Man on the Moon: The United Imperium Has Conquered the Final Frontier

As Aldrin Shepard is now residing within Cape Canaveral's Space Center, the United Imperium can say that they have put a man on the moon, becoming one of very few nations to complete this technological and industrial achievement. Already one of the most prolific space agencies in the world, the ISEA can now say that American men have placed boots on the moon in one of the greatest national triumphs of the United Imperium's history. 

The mission started with one of the biggest gambles in the history of the United Imperium: President George Delano Lincoln boldly proclaims in 2075 that before the decade is out, the United Imperium will put a man on the moon. While still in recovery from recession, the President declared that not only would the nation leave for greater economic triumphs, that it would experience a golden age of industry, innovation, and exploration. Without even a proper space agency to back him up, President Lincoln took one of the biggest gambles of his presidency, betting on the Imperium's technological and industrial prowess to prove to the world that the United Imperium was and is a power for the ages. 

Now, that being said, the United Imperium technically did have a space agency, but this was really just a research lab that the Air Force had for experiments in high altitude flight and rocketry. At the time of the President's bold decree, this small group of exceptional individuals hadn't even put a satellite into space. Apart from joint research with Jurvania and Pax et Libertus Confederacy, the United Imperium had absolutely zero experience in space. But there was something that the United Imperium did have a lot of experience with: missiles. 

In 2075, when the United Imperium obtained its first nuclear weapons, the military also revamped their missile systems to carry these new, deadlier payloads. Widely considered to be one of the forerunners of missile technologies since the 20th Great War, the United Imperium already had a lot of experience with missiles and rocketry. As a result, incentives and tax breaks were put up to encourage top missile manufacturers to enter the space industry, and they responded: major defense contractors like Rayburns, Green Technologies, and Yankee Inc. all negotiated major contracts with the government in order to begin production on spacecraft, satellites, rockets, and more.

With a space program up and running, the United Imperium now had the basic tools of space exploration. By late 2075, they had placed the first Imperium satellite in space, and by February, Jericho Glenn became the first Imperium man to go to space. With the newly found ISEA already establishing a post-Karman Line infrastructure network, it was now time to focus on the final frontier: putting a man on the moon. With the completion of the Jurvania VI rocket system, the vessel of transport had already been chosen.  The next challenge was to pick the men for the mission: after a lengthy selection process, the three men were chosen: Aldrin Shepard, Dr. Bryan Collins, and Vladius Gagarin. With the selection of the astronauts complete, the only thing that was left was to actually go to the moon.

After some calculations, it was determined that the optimal date of launch was April 30, 2076, so on the appointed day, the Jurvania VI rocket successfully crossed the Karman line and brought the astronauts to space. The next stage was to actually get to the moon, which would take two more days. The astronauts entered the orbit of the moon on the morning of the 2nd of May. After staying in orbit and collecting data, astronauts Shepard and Collins would descend via lunar module, while Gagarin stayed in the command module to keep it in orbit. As the lunar module touched down, Shepard and Collins began the series of procedures that would precede their descent onto the lunar surface.

Mission Headquarters (Based in Roosevelt): Requesting Confirmation of Ladder Deployment.

Collins: Deployment Confirmed, Roosevelt.

Roosevelt: Congratulations, gentlemen.

Shepard: We've got the camera set up. We're sending the first pictures right now... There you go.

Roosevelt: We're seeing your pictures. Will you be beginning your descent to the lunar surface shortly, or are there some more preparations that you would like to make?

Collins: We're all set here, Roosevelt.

Shepard: I'm stepping onto the first rungs of the ladder, the surface is more or less just like what we anticipated. Okay. I'm going to step down onto the surface now. This is a milestone for the United Imperium, and a stepping stone in the quest of our exploration of the Cosmos.

Pictured below: Photograph Taken by Dr. Bryan Collins on the Lunar Surface, Dubbed "The Next Earthrise" , May 2, 2076

And so the United Imperium had finally done it, successfully putting a man on the moon before the decade was out and making history. For 20 hours, Collins and Shepard did a variety of experiments, collected readings, took photographs, and obtained samples of moon rock to bring back to Earth. The work that they did is expected to bring about great advances within the scientific community and our understanding of the moon. 

Once their time on the moon was over, the astronauts took the lunar module back into orbit, where they then docked with the command module. Following the return journey, the command module successfully splashed down into the Atlantic Ocean, where the three astronauts were swiftly recovered by the 13th Naval Battalion, and greeted by a hero's welcome as they entered Canaveral Harbor, where they were subsequently awarded The Star of Liberty by President Lincoln.

As the United Imperium has successfully conquered the final frontier, it will be interesting to see where the ISEA decides to go next. Plans for subsequent moon landings have already been made, but loftier aspirations are being held by the Agency, including asteroid mining and Mars colonies. Hopefully the Imperium continues to see success and prosperity in their technological and scientific pursuits.