Stevidian Astronauts Land on Europa
Today at 0900 hrs Stevidian local time, four crew members of the Stevidian Space Administration’s Vienna 4 vehicle became the first individuals in human history to set foot on the Jovian moon Europa.
Astronauts Sqn Ldr Scott T. (ASBO) Harris, James Cunrow, Flt Lt Dean McKissock, Flt Lt Henry Altross, Flt Lt Jane Plutarch, and Miss Ilithyia Summertine are the fortunate individuals who take the honour for humanity and the Empire. The journey has taken nearly a year, only last September did the mission get close enough to take the first grainy images. Now they finish their journey on the moon’s freezing surface.
A shot of the Europa surface with Jupiter dominating the sky
Cunrow, McKissock, Altross, and Summertine were the lucky ones to set foot on the ice world whilst Harris and Plutarch remain in orbit on the ‘Mother’ vehicle.
The first words from the planet were received several minutes after landing and were spoken by Dean McKissock (the first person out of the lander) who said, “It seems of all mankind’s great achievements – the greatest of all them seem to be at cold, hostile places!” The news of the landing and the message got a huge cheer and rounds of applause at mission control, situated in Adaptus Astrates.
Vienna 4 arrived at Europa 2 months ago and has been scanning the surface looking for ideal landing locations. Simultaneously, geological and astronomical studies of the planet also began as the astronauts used the three on board science labs - two in the Mother and one in the lander. The finds were relatively unremarkable but did much to confirm previously gathered data from the Voyager probes and that of other unmanned visits. Theories about an ocean underneath Europa’s ice remain unconfirmed at this stage.
The mission to Europa has taken nearly year and has used the SSA’s most advanced space vehicle to date: The Vienna 4. This vehicle has benefitted from Stevid’s membership in the Commonwealth Colonial Authority and thus has access to certain types of technology used by their Morridane counterparts. It has allowed the SSA to develop a space vehicle able to remain almost self-sufficient whilst providing the six-crew members remarkably comfortable living standards.
The feat is truly remarkable and Stevid becomes the first modern nation-state to successfully send a manned lander mission to Europa. The SSA and Stevidian government has lauded praise on the Morridane Commonwealth Colonial Authority for their input, backing and technological support for the mission. The scientists will now begin the hard work of exploring their hostile surroundings and begin deploying a variety of equipment. Of this equipment the most important will undoubtedly be that which will monitor the seismic make-up of the planet and will probe deep beneath the surface with radio waves to finally answer whether or not there is an ocean hiding beneath the ice.
The Vienna 4 Mother ship in orbit is still constantly probing the planet with deep ground penetrating radar but so far has yet to detect patches of ice that are thin enough to get a reading on anything beneath the ice.
The astronauts are on an area of the planet known as the Tyre Plateau, 20 kilometres from the large ringed Tyre Crater. The choosing of the mission site was done in orbit after it was found, after the two months of surveying the surface, that the ice was remarkably thin in the crater. The terrain was deemed unsuitable for landing but too good an area to pass up in regards to detecting an under ice ocean. The mission will involve a three man team traveling via a lander buggy to the crater that may then involve perilous rock climbing and cliff traversing. The SSA as stated it has full faith in the capabilities of it astronauts and equipment and further stated that “The gravity is less than that experienced on the moon. Two of these astronauts have lunar experience and will know their capabilities in low-gravity environments. We do not believe that the hostile terrain will prevent these professionals from doing their job.”
The lander capsule has enough provisions to last the explorers on the surface a whole month before replenishment is needed. The capsule will then return to Mother for resupply and crew rotation. Vienna 4 will by then have detected other areas of interest and will send the lander down again to begin another landing mission that will last only one week.
Glad to see this thread is continually chugging along!
