User:NuclearVacuum/Sandbox/Venusian Haven

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Key Dates from OTL

 * Key Missions




 * &mdash; A proposed mission from NASA which would've utilized the and a human habitation module which would've replaced the s (LMs) used during the Manned Moon missions. The first launch window would've happened in 1973, with a flyby and return by 1974.


 * &mdash; A proposed Soviet manned Venus flyby, using similar methods to that of the American idea. The Soviet mission would've launched in 1971, but would've also included a Mars flyby. The TMK-E mission (which would've happened in the 1960s) was a proposed manned landing on Mars, and would've required multiple N1 launches and the construction of an interplanetary "space station" in orbit.


 * Timeline

The following is a list of key events from OTL that pertain to Venus and potential ATL events.


 * 1645 &mdash; Italian is the first person to sight the supposed satellite of Venus.


 * 1672 &mdash; Italian/French is the second to note a potential satellite of Venus. He didn't make notes of it until 1686 when he sights the possible satellite again.


 * 1761 &mdash; Russian discovers that Venus has an atmosphere.


 * 1962 &mdash; American  becomes the first man-made object to flyby Venus.


 * 1965 &mdash; Soviet  becomes the first man-made object to impact Venus (i.e., it crashed).


 * 1970 &mdash; Soviet  became the first man-made object to transmit date from the surface of Venus.


 * 1975 &mdash; Soviet  became the first man-made object to orbit Venus, as well as the first lander to return pictures from the planet's surface.


 * 1982 &mdash; Soviet  brought back the first colored images of the Venusian surface. In a curious development, Russian scientists in 2012 announced possible evidence of life on the surface after re-examining the date from Venera 13.


 * 1985 &mdash; Soviet  begins its mission at Venus.


 * 1990 &mdash; American  begins its mission at Venus. Using radar, the mission produces a detailed map of the Venusian surface (despite the thick clouds).


 * 2006 &mdash; European  begins its mission around Venus.


 * 2024' &mdash; Russia plans to launch ', becoming the first Russian mission to Venus since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The mission is believed to follow Magellan and create an updated map of the Venusian surface, and the possibility of a Soviet-styled lander with modern technology.''

The Great Space Powers on Venus

 * Great Powers on Venus

The following nations/organizations have manned launch capabilities on both Earth and Venus, as well as the operation of interplanetary vehicles between the planets.


 * (taikonaut)
 * (spationaut)
 * (uchunaut)
 * (cosmonaut)
 * (astronaut)


 * Secondary Powers on Venus

The following nations/organizations have manned launch capabilities only on Earth, yet have co-operated with others in order to establish a say on Venus. Some of these regions are in the process of becoming great powers.


 *  (aethernaut) &mdash; The British choose to expand their . An ESA-like organization is established between them and many of their former colonies (including and ). The  in Australia is expanded to become the UK's primary launch site. A manned launch takes place in the late 1980s (as the race for Venus begins). Rather than go it alone, the British (and separately the Canadians) decide to piggyback with NASA in getting to Venus by the mid 1990s. While they can send supplies to Venus independently, the Commonwealth still relies on NASA in actually getting to Venus, as well as leaving Venus.


 * (vyomanaut)


 *  (fadanaut) &mdash; (in a moment of sanity) opts-out of invading Kuwait and instead decides to expand Iraq's space program. Initially hoping to establish a "Pan-Arab Space Agency," this fails because of the differing alliances. Despite these huddles, Iraq successfully launches men into space by the late 1990s. By the mid 2000s, Iraq signs agreements with both the Soviet Union and ESA to establish settlements on Venus. Following the Arab Spring, during which Saddam (or his son) crushes any rebellion, the Iraqi colonies proclaim their independence (which Iraq doesn't recognize). Iraqi is currently in limbo.


 * Possibilities

The following are possible nations which may have manned launch capabilities and possible colonies on Venus.


 * &mdash; If Brazil goes, Argentina will follow.
 * &mdash; May co-operate with China.
 * (kayhanaut) &mdash; If Iraq goes, Iran will follow.
 * &mdash; If Iraq goes, Israel will follow.
 * (angkasanaut) &mdash; May co-operate with China.


 * LINKS


 * Challenge: As Many Manned, Sustainable Space Programs As Possible
 * Challenge:EU-Commonwealth Space Program (de Gaulle)

Nations and Settlements on Venus



 * American Venus


 * Flag.svg "Fortune Bay"
 * (South Africa)
 * Flag.svg Reagan
 * Flag.svg "Tethus"
 * Flag.svg Reagan
 * Flag.svg "Tethus"
 * Flag.svg "Tethus"


 * Chinese Venus


 * Flag.svg "New Malaysia" (Malaysia)
 * Flag of North Korea.svg "New Pyongyang" (North Korea)
 * Flag.svg "New Singapore" (Singapore)
 *  (NOT CANON)


 * Commonwealth Venus


 * Flag of Australia.svg (Australia and New Zealand)
 * (Canada)
 * (Canada)
 * (Canada)


 * European Venus




 * Indian Venus


 *  (NOT CANON)


 * Iraqi Venus




 * Japanese Venus






 * Flag.svg "New Caucasia"
 * (Vietnam)
 * (Poland)
 * (Germany)
 * (Vietnam)
 * (Poland)
 * (Germany)
 * (Germany)

Nation Ideas

 *  &mdash; Potentially to be located in Ulfrun Regio, the nation will be India's answer to Venus. Will be a parliamentary republic on par with India and would likely hold close ties with New Kamchatka.


 *  &mdash; A possible Brazilian nation. The premise would be that Brazil's co-operation with China goes further and they decide to settle their citizens on Venus with Chinese assistance. Such a nation may be located in the eastern most portions of Lada Terra (where "New Albania" once was). This nation would be populated by Brazilians, Chinese, Macanese, and possibly many from Angola, Goa, Mozambique, East Timor, and Portugal. This nation wouldn't be communist, yet may follow some of the conservative, meritocratic, and pragmatic ideals of nearby Tianlin. A may currently govern the nation.


 *  &mdash; Similar to the "proposals" made recently, this "Republic of Reagan" would be a conservative and right-wing haven for Americans. Christianity would be a state religion, homosexuality would be banned, and other things. To be located in Tellus Regio.


 *  &mdash; Located in, this nation would be established by Tibetans from China, India, and indeed all exiled communities (with China being more than happy to "eliminate" this problem on Earth). The nation would likely be a democracy, with the Dalai Lama as the head of state and a "prime minister" as the head of government. Since it's rather unlikely (or desirable) for the Dalai Lama actually relocate to Venus, he would appoint a regent to this post, but most power would go to the government. This nation would not consider itself a successor state but more along the lines of a new colony or province of Tibet.

Thoughts for the timeline

 * The is regarded as a failure. Rather than say "it was designed with Venus in mind", simply have the Soviets begin designs for a new rocket design. This "N2" or "Raskat" (a proposed Russian name for the N1 had it worked) would be the answer to the Saturn V.


 * Despite still losing the Moon to the Americans (the  would've also been a failure ATL), the Soviets could possibly still reach the Moon by the 1970s (especially if Venus was still a prime target in the Space Race). was regarded as the likeliest candidate for the first Soviet on the Moon. The name Gerkules ("Hercules") and/or Gerkules-Raskat were potential names for the Soviet Moon missions.


 * The infamous of 1975 possibly might not happen. The "Apollo 18" module may have been used for a proposed Manned Venus Flyby in 1973/74. The USSR may also do a manned flyby a few years later.


 * Given Venus's Earth-like atmosphere (ATL), it would take rockets of enough strength (at least along the lines of the Mercury or Vostok) to escape the planet's atmosphere. Given the complexity of this, it would be very unlikely to send the first men back from Venus without rocket experts and contractors already on the planet. In affect, the first Venus landing would be a one-way trip.


 * The Soviet manned Venus landing mission (personal codename "Vega") would likely happen around the mid 1980s. The mission would be a modified TMK-E station (which was designed for a manned Mars landing OTL). Two missions could possibly take place in the mid to late 1980s.


 * The Americans would follow with a landing in the early 1990s (personal codename "Magellan"). Likely based on a similar design to the Soviet mission.


 * By 2010, China, Europe, and Japan may follow suit and land a colony on Venus. The United Kingdom may go it alone (not too sure about this) and an Iraqi-led Arab mission may be possible (if the cards are played out, though I'm having second thoughts).

Rotation Period
Venus is unique in that it's rotation period is the slowest within the Solar System at around 243 days to make one Venusian day. Since this could literally be changed to anything I want, I've chosen to increase this period to 34.2 hours. I chose this number as it is the anadrome of 243. I also wished to avoid having a Venusian day be similar to that of Earth and Mars (which both are 24 hours) and to make it as alien as possible.

Axial Tilt
Venus will continue to have an axial tilt of around 177 degrees, as this is very unique within the Solar System. The only noticeable difference this has is that Venus would appear to rotate backwards in respect to the other planets. While this would not change the Sun's direction in the sky (as I initially thought), this would still change the locations of the constellations. Northern constellations (e.g., the ) would be seen in the southern hemisphere of Venus, while southern constellations (e.g., the ) would be seen in the northern hemisphere.

While Venus does have an extreme tilt compared to the Earth (which is roughly 23 degrees), in reality it would be best to think of Venus as being tilted more at 3 degrees. Since seasons on Earth are caused by the axial tilt, the virtual lack of which would mean that Venusian seasons would be unnoticeable for those who settle on the planet.

The fact that Venus would be upside down and have a minor tilt compared to the Earth, this would mean that the planet's equivalents to the and the s would be in different places. The tropics would likely be around the 3rd parallels from the equator, while the polar circles would be roughly around the 87th parallels from the equator. The tropics would be named after the constellations in which the Sun is located in during the solstices (just as on Earth).


 * Convert Latitude / Longitude in Degrees/Minutes/Seconds to/from Decimal


 * North Pole &mdash; (90)
 * North Polar Circle &mdash; (87.36)
 * Tropic of Sagittarius &mdash; (2.64)
 * Equator &mdash; (0)
 * Tropic of Gemini &mdash; (-2.64)
 * South Polar Circle &mdash; (-87.36)
 * South Pole &mdash; (-90)

Neith

 * Semi-Major Axis &mdash; 197,774 km (~33 Venus radii)
 * Orbital Period &mdash; 11 days, 3 hours (7.8 sols)
 * Mass &mdash; 0.014 Earths
 * Radius &mdash; 1,812.4 km

I've decided to keep as much of the initial characteristics of Neith first proposed by astronomers. With an orbit of around 11 days, Neith would have to be much closer to Venus (which will help mask the moon from the naked eye). I also decided to make Neith slightly larger than the Moon as an ironic twist. This (combined with its closer distance) would make Neith look almost twice the size of the Moon in the Venusian skies.


 * Neith, the Moon of Venus, 1672-1892
 * Orbital period of a planet calculator

Venus Treaty Layout

 * Prelude

... the ultimate destiny for Venus is to be placed upon those who call Venus their home (the Venusians)...


 * Articles


 * Land rights/Sovereignty
 * Earth nations can't claim large areas.
 * Claimed territory only extends to settled areas.
 * Earth can't directly govern areas of Venus (no "French Guianas").
 * Venus given autonomy from Earth governments.
 * Venus should be dominated by Venusians (Venusian "Monroe Doctrine").


 * Military activity
 * Earth protects Venus
 * No WMDs in any manner
 * No weapons testing
 * Military activity limited to defensive (coast guards,, etc.).


 * Environment/Power
 * Limits amount of resource extraction on Venus.
 * Limits fossil fuel use.
 * Allows civil nuclear power.
 * Regulates and protects native life.
 * Prevention of the complete contamination of Venus (no "Columbian Exchange").
 * Regulates which Earth species can travel to Venus (mostly humans and a few domesticated animals and plants).


 * Scientific research
 * Freedom for all nations to do research on Venus.
 * Requires all nations to make public all research on Venus.


 * Others
 * Makes the null and void in regards to the Venusian System.
 * Makes Neith under similar conditions as the Moon (see ).
 * Establishes the of the UN.

Timekeeping on Venus
I HATE MATH!

Basic Information
The time period it takes for Venus to make one orbit around the Sun would remain 224.701 days (or 5,392.82 hours). For this timeline, a Venusian day (to be called a sol) would consist of 34.2 hours (an anadrome of 243).


 * $$5392.82/34.2=157.684795322$$

Based on the above equation, a Venusian year would consists of about 157 sols (or rounded up to 158 sols).

Decimal Clock


http://marsonefans.com/archive/index.php/t-206.html

A Venusian sol would consists of 10 "hours," which is divided into 100 "minutues," which is divided into 100 "seconds." To prevent confusion between Earth and Venus, the names decisol, centisol, and milisol would be used instead.


 * $$34.2/10=3.42$$
 * (3.42 hours = 205.2 minutes)
 * $$205.2/100=2.052$$
 * (2.052 minutes = 123.12 seconds)
 * $$123.12/100=1.2312$$

With the above equation, a Venusian sol consists of:


 * 1 sol = 34.2 hours
 * 1 decisol = 3.42 hours
 * 1 centisol = 2.052 minutes
 * 1 milisol = 1.2312 seconds

Year Zero
Given its scientific importance to Venus, the year will correspond to year zero on Venus. It was during this year that became the first to observe the  (not to mention likely discovering  ATL). Everything about Venus prior to this year was based mostly in mythology, while everything following which was based on science. This also assures that there will be several years between year zero and the present.


 * $$(EY-1610.5)*1.625=VY$$

Based on the above equation, it would currently be year 656 on Venus.

Since the seasons don't assert themselves on Venus (due it the planet's axial tilt), they would play no role in determining when the year would begin on Venus. A potential starting point could be either the planet's or.


 * WIP Notes

Year zero on Venus would begin on November 15, 1609 (1609.87). This date marks the perihelion of Venus prior to the start of 1610 on Earth (a key year for Galileo Galilei).


 * $$(EY-1609.87)*1.625=VY$$

As of December 1, 2014, the current date on Venus is 658.19 (i.e., early in the year 658).


 * $$(2014.91-1609.87)*1.625=658.19$$


 * Quick Fix

The following equation is a quick fix for calculating the time on Venus. It is flawed but appears to get the job done for very recent years.


 * $$(EY-1609.755)*1.625=VY$$

Calendar Layout
On Earth, the length of a corresponds [roughly] to the time period it takes for the  to orbit around the Earth (about 27 days). By comparison, Venus' moon,, orbits its planet every 11.125 days (or 7.8 sols). In a similar manner, a Venusian neith will correspond to eight sols. Since this would not be comparable to a month, let's increase the number of neiths by three to get around 24 sols and create a new unite called a trineith.


 * $$158/24=6.6$$

The above equation shows that a year of 158 sols can be divided into six trineiths of about 24 sols each (give or take). This would fit nicely as a year on Venus is a little over half a year on Earth &mdash; with a consensus of it being divided into 12 months (12/2=6).

Unlike many Earth calendars, the names of these six trineiths should be neutral in origin. After much consideration, I've decided to follow the and name the trineiths after famous scientists. The trineith names I have in mind are (as well as their rough Earth counterpart):


 * 1) Galileo (February-March)
 * 2) Newton (April-May)
 * 3) Darwin (June-July)
 * 4) Tesla (August-September)
 * 5) Curie (October-November)
 * 6) Einstein (December-January)

Galileo would be the first trineith of the year and would begin at the of Venus's orbit (i.e., when Venus is closest to the Sun). This would be helpful as Venus' perihelion is roughly in the same areas as the beginning of February on Earth.

For the sake of simplicity, let's also say that a Venusian sol equates to 1.5 Earth days. This means that it would take two sols (three days) before the day-night cycles of both planets are synced.

Earth = aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbcccccccccccccccccccccccc Venus = aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

This will be crucial as the human body would continue to function under a 24-hour day, so any Venusian "week" would have to be based on twos. As mentioned above that a neith consists of eight sols, than an optimal layout would be to have a "week" of four sols or a semineith (roughly six Earth days).

Russian Translations
The following is the Russian translations to the new words created within this section.


 * centisol &mdash; сантисол (santisol)
 * Curie &mdash; Кюри (Kyuri)
 * Darwin &mdash; Дарвин (Darvin)
 * decisol &mdash; децисол (dyetsisol)
 * Einstein &mdash; Эйнштейн (Eynshtyeyn)
 * Galileo &mdash; Галилео (Galilyeo)
 * milisol &mdash; миллисол (millisol)
 * neith &mdash; нейт (nyeyt)
 * Newton &mdash; Ньютон (N'yuton)
 * semineith &mdash; полунейт (polunyeyt)
 * sol &mdash; сол (sol) [not to be confused with соль ("salt")]
 * Tesla &mdash; Тесла (Tyesla)
 * trineith &mdash; тринейт (trinyeyt) [also трёхнейт (tryokhnyeyt)]

Alternate Calendars
As is on Earth, not all nations/settlements on Venus would be required to follow the exact means of timekeeping. One of these alternatives (which I'm temporarily calling the "Aldrinian Calendar") will simply ignore the planetary characteristics of Venus and continue to follow the timekeeping system as on Earth. This system would have a 365 day year (comprised of 12 months) and a 24-hour day (comprised of 60 minutes each). Since seasons don't happen on Venus, they wouldn't need to worry about the year that much. But since a Venusian day (sol) is 34 hours, using a 24-hour day would not be the same as on Earth. This will be mitigated by the fact that both planets [kinda] sync-up every three days (two sols). There may also be a system of "leap hours" adopted to keep the two planets in sync as much as possible.

Proof That I Have No Life


The legislative body of is the. The Supreme Soviet is comprises of 150 seats which are divided up among the governorates by their population (the more populous a governorate, the more deputies they send to the Supreme Soviet). Each governorate is divided into several constituencies, whose residence vote in deputies to represent them. Using an system (known as "rating voting" in Russian), seven political parties current hold say within the Supreme Soviet. To simplify, think of the House of Representatives and the many Congressional Districts within the United States.

Here is a map of New Kamchatka's 150 constituencies and the political party which represents them. The cities of Gagaringrad (A), Vladivenera (B), and Korolevsk (C) have multiple constituencies within their city limits. The top-right map shows the governorates by themselves and which political party hold the plurality of constituencies within the governorate. This map has been worked on for the past few weeks, proving that I have no real life.

Rethinking the Supreme Soviet
The seats of the Supreme Soviet are determined by a (which is what Russia used between 1993-2007). Half of the seats (75) are democratically elected using single-member constituencies. Each governorate (plus the federal district) would be allotted one seat, while the rest are given to them based on population. The number of seats each governorate receives is to be up for review following every census. The remaining half (75) would be proportionally filled based on a nation-wide support for a specific political party (with a threshold of 5% required to get seats). A system is used to fill the seats which are allotted to a political party.

All members are are to serve a term of eight Venusian years (roughly five Earth years), with no term limits. Legislative elections are always held two years prior to the presidential elections. To ensure this, the 1st Supreme Soviet only served a term of five Venusian years (three Earth years), with the subsequent Supreme Soviets having the larger terms.

In recent years, the Supreme Soviet has begun to adopt new systems to assure fair elections. The first came in the late '00s when several governorates adopted to determine elections to the Supreme Soviet (replacing ). This system is currently used in a majority of governorates and (if not already) is being considered for presidential elections. The second came in the early '10s when New Kamchatka began to use the shortest-splitline method to draw their constituencies.

Under this new system, the Pirate Party would win zero constituencies but still gain seats based on the nation-wide vote.

Election Dates

 * Elections in New Kamchatka are held every five Venus-years (&gt;3.07 Earth-years).


 * Presidential terms last for 10 Venus-years (&gt;6.1 Earth-years).


 * A national census is held every 15 Venus-years (&gt;9.2 Earth-years) or 20 Venus-years (&gt;12.3 Earth-years).


 * Election Dates


 * 636 (2001) &mdash; 1st legislative/1st presidential
 * 641 (2004) &mdash; 2nd legislative (redistricted)
 * 646 (2007) &mdash; 3rd legislative/2nd presidential
 * 651 (2010) &mdash; 4th legislative
 * 656 (2013) &mdash; 5th legislative/3rd presidential (redistricted)
 * 661 (2016) &mdash; 6th legislative
 * 666 (2019) &mdash; 7th legislative/4th presidential (HAIL SATAN!)


 * Censuses


 * 637 (2002) &mdash; 1st national census
 * 652 (2011) &mdash; 2nd national census
 * 667 (2020) &mdash; 3rd national census

Names of New Kamchatka
Because I'm bored.


 * : نوفايا كامشاتكا (nuufaya kamshatka)


 * : 新堪察加 (xīn-kānchájiā)


 * : Nouveau-Kamtchatka


 * : Neukamtschatka


 * : Νέα Καμτσάτκα (Néa Kamtsátka)


 * : נוביה קמצ'טקה (nwbyh qmẕ'tqh)


 * : नया कमचात्का (nayā kamcatkā)


 * : Nuova Kamčatka


 * : ノヴァヤ・カムチャツカ (novuaya-kamuchatsuka)


 * : 노바야캄차카 (nobayakamchaka)


 * : Nova Camtschatca


 * : Nowa Kamczatka


 * : Nova Kamchatka


 * : Новая Камчатка (Novaya Kamchatka)


 * : Нова Камчатка (Nova Kamčatka)


 * : Nueva Kamchatka


 * : Нова Камчатка (Nova Kamčátka)


 * Formal Name?


 * Новокамчатская Социалистическая Конфедерация (НКСК)
 * Confederación Socialista de Nueva Kamchatka (CSNK)

Taxonomy of Venusian Life
For all lifeforms native to Venus, the proposed taxonomical expansion by will be used to classify these new species.

Along with categories already in use (e.g., kingdom, genus, species), two new categories are added. These include:


 * Life &mdash; Solaria (having evolved within the ).
 * Biosphere &mdash; Venusiana (having evolved on ).

The biospheres Terrestria and Marciana would be used for species of Earth and Mars (respectively).

Following these two would be dominion, kingdom, and the rest of the classification. Because life on Venus evolved under differing conditions as on Earth, they would be considerably different from life on Earth. Because of this, the same kingdoms used on Earth would not apply for Venusian species. In short, while there may exist species which resemble animals and plants, they would be called so officially.

Because of which, new names would have to be established. Based on the criteria proposed by Crocco, many of these new kingdoms could be named after people. The following are a few naming ideas that may be used.


 * Brunia &mdash; named after.
 * Sagania &mdash; named after and could possibly describe animal-like species.
 * Wellsia &mdash; named after and could possibly describe bacterium-like species.

As for the actual creatures on Venus, they would still receive Latin names for their genus and species (e.g., Homo sapiens). The following are a few ideas I have in mind.


 * Incubus novacamtschatcium &mdash; the species native to  (Atla Regio).

Random Ideas for VH

 * Kosmopochta (Космопочта) &mdash; a and  service centered on Chaika, New Kamchatka. This company is one of the few to transport packages between Earth and Venus. Much of the company focuses as the primary courier for packages in New Kamchatka and Soviet Venus.


 * A football confederation would exist and comprise of all Venusian nations and settlements. "Union of Venusian Football Associations"? (UVFA - "yoovfa"?, ЮВФА?) A Venus Cup would be played. (gee... thanks, Godfrey!)


 * Made in New Kamchatka/SCNK (Сделано в Новой Камчатки/НКСК, Hecho en Nueva Kamchatka/CSNK) &mdash; in part due to an industrial-dominated economy, New Kamchatka would be a manufacturing giant for virtually all Venus-made products.

Past Civilizations?
I personally wanted this timeline to focus on colonization and exploration, so I purposely left out the notion of a native civilization (or what I'll call the "Avatar Plot"). That being said, I've never excluded the notion that an intelligent species didn't once roam on Venus (leaving humans intreagued and looking for more). The following is a few ideas in mind.


 * The "Ovda Regio Civilization" (or "Ovdan Civilization") would refer to a series of locations found within, the , and within Ovda Regio in general. I chose this location for the sole purpose of it being ironic that the first discoveries of extraterrestrial intelligence was found by Scientologists.


 * I've always imagined the species in question would've been -like. The species would mostly reside on land but may also be aquatic (which may explain their broad distribution). Such a species may been distantly related to 's "Squibbons."


 * This civilization was determined following the discovery of and  located at several locations, as well as evidence that they were able to  to some degree. Such a civilization would've been comparable to  man, though no more advanced than the . If closer to the latter, than there may exist evidence of a  of some sort.


 * The species in question (as well as the civilization) became extinct sometime thousands of years ago (if not millions of years ago). Debates over how this happen range from increased volcanic activity (such as a or ) or an astronomical event (such as an  or  strike).


 * I highly predict (and anticipate) that these discoveries would be labeled as hoaxes by many scientists (which would be understandable). On the other end of the spectrum, I'd also predict that many would claim sightings and that this civilization still exists somewhere on Venus (making [and Igor Burtsev] quite happy). Some Scientologists may morph this civilization into their religion in some form (a la the Mormons). I could also see many Alternate Historians and Furries loving this idea (as would I).

Venusian Coffee/Tea


I came across a map a while back which shows the nations of the world and whether they prefer coffee or tea. Given the cost of shipping goods to Venus, I thought it would be interesting to see a native species replace both coffee and tea as the preferred drink for Venusians. Since I'm an American, my idea is more similar to coffee, with elements of tea added in.

The species in question I have in mind will be known as the Ishtar Melon, which is native across Ishtar Terra and the northern archipelagos. It grows in a manner similar to s and has a similar appearance, but the similarities end there. This species grows a fruit with a purple inside and a red, husk-covered exterior. The fruit itself has a naturally sweet taste to it. Much like a watermelon, the fruit is filled with dozens of seeds. Similar to s, these seeds are rich in caffeine (far more than coffee). But unlike coffee, these seeds (when roasted or otherwise) have a bitter taste. Because of which, it became preferable to mix the roasted seeds with the fruit juice, creating a naturally sweetened, caffeine-rich fruit drink which would be of similar color to coffee/soda (though maybe more red).

Given the humid temperatures which characterize Venus, this drink is rarely drunken hot like coffee or tea. Instead, it is chilled or dunk at room temperature. I imagine the residence of (being mostly Southern) comparing this drink to iced tea. I could also see some preferring it carbonated, while other may like it served at room temperature.

I'm thinking I'll call this drink ishtarade (иштарад, ishtarad), named after the continent of its origin.

Other Species Ideas
The following are a list of species ideas I've thought up for Venus.


 * "Pitfall Tree" &mdash; a carnivorous plant species which consists of huge pitcher plants which are buried in the ground. The species would be a tree (allowing it to photosynthesize and collect rain water). From its roots will sprout several pitcher-like bodies which only stick out at ground lever. They have leaves which cover the top and are used to help trick prey (with fallen leaves and debris also helping to mask itself). One a creature walks over the trap door, they simply fall into the trap. These pitchers are both deep and slippery enough to prevent prey from escaping, with the "trap door" closing up. The prey is then slowly digested as with other pitcher plants, as well as the possibility of drowning. There exists multiple pods located around the tree, so it can enjoy multiple prey while one is filled. These traps are large enough to fit a human, so this has caused some scary situations.


 * "Flying Jellyfish" &mdash; initially a joke, I'm now thinking this could be biologically possible. This species (either an animal or plant) uses hydrogen (produced internally) to float around, making them resemble living balloons. If they are plants, they may be filled with seeds, making this another way for them to spread their species around the planet. If an animal, they would somewhat resemble fish swimming in the air. This species may be somewhat related to Nova Britannia's flying fish.


 * "Chinese Loch Ness Monster" &mdash; an ironic species native to Tianlin. This species would either resemble the Loch Ness Monster or more similar to a traditional Chinese dragon. They are aquatic, making them a sight to see off the shores.

Dachas on Venus
Early settlements on Venus were (and still are) centered around cities. Suburbs are comprised mostly of apartment complexes (such as s). In recent years, dachas have begun to pop up in rural and exurban areas. For some areas, dacha communities have become suburbs on their own and are used as permanent housing.

Like most dacha communities on Earth, gardening would be common in New Kamchatka. However, I see two hitches which will need to be addressed. The first is the heat, which may be too much for Earth plants. The second would be possible regulations on Earth species from becoming invasive.

With that, I have three possibilities. First is that these gardens only grow native species, creating a unique pallet for New Kamchatkans (I'll have to come up with new species). The second would be that Earth plants are allowed, but they are required to be grown in an enclosed structure (such as a greenhouse), which could have the added benefit of some climate control. The third is that gardening is simply ignored among New Kamchatkans, thereby establishing a new dacha culture.

Tianlin

 * The government is a hybrid of, , and . All in all, Tianlin would be somewhat similar to Singapore politically.


 * Similar to China, the nation is authoritarian in nature. Tianlin is different in that the government has been more transparent (similar to what was proposed in the late 1980s), more freedom of the press, and the government actively fights against corruption..


 * The economy is based on, comparable to the PRC and Singapore.


 * The nation has a multi-party system, with the "Democracy Party" and the "Communist Party" being the largest. The Democracy Party is conservative and pragmatic (something comparable to the ). The Communist Party is agrarian and partially similar to the other parties. The Democrats currently dominate the nation, while the Communists form the opposition.


 * The nation is divided into, which are subdivided into townships and villages.


 * Democratic elections are held on the local lever (towns, etc.). These elected officials then elect members to the county government, who in turn elect members to the "National People's Council". The NPC elects the President of Tianlin, who in turn can appoint the Primer and other positions.


 * is the official dialect of Tianlin. are officially used. Unlike in China, the government is laxed on the use of  (depending on the foreign population).


 * The currency of Tianlin (and all of Chinese Venus) would be called the "Jinxingbi" (金星币, "Venusian Currency"), which is colloquially known as the Yuan.


 * The is not practiced in Tianlin, in which the government actively promotes population growth.




 * Increase in government transparency.
 * Greater accountability from officials.
 * More freedom of speech and the press.
 * Anti-corruption campaign (including family of officials).


 * Key Words'


 * Authoritarian capitalism
 * Capitalism
 * Meritocracy


 * Possible Settlements


 * Wan Hu (万户) &mdash; named in reference to the story of . This name could be used for a city located near a spaceport (likely to be located in the north of the nation).


 * Longgang (龙港, "Dragon Harbor") &mdash; potentially in reference to an aquatic Venusian species which looks like a dragon (alligator, Loch Ness Monster). Pronounced something like "long gone".


 * Maomeng (毛梦, "Mao's Dream") &mdash; in reference to Mao's push to get China into space early on.
 * Maozhi (毛志, Mao's Will/Determination) &mdash; pronounced /MOW-chee/


 * Baimao (白猫, "White Cat") &mdash; a reference to one of Deng Xiaoping's quote about pragmatism. Also because the name would sound like "bye, Mao" (a fitting coincidence).
 * Heimao (黑猫, "Black Cat") &mdash; an alternative from the same quote.

Taxonomy of Venusian Geography


As with all extraterrestrial bodies, all of the geographical features on Venus are formally written in. An example would be, which literally means "Maat Mountain" or "Mount Maat" in English. This would be the case for most geographical objects on the planet.

Because Venus is covered in water, several features would need to be changed. The most noted example would be the planitiae, which translates as "plain" (which they clearly would not be, ATL). The new designations would include oceanus ("ocean"), mare ("sea"), sinus ("bay"), lacus ("lake"), and more. With this, would be renamed Sedna Mare.

In an ironic twist of fate, only a few languages would use this system (,, , etc.). In the case of, they don't use Latin for geographical names and instead use direct names. So (Latin for "Aphrodite Land") would be known in Russian as Земля Афродиты ("Land of Aphrodite").


 * Designations


 * terra (terrae) &mdash; ,
 * regio (regiones) &mdash;
 * mons (montes) &mdash;
 * insula (insulae) &mdash;
 * oceanus (oceani) &mdash;
 * mare (maria) &mdash;
 * sinus (sinus) &mdash; ,
 * lacus (lacus) &mdash;
 * flumen (flumina) &mdash;
 * fretum (freta) &mdash;


 * Three Oceans of Venus


 * Aino Oceanus
 * Guinevere Oceanus
 * Niobe Oceanus


 * Naming Conventions


 * All planitiae are to be renamed maria (with the exception of Aino, Guinevere, and Niobe).


 * All sinus are to be named after nearby features (preferably regiones).


 * All lacus are to be named after nearby features, unless they have a defined name (such as chasmata).

Interplanetary Communication and Internet
Since s travel at the, and that the distances between Earth and Venus vary during their rotation around the Sun, the amount of time it will take to transmit data between the planets will vary. At their closest, the two planets are roughly 25 million miles (40 million km) apart. At their farthest, it is roughly 162 million miles (261 million kilometers).


 * (25 million miles = 2.2367474 light-minutes)
 * (162 million miles = 14.4941231 light-minutes)

Putting these distances into Google, the time period it would take to communicate between the planets would be between 2 minutes (at their closest) and 14 minutes (at their farthest).


 * Other links



Venerka: The Venusian Currency

 * Coinage


 * 5 kopeks &mdash;  (copper)
 * 10 kopeks &mdash;  (copper)
 * 25 kopeks &mdash;  (silver)
 * 50 kopeks &mdash;  (silver)
 * 1 venerka &mdash;  (gold)
 * 2 venerkas &mdash;  (gold)


 * Banknotes


 * 5 venerkas &mdash;
 * 10 venerkas &mdash; (Earth)
 * 25 venerkas &mdash; (Venus)
 * 50 venerkas &mdash; (Moon)
 * 100 venerkas &mdash;
 * 200 venerkas &mdash;

The banknotes are orange in color, but each denomination has a distinctive hue to them (similar to what new USDs look like).


 * NOTE TO SELF: The font will also include something distinctive within the background (such as a planet or other celestial object)

Other Currencies on Venus

 * Credit (CRD)
 * Franc (XVF)
 * Jinxingbi (TLY/JXB)
 * (VEN)
 * Yen (SIY)


 * Venerka &mdash; united currency for Soviet Venus.
 * Soviet ruble (1985-1990)
 * Bartering (1990-2004)
 * Venusian ruble (1990-2004)
 * New Kamchatkan ruble (2001-2004)


 * Credit &mdash; united currency for Kennedy, New Florida, Nova Britannia, and SS?
 * Kennedian dollar
 * New Floridian dollar
 * Nova Britannian dollar/pound
 * SS dollar?


 * Franc &mdash; united currency for all European settlements (parred with the community francs used in Africa and the Pacific).


 * Jinxingbi (Venus currency) &mdash; official currency used in Chinese Venus and colloquially known as the yuan. Replaced Chinese yuan.


 * Yen &mdash; currency for Saigyo and other Japanese settlements.

Soviet Bloc in Venusian Haven
All in all, the Venusian Haven timeline was intended to focus more on Venus and less around Earth. The only major difference was that the Soviet Union and (to a lesser extent) communism remain in place to this day.

The following are my current thoughts on the Soviet Union and the Soviet Bloc in general. A big thanks to LG for also giving suggestions.


 * Brezhnev's Assasination

On January 22, 1969, is  by Viktor Ilyin in Moscow. LG made the brilliant connection that (in the ironic twist) the four cosmonauts wouldn't have been in the motorcade that day, due in part to an expanded. This leaves Brezhnev more exposed to Ilyin.


 * Alexei Kosygin and Economic Reforms

After a likely power-struggle in the Soviet leadership, eventually comes out on top. Kosygin uses his leadership to continue his. The is short lived (if even happening), replaced by a period of gradual economic growth and stability. By the time comes to power, he only has to worry about political and social reforms.

The Soviet Union today is a with similarities with the. While the Communist Party dominant, the USSR is today a multi-party state.


 * Secessions from the Soviet Union

While the Soviet Union would remain mostly in tact, LG has stated that the would likely leave. Given the USSR's move towards democracy and the large amount of Anti-Soviet sentiment in these states, you can't really argue with that.

Unlike OTL, I believe such referendums would be delayed somewhat (possibly around the mid 1990s). The Soviets would also try to "gerrymander" these votes by sending many opponents to Soviet rule to Venus (which eventually leads to the independence of ). This still wouldn't be enough to prevent a "yes" vote, but potentially enough to make the elections look quite different from OTL (more like 60% or 70% rather than 90%).

The rest of the Soviet Union (including Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova) remains intact. The Kaliningrad Oblast remains within the USSR. and some border disputes with Estonia could be interesting to look into.


 * Warsaw Pact and the CSTO



still takes place around the same time. The nations of the (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland) would push for similar treatment. Unable to do much without war, the Soviet Union reluctantly agrees to let these four nations leave. The Warsaw Pact is dissolved.

A new organization (possibly a "CSTO") would replace the old Warsaw Pact. With Bulgaria and Romania remaining communist, they agree to a new alliance. Czechoslovakia still breaks-up, with Slovakia adopting a pro-Soviet government and joining in this alliance. The USSR would put enough pressure on both the Baltic States and the Visegrad Group in preventing them from getting closer with NATO or the EU. They effectively remain a buffer between the two superpowers.


 * Yugoslavia

Not too sure if this particular idea is possible, but here it is. and move to split from Yugoslavia, likely resulting in war. For some undetermined reason (Stable USSR?, Good Yugoslav economy? Serb Participation?), and  remain in this rump Yugoslavia (along with Montenegro and Serbia).

Following the Yugoslav Wars, the rump Yugoslavia becomes closer to Moscow (likely joining in their alliance).


 * Albania

As stated by LG, Albania would too remain communist (potentially under Gorbachev-like reforms). Despite this, the regime keeps the nation isolated. For all intense and purposes, Albania would be similar to North Korea, just nowhere near as crazy and restrictive.


 * Rest of Europe

The (EU) and the  (ESA) don't expand into Eastern Europe, thereby remaining centered in the west. The (and possibly ) also remains out of ESA in order to establish a "Commonwealth Space Agency" (with launch facilities in Australia). Both agencies remain outside the Soviet Union's influence (as opposed to OTL).