Jupiter

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Jupiter SE.png
Jupiter
SystemSol
TypePlanet
Astronomical Classification IndexCHJOV-1J
HabitableNo
AffiliationColonial Administration of Jupiter
LocationAries
Natural SatellitesEuropa, Ganymede, Io, Callisto (+75 others)
Artificial SatellitesGalileo Hubstation, SDCSS Juniper (+16 others)
Discovery Date1610
Population16,230 (Station population, 2114)
Equatorial Radius69,911 km
Gravity2.6395 g
AtmosphereH2, He
Rotational Period9h, 55m, 33.13s
Axial Tilt°3 07'05.95'
Mass1 M♃
Tidally LockedNo
Orbital Period11.860 years
Orbital Speed13.07 km/s
Orbital Radius5.200 AU
Orbital Eccentricity0.048
Aphelion5.4552 AU
Perihelion4.9516 AU
Inclination1°18'19.07'
Jupiter, known rarely as Sol V, is the fifth planet from Sol and the largest planet in the solar system, two times more massive than the combined mass of all other planets in the solar system. Jupiter is one of the most politically important planets in Sol alongside the planets of Earth and Mars, being the heart of new-age space industry, hosting multiple anchorages and being something akin to a checkpoint for arrivals and departures to and from Sol and possessing huge gas and mineral mining operations on Jupiter's surface and on their numerous asteroid moons. Prior to efficient space travel, Jupiter was especially notable for it's immense gravitational pull which allowed ships to use the slingshot method to reach either end of the solar system with Jupiter as a midway point.

Jupiter is governed by the Colonial Administration of Jupiter (CAJ) under the supervision of the United Nations. The more established of the moons possess their own colonial administrations, such as the Colonial Administration of Europa (CAE), Colonial Administration of Ganymede (CAG) and the Colonial Administration of Callisto (CAC), governing the main three Galilean moons and are under the overarching authority of the CAJ. Residents of Jupiter are referred to under the demonym Jovian.

Infrastructure

Jupiter's population is organized into a network of stations, satellites and anchorages within geosynchronous orbit of the gas giant. The larger stations can accommodate many economic means, such as simultaneous mineral and gas refinery, alongside providing large-scale residence and therefore allowing civilian businesses onboard stations, essentially making the larger stations such as the Galileo Hubstation 'station cities'. Other smaller stations, however, are more specialized and sport a smaller population relative to how many hands are needed to operate the station's primary objective. Nearly every station, regardless of primary industry, is equipped with a gas siphon for extracting gas from Jupiter's atmosphere - the majority of Jovian station models come equipped with a gas siphon to act as a form of passive income for the station whenever their primary industry slows down.

A number of anchorages are present in the Jovian station network. As opposed to having a large number of anchorages to accommodate for more starships, there are only 5 major Jovian anchorages, with Jupiter sporting the largest anchorages in the entirety of Sol with some spanning kilometres across. Three of these are civilian anchorages while the remaining two are Sol Defence Corps anchorages, all five owned and operated in a joint-ownership between the CAJ, UN and AXIOM Corporation, a major contributor to the Jovian economy.

There are a number of AXIOM owned and operated stations on Jupiter - primarily the smaller, more specialized stations, though AXIOM is involved in the larger stations such as the Galileo Hubstation, and many of the Jovian station models are manufactured by AXIOM. While very few, there are a number of small civilian-owned anchorages.

The Galileo Hubstation is the largest station in Jovian orbit and acts as the hub for all Jovian coordination. The Hubstation, houses the Colonial Administration of Jupiter as well as offices for each of the Galilean moon administrations, hosts nearly two-thirds of the geosynchronous Jovian population, and conducts up to fifty different economic practices simultaneously onboard the station. The Galileo Hubstation is roughly one and a half kilometres tall by three kilometres wide, with a substantial portion of their size going into radiation shielding, a similar trait found in the other Jovian stations.

The Galileo Hubstation's primary focuses are communications relay, mineral and gas refinery, bureaucracy and research in the form of astronomy and further research into the mysterious composition of Jupiter. However, with it's expansive residential sectors and accommodations, countless other opportunities can be found for enterprising individuals. The Galileo Hubstation is found around the top pole of the station and is a popular site for tourists looking to see Jupiter's corona.

History

The colonisation of Mars and Luna were the first steps into total solar colonisation, and the formation of the Sol Defence Corps allowed for the colonization of further planets, not just the neighbors of Earth. Many missions to Jupiter had been made in the past solely for research but very little results came back each time. Two prominent figures within the United Nations, Gordon Britt and Arthur Hendrix, stakeholders in solar colonisation, sought to colonise Jupiter for a variety of appealing reasons; mining operations on both the Galilean moons and the Asteroid belt with Jupiter as the hub for mining operations, the ability to research the Galilean moons and Jupiter for longer periods of time with heightened efficiency owed to a colony and anchorage established on Jupiter, and a permanent settlement on Jupiter allowing the planet to act as a midway point for further enterprising into the outer regions of Sol the likes of Saturn and Uranus.

The propositions of Britt and Hendrix were found to be just as appealing to the UN and SDC as it was to them, as the newly founded Sol Defence Corps needed more materials in order to evolve into the formidable space naval force they are today, and asteroid mining was quickly becoming the most efficient form of material procurement not only for the UN and SDC, but for humanity as a whole.

The insignia of the Colonial Administration of Jupiter.
The insignia of the Colonial Administration of Jupiter.

The first Jupiter Expedition made it's maiden voyage on December 18th, 2060, and arrived at Jupiter on September 4th, 2063. The Jupiter Expedition fleet took off from Mars on December 18th during a period where Jupiter's perihelion and Mars' aphelion allowed the fleet to cut down the expedition duration by a year. The fleet towed with them a large space station manufactured by AXIOM Corporation, which would end up becoming Britt-Hendrix station, one of the larger stations in the modern Jupiter station network. Once the Britt-Hendrix station was established, a permanent population of 1,030 researchers, workers and bureaucrats manned the station for four years conducting research on Jupiter and the Galilean moons, setting down the groundwork for future colonists. A blockade set up by the SDC prevented corporations or other entities from establishing in Jovian space - including AXIOM, who, despite having provided the space station and a number of workers, were limited in autonomy to that of the AXIOM representative they had sent with the expedition - up until the blockade was lifted in 2068, and multiple corporations and enterprising individuals flocked to Jupiter to establish operations and grow the Jovian colonies.

The massive influx allowed operations on Jupiter to grow substantially in a short period, with the Jovian colonies experiencing a massive economic boom as multiple mining operations appeared almost out of thin air in the Asteroid belt and on Jupiter's asteroid moons, bringing in a massive income which boosted Jupiter's autonomy almost instantly as the Jovian colonies became a enormous political and economic heavyweight in Sol.

Prior to the blockade and for a few years afterwards, Jupiter was under SDC occupation and therefore under their administrative control. However, as colonies began to show up on the Galilean moons, the likes of Europa, which quickly became a tourist destination, host of multiple research bases and home for many after the blockade was lifted, and Callisto, who housed multiple mining operations and worker residence as it was the only non-volcanic non-suboceanic Galilean moon, the SDC quickly had far too much to administrate while at the same time working on expanding their own navy and organizing themselves into a proper military force, and as a result, the UN and SDC held the Galileo Conference on what was becoming the largest station on Jupiter - the AXIOM manufactured and operated Galileo Station - formally establishing the Colonial Administration of Jupiter and each of it's subsidiary administrations for the Galilean Moons.

Jupiter's autonomy granted them even more economic freedom and they experienced yet another economic boom. Very quickly, the Galilean moons expanded their populations and their colonies, Jupiter became the checkpoint world for all of Sol, and became the single largest economic entity in the entire solar system. Galileo Station soon enough became Galileo Hubstation and was declared the capital station of the Colonial Administration of Jupiter.

Jovesphere

The Jovian Sphere of Influence, also known as the Jovesphere, is the region of space governered or otherwise under the influence of the Colonial Administration of Jupiter. The heart of the Jovesphere, known as the Inner Jovesphere, includes Jupiter itself, alongside the Galilean moons. The outer Jovesphere includes the entirety of the Asteroid Belt and Saturn, which falls into the Jovesphere as a result of Jupiter's role as a holder of multiple major anchorages and manufacturer.

Saturn, being primarily a military outpost for Sol, receives a substantial amount of traffic as many SDC ships travel through Jupiter to Saturn alongside Jupiter's manufacturing strength, producing much of the equipment (starship components, station models, fuel, etc.) which contributes to their influence over Saturn. However, being that Saturn is heavily utilized by the SDC, the Jovian influence over Saturn is more limited and much weaker than that of the Asteroid belt.

The Asteroid Belt is the region of the Outer Jovesphere which the CAJ holds the most power, with Asteroid belt mining operations hosted almost completely from within the Inner Jovesphere and few operations based out of Mars. The SDC also finds them involved in the Jovian influence over the Asteroid belt due to the presence of pirates in the Asteroid belt, with the CAJ commanding a degree of control over SDC counter-piracy operations within the Asteroid belt.

The end of the Asteroid belt nearest to Mars and the Lagrange point between Saturn and Uranus are where the Jovesphere is considered to end, with the inner Asteroid belt and beyond under Martian Commonwealth and UN influence, and regions past the Saturn-Uranus Lagrange point being under SDC influence.

A diagram showing the reaches of the Jovespheres and planets within.
A diagram showing the reaches of the Jovespheres and planets within.

Moons

Io

Io.png
Io
TypeMoon
Astronomical Classification IndexFOSUL-1L
HabitableNo
AffiliationColonial Administration of Jupiter
LocationAries
Artificial Satellites14 material siphon satellites
Discovery DateJanuary 8 1610
Gravity0.183 g
Rotational Period42 hours
Mass1.2152 M☾
Orbital Period42 hours

Io, also known as Jupiter I, is the closest moon to Jupiter and known for it's intense volcanic activity and sickly appearance. Being that Io is the nearest moon to Jupiter, and therefore receiving extremely dangerous amounts of constant radiation, combined with constant volcanic activity in the form of Ioquakes and volcanic eruption, no permanent settlements or research stations have been established on Io and therefore, the moon does not have a population. Scientific studies of Io are conducted by NDG and civilian starships in orbit of Io, but the only operations on the surface of Io are automated sulfur mining operations, which there are exceptionally few of. Io is the 'electric generator' of the Jovian magnetosphere, amplifying the magnetic sphere to twice the size it would be with Jupiter alone owed to it's ability to develop close to 400,000 volts of electricity.

History

Io was never planned to be colonized but received most of it's attention from mining enterprisers following the blockade lift. It's primary attraction was the materials caused by Io's volcanic activity, the likes of atomic sulfur, potassium, oxygen, chlorine and other materials. Though many enterprising corporations established on the surface of Io initially, many pulled out as the Jovian radiation made maintaining operations on Io exceptionally difficult, and as a result, Io is dotted with many abandoned mining facilities.

However, Io does have a number of small, automated artificial satellites which harvest from Io in a separate way. The Jovian magnetosphere sweeps up materials from Io's surface and distributes it across the Jovian system in the form of clouds or distributed into the radiation belt. These autonomous satellites siphon the materials swept up from the surface of Io not unlike gas siphons found in the orbit of Jupiter and concentrate them, which are then sold. Many more enterprises choose this method of profiting off of Io as opposed to surface mining that, while it would provide amounts of the same materials siphoned in numbers exponentially larger, is impractical due to the aforementioned radiation.

Studies of Io's history and volcanic activity are conducted by a number of starships in the orbit of Io, many stationed there for months at a time. These starships are usually NDG operated, but some civilian scientific groups also conduct research on Io, typically cooperating with the NDG.

Europa

Europa.png
Europa
TypeMoon
Astronomical Classification IndexFOOCF-0.3L
HabitableYes
AffiliationColonial Administration of Europa
LocationAries
Discovery DateJanuary 7 1610
Population35,257 (2114)
Gravity0.134 g
Rotational Period3.552 days
Mass0.65315 M☾
Orbital Period3.614 days

Europa, also known as Jupiter II, is the most populous of the Galilean moons with a permanent population of 35,257, exceeding that of the Jovian stations and the combined populations of it's fellow moons, while also having a fluctuating tourist population, who come to Europa for it's remarkable views of Jupiter and also to see the planet's subsurface ocean, which was confirmed to exist during the first Jupiter Expedition in 2060 and confirmed to host life in 2066. Though the colony cities of Europa are visible from it's surface, the majority of the cities are located within and beneath the ice shell of Europa, as the Jovian radiation belt makes the surface an extremely unsafe place to settle, and the surface of the Europan colonies are comprised primarily of anchorages and observatories hosting robust and expensive radiation protection equipment.

Infrastructure

As opposed to other colonies, Europa possesses only two major cities and two research stations with small, alternating staff populations. The cities of Nouvelle-Montpellier and Telephassa Linea house the majority of the Europan population, with Nouvelle-Montpellier housing 23,505 Europans and Telephassa Linea housing 11,752 Europans. The other research stations of Juno Station and Boeota Macula Station have a maximum researcher population of 30-50 alternating staff, the staff otherwise being housed at either Nouvelle-Montpellier or Telephassa Linea.

The majority of the populations of Nouvelle-Montpellier and Telephassa Linea live below the ice in 'pod towns', modular submarine-like sectors of cities. The modular nature of the cities are firstly due to the method of construction that goes into creating cities beneath the surface of Europa, and also as a measure to minimalize damage in the event of a hull breach in a pod town by method of compartmentalization.

History

During the Jupiter Expedition, the fleet was split up into two teams: one carrying the Britt-Hendrix station and concerned with establishing geosynchronous operations, and one dedicated to mapping and studying Europa, which much later split up into further teams mapping Ganymede and Callisto. Being that Europa potentially had a subsurface ocean supporting life, and even though was only the third most probable candidate for colony establishment (after Ganymede and Callisto) the possibility of a subsurface ocean garnered more attention to Europa. After studies were conducted by the Naval Development Group and Europa's subsurface ocean was not only confirmed but also confirmed to host life, the attention on Europa grew even more and after the blockade was lifted, all hands were on deck to establish scientific outposts on Europa.

Multiple scientific and corporate syndicates put interest into Europa, and the two major nameless research stations eventually ended up becoming the cities of Nouvelle-Montpellier, named for it's remarkably francophone population, and Telephassa Linea, named for it's position on one of the more prominent of Europa's lineae, large lines across the surface of Europa caused by tidal movement. More and more people sought to Europa for work, travel and as a result of the two, residence, despite being the second-closest moon and bombarded far more by Jovian radiation than Ganymede and Callisto, Europa still hosts the largest population in the entirety of the Jovesphere. While the subsurface ocean is a huge tourist attraction, some heavily-protected surface observatories open up to tourists who are able to see Jupiter up-close, many going to Europa to see the Great Red Spot.

Ganymede

Ganymede.png
Ganymede
TypeMoon
Astronomical Classification IndexFOOCF-2L
HabitableNo
AffiliationColonial Administration of Ganymede
LocationAries
Discovery DateJanuary 7 1610
Population1,883 (2114)
Gravity0.145 g
Rotational Period7.155 days
Mass2.0159 M☾
Orbital Period7.269 days

Ganymede, also known as Jupiter III, is the second most populous Jovian moon and a fast-growing colony moon. While receiving the backseat to Europa during the blockade lift, only after establishments were made in the Jovian system did colonists give more regard to Ganymede and began to establish it as a new home for those escaping overpopulation on Earth and even the Europan cities. Ganymede possesses a subsurface saltwater ocean, much like Europa, but is unique as it is separated by two additional sheets of ice, diving the subsurface of Ganymede into two oceans. Also unlike Europa, Ganymede's oceans are not known to host life. While the ocean nearest to the surface has been mapped, and is more likely to host life as a result of tidal heating, the ocean nearer to the core may also host life due to the heat produced by Ganymede's magnetic field.

Infrastructure

Ganymede's entire population is housed in one colony that serves as a city and the moon's primary research station, Tashmetum, named for the bright crater which it resides in. The small 1,883 Ganymedian population is comprised primarily of researchers and their families studying the multi-layer ocean of Ganymede in search of life, and a number of immigrants from Earth. Unlike Nouvelle-Montpellier and Telephassa Linea on Europa, Ganymede's further proximity from Jupiter and magnetic field causes the radiation belt to have a lesser effect on them and as a result, radiation shielding technology is capable of allowing people to live in colonies on the surface of Ganymede. This is preferred by Ganymedians, with the subsurface organized into the same modular system as found on Europa and is the heart of Ganymedian research. On top of being safer from the Jovian radiation, Ganymede also has the luxury of being able to host agricultural plots within Tashmetum station, providing a wealth of food to the Jovesphere, including the Asteroid Belt.

There are no other research stations on Ganymede, however, communications equipment piercing down into the subsurface ocean is set up in craters around the surface of the planet so that researchers in Tashmetum can communicate with probes and submarines charting and studying the oceans of Ganymede.

History

Ganymede received very little attention initially, as most people coming to the Jovesphere when the blockade was lifted turned their attention to Europa. Some ships from the Naval Development Group were stationed at Ganymede conducting research prior to the blockade, and were accompanied by a handful of newcomers. Their primary concern being at Ganymede was to uncover the possible subsurface ocean before anyone put any thought into establishing colonies. While the NDG did discover a subsurface ocean, and had a research base established in the Tashmetum crater that pierced through the outermost ice shell making up the surface of Ganymede, they mostly sat on the knowledge for most of Jupiter's economic boom.

However, once the Jovesphere became fully established and little more was to be done with Europa, now sporting two large cities and the largest population in the Jovesphere, many eyes were turned to Ganymede as the knowledge of Ganymede's subsurface ocean had been made public a long time ago. Prior to this, Ganymede was much like Io and did not have it's own government due to it's small 'population', but as a new Ganymede Conference was held, the moon was officially granted it's own subsidiary government in the form of the Colonial Administration of Ganymede. In this conference, each organization and corporation seeking to establish a colonial presence on Ganymede agreed to put their focus into the expansion of Tashmetum and the study of the subsurface ocean before establishing other colonies on Ganymede - more than just research, a number of organizations also intended to utilize Ganymede's magnetic field and radiation resistance to provide a self-sustaining food income for the Jovesphere.

Owing to the conference and the newfound interest, Tashmetum grew substantially into a civilian centre and breadbasket, with further secrets being unlocked about Ganymede such as the secondary layer of ice dividing the ocean. Today, Ganymede remains the fastest growing colony in the Jovesphere after Europa with many flocking to Ganymede in order to develop the agricultural plots on the moon.

Callisto

Callisto.png
Callisto
TypeMoon
Astronomical Classification IndexFODST-1L
HabitableNo
AffiliationColonial Administration of Callisto
LocationAries
Discovery DateJanuary 7 1610
Population632 (2114)
Gravity0.125 g
Rotational Period16.68 days
Mass1.4641 M☾
Orbital Period16.529 days
Callisto, also known as Jupiter IV, is the fourth and final of the Galilean moons. What was planned to be the most colonised of the Galilean moons alongside Ganymede ended up becoming the least populous for one primary reason: Callisto was an unattractive moon to colonize. Nevertheless, Callisto sports a singular city, Valhalla, within the crater of the same name, and a permanent population of 432 Callistians. Callisto is comprised primarily of ice containing ammonia, but with Callisto's distance from Jupiter, and it's lack of a magnetosphere, Callisto does not receive enough warmth from Jupiter's tidal heating to create a subsurface ocean and rather possesses fluctuating pockets of liquid ammonia water beneath it's surface.

It is suspected that in the future, Callisto's population and colonies may grow, but the discovery of exoplanets by the Final Frontier Project means little regard is given to Callisto as a home.

Infrastructure

Callisto's singular city, Valhalla, is completely on the surface of the moon unlike the cities of Europa and Ganymede, still replete with radiation shielding. Valhalla is a city with a similar model to the cities of Mars, built in the same model and style as Martian infrastructure with dome cities that overlook Jupiter and the Galilean moons all at once, which is one of Callisto's main attractions alongside it's heavily cratered surface, being the most cratered object in Sol. Across Callisto there are multiple outposts dedicated to recording the appearance and disappearance of water patches beneath the surface of Callisto, which the CAC seeks to uncover, take samples of, and study.

History

Callisto was first travelled to by the NDG in the first Jupiter Expedition under the mission to see if it had a subsurface ocean like Europa and Ganymede. It was discovered that Callisto did not, which contributed to the lack of interest in the moon with the coming years of the establishment of the Jovesphere. The same NDG personnel who made the mission to Callisto called on colonists to establish a singular colony on Callisto primarily as a research outpost, but also saw it as a way to create a quiet, isolated-yet-associated colony for them and their families away from the recently huge hustle and bustle brought upon by the blockade lift. Some families moved to Callisto into Jupiter's autonomy, expanding the population further. During the Ganymede Conference, Callisto also gained it's own subsidiary government as, at the time, the population had surpassed 500 permanent residence, which qualified it for it's own subsidiary government. Today, Callisto remains mainly a research outpost and a home for those wishing to get away from the stress of the rest of Sol.

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