Era 3 Space Exploration

[Philomath she/her]

This isn’t a big theory or anything, but when talking with my spouse after they finished the book, we discussed how some primitive space exploration is possible in Era 3. The 1980s real world had already seen people walk on the moon. The ISS was created only 20 years after that. So it is theoretically possible that there may be a budding Basin Space Exploration Association (BSEA). Plus, Kelsier seems to think that cognitive realm travel is becoming less efficient and more problematic so setting out in space in the physical realm seems like something the Ghostbloods might push for. (Though I can see this as a selfish move for Kelsier to try and use this as a workaround for his connection to Scadrial.)

[Szeth_Pancakes he/him]

Scadrian space exploration would most likely be less interesting, since there’s a lot of empty space around it. The focus might be more on orbital and unmanned missions. That said, I think some form of exploration is likely, especially since Era 3’s setting is going to be somewhat of a Cold War analog. Y’know, Space Race and all that.

[+Oltux72 he/him]

Where would they go? The gas giants? It seems to me that a driving force behind our space programmes was the existance of the moon. Scadrians by now know that other worlds are inhabitated. For them it is FTL or they will at best use a few staellites.

[StormingTexan he/him]

I think it is entirely posable and I'd say probable. They are already experimenting with rockets in Era2. Now where they go and what they do I have no idea but at a minimum they will more than likely be doing orbital exploration. 

[cometaryorbit]

Yeah... it's interesting because on the one hand they'll be more motivated since Kelsier is already thinking about pushing for physical space travel, and the existence of other inhabited worlds will probably be common knowledge by then.

But their nearest destination is the gas-giant moons. That's a big jump.

They'll start with satellites of their own planet just like we did, surely... but after that?

OTOH long missions will be easier for them if they have medallions granting bendalloy/cadmium Feruchemy, which (along with brass which we know exists in medallions form) pretty much solves life support. A Cadmium Misting would also be a huge advantage on long trips... the trip will take much less time from the travelers' perspective.

They may not have gotten to the gas giants by Era 3, but I think space efforts will at least be mentioned. They'll almost surely have satellites by then (that was 50s for us) and quite possibly a small station (Skylab and the Salyut stations were around in the 70s, and Mir went up in the 80s).

Edited January 3, 2023 by cometaryorbit