase by private individuals for transport in outer space. Set up by husband and wife team Margaret and Steven Gilbern, their objective being to build the finest spaceships the public can buy. Their overriding objectives with their ships is to make the experience of flying to be as close as possible to the person being in their own home, which generally points to the following objectives for a Gilbern ship:

  * The absolute highest quality and attention to detail for the ships, with every technical problem tackled with the priority being towards highest quality, without compromise in terms of cost, to deliver the finest possible flying experience;

  * to construct every part or as much as is practical, of the spaceship, in-house in the Gilbern workshops, to be able to offer the highest levels of fit, finish and performance;

  * to offer the highest level of customer service at all levels, from the purchasing to the after sales care to the ship owners;

  * to strive for the most advanced solutions to problems that will improve the quality and performance of the ships offered.

The first ship built and offered by Gilbern was put on sale in 2275. Called Eclipse, it was massive by any standards. It weighed 200 tons and was 120 meters long, and cost new Cr 500,000. Buyers soon became big fans of what was on offer, with sumptuous accommodation, having been constructed using the best materials available, regardless of cost. Each buyer could customise the interior to their own taste and requirements, inevitably ramping up the cost; indeed, although the ship had a list price of Cr 500,000, in reality this only purchased a 'rolling chassis', i.e. the chassis, engine and basic accommodation. Owners would add and specify rooms to their own requirements, meaning ships would come with an end cost regularly over Cr 1 million, with some costing many times that. The reputation of Gilbern spread quickly throughout the business community, and their ships rapidly became the interplanetary transport method of choice for business leaders and important public figures. The Eclipse was powered by a colossal 400 THz rated nuclear powerplant, but despite this huge power, travel was very quiet and smooth for the occupants.

In 2285 Gilbern replaced the Eclipse with the Star Master, which offered a number of improvements, the most significant of which was the change to a solar power engine. With a maximum power output of 1,000 THz from its enormous powerplant, the Star Master could cruise effortlessly to over 200,000 mph in near silence for the occupants.

Five years later, Gilbern replaced the Star Master with the Golden Dragon, which was joined a year later by the Silver Cheetah. The Golden Dragon featured further developments on the luxury side of things, with an even quieter and refined cruising capability, despite an increase in engine power to 1,600 THz, making it one of the most powerful public ships ever made. Even with this huge engine power, some owners report that they only know they are moving when they look out of the window, such is the level of soundproofing employed and engine refinement. The Golden Dragon has become the ship of choice for political figures due to the size of the ship, with private individuals tending to go for the Silver Cheetah as it is a little smaller so easier to land. One of the more eyebrow raising technologies which is unique to Gilbern is the 'active' artificial gravity system, which is connected directly to the engine. It works by employing gravity where needed to counteract the 'g' forces of acceleration, so the occupants cannot feel the ship descending, accelerating or braking as the g-force is cancelled out by the system. Indeed, in one demonstration of its capabilities to the public, a Silver Cheetah was flown on Earth, doing multiple 'barrel rolls', which had no effect whatsoever for the interior or occupants, who experienced no jarring or sensations at all. For the beginning of the 24th century, Gilbern have announced that they plan to develop a new spaceship, the Platinum Star, which promises even higher levels of comfort and luxury... so it should, as they have stated the price will be around Cr 2m!

Due to their exorbitant cost, a Gilbern is firmly in the category of dream ship for most people. It has led to a fan club for the manufacturer which produces a variety of merchandise; indeed such is the fanbase, it is believed the merchandise income is greater than the income from selling actual spaceships. Such is the demand for Gilberns, which is always very high due to the small numbers produced at the factory, and the premium value attached to a spaceship that is built by hand far more than other manufactures, residual second hand values remain high. Even an older Eclipse can cost over Cr 300,000, as unlike most ships on sale today Gilberns generally don't depreciate in value due to their status of being very sought after. However, along with very high purchase cost comes the maintenance, to the point that a routine yearly service for a Gilbern can easily come in at over Cr 20,000. So even if buying used does mean people can save money on new, in reality, the costs of running such a machine are so high, owning a Gilbern remains an unrealisable dream for the vast majority of people.

The Righteous Independents of Earth (Mars-based), and Lunar Alone (Moon-based), pressure groups for independent Earth control.

When the current format of government was sworn in on Earth in 2232, recognising that humans now lived across increasingly diverse areas of the solar system, Marsians gained their own independent government, but still under ultimate control of Earth.

With Mars being many millions of miles away from Earth, and the people of Mars increasingly living separate lives from the mother planet, there has been calls for Mars to be more independent of Earth control.

The pressure group The Righteous Independents of Earth was formed at around 2250, led by Binfo Babs, with their sole purpose for total independence from Earth control, so going much further than the current setup with Mars having its own laws, but where Earth still holds ultimate power over laws such as tax rates and other legislation. Their main argument is to state that the Earth has no right to meddle with the lives of Marsians, saying that they do not need this influence and that they would be better off if they had full control of their own laws.

In response, the central government state that it would be financially impossible for Mars to exist on their own without Earth support, claiming that Mars still receives huge amounts of natural produce from Earth, and that having ultimate control on Earth is better for the planet. They add that Mars has its own government anyway, to rule over issues that are important for Marsians.

Approaching the 24th century, the group has moved from peaceful demonstrations and rallies, to undertaking more violent acts, although ultimate responsibility as to who caused the violence to flare up during the various clashes is debateable, between the group members and security forces. There is increasing angry feeling between the group and their representatives from Mars who hold power on Earth, stating that their methods are not supported by the majority of peaceful Marsians, claiming that most of them prefer Earth to have ultimate power over laws that are beneficial to all people.

The Moon based Lunar Alone was formed at around the same time as their Mars counterparts, although their requests are a bit less forceful than the Marsian group, due to the fact that the Moon is closer to the Earth, and they recognise that the Earth will always be a hugely important element in lunar life. Their aim is simply for a bit more independence from Earth, but not full independence. Their leader is Kilmor Sift. It is believed that the two groups may be working together to plan activities in conjunction, but this has not been confirmed.

It is predicted that these clashes may well turn more and more violent in the future, resulting in security being stepped up at major events, fearing assassination attempts on major government figures or other acts of terrorism. Both group leaders condemn any violence, which has led to many experts fearing there could be splinter groups forming, making the threat of terrorism greater.

Ultra Natural - Earth-based organisation

Eschewing all forms of artificial aids for living, the organisation 'Ultra Natural' are a group based in the Black Forest in Germany. They were founded in 2116 by Donovan Caldera who led a small group of people disillusioned with modern living who believed that humans had essentially lost touch with their basic natural lives, with increasing reliance on artificial means such as advanced plastic surgery, medicine and living on spacestations. This, according to the group, made them more robots than humans.

The principles of the group are essentially unchanged from when they started nearly two hundred years ago, and over a century since Donovan Caldera passed away. Their lives revolve around living as naturally as possible, so undertake farming and agriculture duties and live what, to modern eyes, would be seen as very basic lives. There are around 3,000 people in the group, which tries to be as inclusive as possible. The rumours that they are 'bible bashing God lovers' is a myth, they mention a lot about God in their lives, only because they refer a lot to the Christian bible, purely because they see it more as a guidebook on how to live as naturally as possible. Indeed, a lot of the group are confirmed atheists, although there is a church building where they are based, which is used for religious festivals for the group members who wish to partake in them.

The extent by which the members of this group take the idea of living natural has different meanings. Some, for example, use electricity to power basic appliances such as washing machines and kettles, as well as motorised transport, indeed some of them do use the local airport, for instance, to travel long distances. Some of the people, however, take the natural idea to extremes. They eschew all forms of artificial aids, relying totally on natural light, so will for example, use wax candles for light on a night time, not using electricity at all for any part of their lives.

There is a strict code within the organisation, and each member when joining has to sign a 'code of conduct', declaring an allegiance to the ideals of the group. Anyone found to be in contravention with this code will be expelled, due to their actions likely to offend other members.
Employment in 2298

The following are a variety of jobs undertaken by people living in the 23rd century. There are many more jobs undertaken by people of course, but the ones described below illustrate the variety and depth of employment at the current time, with some very new jobs to some very old and perhaps surprising ones. They are split into five main sections: entertainment & leisure, food, healthcare, service industry and transport. Quoted salaries are for a person in that role full time, 37 hours a week, 52 weeks a year and paid holiday leave.

Entertainment & Leisure

Antiques valuer

Interest in antiques is as popular as ever in the 23rd century. A very wide and varied role, valuers tend to specialise in certain fields, for example coins and medals, to transport vehicles, with dates of items from pre-10th century, through to the industrial revolution in the 20th century, up to the modern day. A valuer with general knowledge about antiques would be able to give a basic estimate on an item value, or if not, have a number of contacts in the industry to be able to value an item.

Prostitute

The oldest profession in the world. With a traditionally 'seedy' reputation, the job in the 23rd century has gained a sort of respectability, as a result of a more liberal society across the world. Prostitutes are subject to the same tax laws as anyone else in employment, but are usually self-employed, and for the first time probably in history are seen as doing a valid job. The general consensus is that they are in the entertainment industry for any clients wanting their services.

Personal insurance is highly recommended for prostitutes, to protect against violent rape and sexual assault.

For personal reasons, salaries and earning potential are kept secret as prostitutes do not like to boast about how many clients they have for obvious reasons, however top performing prostitutes are only known to the people who need to know.

Tour guide, Mars

Employed by the Mars Tourist Board, a tour guide will lead tourists to parts of Mars that are deemed significant areas of interest. The postholder would be expected to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of Mars, including all the major areas such as the Valles Marineris and Olympus Mons. They will also require in-depth awareness of the historical importance of sites such as the Abramov landing area.
Food Industry

Food transport co-ordinator

With humans living across the solar system, transport of food is a very important task. A food transport co-ordinator would be expected to be able to supply areas where food cannot be produced in sufficient quantities in order to meet demand. A vital role, without which spacestations could not function. The job also takes into account shipping fresh food such as fruit and other perishables, so the choice of transport equipment is critical to the role. The co-ordinator would be expected to organise all aspects of whatever food is to be transported, specifically taking into account time constraints, to ensure deliveries are made before the food becomes unsuitable for human consumption. Salary for this role is typically around Cr 30,000.

Fruit picker

Another very old job, which dates back to the first humans foraging for food. A fruit picker is a job that is held within the entire food industry and is highly valued. With humans living in increasingly 'artificial' areas such as spacestations, fruit and other perishable food is very sought after, so armies of pickers are employed to collect the fruit from specially arranged fields. A picker is usually paid by the load weight of food collected, and can be very lucrative for the people who develop techniques to pick maximum fruit in a certain timescale.
Healthcare

Gravity Illness Specialist

With people living in areas with zero or very low gravity, specifically outer space and Mars and the Moon, a very common problem is a general sickness suffered by people when they return to Earth. This is mainly due to the body having to adapt to a stronger gravity situation than they have been used to for a period of time. Symptoms are mainly linked to headaches and muscle wastage, as the body adjusts to being back in normal gravity from a low gravity environment. A specialist will treat the patient as necessary, with most making a good recovery relatively quickly, although some people have long term effects that require more intensive treatment. A post holder would expect to earn around Cr 50,000 to 60,000.

Surgeon

Cosmetic and other surgery types has moved on greatly in the past century or two, with the brain transplant now being a possibility, meaning that people can now live much longer than they have done in the past. A cosmetic surgeon in the 23rd century has many roles, depending on the experience and knowledge the surgeon has, from basic face lifts, limb changes, and face transplants. A surgeon can expect to earn from around Cr 25,000 as a newly qualified surgeon, to well over Cr 1m for a highly experienced brain transplanter. Indeed, with the growth of this industry, surgeons are known to be some of the highest paid people in the world, with many building up huge fortunes in this lucrative industry. Surgeons undertaking cutting-edge research can earn well over Cr 1m.
Service Industry

Administration clerk for the government

With a world-wide population of over 40 billion people, spread over the Earth, Mars, the Moon, and their orbiting spacestations, governing these people is a mammoth task.

The main government buildings are located in Beijing, China. Here, on a massive site, the government of the people undertake their tasks, employing many people across a multitude of separate areas, from the environment, power, and the economy.

A clerk will be normally responsible for a specific task within this colossal organisation, and will serve whoever is ultimately in power at that moment. Salary for this job will range from around Cr 10,000 for a junior post to over Cr 100,000 for a senior role.

Air traffic controller

A crucial role within the transport infrastructure. With the skies above the various celestial habitation areas being at times very busy with arriving and departing spaceships, a controller ensures the safe travelling of everyone who uses the highway in the sky. The post holder would generally be looking out for ships that are in trouble such as those suffering various engine failures, or if a pilot reports a malfunction of some sort, so that the controller can advise other pilots to take alternative routes. They work alongside people such as meteorite detectors to ensure the skies are as safe as possible, and that the routes are clear for people to fly into. Earnings vary between Cr 35,000 for a controller based at a normal sized airport, to over Cr 60,000 for a post holder on a spacestation as the traffic there tends to be condensed in a smaller area.

Chimney sweep

From around the 17th century, across stately homes and other houses in England, chimney sweeps were employed to clean chimneys. The fires that kept the houses warm during cold winters would get clogged up with soot, as fossil fuels such as coal and wood would be burned to generate heat. This was a dirty and dangerous job; in many cases young boys were employed as they were small enough to crawl into the chimney stacks, and many lost their lives doing so. Today, chimney sweeps are still employed, to ensure the houses on Earth, many of them hundreds of years old, are kept as close as possible to how they were when the original house when they were built, as part of the heritage protection that operates on Earth.

It is unlikely that someone would be employed today purely as a chimney sweep. The person undertaking this task would probably also undertake other routine maintenance jobs around a heritage building.

Climate controller, Mars

Mars was successfully terraformed in 2167, and ever since then the planet has been carefully monitored to ensure it is safe for human habitation. With over 2 billion people living on the red planet, the job of keeping it safe is a critical one. The person doing this job will work as part of a group, with multiple teams across the various population areas on Mars, monitoring the various gas concentrations such as carbon dioxide, oxygen and helium and other particles in the atmosphere. The person would be expected to undertake routine maintenance on the machinery and monitoring devices to ensure they work correctly, and also to lead evacuations if necessary, if for example a part of Mars became unsafe to live on.

Dome Engineer, the Moon

On the Moon, the human population live in secure domes, to protect it from the harmful and inhospitable natural lunar atmosphere. The domes require routine maintenance and upkeep, and the engineer would be expected to lead on such jobs as and when required. The post holder would also work closely with the scientists to ensure the air inside the domes is safe, and to take the necessary action in the event of a problem.

Gravity engineer, spacestation

For life to exist on a spacestation in any normal fashion, one of the most important aspects of the environment is the power of the gravity. Simply put, without an artificial gravity system on board, spacestations would not be viable for people to live there. In space, in a zero gravity situation, People would float around and normal life would not be possible in any way, hence why artificial gravity is a requirement for any spacestation.

The gravity engineer is part of a team looking after the general environment of a spacestation, ultimately in charge of the artificial gravity systems on board. They will monitor the gravity to ensure the living environment in the spacestation is as normal as possible, or put another way, as close to natural Earth gravity as possible. On a spacestation, the gravity can change from time to time, as it orbits around its celestial object, so adjustments need to be made, which is the main role for the engineer. Also, the postholder would be expected to know what to do in an emergency, such as if the gravitational system fails to work properly. An engineer will earn around Cr 30,000 as a starting wage, with the necessary qualifications, going to over Cr 100,000 for an experienced engineer with a number of years experience.

Interior designer

A wide ranging role, the post holder would generally specialise in one or two areas. As an example, a customer might want their home to be similar in style to the large stately palaces which were popular amongst the wealthy elite in the 18th and 19th century. Or the customer might want a designer to create something for a spacestation apartment, which comes with a major challenge of making a limited space comfortable and appearing bigger than it actually is. A good designer is in very high demand, so can command substantial commissions, which means potential earnings of over Cr 200,000 per year.

Meteorite detector

A vital role for the safety of spacestations and satellites orbiting Earth, the Moon and Mars. A meteorite detector is employed to locate space debris, and to calculate and log any that are in, or any that will, come into close proximity to the various homeworlds and satellites. Any that is spotted that pose a threat will be reported to spacestation admirals so they can fly the station to a safe location, or the satelite controllers, so they can move their satellites out of harms way. Small meteors pose no threat to Earth, for example, as they will burn up in the atmosphere, but such space debris can be dangerous to a spacestation or satelite. The role comes with a salary of around Cr 40,000.

In recent years, this role has extended to monitor other space debris and not just meteorites, such as small metal parts that came off spacestations, and other detritus in Erath orbit that has become lodged in space as a result of human exploration there. Some of it dates back to the mid-20th century.

Phobos scientist

The Mars moon Phobos has small pockets of human colonies on the surface, but rather than these being population areas, they are scientists and other professional staff undertaking research. A scientist stationed on Phobos would be someone who would be expected to do the job of a 'normal' scientist, but be able to undertake the role in the inhospitable atmosphere of Phobos. As such, it is dangerous work, with temperatures never reaching above freezing point, and falling down to -112 degrees, so a truly unforgiving place to work. As such, the postholder would expect to earn in excess of Cr 60,000 per year.

Rag and Bone Man

Another trade with certain connotations, in more modern times has become a more acceptable and respected job. Officially known as metal recyclers, but the job title of rag and bone man is preferred by a lot of people in the profession, as it harks back to a time when people did this on horseback in the 20th century. The more modern version of this job will more likely be undertaken by someone who scours the surface of a spacestation after it has been built to clear up after the construction people have left, and return the metal and materials collected to a central processing plant for recycling. Usually self employed, an efficient rag and bone man can earn over Cr 50,000 per year, and substantially more when a major construction project is being undertaken.

Spacestation Admiral

Holds overall responsibility for the running of a spacestation. The role is very varied, involving the major day to day running duties of a spacestation, with a typical day usually meeting with a variety of people, from staff on board the spacestation, to very important government officials, in the case of huge Type 5 stations. The admiral oversees the safety of the entire population on board, which can mean looking after over one million people, so the job comes with substantial responsibility. Salary for this role varies from Cr 250,000 for an admiral stationed on board a Type 3 station, to over Cr 1m for the post holder on a Type 5 station.

Spacestation Electrician

With millions of miles of cable and wire, the job of wiring up a spacestation is a huge and complex one. Usually completed before any of the major interior works start, there is extra pressure on the electricians to complete this task, as any delay can be costly for the various contractors on site waiting to begin the next stage. Working in gangs of ten or more in various areas of a ship, an electrician will be responsible for the complete electrical wiring of a whole spacestation, so it is a critical role. Also, as they work in the early stage of spacestation construction, they would be expected to be able to work in zero-gravity environments. The job will re-commence at the end stage of the spacestation, as inevitably wiring can break or malfunction during the various construction phases after the initial wiring up, so an electrician will be expected to undertake full diagnostic checks on the whole spacestation.
Transport

Spaceship pilot

With humans living across the solar system, the transport infrastructure has become a critical element to make this feasible. Every day, supplies have to be taken to and from Earth, Moon and Mars to the various orbiting spacestations, as well as special journeys to outer space to the outer or inner planets for scientific projects. The ships vary in size, from basic transport vessels, to large cargo carriers, with varying payloads, from transporting building materials, food and components, to moving livestock for fresh meat to an area where a particular animal cannot be farmed, for example. Also a pilot may also be employed to fly someone such as a political figure to and from areas.

A spaceship pilot is a highly skilled job. The job involves not just flying a ship to and from specific areas, but the pilot will be entirely responsible to ensure this is done as safely as possible. A person in this role will have a special flying licence to allow the pilot to fly a certain category of ship, graduated by ship weight. The person will also have knowledge of a ship's mechanical, electronic and computer systems, so will be expected to be able to carry out routine maintenance, and also help with a ship repair if it becomes stranded in outerspace in the event of a breakdown.

Salary is in the range of Cr 20,000-100,000 depending on the size and type of cargo the pilot will be flying. Pilots who own and operate their own spaceship and undertake journeys as self employed people can earn substantially more.

Spaceship service mechanic

The various spaceship manufacturers have service garages where customers come to have their ships serviced, which is the job of a service mechanic. This role involves servicing a spaceship to the manufacturer's specification, and undertaking repairs where necessary. The person in this role will be specially trained by the manufacturer, as the various ships are made very differently from maker to maker.

Depending on the specific experience and qualifications of the person, a service mechanic can vary from someone to give a ship a basic service, to someone with the necessary skills to rebuild a ship from its component parts, including the entire engine. Certain other specialists concentrate solely on engine rebuilds, as well as bodywork repairers.

A mechanic earns between Cr 15,000 up to and in excess of Cr 100,000 for an engine specialist.

Gilbern spaceship salesperson

The spaceship industry for the public offers ships for all budgets, with the most prestigious made by Gilbern, who mainly cater for political, business and high net worth users. Their new ships cost well in excess of Cr 1 million, and with their second hand machines holding their value, due to the fact that they very sought after, their residual values remain high. There is no cheap entry into Gilbern ownership.

For someone to be successful in this role, they would be expected to have a wide general knowledge of the spaceship industry for private users, including in-depth details of spaceships for the public, especially regarding previous Gilbern ships. The person would have to have a pilot licence as they will be expected to undertake tasks such as test flights with customers.

They will also need to know how to approach and communicate with the customers in the way they would be expected to be treated, as the buyers tend to be very business-like. There is the general mindset that a customer interested in spending a large amount of money on a spaceship will probably have made their mind up about purchasing a Gilbern, essentially because Gilbern ships are unique, being the only ships made to the level of luxury they are. They have no rivals in the industry, so a salesperson's job is basically to show the customer the various options with regard to trim levels and colour schemes, etc; they won't generally need to point out why Gilberns are special and unique as the customers are likely to know this in the first place. They will also need to advise on finance options and business deals, as a large number of customers tend to be representatives of companies after a spaceship that will be owned by a business rather than an individual person.

The salary for this role is a basic Cr 15,000 per year, with potential to earn many times that amount, dependent on sales targets being met.
Glossary

Anorak - colloquial term for someone taking part in watching a Type 5 spacestation orbit overhead.

Cent - universal currency unit used by humans to purchase items. A cent is 1/100th of a credit. Usually denoted in its abbreviated form 'ce'.

Credit – universal currency used by humans to purchase items, denoted by 'Cr' followed by the amount. It is the equivalent of 100 cents. As a guide, an average house costs around Cr 135,000, a pair of trousers Cr 25. A million credits is denoted as Cr 1m, as billion as Cr 1bn.

Dome area, Moon – the habitable areas on the Moon are covered with a type of dome system that protects the inner area from the harsh natural atmosphere. This is different to Mars, which was terraformed to make the planet safe, but such a project was not possible on the Moon.

Downforce – there are two types of downforce for a spaceship. Gravitational downforce is the gravitation pull on a ship by a celestial object, and produced downforce, which is thrust force produced by the spaceship itself to push it down to a celestial object. Formula X ships have thrusters mounted on the roof which are connected to the engine to generate the produced downforce. This aspect of a spaceship is only really of importance to a racing ship as it is critical to the performance of the ship during racing.

Earthite – collective term describing someone born on Earth.

Escape pod – emergency unit fitted to a spaceship that is used in case of a situation that is of high danger to the main ship, such as unavoidable collision or engine explosion. On a public ship, there may be more than one escape pod, depending how big the ship is. For a Formula X racer, the escape pod is built around the cockpit, so the pilot is already in the pod, for rapid ejection. When deployed, the pod ejects for the main ship with tremendous force, to move it away from the main ship as quickly as possible.

Heatshield – part of the lower section of a spaceship that allows the ship to re-enter Earth atmosphere safely. Without the heatshield in place, the ship would tear apart with the temperatures in the upper atmosphere.

Marsian – collective term for someone born on Mars.

Moon domes – special areas on the Moon where humans live. Whereas Mars has a safe natural atmosphere, the Moon has huge artificial dome areas where people live, to keep them safe and the natural Moon atmosphere outside.

Moonion – collective term for someone born on the Moon.

Spaceship, public – a spaceship legally useable for the public to use to travel between celestial objects.

Spaceship, racing – a special ship designed only for racing purposes, not legal for use on the highway. Generally much faster and more powerful than a public ship.

Spacestation – large man-made satellites that orbit a celestial object. They vary in size, the biggest of which house many people, and contain housing, shops, and leisure areas.

SecMars - timing system used on Mars. As a day is 37 minutes longer than on Earth, the system used is the same time format on Earth, meaning a second on Mars is slightly longer than a second on Earth.

Sweet spot – a spaceship racing term that is used to describe a number of things. For an engine, it is the throttle setting that gives maximum acceleration and power. However, it is more commonly used in describing a racing line, which is the route taken by a ship that is the most efficient. In the Earth-Moon race, the sweet spot is the entry point of the ship to go into orbit around the celestial object which is the fastest and best line of travel.

Terahertz – measure of power produced by a spaceship engine, usually denoted as THz. A typical public spaceship produces around 300-500 THz, a modern Formula X racing machine has a power output of around 15,000 THz.

Terraforming project of Mars – huge civil engineering project that was undertaken on Mars to make it a safe place to live. Chemicals and other agents were placed into the Mars atmosphere for a project that took many years until it became a safe, breathable environment.

Thruster – section of a ship that is the part that pushes the force of the engine outwards. They are connected directly to the turbines that produce the power that is ejected by the thruster. On a modern Formula X racing ship, there are five, a main thruster behind the ship body, and two each on the outboard units fore and aft, to give forward power and braking through reverse thrust.

Turbine – part of a ship engine that uses the power of the engine to create force or power to push energy outwards towards the thruster unit. Sits behind the thruster. A modern Formula X racer has three turbines, a main turbine behind the engine, and two turbines in the outboard units, powering the fore and aft thrusters for forward thrust and reverse thrust for braking.

Turbine bypass – a facility used on racing spaceships where pure energy that is meant to go through the turbine bypasses this, and goes straight into the thruster, which delivers more thrust to the ship. Only generally used sparingly during a race where extra boost is required, such as overtaking or lunging for the finish line in a close finish.

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Well I hope you enjoyed reading this book. To keep up to date with developments, please do visit my homepage www.galactic-echo.com; also you can follow the Galactic Echo on Facebook and Twitter, at the links below:

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There are many more stories planned so by keeping up to date you will find out when each of them is published.

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Many thanks and welcome to the future!

Simon Coates

Founder and creator, Galactic Echo
Other titles by Simon Coates

All titles available as eBook downloads and paperbacks, just go to the website for details on pricing and availability.

Bike Racing into the Red

A 24th century cycling hill climb with a difference! In Britain, the road racing season ends with hill climbs raced all over the country, as riders end their competition for the year by hauling themselves up steep hills. For Jonas Zemke, these small hills are not big enough. Noticing a race up the biggest hill of them all, the highest volcano in the known universe, Olympus Mons on terraformed Mars, he embarks upon a quest to conquer this most extreme of challenges. However, life works in strange ways and through various twists of fate is plunged into other challenges that go way beyond the difficulty of any bicycle race. With exclusive foreword from double Commonwealth Games champion Paul Curran.

The Discovery of Love

Location: Carlton, North Yorkshire, England, Planet Earth. Date: Early-2300.

It might be the 24th century, but the feudal baron lives on. Wealthy industrialist Remus Tallantyre has homes on Mars, the Moon and Planet Earth, and an inter-planetary spaceship that will power him wherever he wants to go, but he still feels the need to rule his staff's lives with working conditions that belong to the Middle Ages. When his loyal butler, Ezkeil Manton, falls in love with a colleague, their path to happiness seems doomed in the face of non-fraternisation rules. Then fate changes everything...

Introducing the ultimate motorsport of the future... Formula X spaceship racing!

2299 Formula X Guidebook

Welcome to the fastest, loudest and most exciting motorsport ever conceived by humans! Think of Formula One but with spaceships instead of cars and you will be pretty much there. This Guidebook is a preview to the 2299 Formula X racing season, with details of the teams competing along with pilot profiles. It also includes a brief history of the sport and full results of the 2298 season. Throughout the book there are colour adverts for supporting companies and organisations involved with the sport, and stunning pilot portraits draw by artist Mike Wood.

The Guidebook acts as a preview to the accompanying book The Diary of Silas Volante, which is written in the form of a diary by Silas himself during the 2299 season as he attempts to win the prestigious Formula X Galactic Championship.

Contains over fifty colour images, including advertisements of companies who support Formula X and portraits of pilots taking part in the racing series by Mike Wood.

The Diary of Silas Volante

Join Silas Volante in the cockpit of his high performance racing spaceship as he goes for glory in the prestigious Formula X Galactic Championship, the highest accolade for a spaceship pilot, set in the year 2299. Read about his meetings with engineers, testing sessions, race preparation and, of course, what it is like to actually fly one of these ultra high performance monster machines in an actual race. Buckle up and let Silas take you on the race of your life!

Includes stunning images of action scenes by Mike Wood.

