Difference between revisions of "Ptichka"
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Revision as of 01:14, 13 May 2011
| USSR Ptichka | |
 Ptichka in orbit of Gallifrey, 2nd Tau Ceti Expedition, 2014. | |
| Spacecraft Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Base Hull | NPO Energia Buran Space Shuttle Orbiter |
| Length | 36.37m / 119′ 4" |
| Width | 23.92m / 78′ 6" (wingspan) |
| Height | 16.35m / 53′ 8" (height on gear) |
| Mass | 75,000 kg / 165,347 lbs. |
| Drive Type | Pitch Field reactionless thrusters |
| Drive Rating | max velocity 0.1c |
| Owner | Soviet Air Force, LLC |
| Flag of Record | People's Republic of Freedonia |
| Faction | Soviet Air Force |
| Registry Number | N230WT (FAA) WTF023 (Port Phobos) |
| Launched | 12 October, 2008 |
| Purpose | Explorer |
| Primary Crew | S. Malaclypse Fnord, CDR Sora Hasegawa, ENG/PLT |
| Other Crew | Ptichka, SYSOP |
| Operational Status | Active |
History
Ptichka is the first, and was for several years the only Space Shuttle operating in Fenspace. Originally built by the Soviet Union, the mostly-finished Orbiter 1.02 (unofficially dubbed Ptichka by facility workers) was stored in Kazakhstan after the fall of the USSR as the Russian space program didn't have the funds or a good reason to complete the vehicle.
Orbiter 1.02 was purchased by a group of American fen in late 2007, brought to the United States and handwaved in secret in the midst of the early handwavium panics. The secret finally broke in October 2008, and Ptichka made a very dramatic daylight escape from Wisconsin to Earth orbit. The incident resulted in the Maintaining America's Technological Security Act of 2008, the hardest American crackdown on handwavium enacted until the 2012 Land Theft Prevention Act passed in the wake of the Grover's Corners launch. The crew were formally granted amnesty along with the other First Fen in the 2010 Kandor treaty, but lingering bad feeling remains among American authorities, and vice versa.
Ptichka made a name as one of the early interplanetary and interstellar explorers. The Orbiter was the first ship to land on Mercury, Triton and Nereid, as well as the first up-close surveys of Tau Ceti and Epsilon Indi. The independent documentary films the crew has made of their discoveries were a major source of income, and have recieved critical praise in both Mundane and Fen circles.
Officially a research vessel, Ptichka also participated in the early stages of Operation Great Justice, flying convoy escort and occasional stirke missions. This ended in mid-2013 when dedicated combat craft became available to take her place.
Known Vehicle Quirks
- Beucephelus Complex: Ptichka is very particular about who gets to fly her. Anybody not on the crew who tries touching the flight controls is likely to get a nasty surprise.
- What Is It, Artoo? Despite having all the equipment necessary to generate a human voice, Ptichka prefers to vocalize only in birdsong, with text messaging as a backup. The crew have gotten pretty good at interpreting.
- Creeping Decor: The crew spaces are slowly being decorated with a combination of NASA Industrial and Russian Kitsch. Nothing seems to be able to stop the redecorating: painting, wallpaper, exorcism...
- Bones Of The Saints: Vehicle efficiency drops by 40% if the crew doesn't maintain the ship's shrine to the Holy Martyrs of Spaceflight on at least a weekly basis.
Known Crew Quirks
- In Soviet Russia... Partly out of respect for the ship's origins, and (probably) partly due to cross-contamination, the crew tends to use Soviet rank and military terminology while "on duty." It hasn't descended to gratuitous Boris Badenov accents, yet.
Stories
Ptichka is featured in the following stories:
- Poehali! (origin story, under construction)
- Convention Thread GO!
- Not Just A Job (under construction)
- With Liberty And Great Justice...
- A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
- Into the Great Wide Open
- Bootup, a Fable for Space Shuttles
Related Images
Ptichka official crew patch.
Semi-official Artemis Foundation ship emblem.
Ptichka souvenier patch sold at Baikonur gift shop.
Ptichka souvenier patch sold in Kandor City.
Ptichka five-view poster.
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