ESF BRAVO SURVEY REPORT
Van Maanen 'Route'
April - October 2087 -- There are two systems off Van Maanen to explore, and YZ Ceti is tackled first before GJ 1002. It's a small system, requiring only a few months for the gravsurvey.
Habitability: Moderate. There's nowhere good, but a lot of marginal places to potentially live. Two planets are in the prohibitively expensive range, including one several times hotter than Venus, but there are eight moons in roughly the 7-9 cost range similar to Titan etc.
Fuel Availability: Good. There are two sources, one with 3.24mt at 0.7, another at 799k but just 0.4.
Mineral Wealth: Utopia. Incredibly, off-the-scale, potential salvation level of rich. First up, the crushing heat of A-I brings with it the best known duranium source, 7.6mt at maximum 1.0 accessibility. There are several 0.1 minerals here, but also 2.4mt gallicite at 0.9 which would solve that issue, vendarite(7.3mt @ 0.6), corbomite(12mt @ 0.5), and boronide(16 mt @ 0.4). All in all a 29-efficiency, very high-yield rock. A-VI, a super jovian, has one moon worth noting, with several large 0.1 deposits but also mercassium at 0.8, almost four megatons. The 10th moon of A-VII, a gas giant, boasts another 6.3mt of duranium(0.9) along with 0.3 concentrations of boronide(4.16mt) and corundium(452kt). A-VIII, another super jovian, has a fine moon as well which I think is the highest-efficiency body we have access to outside of Sol at 41. Another 461kt of duranium(0.8) and 536kt gallicite(1.0) along with three of the more common minerals, corbomite, vendarite, and uridium in somewhat larger amounts. More on exactly how rich this system is in the overall summary.
Strategic Value: High. After GJ 1002 was discovered to lead to no additional systems, it became clear that YZ Ceti is another chokepoint system -- GJ 1002 and Van Maanen could be protected from here. Jumps to 40 Eridani and Gliese 908 were discovered, and those systems explored next.
October 2087 - June 2088 -- Gliese 908 survey operations. The intent was to catch 40 Eridani 'on the way back' as Bravo would journey across the YZ Ceti system back to the Van Maanen point.
Habitability: Good. A-II is the best, a nearly breathable atmosphere but a cost at 2.53 just somewhat too cold(20+ degrees warmer than Luna though, for example). There will be water here when the ice sheet melts if it is heated up enough. There are three bodies in the 4-6 range, three more in the 8-9 range, and another three just over 10 colony cost. That's ten habitable locations, which is the same number Sol has.
Fuel Availability: None. Two gas giants are both barren. The most distant super jovian known, 16b km out, was not surveyed as it was past the limit but it may be worth considering as the three 10+ cost bodies are all in it's orbit. Otherwhise fuel would need to be shipped in.
Mineral Wealth. A-II is not only quite habitable but also worth coming for in terms of resources. A 40-efficiency world, it has four 0.1 minerals including gallicite and duranium, 15+mt tritanium(0.5), 1.3mt neutronium(0.6), 24+mt vendarite(0.7), 14mt corbomite(0.9), and 9.9 mt corundium(0.9). Given the lack of major corundium and neutronium deposits in neighboring YZ Ceti, this is particularly welcome.
Strategic Value: Above Average. Three new systems were found: EZ Aquarii, the empty star of NN 3039, and Groombridge 34.
July 2088 - June 2089 -- 40 Eridani, the other new system off of YZ Ceti. A big pattern, but not much was expected.
Habitability: Above Average. Only A-II, which needs oxygen added only to a thick atmosphere but is at 1.9 already with good temperature and gravity, can be occupied.
Fuel Availability: None. The lone jovian is barren.
Mineral Wealth: Low. A-II has several 0.1 minerals, and there are a number of asteroids that contain resources but most of them don't have much. One has nine high-accessibility minerals, probably the most efficient source ever found at 85, but low amounts of most. Mercassium(17kt) is the biggest. There are a few other similar asteroids, a second one 25kt duranium, a bit of neutronium, and 38kt gallicite among it's virtues. The amounts simply aren't enough to warrant investment in the system.
Strategic Value: Low. While the discovery of an alien ruin on A-II definitely makes the system important for now, once that is excavated there will be relatively little reason to return. The lone new system, 82 Eridani, is another 'empty' one devoid of any resources.
October 2089 - March 2090 -- GJ 1002, the second system leading away from Van Maanen.
Habitability: Good. A-I is a 1.9-cost world, far better than rest. A relatively small amount of methane will need to be drained from it's atmosphere and oxygen added, and then thickened somewhat as it's currently over 25 degrees below the optimal range. A multi-stage but relatively short terraforming project. In addition, there are 11 other habitable bodies, most in the 6-8 range with a couple higher. This is another system where a network of colonies could develop. A full dozen sites makes it a record-setter in that department, yet only the one will have limited cost.
Fuel Availability: Very Good. Three sources: 5.4m @ 0.6, 156 kt @ 0.9, and 154 kt @ 1.0.
Mineral Wealth: Rich. The 21st moon of the third planet, a gas giant, alone makes that distinction. 68mt of duranium @ 0.8, dwarfing the entirety of YZ Ceti by itself. 628 kt of corbomite is an irrelevant kicker. Another moon further out in the system has another 2mt @ 0.5. Unfortunately there is little else, most minerals would need to be shipped in.
Strategic Value: Very Low. As no new systems were found, this is merely a side alleyway in galactic terms, though an important one.
Galaxy Map
The Known Universe as of May 25, 2090
Outlook
Bravo's finds are revolutionary. The discovery of the first alien ruins on 40 Eridani A-I would be so on their own merits, but as it is they are a mere massively important footnote. A total of over 82mt of high-accessibility duranium was found, along with significant finds of every other major mineral. To put that number in perspective, it dwarfs total usage by SPACE to date and at the projected minimum needs of 15kt per annum, would supply humanity for more than five millenia. Developing those resources will be a very lengthy process, but once done the future of humanity will be highly secure from an economic standpoint. Due to it's status as a chokepoint system, YZ Ceti becomes the top priority. This opens up the question of whether to approach it focusing on an immediate resource grab or a long-term development potential situation.
Overall, not counting the Sol system and the three which are inaccessible due to the alien presence, SPACE has discovered 23 systems and fully surveyed 13 of them. A second question is where to go next. The maximum distance allowed by the 1-year rule(a year travel there and back, resulting in at least 60% mission time on station) is 18.7 billion kilometers. As the route list below shows, in some directions exploration is beginnig to approach that distance:
Barnard's Star - Gliese 563.2: 8.21b
Sirius - V577 Monoceri: 10.1b
Luyten - Tau Ceti - Proxima Centauri - Procyon: 10.81b(another 2.1b to Kapteyn's Star)
Luyten - Tau Ceti - Gliese 1: 11.01b(0.3b less to TZ Arietis)
Van Maanen - YZ Ceti - Gliese 908 - EZ Aquarii: 15.4b(closest, the other two offshoots are almost a billion further)
Van Maanen - YZ Ceti - 40 Eridani - 82 Eridani: 17.26b
YZ Ceti is expected to become the first outsystem base, i.e. the first system with a 10kt-capacity maintenance facility operation to support fleet assets outside of Sol. That is well down the road though of course. Command presently intends to send one ESF out past Barnard's Star to the Gliese 563.2 given that it's by far the closest available unexplored system, with the second heading out through Luyten to the systems beyond Tau Ceti. There are multiple possibilities yet in that direction, but so far nothing has been found to indicate investment any further than Luyten(New Genesis colony) will be warranted anytime soon.