Planet Baja | Information

[Republica de Malta]

Republica de Malta

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Planet Baja

Information

Planet Baja Landing: Yes / Unassisted Terrain: Cold Desert Diameter: 6,720 km Mass: 6.84 x 1024 kg Temp: Unknown (Est. -142°C to 3°C) Aphelion: 0.685 293 AU Perihelion: 0.659 118 AU Semi-major Axis: 0.672 205 AU Orbital Period: 273.01 GSD Avg. Orbital Speed: 32.9 km/s Rotational Period: 31.5 GSH Escape Velocity: 21.45 km/s Volume: 1.588 93 x 1011 km3 Density: 43.047 84 g/cm3 Atmospheric Pressure: 0.790 Pascals Atmospheric Composition (by volume, est.): Krypton - 67.39% Xenon - 29.60% Atomic Oxygen - 2.60% Water Vapor - 0.40% Various - <0.1% Status: Occupied (Crayter/RoM)

Derived Information

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Baja is a large, barren desert world with a trace atmosphere of Krypton and Xenon. The surface is frigid, and mainly composed of silicates with deposits of Magnesium, Aluminum, and other light metals.

General Information

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Its name derived from the information provided by the Zoner expedition into the Coronado system in 640 A.S., Planet Baja is a cold and unimportant rock located within the habitable zone of the Coronado star, lying on the far inner edge. Compared to her neighbor planet Yuma, Baja is uninhabited, airless and far more dense than previous records have described, indicating the very real possibility of a strong but not overwhelming magnetic field. Unusually, the planet lacks any semblance of even a sparse atmosphere despite the presence of a strong magnetic field, which has led the belief to be that it was lost during an intense cataclysm somewhere in the planet's past.

However, this has not dissuaded efforts to colonize, and possibly terraform, the planet into a breathable, livable atmosphere. Underground recordings have shown the planet is still geologically active, the valleys of the planet's surface are actually large subduction zones where material is forced back into the molten mantle of the planet below, recycling the planet's surface slowly but surely over the centuries to bring heavier minerals upwards to the surface. These subduction zones, of which there are few to count, are slow and unrelenting, but do not appear to be like the ancient crust of Ancient Earth.

Due to this presence of tectonic activity, it is hypothesized that a large enough effort could see the planet each into a level of carbon emission that fuels a greenhouse effect to warm the planet and increase its atmospheric pressure to a level that will allow the flourish of life on the surface. However, this is expected to be required to take centuries, if not millennia, and colonization efforts will need to be restricted to the use of biodomes for the foreseeable future, as well as the possibility of utilizing underground facilities.

Surface Features

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The surface of Planet Baja can be divided into roughly seven differing sections: Bajas Septentrionalis, Bajas Humilis, Bajas Altum, Bajas Vorago, Bajas Aquas, Bajas Pratum, and Bajas Meridionalis. With the exception of Bajas Septentrionalis, each zone takes a considerable amount of the planet's surface, and emphasizes Baja's barren nature.

Bajas Septentrionalis

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Translating as 'Baja North' in the ancient Latin tongue, Septentrionalis is the very northern area of the planet's surface, and contains the north pole of the planet, as well as several small but notable ice caps kept frozen year round due to the trace atmosphere and negligible heat. Baja North is a small region of the planet, and is fairly high in elevation compared to the average distance from the edge of the magnetosphere that is used to determine the planet's surface elevations.

Bajas Humilis

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Translating as 'Baja Low' in Latin, Humilis is an area of very prominent flat lowlands in the upper hemisphere of the planet that occasionally trails into the south past the equator. Humilis has been noted as being the likely basin for which the planet's oceans may settle once liquid water is reintroduced to the surface. The area itself is relatively flat, with very little in the way of physical diversity aside from small rocky outcroppings. However, the ground of much of Humilis does consist of a relatively deep layer of permafrost, indicating the presence of a water sustaining atmosphere in the planet's past, and the likely source of the planet's water once terraforming begins.

Bajas Altum

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Translating as 'Baja High' in Latin, Altum is a very tall, very winding and large section of mountains that streak high into the planet's potential statosphere, about 17% of the way from the estimated sea level to the magnetosphere. Scans of the Altum region have indicated very large, very strong sources of Magnesium and Aluminum, as well as trace amounts of heavier metals and minerals. Mining operations in the Altum region are already planned as targets during colonization, and are likely to be the first pockets of large-scale planetary mining on Baja.

Bajas Vorago

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Translating as 'Baja Chasm' in Latin, Vorago is a relatively small yet significant region of the planet host to De Torrente Arnon, a massive 1,300 km long crevasse cut into the surface of the planet. It is suspected that Vorago is one of the planet's surface subduction zones, and is generally regarded as one of the most dangerous locations on the Baja. Colonial efforts are noted to stay away from the area.

Bajas Aquas

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Translating as 'Baja Water' in Latin, Aquas is located in the southern hemisphere of Baja and is home to the 16 deep, frozen ice-water lakes that dot the surface of the planet. The only definite source of water on the planet, Aquas is heralded as one of the most significant and plausible colonization sites on the surface, and is expected to be the location of Bajas Centralis, the proposed join Malta/Crayter colonization center. Terraforming efforts, should they begin, are expected to begin here.

Bajas Pratum

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Translating as 'Baja Prairie' in Latin, Pratum is located in the eastern hemisphere of the planet, and is home to a very large range of barren flatland above the anticipated sea level of Baja. Being a flatland with very little vertical variation, Pratum doesn't appear to hold any amount of valuable resources, but a fair amount of iron and other silicates have been detected in the soil as well as deep below the surface.

Bajas Meridionalis

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Translating as 'Baja South' in Latin, Meridionalis is much like the Septentrionalis region at the north of the Bajan surface, Located on the south pole region of the planet, Meridionalis holds a considerable amount of valuable minerals, including a vast amount of copper and beryllium. The area is also host to a few of the rest of the polar ice caps on Baja's surface, accounting for the rest of the water-ice on the planet's surface. Close proximity of Meridionalis to Aquas may explain the vast amount of water between the two.

Colonization Plans

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Colonial attempts by Crayter and the Republic of Malta are being conducted through the use of biodomes, though this may change in the future to efforts of terraforming. Until then, research will need to be done on the planet to assess its 'terraformability' and determine the best course of action.

Camp 11

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Camp 11 is a small research outpost set near the edge of one of Baja's frozen water lakes within the Bajas Aquas region. Operated by a combined Crayterian/Maltese group of about 120 people, Camp 11 is the very basic foundation of what is expected to become one of the planet's first settlements. As of late, the camp has recently seen an inflow of personnel from both Malta and Crayter, and daily activities at the camp involve submitting samples of the planet's shattered environment to teams aboard research vessels that occasionally orbit the planet.

It may take months or years before the planet sees any form of settlement evolve from Camp 11.

[Republica de Malta]

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Maltese Department of Colonial Affairs
Planetary Scouting and Expeditionary Corps

Baja Scouting Report: EB-0015-1 - Jennet Frisario

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This is Jennet Frasario, Republic Expeditionary Team 15, M.S.V. Castillia.
Audio log begins.

Expeditionary teams sent by order of the Colonial Affairs Department landed on Baja yesterday. Temporary planetary outpost was established in the Bajas Aquas region, and sixteen teams sent out across the surface using E-471 exploration rovers. Teams 13-16 proceeded to the southeast, towards the large frozen lakes within the Aquas region, for sample gathering and analysis. The surface of Baja is desolate to say the least, with large pockets of deep tan-ish soil alluding to the idea that Baja must have had an atmosphere and possibly a habitable surface in the past. There is no known explanation as to what happened, but samples gathered at these ice lakes may prove useful.

Image capture of Baja Aquas - Team 15

UPDATE - 1537hours

Samples from ice lakes confirmed the presence of life in the last, showing microscopic lifeforms trapped in the ice. While they may have frozen, they are in superb condition, and dissection confirms that Baja at a time once held onto an atmosphere thicker than Yuma's, with temperatures similar to that of Planet Mojave in California. While inhospitable back then, today an atmosphere comparable to Yuma would likely produce an environment habitable for human life.

Samples will be forwarded to Colonial HQ on Borneo. Expedition attempts will continue as planned.

[Republica de Malta]

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Maltese Department of Colonial Affairs
Planetary Scouting and Expeditionary Corps

Baja Scouting Report: EB-0015-1 - Jennet Frisario

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This is Jennet Frasario, Republic Expeditionary Team 15, M.S.V. Castillia.
Audio log begins.

It's been over a month since we first set down on the planet to investigate the surface for any signs of possibility of life. Since then, we have discovered the planet's very likely habitable past, and planet's very likely desertification due to gravitational effects from Planet Salina within the system. This is all included with this report that will be transmitted to command for documentation. While we're still unsure what could have happened between Baja and Salina to allow for the sudden tearing of an atmosphere from a planet that, in every other respect, has a magnetic field four times as great as that of Yuma, we have continued on regardless.

Camp 11, Bajas Aquas

Surface teams have erected a small camp near the beds of one of the few remaining ice lakes on the planet's surface. Camp 11 sits upon a relatively strong source of Magnesium, though has yet to directly interfere with any of our mechanical equipment, and some geologists have entertained the idea of directly mining the materials for a quick credit. However, life on the surface appears to be relatively stable. The gravitational effects on the camp are slight if present at all, and there is barely any atmosphere to work with so dust storms aren't much of a bother either. Much of the planet's ecosystem, or what remains of it, appears to very much resemble Harris pre-terraforming, and may very well afford us the same luxury. Harris is a successful operation, and will very likely mean that Baja will be of a similar success rate.

So far, we're looking at a good Class 4 habitation project.