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Archestern

Archestern (2005-2011) was a private space station designed, built and operated by super-genius Dr. Archeville as part of ArcheTech Industries. It was a private laboratory and research facility in geosynchronous orbit over Earth, launched in 2005 with help from the Freedom League, most notably the heroes Dark Star and Ace Danger, with the cooperation of UNISON. Archestern operated as an orbital research facility until 2011, when it was weaponized during the events of ArchEvil and was eventually partially destroyed, then decommissioned and abandoned. 

Location

Archestern (“Arche-Star”) is parked in geosynchronous orbit (approximately 22,000 miles above sea level) over South America (mainly Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil). However, it is possible for ArcheStern to move, albeit at a very slow pace.

Appearance, Exterior

Archestern presents a profile similar to an eight-pointed star. It has a large central area that's disk shaped, and radiating from it to the eight points of the compass are wedge-shaped “rays.” The central disk is referred to as the Core; the eight arms are the North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, and Northwest wings.

Appearance, Interior

The 'Core' contains most of the station's key facilities, including gravity generation systems, the security room, and the bridge. The gravity generator (a masterwork resulting from Dr. Archeville's extensive research into gravitics) allows the station to maintain Earth-normal gravity (1.0G) without having to be spun; controls in the Core can vary the gravity throughout the station (or only in selected parts of the station) from 0.0 to 4.0G. From the security room, all internal and external cameras can be monitored, electronic locks controlled, and personnel communicated with. The bridge is where Doktor Archeville and crew operate the controls that fly the station; though it normally remains in a stationary orbit, it is possible to move it as a very slow pace. The bridge also contain the controls for Archestern's communications equipment and sensors.

The 'North Wing' contains Dr. Archeville's personal quarters, his dining hall and kitchen, and his laboratories. His large, luxurious room occupies the tip of the wing and has large “windows” made of transparent Archeneum that allow him to gaze out on the magnificence of space. The laboratories aren't as extensive as those in Schloss Wissenschaft or Archeville's Hanover Home due to a lack of room aboard the station, but there's more than enough to keep Archeville occupied. This is where he does most of his work on astronomy, astrophysics, and related subjects, since it's much easier to view the universe without an atmosphere getting in the way.

The 'East Wing' contains quarters and living spaces for Archestern's crew and guests. The lounges are small and focus almost entirely on video entertainment; there isn't room for things like billiard tables.

The 'South Wing' of Archestern primarily contains the unglamorous but absolutely necessary systems required to keep the space station running: the power generator (a binary cold fusion system, supplemented by numerous solar panels on the sunward side of the station); the heating plant and ventilation equipment; and the main life support systems. (Smaller backup life support systems are in the Core and each Wing except the West Wing, capable of sustaining life in that particular section but not elsewhere.) Additionally, the South Wing features Archestern's teleportation platform.

The 'West Wing' contain the landing/launch bay at its “tip,” and the rest of the wing consists of hangars and repair bays for space vehicles.

The 'Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest Wings' contain laboratories and workstations ArcheTech uses (and rents out to other companies), to take advantage of the low- and zero-gravity environments which are ideal for manufacturing some types of electronic components and chemicals, the clearer view of the universe for astronomy and astrophysics work, and the top-down view of the Earth for meteorological research.

Miscellaneous

Archestern mounts a telescope even better than the Hubble Space Telescope]. (Hubble has roughly x8,000 magnification, Archestern's has x10,000.)

Archestern typically carries 60 man-years worth of food and other supplies.

Archestern is based in large part on Zerstorenstern (“Destroyer-Star”), Doctor Destroyer's orbital headquarters, as presented in The Book of the Destroyer, a supplement for the 'Champions' RPG.



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