RESCUE AT LOW EARTH ORBIT: small changes

[lategamer]

I'm running this next weekend for my group and we may have more than 6 players. I was wondering whether it would be sensible to change the makeup of the group a little...or maybe include some PCs inside the FlyUp!

I note the FlyUp! has no pilot aboard which means it's a fully automated vessel? Might make sense to have the FlyUp! have absolutely no flight controls as a result. This is a roller-coaster ride, not a Dodg'em car.

Might also....

• Remove the choice of vessel (so they're using the Witness)
• If things go south in space, then the Triplanetary design (renamed the “Tiānlóng” (Heaven-Dragon) Heavy Reusable Booster System - 国家航天局 — CNSA / CASC which will deliver the “Hǔxīng-3” (Tiger-Star-3) Intercept Vehicle will be on standby.
• Replace one of the billionaires/rock stars with a "Make a Wish" style cancer recovery patient (modelled on Hayley Arceneaux)

 

[Michael S]

Possible Changes - from "Rescue at LEO"
"Ariane 5 rocket at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French

Why an Ariane 5 - It was retired in 2023 shouldn't this be something newer?

Guiana. Both are currently in final integration
and ready for crew prep. Unfortunately, neither
of their assigned crews have the diverse array of
experience needed for a rescue mission; hence
the call to the Pioneers.
The Pioneers are familiar with the Dolphin-class,
because they are being trained to make its first
crewed flight several months from now."

the assigned crews are not experienced enough for the mission
The Pioneers are familiar with the Dolphin class as they are the first crew
But they are not experienced enough for the mission?

"The launch seems to go off without a hitch, and the
Pioneers establish a stable, circular orbit at about
80km altitude, but on the way up,"

80Km is very low for Earth Orbit, subjecting the vehicle to increased atmospheric drag and other issues - really should at least be above 200 km and so should the "FlyUp!"

Love the premise of the scenario!

 

[lategamer]

80km is much too low. 160km would be the minimum, IMO.
I'll be updating the rocket and space plane as well.



"Witness, a D2-class lifting-body spaceplane mounted atop an Ariane 8H heavy-lift rocket at the New Guiana Space Centre. Steam curls from the cryo-lines, sunlight glinting off the D2’s golden thermal glaze as technicians complete pre-flight checks."

WITNESS
A second-generation D2-class reusable lifting body, roughly the size of the old Dream Chaser but sleeker and more heat-resistant.
Features:

• Graphene-reinforced ceramic skin for repeated atmospheric reentry
• Hybrid propulsion (methalox OMS + high-efficiency cold-gas precision thrusters)
• Crew capacity: 2
• Passenger capacity: 10 (in separate crew compartment)
• Inline docking port compatible with US, ESA, CNSA, and Pioneer-standard infrastructure
• Small service bay for micro-sats, probes, or tools
• Designed for rapid turnaround, two weeks between flights

Its silhouette is smooth and swept, with upturned wingtips and a visible gold-tinted thermal glaze on the nose.

Ariane 8H (Heavy Reusable Variant)​

European heavy-lift rocket.
A significant evolution beyond Ariane 6/Next.

• Two methane reusable boosters that return to a landing strip on Devil’s Island
• A methalox core stage with smart ablative-regen hybrid shielding
• Payload capacity: ~35 tonnes to LEO when carrying the D2
• Human-rated for “piggyback” launches of crewed lifting bodies
• Launch cadence: 8–10 launches per year

Painted ESA blue-white with a stylised Orion-star logo.

New Guiana Space Centre (NGSC)​

Former CSG, now massively expanded into the western wetlands.

• Three reusable-booster landing pads
• A long horizontal runway for spaceplane recovery
• A tall attenuated launch tower with electromagnetic umbilical arms
• New control centre and solar farm complex
• Climate-resilient architecture elevated above rising seas

The jungle presses close, but the site gleams with reflective composite structures and heat-mirage shimmer.