Leaving Earth #2

Boardgames Play by Post
563

Gus Grissom if I can? Otherwise Alan Shepherd?

564

Sadly, ā€œSteely-Eyed Missile Manā€ is not among the skill options.

Grissom (Mechanic) Ā¤5. Apollo Ā¤4 (leaves 21), Saturn Ā¤15 (leaves 6), 6 Juno.

Next up is, erk, me. Need to think about this.

565

(One mission planning session later.)

OK, Iā€™ll buy one Hydroponics Module and 2 ion thrusters which takes up all my budget.

Also I have AB in Outer Planets Transfer. Well, I mis-timed that, didnā€™t I? Pack it off to Uranus Fly-By with nine time tokens; I canā€™t alter the timing because itā€™s a slingshot.

End turn.

@yashima is up next.

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566

Wow. 9 time tokens is crazyi

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567

But the ion looks really cool while itā€™s firing. :slight_smile:

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568

I have something up tomorrow that is making me incredibly anxious. So I will only take my turn on Thursday. By which time @RogerBW will be on his way to a convention I hear. Sorry for yet another delay. But I need to get tomorrow behind me.

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569

Hope tomorrow is ok!

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570

The meeting last week went not great and as of today (coming back from vacation I found out) I am out of projectā€“there is a minuscule chance that they might end up giving me another contract but I had hoped for having one at least until August. The lack 3 months income I had counted on together with the thing last wednesday I am in somewhat of a worst-case convergence.

It has taken a few hours to sink in that the best job I had in 20 years of working is over. Since I now have superfluous time on my hands that is not yet taken up with extra chores and looking for new work, I hope Iā€™ll get to the game tomorrow. Again very sorry about the holdup. I just donā€™t feel so great today.

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571

Long-distance hugs, maā€™am.

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572

Likewise. Take the time you need

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573

Further hugs and good thoughts.

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574

Okay, I have applied for a job. Like a not-freelance job. Office around the corner from here, profile matches like with 95%ā€“how could I not. Now I feel like I can possibly do a turn. Thanks for your patience everyone.

  • Shinji is in Mercury Orbit. I will maneuver back to ITP which is difficulty 7. With 2 Ions that will take me 3 years to get there. But Shinji is nothing if not patient :wink:
  • Kusanagi is in OTP and will travel to Saturn-Flyby which will take 3 years. Can I go slower and time my arrival to the open slingshot in 1972?

Next some shopping:

  • 5Ā¤ for an Atlas
  • 1Ā¤ for a probe (unless I have one either on the ground or in orbit? I am unsure of the state of my orbital mess.)
  • 12Ā¤ x 1 for a Proton Rockets

Assemble big huge spacecraft thing, letā€™s call it ā€œLastesel Iā€:

  • Stage 1: 1 Saturn to Suborbital
  • Stage 2: 1 Saturn to Earth Orbit
  • Payload: Aldrin Capsule (3), 2 Atlas (2x4), 1 Proton Rocket (6), 2 Ion Thrusters (2), 1 Probe (1) = 20

Once up in Earth Orbit rendezvous with whatever is left up there. If anything.

At this point I should have 12Ā¤ or 13Ā¤
When does Life Support Testing Occur?

2 Likes
575

Shinji en route, no problem.

Kusanagi can only get to Saturn by slingshot, which isnā€™t open this year. Youā€™ve made the same mistake I did; you have to manoeuvre somewhere, even with ions you canā€™t hover in OPT, but the Saturn window isnā€™t open. Right now your options are Mars, Earth, Ceres, or Uranus.

Iā€™ll hold off the rest in case you change your mind in the light of this.

(But Life Support testing happens at end of year, i.e. you have to keep back money to buy off outcomes.)

576

Okay so I was right about Life Support. I will hold back money to buy off a failure.
The Saturn thing is misleadings but I should be able to read :slight_smile:
Iā€™ll go to Ceres then.
I will pass for now and consider what to do with the money I have left.

Note: those manned missions to Mercury and Ceres are impossible to wrap my head around. I should have invested in shuttles.

577

OK, Kusanagi to Ceres is 2 ions Ɨ 1 year Ɨ 5 thrust/ion/year = 10 thrust vs 3 Ɨ 3 = 9.
Ending turn for now with 30 money in hand.

@RossM is up next.

2 Likes
578

Ok. Lets fire the Atlas on the Reliable to launch it into Venus fly by.

Craft is now 5 junos and 1 probe in venus flyby with one time token

579

Vehicle mass is 10, difficulty 2, 20 thrust needed, 27 supplied. Your Atlas is reliable.

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580

Ok.

But an engineer, a Saturn and a Hydroponic unit

End of turn

581

OK, first round of 1967 is done. Only yashima has any money left so I suspect second round may be quite short.

  1. China - @lalunaverde
  2. USA - Lordof1
  3. USSR - RogerBW
  4. Japan - yashima - Ā¤30
  5. France - RossM
582

Yeah. I donā€™t think thereā€™s anything to do other than completing the journey of my probe in OPT