[DRAFT] Astronauts Demand More Space

[Dominos Pizza Restaurant]

Another idea I've been adding to over the past month or so. Based upon the Skylab 4 strike.

Title: Astronauts Demand More Space

Prerequisites: Space program

Issue: One day, the crew aboard the @@NAME@@ Space Station have stopped performing their daily tasks, stating they will only resume once their workload is reduced.

Option 1: “How am I expected to live like this?” states Gerald Truckk, a crew member aboard the station, over a video call. “I sometimes go up to thirty-six hours without a single second of sleep! We demand breaks every two hours, with twelve hours of sleep time. Also, mind spicing up the palette while you’re at it?”
Effect: @@NAME@@ space stations put five-star hotels to shame.

Option 2: “I mean, I understand their concerns, but there’s a bigger picture to this”, says @@RANDOMNAME@@, director of the @@CAPITAL@@ Space Center. “These schedules are built around our capital and infrastructure. If they can’t do it, we’ll send someone else up there, plain and simple”.
Effect: @@DENONYMPLURAL@@ astronauts train for missions by living in wire-filled caskets.

Option 3a (Private industry): “Humans are so last epoch”, claims Row Baut, CEO of @@CAPITAL@@ Dynamics, “Rob- ahem, autonomous humanoids can work for days on end without rest, can perform dozens of complex tasks simultaneously, and won’t complain about its environment! As for the obsolete humans, well, there should be plenty of work cut out for them.”
Effect: Aspiring astronauts of @@NAME@@ have their dreams crushed by metal feet.

Option 3b (No private industry) “The problem is that living beings need things”, adds your Technology Advisor, “So, why don’t we swap out our biological assets with mechanical ones? I assure you, we’ll see productivity, safety, and, uh, other stuff, skyrocket!”
Effect: Aspiring astronauts of @@NAME@@ have their dreams crushed by metal feet.

Option 4: “You’re doing WHAT?” yells @@RANDOMNAME_2@@, a passerby who just appeared in your office, “We already know what’s in space: some glowing dust and rocks, big deal. How about we solve our problems down here first, and then we look at your little rocket toys?”
Effect: Rocket scientists are unsurprisingly inept at solving socio-economic dilemmas.

Title: Astronauts Demand More Space

Prerequisites: Space program

Issue: After weeks of grueling research, the crew of the @@NAME@@ Space Station claim they’ve had enough. After a period of no communication, they have accepted an offer to negotiate for better conditions.

Option 1: “How am I expected to live like this?” states @@RANDOMNAME@@, a crew member aboard the station, over a video call. “I sometimes go up to thirty-six hours without a single second of sleep! We demand breaks every two hours, with ten hours of sleep time. Also, mind spicing up the palette while you’re at it?”
Effect: @@NAME@@ space stations put five-star hotels to shame

Option 2: “I mean, I understand their concerns, but there’s a bigger picture to this”, says @@RANDOMNAME@@, director of the @@CAPITAL@@ Space Center. “Each minute on that station costs us thousands of @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@! If they are unable, or unwilling, to complete the tasks laid before them, we won’t struggle to find some suitable replacements.”
Effect: @@DENONYMPLURAL@@ astronauts train for missions by living in wire-filled caskets

Option 3a (Market-planned economy): “Humans are so last epoch”, claims Row Baut, CEO of @@CAPITAL@@ Dynamics, “Rob- ahem, autonomous humanoids can work for days on end without rest, can perform dozens of complex tasks simultaneously, and won’t complain about its environment! If you show us a few @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@, this tech can be yours. As for the obsolete humans, well, we could use a few technicians.”
Effect: aspiring astronauts of @@NAME@@ have their dreams crushed by metal feet

Option 3b (State-planned economy) “The problem is that living beings need things”, adds your Technology Advisor, “So, why don’t we swap out our biological assets with mechanical ones? Then, we won’t have to send food, mail, and air every month or so! As for our crew members, eh, I’m sure they will enjoy a more down-to-earth position.”
Effect: aspiring astronauts of @@NAME@@ have their dreams crushed by metal feet

Option 4: “Look what you’re doing, @@LEADER@@!” shouts @@RANDOMNAME_2@@, a passerby, who mysteriously made @@HIS@@ way into your office, “These poor people have to live in a tin can for months on end, spend every waking second working their behinds off, and get grilled for taking a breather! How would you feel in their situation, huh? Save us some tax @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@, and end this madness!”
Effect: rocket scientists struggle to cope with general labor

Draft 3:

Title: Astronauts Demand More Space

Prerequisites: Space program

Issue: After weeks of grueling research, the crew of the @@NAME@@ Space Station claim they’ve had enough. With the @@NAME@@ Space Program refusing to cave to their demands, you have been called in to clear this gridlock.

Option 1: “How am I expected to live like this?” states @@RANDOMNAME@@, a crew member aboard the station, over a video call. “I sometimes go up to thirty-six hours without a single second of sleep! We demand breaks every two hours, with ten hours of sleep time. Also, mind spicing up the palette while you’re at it?”
Effect: @@NAME@@ space stations put five-star hotels to shame

Option 2: “I mean, I understand their concerns, but there’s a bigger picture to this”, says @@RANDOMNAME@@, director of the @@CAPITAL@@ Space Center. “Each minute on that station costs us thousands of @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@! If they are unable, or unwilling, to complete the tasks laid before them, we can easily find some suitable replacements.”
Effect: @@DENONYMPLURAL@@ astronauts train for missions by living in wire-filled caskets

Option 3a (Market-planned economy): “Humans are so last epoch”, claims Anne Droid, CEO of @@CAPITAL@@ Dynamics, “Rob- ahem, autonomous humanoids can work for days on end without rest, can perform dozens of complex tasks simultaneously, and won’t complain about its environment! If you show us a few @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@, this tech can be yours. As for the obsolete humans, well, we could use a few technicians.”
Effect: aspiring astronauts of @@NAME@@ have their dreams crushed by metal feet

Option 3b (State-planned economy) “The problem is that living beings need things”, adds your Technology Advisor, “So, why don’t we swap out our biological assets with mechanical ones? Then, we won’t have to send food, mail, and air every month or so! As for our crew members, eh, I’m sure they will enjoy a more down-to-earth position.”
Effect: aspiring astronauts of @@NAME@@ have their dreams crushed by metal feet

Option 4: “Look what you’re doing, @@LEADER@@!” shouts @@RANDOMNAME_2@@, a passerby, who mysteriously made @@HIS@@ way into your office, “These poor people have to live in a tin can for months on end, spend every waking second working their behinds off, and get grilled for taking a breather! How would you feel in their situation, huh? Save us some tax @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@, and end this madness!”
Effect: rocket scientists struggle to cope with general labor

As always, if something is (inevitably) not quite right, feel free to leave some feedback.

[Fauxia]

Hey there! Though the actual veracity of the Skylab 4 Strike occurring as such is questionable, this is a solid premise. Just a quick note: Issue effects are not sentences. no capitalization at the beginning and no period at the end

One day, the crew aboard the @@NAME@@ Space Station have stopped performing their daily tasks, stating they will only resume once their workload is reduced.

Can't start with "one day"; as they say, "it no do syntax". But the description as a whole is quite bare right now. A bit of background wouldn't hurt, probably.

Option 1: “How am I expected to live like this?” states Gerald Truckk, a crew member aboard the station, over a video call. “I sometimes go up to thirty-six hours without a single second of sleep! We demand breaks every two hours, with twelve hours of sleep time. Also, mind spicing up the palette while you’re at it?”
Effect: @@NAME@@ space stations put five-star hotels to shame.

Maybe twelve hours of sleep time is a bit much? I realize it's supposed to be a demand for luxury, but that pushes it a bit.

Option 2: “I mean, I understand their concerns, but there’s a bigger picture to this”, says @@RANDOMNAME@@, director of the @@CAPITAL@@ Space Center. “These schedules are built around our capital and infrastructure. If they can’t do it, we’ll send someone else up there, plain and simple”.
Effect: @@DENONYMPLURAL@@ astronauts train for missions by living in wire-filled caskets.

Doesn't have to be so quick if the other options are longer. The speaker should emphasize how expensive it is for them to waste time.

Option 3a (Private industry): “Humans are so last epoch”, claims Row Baut, CEO of @@CAPITAL@@ Dynamics, “Rob- ahem, autonomous humanoids can work for days on end without rest, can perform dozens of complex tasks simultaneously, and won’t complain about its environment! As for the obsolete humans, well, there should be plenty of work cut out for them.”
Effect: Aspiring astronauts of @@NAME@@ have their dreams crushed by metal feet.

Option 3b (No private industry) “The problem is that living beings need things”, adds your Technology Advisor, “So, why don’t we swap out our biological assets with mechanical ones? I assure you, we’ll see productivity, safety, and, uh, other stuff, skyrocket!”
Effect: Aspiring astronauts of @@NAME@@ have their dreams crushed by metal feet.

Not sure this is the right way to toggle it. A lot of nations with private industry still have nationalized space agencies. You should toggle it according to that. If there isn't a policy for that, use options from issue #574.

Speaking of that, if it's a private company in space, it can probably do whatever the heck it wants, unless they chose certain options from #193. If you want to make the option relevant, they should probably ask for subsidies.

Option 4: “You’re doing WHAT?” yells @@RANDOMNAME_2@@, a passerby who just appeared in your office, “We already know what’s in space: some glowing dust and rocks, big deal. How about we solve our problems down here first, and then we look at your little rocket toys?”

This is an issue that actually is an opportune one for a reversal. But it ought to be relevant to the issue. Why would the speaker ignore the obvious argument for their point that's right on @@LEADER@@'s mind? They should say either that space has terrible psychological effects and they need to get rid of it, or that they're astronauts are all lazy and nothing gets accomplished?

Good luck with your issue . It's a good one, just needs a bit of work.

[Baggieland]

Why are astronauts being worked so hard? And why only astronauts? Wouldn't the topic of healthy working hours apply to all citizens?

[Dominos Pizza Restaurant]

Second draft. Now to answer some questions:

Speaking of that, if it's a private company in space, it can probably do whatever the heck it wants, unless they chose certain options from #193. If you want to make the option relevant, they should probably ask for subsidies.

That was my intention with it, which I've tried to clarify in the second draft.

Why are astronauts being worked so hard? And why only astronauts? Wouldn't the topic of healthy working hours apply to all citizens?

I believe this is already addressed in Issue #1056. Wanted to address astronauts specifically due to their unique situation.
Thanks to everyone for the feedback! Let me know if anything else that looks off.

[Delta Vega IV]

1. Option 2, "we won't struggle to find": My native language is not English, but this sounds a bit weird to me. "We won't struggle" sounds to me like "We won't bother to make the effort." Sorry if this impression results from my lack of knowledge of English idioms.

2. I don't like the name chosen for the CEO, "Row Baut." I guess it's a pun on "Rowboat," but I find it a bit strained.

These are just my 2-cent reservations as a casual observer.

[Dominos Pizza Restaurant]

1. Option 2, "we won't struggle to find": My native language is not English, but this sounds a bit weird to me. "We won't struggle" sounds to me like "We won't bother to make the effort." Sorry if this impression results from my lack of knowledge of English idioms.

2. I don't like the name chosen for the CEO, "Row Baut." I guess it's a pun on "Rowboat," but I find it a bit strained.

These are just my 2-cent reservations as a casual observer.

For the first concern, I tried to reference G-Man's speech from Half-Life: Alyx. Part of the option read just like it, so I chose to go all the way. I admit it doesn't sit too well, I'll probably change it.
As for the CEO name, I tried to make a pun on the word "robot", but if that reads weirdly, I could change it to something else, like "Ann Droid", or "Cy Borg"

[Delta Vega IV]

1. Option 2, "we won't struggle to find": My native language is not English, but this sounds a bit weird to me. "We won't struggle" sounds to me like "We won't bother to make the effort." Sorry if this impression results from my lack of knowledge of English idioms.

2. I don't like the name chosen for the CEO, "Row Baut." I guess it's a pun on "Rowboat," but I find it a bit strained.

These are just my 2-cent reservations as a casual observer.

For the first concern, I tried to reference G-Man's speech from Half-Life: Alyx. Part of the option read just like it, so I chose to go all the way. I admit it doesn't sit too well, I'll probably change it.
As for the CEO name, I tried to make a pun on the word "robot", but if that reads weirdly, I could change it to something else, like "Ann Droid", or "Cy Borg"

I like Ann Droid. A lot better, in my opinion, than Row Baut or Cy Borg.

[Australian rePublic]

Why would leader have a say in this? What does leader know about space travel?

[Dominos Pizza Restaurant]

Why would leader have a say in this? What does leader know about space travel?

I see it as leader resolving a dispute between the agency and the astronauts. Leader has to step in, as both sides have become firm in their stances. Maybe something to address in the third draft.

[Australian rePublic]

There should be something to address that in the third draft, yes

[Dominos Pizza Restaurant]

Draft 3 is out. Fixed some issues, explained the situation a bit clearer.

[Dominos Pizza Restaurant]

/bump