I'm on the roll today... o_o
-----------------------------------------------------
October 15th, 2009
Well, well, well...
Looks like we managed to fill our cargo hold for the first time. We managed to capture a number of old satellites, but out best catches are two Agena Target Vehicles from the Gemini program. One from Gemini 8 and the other of Gemini 10.
We put our catch up on the Interwave and there are a number of fen who want them. But I have the feeling that the U.S. Space & Rocket Center or the Smithsonian are going to make it for those two. They just have more money...
--------------------------------------
"Guys," Danni said as she popped her head through the hatch leading into the cockpit, a wide grin on her face. "You never guess what I just got us."
"A stripper?" Alex wondered and got a glare from Danni, while the other chuckled.
"Nope," she said and the grin returned to her face. "A big contract! I called a fried of mine who works at SES Astra."
"And?" Naedial wondered. Over the last weeks she had become something of the captain of their little crew.
"Astra is willing to pay us for cleaning up their orbits. We can even keep the old Astra birds as salvage."
The other three looked at each other for some time before grinning.
"There's more. If we could do it, they'd be willing to pay us for doing maintenance on their current working birds. Refueling the tanks, replace transceivers. Stuff like that."
While Alex and Thomas grinned at each other and moved to get themselves a beer, Naedial looked thoughtful.
"I hope we can get that on paper," she noted." I'd hate to have some big company dirtside to call us criminals or something."
Danni nodded.
"My friend wants to meet us in two days on Stellvia for talks and maybe even signing the contracts."
--------------------------------------
Later that day, the Toy Box was well on a trajectory that would get her to L5 and Stellvia, the four crew members sat around the table in the small canteen again, eating lunch.
"You know," Naedial piped up after she finished." We should get us an Operation Base if we really want to get into this business. Somewhere to repair the Box and maybe even a satellite. Stellvia isn't going to cut it."
The others looked at her.
"And what do you have in mind?" Alex wondered before biting down into a sandwich.
"Our own station."
Thorsten snorted and Danni raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know how much we need to build our own station? Even with the Smithsonian buying GATV-5003, we can't pay for one."
Thorsten takled about the Agena Target Vehicle of Gemini 8 that was bought by the Smithsonian for about two million dollar, while U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville was willing to pay one and a half million for the ATV of Gemini 10, GATV-5005.
"That's the beauty. Very little."
Again the reactions varied. From a raised eyebrow, to a snort or a shaking head.
"Anyone knows the term 'Wet Workshop'?" Naedial asked with a grin, stretching her wings slightly.
"One of your perverted ideas. No doubt," Alex noted dryly, quipping on the wogons special likes. Naedial snorted with a grin on her face, while the other two laughed.
"She's taking about a idea to use old rocket stages or external shuttle tanks as space stations," Fee noted after a moment. "Stellvia uses that with its habitat ring."
Naedial nodded.
"Exactly," she notes." I've done a little research and stumbled over Skylab. It was build from a S-IVB stage of the Saturn V."
She grinned a little more.
"And now take a guess how many S-IVB stages currently float in solar orbit..."
"Six?" Thorsten wondered.
"Three," came from Alex.
"Ten," Danni said after playing a little with her fingers to count the manned Apollo missions.
"Close, but no cigar," Naedial said with a grin." There are five spend stages. And some of the eggheads from the NASA think that the one from Apollo 12 has been captured again by Earth for a while."
She chuckled.
"A single one has a volume of nearly six 40 foot containers," she noted and chuckled again." At least that is what Wolfram Alpha tells me. That would be about four times the volume of our cargo hold with all five stages. That should be enough space to set up a workshop for our tools, a repair bay and some living quarters."
The wogon grinned a little more.
"If we manage to find a couple of Centaur or Agena satellite busses we can even add some tanks for remass and our own 'vawium."
The others looked at their rather exited looking 'captain' and Thorsten leaned to Danni.
"If she starts to cackle madly, I'm out of the Box as soon as we hit Stellvia."
--------------------------------------
October 17th, 2009
And we are in!
Two contracts with SES Astra. One to remove their old satellites and a second one to run maintenance on the rest.
There is only one problem with the second contract...
They want to send one of their own men and a certified astronaut up to do the actual maintenance. In a sense we're only going to act as a ferry service.
Well, at least Danni used to work in the satellite end production when she was still employed by EADS Astrium.
But it looks like Whistler Orbital Services is now officially in business...
--------------------------------------
STEALTH EDIT!
-----------------------------------------------------
October 15th, 2009
Well, well, well...
Looks like we managed to fill our cargo hold for the first time. We managed to capture a number of old satellites, but out best catches are two Agena Target Vehicles from the Gemini program. One from Gemini 8 and the other of Gemini 10.
We put our catch up on the Interwave and there are a number of fen who want them. But I have the feeling that the U.S. Space & Rocket Center or the Smithsonian are going to make it for those two. They just have more money...
--------------------------------------
"Guys," Danni said as she popped her head through the hatch leading into the cockpit, a wide grin on her face. "You never guess what I just got us."
"A stripper?" Alex wondered and got a glare from Danni, while the other chuckled.
"Nope," she said and the grin returned to her face. "A big contract! I called a fried of mine who works at SES Astra."
"And?" Naedial wondered. Over the last weeks she had become something of the captain of their little crew.
"Astra is willing to pay us for cleaning up their orbits. We can even keep the old Astra birds as salvage."
The other three looked at each other for some time before grinning.
"There's more. If we could do it, they'd be willing to pay us for doing maintenance on their current working birds. Refueling the tanks, replace transceivers. Stuff like that."
While Alex and Thomas grinned at each other and moved to get themselves a beer, Naedial looked thoughtful.
"I hope we can get that on paper," she noted." I'd hate to have some big company dirtside to call us criminals or something."
Danni nodded.
"My friend wants to meet us in two days on Stellvia for talks and maybe even signing the contracts."
--------------------------------------
Later that day, the Toy Box was well on a trajectory that would get her to L5 and Stellvia, the four crew members sat around the table in the small canteen again, eating lunch.
"You know," Naedial piped up after she finished." We should get us an Operation Base if we really want to get into this business. Somewhere to repair the Box and maybe even a satellite. Stellvia isn't going to cut it."
The others looked at her.
"And what do you have in mind?" Alex wondered before biting down into a sandwich.
"Our own station."
Thorsten snorted and Danni raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know how much we need to build our own station? Even with the Smithsonian buying GATV-5003, we can't pay for one."
Thorsten takled about the Agena Target Vehicle of Gemini 8 that was bought by the Smithsonian for about two million dollar, while U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville was willing to pay one and a half million for the ATV of Gemini 10, GATV-5005.
"That's the beauty. Very little."
Again the reactions varied. From a raised eyebrow, to a snort or a shaking head.
"Anyone knows the term 'Wet Workshop'?" Naedial asked with a grin, stretching her wings slightly.
"One of your perverted ideas. No doubt," Alex noted dryly, quipping on the wogons special likes. Naedial snorted with a grin on her face, while the other two laughed.
"She's taking about a idea to use old rocket stages or external shuttle tanks as space stations," Fee noted after a moment. "Stellvia uses that with its habitat ring."
Naedial nodded.
"Exactly," she notes." I've done a little research and stumbled over Skylab. It was build from a S-IVB stage of the Saturn V."
She grinned a little more.
"And now take a guess how many S-IVB stages currently float in solar orbit..."
"Six?" Thorsten wondered.
"Three," came from Alex.
"Ten," Danni said after playing a little with her fingers to count the manned Apollo missions.
"Close, but no cigar," Naedial said with a grin." There are five spend stages. And some of the eggheads from the NASA think that the one from Apollo 12 has been captured again by Earth for a while."
She chuckled.
"A single one has a volume of nearly six 40 foot containers," she noted and chuckled again." At least that is what Wolfram Alpha tells me. That would be about four times the volume of our cargo hold with all five stages. That should be enough space to set up a workshop for our tools, a repair bay and some living quarters."
The wogon grinned a little more.
"If we manage to find a couple of Centaur or Agena satellite busses we can even add some tanks for remass and our own 'vawium."
The others looked at their rather exited looking 'captain' and Thorsten leaned to Danni.
"If she starts to cackle madly, I'm out of the Box as soon as we hit Stellvia."
--------------------------------------
October 17th, 2009
And we are in!
Two contracts with SES Astra. One to remove their old satellites and a second one to run maintenance on the rest.
There is only one problem with the second contract...
They want to send one of their own men and a certified astronaut up to do the actual maintenance. In a sense we're only going to act as a ferry service.
Well, at least Danni used to work in the satellite end production when she was still employed by EADS Astrium.
But it looks like Whistler Orbital Services is now officially in business...
--------------------------------------
STEALTH EDIT!