I know it’s not the longest time that someone has spent in space, but three months is a long time. Ninety days. The International Space Station became my home. It also made me remember the conversation that I had with my father and uncle, several years ago about putting a stronger focus on aerospace technology. There were a few projects that Kord Omniversal Research and Development Incoporated, KORD Inc. for short, dabbled in aerospace technology, but with space shuttles heading towards end of life and a focus on smaller capsules there was something being lost there, at least I thought it was..
Shuttles and such craft had multiple purposes and they could continue to fill the void. It was about efficient use of fuel, but also the craft. He understood all too well the problems about materials required to construct the vehicle, and fuel needed to escape the Earth’s gravity. One of the problems was the booster rockets which today other firms were bringing back downs safely. However, something could be said for using shuttles, but there were other things that could be done. Smaller craft that used smaller amounts of fuel that could be maneuvered by a smaller crew or remotely.
That is one of the advantages they could bring to the field of aerospace if allowed. Of course, my uncle continued to stand in my way always pointing to my age. I wasn’t the same youth that caused an accident, okay explosion, that led to me being expelled from boarding school and cost my father a pretty penny. Uncle Jarvis again tried to send me to military school espousing how it would bring discipline and order to my life. It would teach me how to follow rules and how to be obedient. That was Uncle Jarvis’ favorite. Obedience. That’s what he wanted from me. It’s not that I was mouthy, I just objected a lot. A lot. It was something he couldn’t tolerate. In his eyes children were meant to be seen not heard and he could barely tolerate looking at me.
Either way I was able to salvage what he did by influencing my father. When the time came and I had a bigger say in how KORD was ran, I made sure the groundwork was laid for us to compete in various areas including aerospace.
It was something that I had been working on for years. Short range module that could be directly towards where we needed to go. Efficient fuel consumption when needed. It’s not something that would take you to the moon and back, but it could attack the ISS with no problems. Charge itself using solar panels and the fuel it used was limited. Several of the models could be brought and then attach to the station. They could eventually be brought back down when they would reach end of life.
I still didn’t abandon the idea of a modified shuttle that could perform more advanced tasks, but that was a start. It was those modules that lead to the nanotech that I developed that lead to the insect drones. It was that that got me notice that made people turn their heads, because of their sophistication, but it’s not what got me up into space. They didn’t people an R&D guy in space on that alone. I went to space to upgrade the detection system.
What detection system? The Parallax Detection System. I wasn’t into military applications of the technology I developed though anything can be co-opted. However, I did want to do what I could to address early warning systems. I did work with Tsunami detection. Not the first time that I did work with sonics, but this was an entirely different thing. I studied to get a better understanding, but after everything that went down in Coast City there was a possibility that he could return.
Detecting him was not a problem, but long range detection proved to be problematic. It began a puzzle to solve one that involved a lot of man hours but eventually I presented to Departments of Defense and Extranormal Affairs and I found myself being listed as a mission specialist. The detection system would focus on the currently space telescopes and other satellites that had been launched in subsequent years. Of course, making those kind of changes required me, Ted Kord, to head up into space.
There were also the tests that were going to be made. Attempting to place some satellites in orbit around Mars and Jupiter. Doing what they could to expand the range of real time detection. It was possible we just needed to work at it. My piece was done the moment I launched into space, that was three months ago and now that I’m back there’s more work to be done
Which was a little frustrating given the fact that I was still being monitored to make sure my health was in order. This also meant that I had a lot of time on my hands which could be a good or bad thing depending on who you asked. I was already checking in at Kord. I was in charge now, but I was already focused on our next big project. Coast City revitalization. It was an opportunity. One that had already been signaled by the new bold move that Wayne enterprises was taking by beginning construction there.
I had an idea. I’ve been told that I dream big sometimes too big, but anything was possible. However, one of the projects that KORD has been involved in is autonomous vehicles. It was a natural step from drones. Drones could be programmed so it wouldn’t be difficult to work with vehicles and despite the tragedy that had befallen Coast City it was a chance to rebuild and design a city that would be conducive to such technology.
There was also the idea deploying cleaner energy forms of energy. There were ideas firing off in my head left and right. Autonomous vehicles was something that I wanted to bring to Metropolis it was the City of Tomorrow, but it would be interesting to expand this to Coast City. One city that had an established network of roads, but Coasts could be redesign.
What did this mean. I had phone calls to make and work to do. There were other projects to focus on also, but I needed a clean bill of health before I could focus on that so right now I had to look at what was next for KORD.