Module 2
EARLY EXPLORATION | ⠓⠽⠙⠗⠥⠎ ⠧⠊
ERIOS IS THE SIXTH PLANET FROM HYDRUS. ORIGINALLY INHOSPITABLE FOR HUMAN LIFE, AN INFLUX OF FUNDING AND REFUGEES QUICKLY TURNED ERIOS INTO A HOME FOR MOST OF HUMANITY.
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1 | Frantic
Percival Lowell had studied Acwai for years, trying to find evidence that it indeed held intelligent life. However, his familiarizations with the Hydrus system would lead him to developing a new theory; that a 6th planet existed. He would ponder on the theory for years, trying to find evidence in the system's orbit patterns. His intrigue would only grow into stubbornness, and eventually, he would ditch his search for indirect evidence and go straight for a planet search. He would start quietly in 1905 with a couple of his staff.
The search itself was very uncoordinated and unorganized, and at times, could barely even be considered a search. It was more like tossing darts onto a spinning globe, waiting to see if they'll land on anything good. Obviously, this search would prove to be unsuccessful, and Lowell would give up for a bit. That is, until an astronomer at Harvard announced their search for a 'Planet Null.' Lowell would dive back into his search with full force, hiring professional mathematicians, purchasing various equipment, and working non-stop to find the planet. Unfortunately, his efforts would be cut short following his death in 1916.
Other people continued with the search, namely one Clyde Tombaugh. He would continue what Lowell left behind, analyzing every bit of the sky. He would be doing this with a 'blink comparator', a device that allowed for easy comparisons of two photographic plates. Tombaugh would do this repeatedly for the next decade or so, until in 1930, the blink comparator gave him an interesting photo comparison.
The difference was barely noticeable, but it was there. A small spec of light had moved slightly after a couple days. They would rush to analyze it, spending months observing the object. While they didn't have many details about it, they felt that they had enough evidence to finally confirm that it was what they were looking for. In March of that year, they would send their findings to Harvard, who would go on to announce the newest planet: Erios.
2 | Cold, Distant
Erios would later be visited by Voyager 2, sending back an image of a pale-blue planet. It looked to be a terrestrial ice-world, which intrigued astronomers in regards to its potential for life. Voyager 2's quick fly-by would keep these questions unanswered, but it did spark curiosity from the wider scientific community. However, these would be overshadowed by major efforts revolving around Acwai and Gauus, which were more reasonable targets for study.
Because of how much focus NASA and the UNIA were putting on Acwai, Gauus, and Myrl, Erios was left to be studied by small teams on the ground. It wouldn't be until 2340 that the UNIA would begin to look at Erios as another place to expand. By that point, spacecraft technology had advanced significantly, with cost-effective spacecraft being able to travel from Terra to Gauus in just over a week.
With that realization, the UNIA contracted STEL with the task of creating an exploration spacecraft to get from Gauus to Erios. What resulted was the STEL Lowell-1, a high-capacity exploration craft with two parts.
Part 1 would be the transit module, which had the necessary propulsion technology to move everything from Gauus to Erios. Habitation modules would also be attached to the transit module, giving the crew a comfortable place to stay while they were in Erios' orbit.
Part 2 would be a reusable low-orbit spacecraft. This not only brought explorers to and from the makeshift station, but it would also serve as a proper exploration vessel for when the crew were near the ground.
Everything would be finalized in 2349, and the UNIA would send a crew of 30 to the icy giant to explore and study.
3 | The Absolute
While the expedition would prove fruitful for the UNIA, the overall consensus was that Erios wasn't viable for a significant human population. The planet itself had all the necessary resources for life (deceased specimens were also found at some point during the expedition), but countering the inhospitable climate with partial terraforming and other technologies would significantly exceed the UNIA's budget. At best, Erios would land a fate similar to Myrl's; a small set of research facilities spread throughout it's surface. And that's exactly what happened.
The UNIA would return to Erios and establish 10 large facilities on a flat ice-plain. Housing at least 1000 personnel, these stations held eager and resilient researchers who were fine with the harshness of the planet. Officially, this research site went by "UNIA Absolute Labs," a reference to how Erios was the outer edge of the Hydrus System. Between the researchers, however, they came up with their own name, referencing humanity's dedication to exploration: Adept Homini.
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