Various blocs built space stations during the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries. These space stations were classified as follows:
Bio-units: Self-sustaining ecosystems, each housing one hundred thousand people, relieved Earth’s population burden in the twenty-first century. Each bio-unit was subdivided into sectors for agricultural production, industrial manufacturing and residential living. Over a thousand bio-units were built during the fifty year period beginning in 2045. Ninety percent of these bio-units were located around Earth, Mars and Venus.
Space forts: The various bloc powers began building space forts throughout the solar system in 2060, beginning with Earth’s space perimeter. These space forts housed twenty-thousand troops and were equipped with long-range nuclear missiles and laser batteries. Space forts played a critical role during the Third World War and the conflicts of the twenty-second century.
Sci-units: Space stations specializing in research and development were first built in 2027 and had proliferated by 2070. Scientific researchers from fields as diverse as biochemistry and geophysics worked together, linked to various library and research institutions. Each sci-unit supported three thousand scientists and their families and many operated as mini-universities.
Space stops: Space stops were built throughout the solar system from 2068 onward, to refuel space ships travelling across the solar system. Eventually, space stops also contained docking bays and temporary residential facilities to accommodate long distance space travellers between planets.
Mini-units: Some small space stations were dedicated to specific activities, like communications, weather monitoring or military intelligence. By 2100, crews of twenty to one hundred people were located in mini-units throughout the solar system.
2046
US troops attack South America
American President Bill Shipton, ordered an attack on the Columbian-Venezuelan jungle region in an attempt to extinguish the area’s drug trade. Though popular in the USA, this move was harshly criticized by Columbia, Venezuela and other AFTN member countries. While the USA escaped any meaningful sanctions, the effort had no long-term impact on the South American drug trade, which was re-established at manufacturing bases on the new hydrocolonies.
IFEA reports on global economic status
A report by the International Forum for Economic Analysis (IFEA), revealed that China, Korea and Vietnam accounted for thirty-five percent of the world’s manufactured goods. African economies showed the highest levels of manufacturing growth at ten percent, double that of most other economic areas. Europe and the USA remained economically wealthy, but were responsible for only eight and seven percent of all manufactured goods respectively, both regions having become largely service-based economies.
2047
Porginine delta causes record rise in energy stocks
Energy stocks on the New York, London, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Seoul exchanges, rose to a new record in anticipation of the introduction of porginine delta, a low-velocity petroleum substitute.
EU and AEU sign Treaty of Friendship
Hostilities between the EU and the AEU ended, with the signing of a Treaty of Friendship in Antwerp. Like the first Treaty of Friendship signed between the NEB, AFTN and EU in 2035, the blocs agreed to selective specialization, whereby each bloc focused on a particular sector of the global economy. Selective specialization encouraged trade and discouraged trade conflict.
2048
Outbreak of Strigmathus disease
Strigmathus, a mysterious disease, killed fifteen miners in a northern Bolivian town. Scientists at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, identified the cause as an airborne virus. Though the Bolivian government attempted to contain the virus, it spread, killing 2.3 million people in South America and 800,000 people worldwide. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, Strigmathus disappeared.[1]
2049
Gamma Ray Parallelization technology invented
Developed by physicists Barden Maisher and Dorothea Fry of the Free Earth Research Council, Gamma Ray Parallelization (GRP) used parallel gamma rays, synchronized by coordinated matter-antimatter bombardment, to weaken the ionic structure of metals. GRP significantly increased the rate of metal recycling in manufacturing. By 2070, “grazer beams” used GRP to destroy the structural integrity of enemy spacecraft.
UN Secretary-General killed in Punjabi civil war
United Nations Secretary-General and former Punjabi President Mathas Singh, was assassinated by the People’s Front of Punjabi (PFP).[2] The PFP began its war to establish a fundamentalist Sikh regime in the Punjab in 2044. Three million lives were lost before the PFP was decisively defeated in 2052.
Introduction of EuroBill 117
EuroBill 117 introduced drastic “competitive wage” cuts, inciting labour strikes, violent demonstrations and mass protests throughout Europe. Supporters of 117, including French Prime Minister Jacques Papierse and his Belgian counterpart, Nikolas Raan, who saw the Bill bringing the EU into competitive alignment with the Asian and African blocs, were forced to resign. German Chancellor Margriethe Riedle and British Prime Minister Peter Tollenby, narrowly defeated no confidence votes in the Bundestag and at Westminster respectively. Strong popular opposition throughout the continent prevented the effective implementation of EuroBill 117.
Manned mission explores Saturn
The solar system’s second-largest planet, Saturn, and its moon, Titan, were explored by a joint Russian-Chinese mission under the leadership of Captain Wai Nang aboard the Gagarin.[3]As with the previous exploration of Jupiter,[4] booster jets packs attached to each crew member’s spacesuit allowed the astronauts to leave the spacecraft to survey Saturn’s gaseous makeup. Later Gagarin missions surveyed the other Saturnian moons in the 2050s.
In 2102, the first colony in the Saturnian system was opened for Human settlement on Titan. Eventually, Titan’s sister moons―Dione, Enceladus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Mimas, Pan, Phoebe and Tethys―were also settled and Jupiter’s floater colonies were adopted to hover in Saturn’s gaseous exterior. By 2160, there were two hundred and eight million people living in the Saturn system, increasing to five hundred and thirty-seven million people in sixty-five colonies by 2280.
The Saturnian moons, especially Dione, Rhea and Titan, contained vast reserves of porginine fuels. Further porginine deposits, discovered in 2140 within the deeper folds of Saturn, provided even greater reserves.
2050
Hispanic rebellion in the USA
Gangs of youths known as “brigados,” ransacked businesses in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Dallas. The Riots of Summer in the southwestern USA, later referred to as the Hispanic Rebellion, caused $320 billion in damage and only ended when the National Guard was called to intervene.
Social critics blamed the riots on the poverty and oppression of the Hispanic community which, by 2050, was the largest, but least economically successful, minority group in the USA. The federal government responded by instituting Future 2100, an employment initiative aimed at hiring Hispanic workers in the space industry. This program was credited with turning around Hispanic-American relations.
No comments:
Post a Comment