Since the gazetteer entry looks a little silly with the Moon fleshed out the way it is & Earth only sketched out, here's a first pass. Wiki markup, etc. Ideas for stuff worth mentioning are always welcome.
~~NOTOC~~
{{earth}}
^ Earth ^^
^ Orbit | 149,597,890 km from primary (mean) |
^ Diameter | 12,756 km (equatorial) |
^ Surface Gravity | 1 G |
^ Year | 365.24 days |
^ Day | 23.93 hours |
^ Mean temp. | 288°K (15°C) |
^ Atmosphere | 1 atm (N2 78%, O2 21%, Ar 1%) |
^ Water/Ice Index | 70% |
^ Population (2013) | 7,197,247,000 |
^ Political Affiliation | United Nations |
^ Government | Variable |
^ Capital | n/a |
====== Earth ======
Planet Earth is the third planet from a star named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of rock. Over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water. The planet has a relatively thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. Earth has a single large Moon that is about 1/4 of its diameter and, from the planet's surface, is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size as the Sun. With its abundance of liquid water, Earth supports a large variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such as dolphins and humans.
//(Text courtesy NASA's [[http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap0703 ... |Astronomy Picture of the Day for 25 March 2007])//
===== History =====
For those readers unaware of history before the wave (or just dropping in from the Marcab Confederacy) a good place to start is Wikipedia's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_world|world history article] to give you a good gloss on what's happened since humans first figured out how to bang rocks together.
Earth's place in Fenspace history begins some time in 2005 or 2006 (depending on the source) when [[gazetteer:handwavium
tart|handwavium] was developed or discovered (again, depending on the source). Wherever it came from, handwavium quickly spread into the global subculture known as //science-fiction and fantasy fandom// or simply //fen//.
After the flight of the SS //[[ships:Uncertainty]// in 2007 made it clear that handwavium could support sustained space flight, Earth became the launchpad for fen seeking to leave the planet for more interesting climates. The majority of the [[gazetteer:government:Space Powers] (terrestrial nations that developed independent spaceflight capability before the wave) and the other industrial nations put severe restrictions on the use of handwavium in 2008, isolating the embryonic Fenspace nations.
The original handwavium panic was settled in the 2010 [[gazetteer:government:Kandor Treaty] which pardoned the original pioneers of any handwavium-related crimes and normalized relations with Earth. Smaller panics and crackdowns have happened since, and the Boskone War has put some strain on the treaty.
===== Places of Interest =====
The vast majority of Earth's population take only minor notice of fannish goings-on, preferring to stick to their reasonably comfortable planetbound lives. It's not for nothing that Earth is often referred to as the 'Danelaw.
==== Australia ====
The Land Down Under was the only First World nation not to break ties with fandom in the course of the initial handwavium panics((Base rumor suggests that the fen have some sort of "hold" on the Australian government, but this of course is silly. Fnord.)) and as Fenspace settled into it's current configuration the fen have rewarded this loyalty with strong economic connections. The Fenspace [[gazetteer:companies:finance in fenspace|solar credit] uses the Australian dollar (AU$) as the benchmark, and Aussie dollars are more common than American or Canadian dollars in many places in Fenspace.
Australia is also the central transit hub for goods flowing from Earth into Fenspace and vice versa. Major ports are the **Avalon-Point Wilson Aerospace & Aqua Port** in Melbourne and **Kingsford Smaith International Spaceport** in Sydney. [[gazetteer:companies:Orbital Air] runs passenger transport operations out of Perth, and [[gazetteer:companiestellvia corporation|Stellvia Trading] runs their tourist operations out of Sydney.
Hobart, Tasmania is the home of **Leonard H. McCoy Memorial Medical Center** the largest fan-backed hospital facility in Fenspace and the only one on Earth capable of handling handwavium-related conditions.
==== New Zealand ====
New Zealand wasn't initially part of the "ANZAC renaissance," but thanks to proximity to Australia and a certain level of adaptability (any country that declare Peter Jackson a favorite son is going to be at least a //little// sympathetic to fen) the island nation quickly became part of the Fenspace economic sphere. **Wellington International Spaceport** opened for business in 2010 and has managed plenty of tourist and agricultural trade.
==== Nigeria ====
In the outer suburbs of Lagos there is a large hole in the ground. This hole wouldn't be remarkable by most standards - while impressively wide, it's not very deep compared to other holes in the Earth's surface - but this one is special. This hole in the ground, known locally as **The Divot** is the place where [[chars:Eric Zhu] and his crew built and then launched the [[ships:the island|Island], sparking all sorts of interesting controversies about the use of handwavium.
==== United States of America ====
The US is where many (if not most) of the original fen are from, and as a result the fen have left their mark on the place perhaps a bit more solidly than they would've anywhere else.
The **John F. Kennedy Space Center** in Titusville, Florida was the centerpoint for American manned spaceflight from 1961 to 2010, when the American manned program was effectively shut down with the last flight of the pre-wave Space Shuttle. The center itself remains the property of the American government, but the Shuttle processing facilities have been leased by the Artemis Corporation for use with their [[ships:the three graces|Shuttle fleet]. Also, Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canveral Air Force Station has been renovated to accomodate larger fenships in general and the SV //[[ships:Moondance]// in particular.
On 42 West 23rd Street in Seattle, Washington is an unassuming building that claims to be **Illuminati World Headquarters**. Whether or not this is a large-scale joke on the part of //somebody// has yet to be determined.
Just outside the small town of Kearney, West Virginia is an //extremely// large hole in the ground, a kilometer wide and a kilometer deep, slowly filling with water. This is **Lake Schroeck**, also known as "The Bowl," the former site of //[[ships:Grover's Corners]// before the owners worked their magic and lifted an entire farmstead into Earth orbit.
====== Earth Orbit ======
Earth orbit is the single most crowded place in the entirety of Fenspace. Along with the approximately 2,500 mundane satellites in orbit serving the needs of the planet, there are dozens if not //hundreds// of fenships and habitats in orbit around Earth at any given time.
===== Places of Interest =====
The major attraction of low Earth orbit (aside from the amazing view of Earth) is the **[[ships:International Space Station]**. The ISS is the last operational piece of unenhanced manned space hardware left in the solar system. Completed in 2010, the station performs microgravity science experiments. While tourists have made their way onto ISS in the past, the station is not equipped or meant as a tourist destination.
Babylon .5 //blah blah setup fishcakes, etc.//
(etc.)
====== Cislunar Space ======
The Lagrangian points (also Lagrange point, L-point, or libration point), are the five positions in an orbital configuration where a small object affected only by gravity can theoretically be stationary relative to two larger objects (such as a satellite with respect to the Earth and Moon). The Lagrange points mark positions where the combined gravitational pull of the two large masses provides precisely the centripetal force required to rotate with them. They are analogous to geosynchronous orbits in that they allow an object to be in a "fixed" position in space rather than an orbit in which its relative position changes continuously.
===== Places of Interest =====
==== Lagrange 1 ====
(etc.)
==== Lagrange 2 ====
(etc.)
==== Lagrange 3 ====
The Earth-Luna Lagrange 3 (L3) point is relatively empty, being situated on the opposite side of the planet from Luna and far from the other Lagrange points. The emptiness of the local space explains why L3 is the standard parking orbit for [[ships:Grover's Corners].
(etc.)
==== Lagrange 4 ====
The L4 point is locally known as the "Danelaw toehold," as this is where most 'Danelaw or Space Power-supported habitats are located. The major habitats cluster around [[gazetteer:government:TSAB]'s **Benjamin Franklin Station**, a base built out of a converted [[gazetteer:companies:Rockhounds] mining asteroid.
(etc.)
==== Lagrange 5 ====
L5 has a long association with the exploration and settlement of space, beginning in the 1970s when Gerald K. O'Neill first suggested using the libration point as a place to house space colonies.
The L5 point was one of the first things settled in any permanent manner, first by the Warsies who built their **[[New Yavin]** habitat at L5 and maintain a major presence there. The point is also the home of //[[ships:Stellvia]// station.
(etc.)
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
~~NOTOC~~
{{earth}}
^ Earth ^^
^ Orbit | 149,597,890 km from primary (mean) |
^ Diameter | 12,756 km (equatorial) |
^ Surface Gravity | 1 G |
^ Year | 365.24 days |
^ Day | 23.93 hours |
^ Mean temp. | 288°K (15°C) |
^ Atmosphere | 1 atm (N2 78%, O2 21%, Ar 1%) |
^ Water/Ice Index | 70% |
^ Population (2013) | 7,197,247,000 |
^ Political Affiliation | United Nations |
^ Government | Variable |
^ Capital | n/a |
====== Earth ======
Planet Earth is the third planet from a star named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of rock. Over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water. The planet has a relatively thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. Earth has a single large Moon that is about 1/4 of its diameter and, from the planet's surface, is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size as the Sun. With its abundance of liquid water, Earth supports a large variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such as dolphins and humans.
//(Text courtesy NASA's [[http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap0703 ... |Astronomy Picture of the Day for 25 March 2007])//
===== History =====
For those readers unaware of history before the wave (or just dropping in from the Marcab Confederacy) a good place to start is Wikipedia's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_world|world history article] to give you a good gloss on what's happened since humans first figured out how to bang rocks together.
Earth's place in Fenspace history begins some time in 2005 or 2006 (depending on the source) when [[gazetteer:handwavium
tart|handwavium] was developed or discovered (again, depending on the source). Wherever it came from, handwavium quickly spread into the global subculture known as //science-fiction and fantasy fandom// or simply //fen//. After the flight of the SS //[[ships:Uncertainty]// in 2007 made it clear that handwavium could support sustained space flight, Earth became the launchpad for fen seeking to leave the planet for more interesting climates. The majority of the [[gazetteer:government:Space Powers] (terrestrial nations that developed independent spaceflight capability before the wave) and the other industrial nations put severe restrictions on the use of handwavium in 2008, isolating the embryonic Fenspace nations.
The original handwavium panic was settled in the 2010 [[gazetteer:government:Kandor Treaty] which pardoned the original pioneers of any handwavium-related crimes and normalized relations with Earth. Smaller panics and crackdowns have happened since, and the Boskone War has put some strain on the treaty.
===== Places of Interest =====
The vast majority of Earth's population take only minor notice of fannish goings-on, preferring to stick to their reasonably comfortable planetbound lives. It's not for nothing that Earth is often referred to as the 'Danelaw.
==== Australia ====
The Land Down Under was the only First World nation not to break ties with fandom in the course of the initial handwavium panics((Base rumor suggests that the fen have some sort of "hold" on the Australian government, but this of course is silly. Fnord.)) and as Fenspace settled into it's current configuration the fen have rewarded this loyalty with strong economic connections. The Fenspace [[gazetteer:companies:finance in fenspace|solar credit] uses the Australian dollar (AU$) as the benchmark, and Aussie dollars are more common than American or Canadian dollars in many places in Fenspace.
Australia is also the central transit hub for goods flowing from Earth into Fenspace and vice versa. Major ports are the **Avalon-Point Wilson Aerospace & Aqua Port** in Melbourne and **Kingsford Smaith International Spaceport** in Sydney. [[gazetteer:companies:Orbital Air] runs passenger transport operations out of Perth, and [[gazetteer:companies
tellvia corporation|Stellvia Trading] runs their tourist operations out of Sydney.Hobart, Tasmania is the home of **Leonard H. McCoy Memorial Medical Center** the largest fan-backed hospital facility in Fenspace and the only one on Earth capable of handling handwavium-related conditions.
==== New Zealand ====
New Zealand wasn't initially part of the "ANZAC renaissance," but thanks to proximity to Australia and a certain level of adaptability (any country that declare Peter Jackson a favorite son is going to be at least a //little// sympathetic to fen) the island nation quickly became part of the Fenspace economic sphere. **Wellington International Spaceport** opened for business in 2010 and has managed plenty of tourist and agricultural trade.
==== Nigeria ====
In the outer suburbs of Lagos there is a large hole in the ground. This hole wouldn't be remarkable by most standards - while impressively wide, it's not very deep compared to other holes in the Earth's surface - but this one is special. This hole in the ground, known locally as **The Divot** is the place where [[chars:Eric Zhu] and his crew built and then launched the [[ships:the island|Island], sparking all sorts of interesting controversies about the use of handwavium.
==== United States of America ====
The US is where many (if not most) of the original fen are from, and as a result the fen have left their mark on the place perhaps a bit more solidly than they would've anywhere else.
The **John F. Kennedy Space Center** in Titusville, Florida was the centerpoint for American manned spaceflight from 1961 to 2010, when the American manned program was effectively shut down with the last flight of the pre-wave Space Shuttle. The center itself remains the property of the American government, but the Shuttle processing facilities have been leased by the Artemis Corporation for use with their [[ships:the three graces|Shuttle fleet]. Also, Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canveral Air Force Station has been renovated to accomodate larger fenships in general and the SV //[[ships:Moondance]// in particular.
On 42 West 23rd Street in Seattle, Washington is an unassuming building that claims to be **Illuminati World Headquarters**. Whether or not this is a large-scale joke on the part of //somebody// has yet to be determined.
Just outside the small town of Kearney, West Virginia is an //extremely// large hole in the ground, a kilometer wide and a kilometer deep, slowly filling with water. This is **Lake Schroeck**, also known as "The Bowl," the former site of //[[ships:Grover's Corners]// before the owners worked their magic and lifted an entire farmstead into Earth orbit.
====== Earth Orbit ======
Earth orbit is the single most crowded place in the entirety of Fenspace. Along with the approximately 2,500 mundane satellites in orbit serving the needs of the planet, there are dozens if not //hundreds// of fenships and habitats in orbit around Earth at any given time.
===== Places of Interest =====
The major attraction of low Earth orbit (aside from the amazing view of Earth) is the **[[ships:International Space Station]**. The ISS is the last operational piece of unenhanced manned space hardware left in the solar system. Completed in 2010, the station performs microgravity science experiments. While tourists have made their way onto ISS in the past, the station is not equipped or meant as a tourist destination.
Babylon .5 //blah blah setup fishcakes, etc.//
(etc.)
====== Cislunar Space ======
The Lagrangian points (also Lagrange point, L-point, or libration point), are the five positions in an orbital configuration where a small object affected only by gravity can theoretically be stationary relative to two larger objects (such as a satellite with respect to the Earth and Moon). The Lagrange points mark positions where the combined gravitational pull of the two large masses provides precisely the centripetal force required to rotate with them. They are analogous to geosynchronous orbits in that they allow an object to be in a "fixed" position in space rather than an orbit in which its relative position changes continuously.
===== Places of Interest =====
==== Lagrange 1 ====
(etc.)
==== Lagrange 2 ====
(etc.)
==== Lagrange 3 ====
The Earth-Luna Lagrange 3 (L3) point is relatively empty, being situated on the opposite side of the planet from Luna and far from the other Lagrange points. The emptiness of the local space explains why L3 is the standard parking orbit for [[ships:Grover's Corners].
(etc.)
==== Lagrange 4 ====
The L4 point is locally known as the "Danelaw toehold," as this is where most 'Danelaw or Space Power-supported habitats are located. The major habitats cluster around [[gazetteer:government:TSAB]'s **Benjamin Franklin Station**, a base built out of a converted [[gazetteer:companies:Rockhounds] mining asteroid.
(etc.)
==== Lagrange 5 ====
L5 has a long association with the exploration and settlement of space, beginning in the 1970s when Gerald K. O'Neill first suggested using the libration point as a place to house space colonies.
The L5 point was one of the first things settled in any permanent manner, first by the Warsies who built their **[[New Yavin]** habitat at L5 and maintain a major presence there. The point is also the home of //[[ships:Stellvia]// station.
(etc.)
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"