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The Chronicles of Local Space

A fictional exploration of nearby star systems

To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

The Bible (King James version), Ecclesiastes 3:1

Time Line

Interplanetary era

21st Century

2037: Some multinational mining companies on Earth form Lunar Mining Limited as a joint mining venture. Initially, the corporation is an Earth-based research and development corporation that evaluates the feasibility of various technologies for future mining and colonisation of the moon.
2055 July 25: Lunar Mining Limited establish Shackleton, the first permanent lunar colony as a company mining town near the south pole of the moon. This colony mines the ores of lighter metals that are relatively abundant and easy to mine. The colonies also mine water, which is valuable as a source of rocket fuel and essential to life on the dry lunar surface. Initially, the mining colonies only extract mineral ores for refining on Earth.
2084: Some countries on Earth establish the Confederation of Earth as a successor to the United Nations, modelled on the European Union. The Confederation chooses Geneva, Switzerland to be the capital city of the Confederation. At this time fewer than half the countries of Earth were members of the Confederation.
2086: The lunar mining colonies refine the first metals smelted outside Earth. The technology employs compact solar-powered smelters that were shipped from Earth.

22nd Century

2102: The Lunar space elevator commences construction on the near side of the moon using lunar resources. It is completed in 2106.
2112: An alliance of Earth governments commence construction of the Pacific space elevator in Earth orbit using resources transported from the moon. This space elevator touches down in the Pacific Ocean in 2117.
2129: The United States launches the last rocket in the Rocket Age of space travel.
2147: The first habitat ship is built. This class of ship is a large ship that allows people to live in space for extended periods, allowing them to make long journeys. These cylindrical ships generate artificial gravity by rotating. The first habitat ships were built with lunar resources and used chemical propulsion.
2149 August 4: The governments of all nations of Earth agree to be united under the jurisdiction of a single international government. The new Confederation of Earth establishes its capital in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. The Confederation existed before this date, but it was on this date that all nations of Earth were united for the first time.
2159: Earth-based mining corporations undertake asteroid mining for the first time using the Moon as a base. Habitat ships facilitate the mining because they can house the miners and transport the ores.
2162: Asteroid Resources Limited is founded on the Moon.
2167: Asteroid Resources Limited commence construction of the Lagrange Space Settlement at the L5 (trailing) Lagrangian point of the Moon’s orbit.
2178 April 25: The Lagrange Space Settlement is officially opened.
2184 May 25: The first colony on Mars is founded using habitat ships.
2188 August 15: The fusion rocket engine is tested successfully.
2195 November 25-29: The Prometheus makes the first successful manned test flight of a fusion-powered spacecraft. It makes the 76,940,000 km trip from Earth to Mars in about two days.

23rd Century

2215 October 11: Asteroid Resources Limited establishes the Hygiea mining colony. It serves as a base for asteroid mining operations.
2225: Hygiea Mining Corporation founded on Hygiea.
2230: A consortium of wealthy space miners and some Earth-based business people commence construction of the Kepler Space Settlement. Kepler is located at the L4 (leading) Lagrangian point of the Moon’s orbit.
2239 February 24: The Kepler Space Settlement is officially opened, and takes its first settlers on the same day.
2245: A consortium of space-mining corporations, major Earth governments and the Government of Mars commence construction of a space elevator in orbit around Mars. The elevator must be built so that the moon Phobos does not interfere with it. The elevator is thus built in a Y-shape with Phobos passing beneath it. The elevator touches down away from the Martian equator.
2271: The Gregorian Calendar is reformed by international agreement with the largest changes to the calendar since the time of Julius Caesar. The new Standard Calendar of Earth makes the month lengths more regular by giving February, July and December 30 days each, places the leap day at the end of the year, changes the way leap years are determined, and integrates a new simpler method of calculating Easter with the calendar. The calendar is planned for introduction on 2301 January 1.

2278

Stable artificial wormholes are created for the first time. The first ones are microscopic.

2293

Asteroid Resources Limited and Lunar Mining Limited merge to form Asteroid and Lunar Resources Limited.

24th Century

2301 January 1 SCE: The world switches to the Standard Calendar of Earth. The changeover is introduced at this time because the introduction of a new calendar at the start of a century is more logical than an introduction at any other time, and the start of the 24th century happens to be the beginning of a thirty-year period where the leap year rules for the Gregorian Calendar and the Standard Calendar coincide.

The Chronicles of Local Space

Time Line

Interplanetary era

21st Century

22nd Century

23rd Century

24th Century

Interstellar Era

25th Century

26th Century

27th Century

28th Century