Space Activities Coordination

[Ayzek]

This thread is for coordinating the efforts of Siorans to explore their solar system. Further information on the Solen system can be found on the wiki (eventually, soon). Should you wish to participate in these exploratory efforts, you must have control of a space program, be it national or international, yours or with authorization. However, per the Sioran MTRP Rules, you must develop a report concerning your institution's history, exploits, and assets to the Directorate's satisfaction.

The report can be located on the wiki, in a factbook thread, on your own website—just not here. This thread is primarily for forms and discussion between the Directorate and Players. What you should do is link to the report in this thread.

Space-faring History and Exploits Guidelines:

• The report should be at least one page long,
  
• detail the institution's history and projects, and
  
• use the following form:
  

Code:

Space-faring HE Report: [url=<link>]<agency>[/url] for <state>

Without a report, your satellites are launched by other parties and your state must partner with enabled countries to explore space. Submitting one will enable you to instead lead such cooperative efforts. As an alternative to a report, if your country is only now beginning to develop a space program, you may role play said space program and that thread would count as your report.


Relevant Technologies

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The following launch systems are permitted:

• Rockets: Obviously. These are pretty big and can handle heavy lifting.
  Tonnage to LEO: <150 tonnes.
  
• Mass Drivers/Space Guns: An effective way into space; allowed as it’s diversity from the rockets of today, and generally scientifically plausible; requires a long track (120+ km) and cannot handle manned missions (the accelerations are too high, without multiplying the length—and cost—several times over).
  Tonnage to LEO: ~20 tonnes.
  
• SSTO Vehicle: Allowed as science is making it more and more plausible every year. Read up on the Wiki page for single-stage-to-orbit for more information. This is a more cost-effective way to get people than fossil fuel rockets, though the vehicle can't generally handle significant loads.
  Tonnage to LEO: ~20 tonnes.
  

Please note that the above tonnages are general, reasonable limits. If you really wanted to make a rocket that could shoot up 200 tonnes or a SSTO vehicle that could handle 50 tonnes...it's probably possible but the platforms would be oversized and generally not an efficient use of resources. Most satellites are under 20 tonnes, after all.

The following "special" technologies are permitted:

• Laser satellites: For ABM purposes. They are reasonably expensive, reasonable large, and only have an engagement opportunity of… about five minutes? Ten? Around there. They also take a few seconds to actually make the missile go “BOOOMMM!!!!”. Math says that means each can only down around forty-sixty missiles… though, most likely, far less due to details that real life throws at you (missile leaving range, satellite leaving range; both move ridiculously fast). Note that this can only engage missiles that travel outside the atmosphere (long-range ballistics).
  
• Kinetic strike satellites: Or rods from god, as they’ve been dubbed. They’re also expensive, and honestly not that powerful. A 9 ton rod (at 6.1m length, .3 meter diameter) would have an impact equivalent to only 11.5 tons of TNT, which is not “city-wiping” capability. That's less than the MOAB. At best, that rod would be a tactical weapon…a really, really, really, really expensive tactical weapon with zero guidance and most of its destructive capabilities aimed at the ground. It'd be a good bunker-buster, though. If for some reason you don't want to use a far less expensive missile, I mean.
  
• Missile satellites: A satellite that’s loaded with missiles. Pretty simple, aye? In Real Life, it’s banned by treaties. In Siora, it's also banned by treaties so expect to have complications if you opt to launch one anyway. Explosive complications, possibly.
  
• Space Gun Satellite: Yup. You can put a gun on a satellite and throw it up into the air. It might not be very effective against missiles, mind, but hey!, it’s something. It could potentially be used against other satellites pretty effectively, though… just bear in mind that any stray bullets could end up hitting your satellites…actually, blowing up anything in space risks busting your toys too. It's better to use a laser.
  

The following are prohibited:

• Ground-assault laser satellites: No. GTFO.
  
• Anything not mentioned: Yup. Feel free to query the Ministry for something though; might have missed it. Just have supportive links prepared.
  

The following scenarios are viable activities for a Reported institution:

• Launch communication, intelligence, science, mundane satellites: Totally okay. No coordinate with the Directorate needed, provided there's nothing unusual about the satellites.
  
• Launching any of the "special" satellites mentioned above: An Activities report must be submitted. View below.
  
• Build space stations: Nothing too unusual here, just submit an Activities Report. View below.
  
• Probe orbital bodies, land rovers: This requires Directorate Supervision. Copy and fill the form located further down.
  
• Send people to the moon: Certainly possible, if expensive. The Apollo program cost over one-hundred billion in today’s money, though that was using expensive rockets. This does not require Directorate Supervision, only an Activities Report. View below.
  
• Send people to other planets: Technically, theoretically possible, but requires Directorate Supervision. Is expected to cost… billions. I won’t deny that it’s possible though (they're hoping by the 2030s in real life)—just, really expensive and risky. View additional notes below.
  

Recognized Reports

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Space-faring HE Reports

• HLSA History for the Holy Lanlanian Empire
  

Lun Landings

• 1515-1528 Project Ontävan for HLE, Gehenna
  

Space Stations

• Valhalt Space Station for HLE, Florinthus, and Gehenna
  

[Ayzek]

Guidelines on Viable Projects

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The following guidelines apply to institutions which have submitted a Report or are an NPC. If you have not submitted a report, you require a third party to launch your satellites and may only explore space through cooperation with an institution that has.

Mundane Satellite Guidelines
Communication, intelligence, navigation, and scientific satellites may all be launched (reasonably) freely. The Directorate need not be involved, though you may query it for information or advice.

"Special" Satellite Guidelines
An Activities Submission is required if you're launching any kind of armed satellite, be it with an ABM/ASAT laser or missile, ground-targeting tungsten rods or missiles, or kinetic projectile gun/cannon. Do note that arming satellites with missiles is against in-game international law and is likely to have consequences. These satellites must:

• cost 200-600 million for the system itself;
  
• cost for launch via conventional rockets:
  • 100-250 million for a laser system
    
  • 90-180 million per 9 ton tungsten rod
    
• cost for launch via mass driver or SSTO vehicle:
  • 20-50 million for a laser system
    
  • 2-4 million per 9 tonne tungsten rod
    
• use the following Activities Report:
  

Code:

[table=Armed Satellites Activities Submission][tr][td]State(s): <countries which own the thing>
National GDP:
National Population:
National GDP per capita:

Satellites: <type and amount>
Launches: # over # years, from <year> to <year>
Total cost: <total involved costs>
Estimated annual maintenance costs: 3-6% of total cost
[/td][/tr][/table]

Note: these do require explicit Directorate approval and if an Activities Report is not timely submitted, it may not be recognized in role play. Additionally, there is a maintenance cost for keeping these satellites up there--you not only need to keep track and communication with them, but must also occasionally boost them to keep them on planned orbit as satellites experience orbit decay. Whether this boost is done by on-board systems or via an external powered vehicle (eg., an orbiter) isn't too important...though the latter probably costs more given you're launching a vehicle.

Siora-orbiting Space Station Guidelines
An Activities Report is required to construct a space station in orbit of Siora; explicit Approval is not. Constructing a space station should:

• cost 300-1,500 million per module,
  
• cost 1-2 billion per launch if using conventional rockets or 200-600 million if using a mass driver or SSTO vehicle,
  
• cost 2-4 billion in institution support per mission,
  
• take place over multiple years, and
  
• use the following Activities Report:
  

Code:

[table=Space Station Activities Report][tr][td]Institution: <name of agency>
State(s): <countries involve/controlling the agency>
National GDP:
National Population:
National GDP per capita:

Space Station name:
Space Station cost: <total estimate>
Space Station lifetime: <year-year>
Space Station purpose: <a few sentences on why this is a thing>
Additions: <is there anything extra you wanna tell us about your pretty?>
[/td][/tr][/table]

Lun Exploration Guidelines
An Activities Report is required to visit or land a rover on Lun (Siora's moon). Establishing a long-term presence on the moon is currently unavailable. A moon landing, manned or unmanned, should:

• cost 1-2 billion per launch if using conventional rockets or 200-600 million if using a mass driver or SSTO vehicle,
  
• cost 2-5 billion in institution support per mission,
  
• be the result of a multi-mission incremental program,
  
• have a purpose aside from "LOLLOOKATMEIMONTHEFUCKINGMOON", and
  
• use the following Activities Report:
  

Code:

[table=Lun Program Activities Report][tr][td]Institution: <name of agency>
State(s): <countries involved/controlling the agency>
National GDP:
National Population:
National GDP per capita:

Program name:
Program cost: <total of all missions>
Program length: <year-year>
Program missions: <how many missions?>
Program details: <a few sentences on what's going on, including what's being conducted, and whether the landings are manned or not>
[/td][/tr][/table]

As mentioned in the bullet points above, you can't just say "hurdurhurdurI'malandonthemunhurhur", and fly to Lun on the first mission. You first need to test your toys, and then invade. This is less important if your program is set in the modern-day, but if it's taking place in the infancy of space exploration...things went wrong more often.

Regarding why you'd go to the moon aside from prestige: science. You go for science. Grab rocks, pick up a space virus or three. Look for anything cool. Sciencey stuff.

As for the costs: the US's Apollo program cost over 130 billion modern-day dollars over 20 missions (needless to say, not all of these missions were moon landings), and that is the basis for the estimates up there. Of course, you don't have to execute 20 missions, hence the "averaged" costs per mission.

Solar-bodies Exploration Guidelines
Currently unavailable. #TrollFace

[Ayzek]

Space-faring HE Report: HLSA for HLE

Lun Program Activities Report

Institution: Holy Lanlanian Space Agency, Gehennian Space Agency State(s): HLE, Gehenna National GDP: N/A for relevant period National Population: N/A for relevant period National GDP per capita: N/A for relevant period Program name: Project Ontävan Program cost: 90 billion Program length: 1515-1528 Program missions: 15 Program details: The HLE and Gehenna done did bad touch the moon. The first time was in late 1524, a few months after the USR. They visited the moon a few more times after that year, in order to conduct more SCIENCE.

Space Station Activities Report

Institution: Holy Lanlanian Space Agency, Gehennian Space Agency, Florinthian Space Agency State(s): HLE, Florinthus, Gehenna National GDP: 10.9 trillion National Population: 262 million National GDP per capita: $41,600 Space Station name: Vanhalt Space Station Space Station cost: 08 billion in modules (12) 07 billion in module launches (2 conventional, 6 via SSTO vehicle, 4 via mass driver) 35 billion in attached costs for module launches 12 billion budgeted for supply and crew missions via mass driver and SSTO vehicle 62 billion total Space Station lifetime: 1571-1610 Space Station purpose: The Vanhalt Space Station is primarily a research and testing laboratory for the participants. The HLSA does plan on developing a "construction section" where elements shipped to the station from Siora (usually via the HLE's mass driver) are put together, maintained, and supplied in preparation for missions to other solar bodies. Additions:

[Severyane]

Space-faring HE Report: USD for Union of Socialist Republics
SNSA for Severyane

will add reports soon, am tired now.