After a few minutes, it would come time for the DNSA's presentation to begin. It would be about a space station, known as "Shirotsuru", set to replace the aged Kyūden IV following its deorbit on January 6th, 2022. Onto the stage walked one Jiro Asagiri, who was to be representing the Agency during the event. A middle-aged man, he had been working for the DNSA since the mid-90s as part of the team designing Kyūden IV and of course, later Shirotsuru's conversion into a space station.
"Since the dawn of time, Mankind has looked to the stars." Jiro began, speaking with an accent which seemed somewhere between a native Daitōjin and a Tytorian. "We saw our gods dance through the night sky, conjured stories of great men who traveled into the endless black. We now live in an era when such voyages have become commonplace, when even a voyage to the Moon has happened repeatedly. And yet, perhaps nothing has captured the imagination of the modern man like the idea of living in space. While many nations have undertaken such tasks, including some which are represented here, we did not come here to discuss the programs of other nations. Rather, we finally come to the project you have been waiting to hear about." He said before to a large screen behind him.
"Introducing
Shirotsuru, the DNSA's answer to Rokkenjima's
Adora." He spoke up as he looked at the render. "Now, you may have heard of the name back in the 90s or early 2000s, and there's a good reason for that. Following the cancellation of the UYS program, we were given authorization to repurpose parts of the program for other projects, and indeed the orbiter, Shirotsuru, was one of those elements. She has had her wings clipped, never to land again. But as the UYS Station Team has come to say, she will be the first to fly and the last to land. By launching the full spacecraft into orbit alongside its external fuel tank, she will immediately be the largest object that the DNSA has put into orbit, surpassing even Kyūden IV in both size and internal volume. By her completion, she will feature between 1,322 and 2,822 cubic meters of internal volume, with the conversion of her external tank serving as a testbed for technologies that may, one day, allow for habitats in orbit around other worlds. Her vast 'wings' will provide an additional 200 kW of power alongside the 50 kW provided by her payload bay-mounted power module.
In any case, let us begin our tour in the Shinjitsu module."
A new video appeared onscreen, thus indicating the beginning of the tour.
"Shinjitsu will effectively be a copy of the Tenmondai module aboard Kyūden IV, allowing for observation of Mundus as well as serving as one of three points on the station which will be used to control the
Yari robotic arm. Unlike Tenmondai, however, it will have its systems upgraded with modern monitors and computers. It will undoubtedly come to be a staple of the station in the public consciousness. Now we will move on to what we are referring to as Node II, or
Heiwa."
"In a similar regard, Node II, as with Node I, will appear functionally similar to the Multiple Docking Adapter onboard Kyūden IV, with the zenith port having a pressurized mating adapter allowing visiting spacecraft that have been mounted with an IDS or APAS-compliant docking port to dock. A similar adapter will be mounted on Node I's starboard port to allow similar functionality. The aft port on Node II will feature a permanent multipurpose module, or PMM, called
Shoshiki. Shoshiki will primarily be used as storage for spare parts and supplies, as well as a personal hygeen area for visiting crews. The starboard and forward berthing adapters will remain open for both multipurpose logistics modules as well as Konnotori-2 and 3 resupply vessels to be berthed, as will the port-side berthing adapter on Node I. Like the Shinjutsu module, Node II will feature upgraded systems for use by the crew."
"As we move through the nadir port on Node 1, we enter the cargo bay and thusly the Chiheisen science module. Featuring state-of-the-art equipment for conducting multiple experiments which will, with some effort, be modular, allowing the module to be upgraded as necessary. The module will also feature the station's airlock and will be connected to a wide range of experiments within the former payload bay of Shirotsuru. Next up, we will move to the service module."
The screen changed to a new video, displaying information on the module as a slow flythrough began. Jiro would give it a moment, allowing the attendees to take in the information onscreen, after which he would speak up.
"We now find ourselves in the Shirotsuru service module, from which the station's crew can operate vital systems aboard the spacecraft. Derived from the UYS spaceplane's crew module, it will feature the second position from which the Yari robotic arm can be operated. It will also serve as one of two meeting areas from which the crew will check in with Mission Control every day. As an aside, it will provide additional storage, however, its primary task is and will remain to provide control over the station's maneuvering, electrical, and life support systems, as well as communications systems for the station as well.
With that out of the way, we shall now proceed into the station's intertank corridors before entering the main habitation module onboard the station." He said before, once again, the video changed, this time to the interior of the Habitation module in the former External Fuel Tank (EFT).
"Shirotsuru's Liquid Oxygen Tank will be converted on orbit into a joint-Habitation and Science module comparable to the service module of the Kyūden-type space stations, with the difference being that it will feature an additional 198.1 cubic meters of usable space. Being primarily a habitat, it will allow for a maximum of twelve crew members to live aboard the station, with eight sleeping on the central floor and four below. However, in practice it will start with a crew of four before eventually carrying an additional four in the future. The remaining four 'sleeping pods' will be used by visiting crews aboard the UHS orbiter as well as foreign or commercial crews. The top floor will feature additional experiments and computers similar to those in the Chiheisen module, allowing for further study by crews on orbit. The LOX tank, named 'Sōsei', is to be the first part of the EFT to be converted on orbit into a habitable space, being performed by Crew 2 sometime in either April or May 2022 and will serve as the secondary meeting spot for crews each morning. In a first for the agency, it will feature a high-definition television for the crew to take part in so-called 'communal activities' such as watching films, but it will also serve as part of the meeting spot for crews during the first check-in of the day."
The screen would then turn to a render of the outside of the station, focused on the aft of the station's former external fuel tank. Jiro would wait for the chance to speak about it and the challenges it posed for a few moments, using the time to collect himself for the next task.
"At present, the option to make use of the station's Hydrogen Tank remains in place, however, what its use will be has not yet been determined by the DNSA, and such, both options have been made available upon launch. Option one will be similar to the plan for the Liquid Oxygen Tank, wherein it will be converted into a habitable space that would effectively double the pressurized internal volume of the station immediately. This comes with challenges, however, with nearly a minimum of 280 kg of air being required to reach 10% final pressure, and an enormous 2,000kg required to meet said final pressure in the Hydrogen Tank. While doable, this would require the launch of a UHS orbiter with the sole mission of supplying said oxygen to the hydrogen tank. However, the benefits are likewise enormous, as it would, as previously stated, double the pressurized internal volume of the station, allowing for a wider range of missions aboard.
We are, as mentioned, also considering another option, one which even some at the DNSA are questioning at present. That is to cut open the Hydrogen Tank and reassemble it into an orbital hangar of sorts, allowing for the safe repair of satellites such as a planned co-orbital space telescope which is still currently in development. Naturally, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to imagine the possible complications from attempting such a task, given that it'd require first actually cutting open the object before converting the nadir segments of the module into doors which can be opened and closed, however, instead I will mention one additional benefit from it. By converting it into an orbital hangar, when it is not in use by teams servicing satellites, it will offer the ability to practice EVAs within a vacuum and test new equipment within a safe environment. Nonetheless, at this time, the DNSA is leaning more towards the former option, with a similar longitudinal floorplan stretching through it.
With that done, we will move through Node I, or
Tansa, which is largely identical to Node II in its appearance, and into the
Koshiba laboratory."
"Koshiba is made of six elements which are designed to work in close concert with one another. These are the Pressurized Module, set to be the largest module outside of the SM/EFT complex, the Exposed Facility, the Experimental Logistics Module Pressurized Section, Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section, Experiment Module remote manipulator system, and Inter-orbit communications systems. We will begin with the Pressurized Module, or PM.
The PM is the core component of the Koshiba module and will be attached to the forward port on Node I. It is cylindrical in shape and will contain twenty-three International Standard Payload Racks, or ISPRs. Ten of these ISPRs will be dedicated to science experiments while the remainder will be dedicated to Koshiba's systems and storage; these racks will be placed in a 6-6-6-5 format along the four walls of the module. A science airlock will take up the forward end of the module, directly opposite to Node I, and will feature two windows allowing for viewing of the module's exposed facility.
Next up is the Experiment Logistics Module, or ELM, which is divided into two parts. These are the pressurized section, or ELM-PS, which is to be used as a storage facility, providing storage space for experiment payloads, samples, and spare parts, and the unpressurized section. The Unpressurized Section, or ELM-ES, will serve as a storage and transportation module. This module will be used to transfer external experiments to the UHS spaceplane and any other spaceplanes visiting from foreign nations.
After the ELM, we move on to the Exposed Facility, known among our engineers as the "terrace". Located outside the port cone of the PM, the EF has twelve Exposed Facility Unit ports, referred for brevity's sake as EFU ports, which attach to Payload Interface Units connectors, or PIU connectors, on Ef-equipment exchange units, or EF-EEUs. All payload experiments on the Exposed Facility will, as the name of the segment implies be fully exposed to the vacuum of space. For proper functioning of these experiments, the payload will require an orbital replacement unit made up of an electrical power system, communications and tracking, and thermal control systems. Of these ORUs, eight designed to be replaceable by the RMS while the other four will be EVA-replaceable.
Following that, we move on to the RMS and inter-orbit Communication System. The RMS aboard the Koshiba module is a 10 m robotic arm which is mounted to the module's port cone. It is designed to be used to service the exposed facility as well as to move equipment to and from the ELM, and is controlled from within the module. The RMS, which has been likened to a harpoon by some, has been given the name
Mori and will feature similar grapple fixtures to those on the Yari RMS. As for hte Inter-orbit Communication System, or ICS, the system consists of a rack in the pressurized module and an antenna set to be attached on the Exposed Facility, and will be used to test communications with satellites for a few years before being disposed of.
Before we move on, we will briefly discuss the third pressurized mating adapter, or PMA, aboard the station. Docked to the nadir port on Node I, it will be the first module to be launched to the station, being designed to give enough clearance to for the UHS orbiter to dock with it. It will later be docked to Node I when it is delivered on UHS-4, requiring a brief crew transfer aboard before undocking the orbiter so that the two vessels can manipulate the node and PMA into their correct position.
Nonetheless, we now move on to the final module of the station, the Kagaku Science Module."
"Kagaku will serve as a dedicated science lab, featuring ten ISPRs for science payloads. These ISPRs will fill a multitude of roles ranging from conducting fluid physics research to research on plants and small invertebrates in microgravity, alongside many other experiments. Externally, plans are in place to install a solar monitoring observatory and a series of atomic clocks on the outer hull of the module. The module will also feature the third and final point where the Yari RMS can be operated, being designed as a backup in the event that either fails mid-use prior to repairs. With that complete, we will move on to the final part of our tour, the Yari RMS that you have heard so much of today."
"Yari, or the Space Station Remote Manipulating System, is a robotic arm that will launch alongside the SM/EFT complex. The SSRMS will, unlike many robotic arms used in the past, be capable of "walking" alongside the outer hull of the space station; this is achieved by the arm having a grapple fixture on both ends, allowing it to draw power from any grapple point which will offer it. In its initial operating capacity, this will involve it being able to move to various locations within the payload bay and along the Shirotsuru Power Module, or SPM, located within said bay, while plans have been set for a series of grappling points to be installed on the second and third missions to the station. A boom will be mounted in the payload bay in order to extend the arm's reach when assisting in EVAs.
With that segment completed, we conclude our tour of Space Station Shirotsuru. However, before I conclude this presentation, I would like to impart a few words. Although this may seem like the future, come twenty years, we will look back on the achievements of today as but stepping stones to their present. The discoveries they make will be built on the effort we put in today, as those we make are built on the achievements of the past. So it has been since the dawn of time. But if we do not move forwards, become stuck in our ways, then what future can we look forwards to? Is the fate of mankind to be trapped within our planet's gravitational sphere of influence or to break it and to travel to the stars? I leave this station as our gift to the generations to come, so that it might inspire them to surpass us in ways we cannot imagine. Thank you, and have a good night." Jiro
finally concluded before walking off stage. The attendees would then have several minutes to explore the stall before they would have the chance to view whatever presentation was to come next.