Starfield:NASA Research Computer (Earth 3)

NASA Research Computer
Editor ID	MQ301EarthTerminal03
Location	NASA Launch Tower (map)

Please add a description for NASA Research Computer.

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Menus

Prototype Drive	Please be careful whenever running power through the prototype. Secure all loose objects and have researchers empty pockets and remove jewelry, watches, etc. Reminder that the core of the drive contains a specimen that is irreplaceable and all data is under the strictest clearance. Exercise all caution with all research materials and ensure information does not leave this lab.
Access Station Logs	(Go to Access Station Logs menu.)
Access Station Logs
ERROR - ARCHIVES DAMAGED. RUNNING SYSTEM RECOVERY... PARTIAL ARCHIVES RETRIEVED
February 12, 2149	Lan Hsu: I never actually got to visit your labs back when we were working on the Grav Drive projects. Victor Aiza: Seems like ancient history now. Only thing we're doing these days is launching weather satellites. Lan Hsu: Guess this is as good a retirement as any. Now Project Demeter. You want our help manufacturing scanners to better track these new meteorological patterns we're seeing? Judith Tatienne: Our guess is that the poles might be naturally shifting, causing some gravitational fluctuations that are throwing off our old models. Lan Hsu: Why do you need the scanning tolerances to be so small? What are you trying to find? Victor Aiza: I... just want to be sure. It's not like we're doing much these days, anyway. The glory days are over. Why not give ourselves a challenge before they write us off in the history books?
August 21, 2149	To: Judith Tatienne, Victor Aiza, Lan Hsu As requested, the Astrophysics Research Team has done a full analysis of the data you provided us. The measurements of the Earth's magnetosphere show clear signs of fluctuation, often in correlation to the periods of frequent and large gravity wave spikes emanating from the Moon. These gravity waves seem to be affecting the magnetic shield provided by the Earth's inner core and may be affecting the core itself give the proximity to the source. The data indicates the change rate is increasing exponentially. As our magnetosphere falters, its ability to protect us from the Sun's solar wind falters. Beyond the devastating effects of solar radiation, this will lead to something more dire - the sputtering, or stripping away, of our atmosphere. This has happened before, to Mars, a planet studied since the earliest days of space, to see into Earth's possible future. We are afraid this future may be closer than we ever thought imaginable. Some may view this data as normal. There have been historical fluctuations and polarity changes of Earth's core, but this is orders of magnitude greater. We see echos of previous generation's debates over global warming, and we want the science here to be clear. Like waves in the ocean, these gravity waves rise and eventually crash into shore, the Earth, with devastating consequences. Dr. Luke Andrews ART Chief Scientist
August 22, 2149	Judith Tatienne: I know what I'm seeing, Victor. The data coming back from the satellites is very clear. It's the Grav Drives. Lan Hsu: All those jumps from the Moon. At this rate, Earth's atmosphere is going to start sputtering out into space. Victor Aiza: Can the drives be fixed? Lan Hsu: I'm working on some designs that should... discretely solve the problem under the guise of an emergency update to the fueling pumps. Judith Tatienne: We're talking about the end of Earth and you're trying to be subtle about it? Victor Aiza: Judith. The last thing we need is people losing faith in Grav Drive technology. That might be our only option. Judith Tatienne: To what? Are you seriously saying we should abandon Earth? Lan Hsu: The timeline is under 50 years. A blink of an eye for a planet, but more than enough time for a human exodus. Judith Tatienne: And what do we tell people? Victor Aiza: We say it's an act of God. One that science has found a solution for. Time for humanity to take its place in the stars. Judith Tatienne: ...You knew? Didn't you? You lied to me! Victor Aiza: I... Judith Tatienne: All this time! I dedicated my LIFE to this discovery, Victor! And you KNEW we were going to kill off our planet! Victor Aiza: You haven't seen the future I've seen! There's an infinite expanse of promise out there. A meteor could've hit Earth. A plague. Another world war. Colonizing other galaxies secures humanity's future for all coming generations across all time! Judith Tatienne: At the expense of our home! Lan Hsu: Stop it! Both of you! All that matters is building enough ships to get everyone off this planet. And we need to start now. Victor Aiza: I'll... draft up a statement. We'll need to address the entire international community. I'm sorry, Judith... Judith Tatienne: There isn't a planet in this universe that will be far enough away from you, Victor. We are never speaking again after this is over.
September 8, 2160	My name is Doctor Victor Aiza, and if you're listening to this, then you probably already know the truth. I was young when I first headed the retrieval team of an odd gravitational anomaly on Mars, but I kept what really happened that day hidden from everyone except... one other person. Even she didn't believe me at first, but I have no reason to lie to anyone now, so I hope you'll accept this... confession, whoever you are. When I touched the anomaly, I experienced 12 days of lost time. I met... myself. He told me everything that has since come true. The Grav Drive equations. The tests on the Moon. Earth's atmosphere sputtering away because of what we had done. But he also told me about a city, thriving on a planet orbiting a distant star. Human culture, art, music, lifestyles evolving and shining brightly across all of space. What price would I be willing to pay for that future? Maybe you don't believe me. Maybe Judith was right, and I'm just a coward who wants to believe his mistakes were justified. But everyone has forgotten about the real origins of the Grav Drive. This... Artifact, from Mars. I hope you make better use of it than I did.