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(To download a zip file with more detailed blueprints, click on the image above)
(To download the rest of the Eagle blueprints, click on the image above)
The Eagle (designed by Brian Johnson) is the primary form of transportation for the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha. A multipurpose craft, it is divided into three basic sections; the command module, the service pod, and the superstructure. Capable of speeds up to 23,700 miles per second, or 15% of the speed of light, it is powered by four nuclear fusion rockets, and carries carries fuel reserves for 48 hours of flight. The main types of Eagles are:
The Transporter Eagle is fitted with the standard passenger pod and is capable of holding 8 passengers (up to 12 in an emergency), in addition to the pilot and co-pilot. It is used for day to day transportation when special scientific equipment is not needed, and there is no anticipated danger.
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Looking very similar to the transporter pods, they are equipped with various types of sensory devices for exploratory missions. They also contain a computer that can either be tied into Alpha's master computer or work independently.
Identifiable by the bold red stripes on the pod, these Eagles have been adapted for field diagnosis and treatment of injury or disease that may be encountered on a planet's surface or in deep space. Manned by medical personnel, Rescue Eagles are equipped with mobile beds, patient-monitor units, and facilities for field surgery.
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Equipped with a cargo pod, the Freighter Eagle is used for transporting supplies and equipment to exploration teams on a planet's surface, and for the return elements vital to Alpha's environmental and reprocessing systems. They can also be used as space-borne tankers for the refueling of Eagles with insufficient reserves for the trip back to Alpha.
With a modified version of the passenger pod equipped to serve as a remote laboratory, this Eagle can be used to locate and refine crude minerals on the planets surface, eliminating the need to transport bulky raw ores back to Alpha. This pod also serves as a base for planetary-contact-and-survey teams. It can carry food and water and recycle air to support the team for several weeks.
 This Eagle, seen in The Metamorph, is equipped with both the Laboratory module, and additional booster rockets. |
Specialty Modules
The Eagle can also accommodate one of several specialty modules, such as the winch platform used to disperse the nuclear waste canisters in Area 2. There is also an additional booster unit that can be added to the super- structure which can increase the range and power of the Eagle.
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An Eagle with the winch platform used in Breakaway is pictured above. |
An Eagle with a special pod for unloading nuclear waste cannisters. |
(To download a zip file with more detailed blueprints, click on the image above)
 An Eagle flies over Moonbase Alpha |
Moonbase Alpha is located in the Plato Crater, just above the Sea of Showers, on what was once known as the "near side of the Moon". It was constructed from rock and ores mined on the Moon. It is 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) in diameter and extends up to .6 miles (1 kilometer) beneath the lunar surface. It is a completely self sustaining community, designed to operate as a deep space exploration center and a monitoring station for the nuclear waste areas on the Moon's far side. Power is generated by nuclear reactors and the accumulation of solar energy. The Technical Section is capable of handling any repair or construction job, from changing a washer to rebuilding a damaged Eagle. The Medical Section sees to the health and well-being of every Alphan. Possessing the very best of Man's knowledge and technology, this base and it's personnel have a singular chance of surviving the unknown in the vast reaches of space, now that they have been separated from the Earth.
