Selenarctos Moon Landing

[iKrolm]

Public Broadcast from The Nation of Selenarctos:

We are proud to announce that today The Nation of Selenarctos has successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon.

Four days ago, The Nation's third Angel-Class rocket launched from the Cerries Launch Facility, this one destined to be the first to land on the moon. The three man crew, composed of astronauts Carlos Aquino (mission commander), Virgilio Padilla (lunar lander pilot) and Phillip Salvador (orbit module pilot), each of whom completed more than 5,000 hours of preparation for this mission, were selected for their exceptional dedication and skill.

Following the twice-delayed 2:10:34 AM launch and one extra earth orbit (for a total of seven), the crew ignited their engines again and committed the mission to, at the very least, a translunar orbit. Three days later, yesterday for those of you who missed the start of the broadcast, the crew reached lunar orbit whereupon Aquino and Padilla said to farewell to Salvador and began their decent in the lunar lander. At 9:34:12 PM yesterday the lunar lander module touched down incident on the lunar surface and, following five hours of system checks and EVA preparation, Carlos Aquino finally left the first Selenarctan footprints on the moon at 2:46:13 AM this mourning.

The Selenarctan flag planted into the lunar regolith.

Aquino and Padilla are expected to spend just over 22 hours on the lunar surface before launching back to the orbit module to begin their 3 and a half day return flight, after which they will splashdown in one of three undisclosed locations in the Philippine Sea.

Additional Information:

The Angel-Class is a multistage rocket similar in design to the Saturn V rocket. The most notable differences are the computer system, which is designed to control the spacecraft from take off to splashdown, without input from mission control if necessary, and the life support facilities, which are able to sustain the crew for up to a month. (Please note this estimate does not including food supplies, merely air, water and power supplies.)

The Cerries Launch Facility, constructed 34km north of Cerries on Mauban Island, is The Nation's only functional spaceport. Spacecraft components, largely built within The Nation, are shipped on barges to facilities on Mauban Island where they are assembled and moved one of three launchpads. Mission control and most offices of The Nation's space program are centered within Cerries itself. (Mission control being located in a secure compound just on the outskirts.) Plans are underway for a second spaceport on Templo Island, however the idea must still pass the through the Economic Division's budget determination staff.

[KaiserMelech Mikhail]

OOC: You should have waited 6 days to do this.

[iKrolm]

OOC: You should have waited 6 days to do this.

OOC: Heh, you're right. Didn't even think of that

[Uberstein]

OOC: Whatever happened to that Canadian moonbase?

[Lynneth]

OOC: Whatever happened to that Canadian moonbase?

OOC: Still exist, but Lavo didn't do anything with them.

I guess I'm the only one with any real interest in building stuff up there.