Orphans of Apollo - S1 Recap
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From the ashes of forgotten space dreams, a new era of exploration begins.
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Orphans of Apollo will return on 14th December 2024 with season 2. It’s been a few weeks, so here is a recap of season 1.
The year is 2055 and humanity is on the cusp of becoming an interplanetary species. One of proponents of the human race’s expansion into the cosmos is the visionary billionaire Christian Larsson and his Foundation for the Advancement of Space Settlement (FASS). Through FASS, Larsson has been diligently working for decades to lay the groundwork for permanent human habitation beyond Earth.
Central to his plan are Lana and Logan Meyer, the twins have spent their lives training to be among the first generation of space-settlers. Now in their early twenties, Lana and Logan are in the final stretches of their training, dividing their time between college and the FASS facilities, where they receive advanced scientific instruction and rigorous astronaut training under the guidance of Larsson’s team.
The Meyer twins aren't alone in this endeavour. FASS has over a hundred young recruits from all over the globe, ranging from young children to those in their early twenties, like Lana and Logan. The recruits train together at FASS headquarters in Lompoc, California, learning everything from astrophysics and engineering to wilderness survival and leadership skills. The most exciting part of their training is the flying - all the recruits learn to pilot an array of aircraft, including advanced jets and spacecraft simulators.
However, as Lana and the other recruits approach the culmination of their training, strange events begin to unfold. One day, all recruits receive an emergency message ordering them to return to FASS headquarters immediately. It's soon revealed that an extremist group known as True Genesis has made credible threats against FASS personnel and their families. Larsson, fearing for everyone's safety, has recalled all staff and recruits to Lompoc where they will be under the protection of FASS's secret security service.
Upon the recruits' arrival at headquarters, Larsson drops another bombshell: the timeline for the first crewed missions is being dramatically accelerated. Instead of having a few more years to train while finishing their college degrees as planned, Lana and her peers will be launching to the moon within a year and a half. To prepare for this, they will spend the next summer living in an Antarctic habitat, simulating the conditions and challenges of life on a lunar outpost. If they prove themselves ready, they will then become the first permanent inhabitants of FASS's moon base, which is nearing completion.
As the news sinks in, the Meyer family privately discusses their fears about this sudden turn of events. Larsson seems to be hiding something about the severity of the threat, and no one knows what the future holds now. After some tearful farewells, the twins' parents return home while Lana and Logan remain at Lompoc to plunge into accelerated training. Lana, rattled by the revelations, confides her self-doubts and worries about the mission to her fellow recruit and close friend Aiden. He reassures her that Larsson chose her to command the first analogue mission for good reason and affirms his faith in her abilities, while hinting at deeper feelings between them.
While the recruits grapple with their new circumstances, Larsson and his Mission Control team are hard at work overseeing a major milestone: the lunar landing of a nuclear reactor module that will power the moon base. They remotely guide the autonomous spacecraft to a perfect touchdown near the habitat. The reactor's successful delivery keeps the colonisation project on track, but Larsson's head of engineering Everett Winter privately expresses his concerns. He feels that the shrewd Larsson has not been fully transparent with the recruits about the harrowing realities they will face as pioneers on a hostile new world and also the truth of their conception.
Interwoven with the main storyline are flashbacks to 2022, revealing Larsson's early efforts to make his vision a reality. In clandestine meetings, he connects with Isaac Underwood and Ling Xue, two brilliant genetics researchers who believe they can engineer humans to have higher radiation resistance, a crucial trait for long-term spaceflight and habitation. Their research involves modifying human embryos with DNA from tardigrades, microscopic animals with incredible durability. However, before their work can progress within the auspices of FASS, Isaac and Ling's illegal experimentation is exposed. They narrowly avoid arrest with Larsson's help, going on the run to continue advancing the genetic engineering arm of the FASS program in secret.
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Orphans of Apollo is back - or at least it will be next week. The hiatus between seasons ended up being a bit longer than I expected so apologies for that. Welcome to the people who have signed up during the season break.
The coming season will be similar to the last with weekly posts on Saturdays. I had hoped there might be some more behind-the-scenes posts but I think these might end up being few and far between due to time pressures.
One new thing this season however will be audio. I have been a fan of audio content for a long time. I started listing to podcasts regularly back in 2006 or so before they were really a thing. I also used to love audio books when I was a kid. So I wanted to give people the option of listening to the episodes.
However, like most people I find the sound of my own voice weird. I’ve never done anything like this and am in no way good a public speaking or that sort of thing. There is of course the in built AI narration which Substack provides but I would far rather listen to a human voice. Even if it’s not perfect it feels way more engaging. I hope you agree.
Season 2 episode one will be out next week on 14th December 2024.
Thanks for reading,
Alex
Orphans of Apollo - Start Here
From the ashes of forgotten space dreams, a new era of exploration begins.