Timeline
From Reach
NOT FINAL
History of Earth
- 2038 - The James Webb Space telescope discovers a planet orbiting a nearby star. Spectroscopic analysis shows an Earth-like atmosphere and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. The object is named PO-44923, and generates little fanfare in a public already saturated with overly optimistic reports of extrasolar planets..
- 2055 - Professor Naomi Sato, of the Tokyo University of Science, publishes her paper on a Unified Field Theory. It is hailed by the scientific community as the new fundamental model, revolutionizing both quantum and classical physics.
- 2073 - Mankind conquers the germ. Living Molecules, an international biotech corporation based in China, begins commercial production of "adaptive agents." Inexpensive anti-bacterial and anti-viral drugs that actively modify themselves to counter resistance. Over the next 10 years, influenza, tuberculosis, and HIV are eradicated.
- 2075 - Responding to increasing globalization and the gradual loss of national sovereignty to international organizations, the world's governments form the Hegemonic Unified Government: uniting Earth under one rule. Under the HUG, the world enters a new golden age; the economy flourishes, personal freedoms are protected, and poverty is nearly eliminated.
- 2081 - The Sato Reactionless Drive project begins. Exploiting new principles introduced in Sato's Unified Field Theory, scientists believe they can develop an engine theoretically capable of exceeding the speed of light. Media outlets hail this project as the beginning of a new age of space travel.
- 2105 - The first, unmanned prototype of the Sato Reactionless Drive is launched on a mission to Mars. It quickly reaches an estimated speed of .03C, crossing 60 million kilometers in just over an hour. Unfortunately, a software bug prevents the prototype from decelerating, causing it to crash into the planet and leaving an impact crater the size of Greenland.
- 2106 - The promise of the Sato prototype leads the HUG to initiate a 50-year colonization project. As astronomers begin searching for suitable planets, the world begins producing a fleet of Colony Ships to move one billion souls to another planet.
- 2108 - PO-44923 is "rediscovered" when an astronomy grad student brings it's old file to his professor. It's promise as a suitable colony world is quickly recognized, and more detailed investigations convince the HUG to name it as the top choice for the colonization mission.
2109 - After much debate, PO-44923 is renamed Reach.
2147 - With the fleet nearing completion, the HUG begins officially screening volunteers for the Reach colony.
Migration
- 2157 - 1 Billion people leave Earth in Colony Ships for Reach. The Silent Age, a period of no communication between the colonists and Earth begins.
- 0 ATD - The colonists touch down on Reach for the first time. They begin reckoning time in Reach years since touch down, leading to abbreviation "ATD" for "After Touch Down"
- 2 ATD - The Silent Age ends when the colonists turn radio telescopes towards Earth and receive a casualty report, dated 2293 AD, from a war that erupted in their absence.
