Mission Alpha (2006)

Mission Alpha (2006)

Destination: Venus

Astronauts: Stephen Smith (hab commander), Stefan De Young (interim hab commander after Stephen became contaminated, and had to be quarantined), Brian Foo (Co-hab commander, after Stefan also became contaminated, and also had to be quarantined), Nevin Hotson (Co-hab commander, with Brian), Johnathan Scothorn (pilot), Jeffrey Gao (Able Crewman)

Mission Purpose: To observe the effects of a thermonuclear device on a planet's weather patterns and geography.

Time: 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time), February 10th, 2006.

Notes

The plan was to employ the exploration robot for this mission, but the task force was unsuccessful in getting it operational in time.

The Brahe sustained a rather violent impact on Venus, and due to gravitational flux, the AYSE drive unit lost its orbit and was destroyed by a violent crash onto Venus.

During the mission, the astronauts had several sightings of hab gnomes inside the power box, and even on the planetary surface. The Habitat Commander was attacked by one such creature, and became infected with an unknown virus. As a result, a quarantine was imposed. Another astronaut, Stefan De Young, decided to enter the hotlab to care for the commander, but became contaminated due to a flaw in the EVA suits and was forced to remain in the hotlab until landing. The astronauts managed to destroy the virus by exposing the quarantined area to vacuum by venting the atmosphere in the module. The crew returned successfully to Earth under the joint command of Nevin Hotson and Brian Foo.

This mission marked the return of the infamous Power Coupling, and the discovery of a firearm inside the Habitat, left over from Mission Gamma (2005), which was put to good use in defending against intruding hab gnomes and an irate Stefan De Young.