Gigantic Age

Our Science: Gigantic Age was a "summer special" issue of the Our Science magazine published in August 2004 separately from the main issues published every month. Gigantic Age focused on the Osean spacecraft, Arkbird.

Introduction
Science and technology advance depending on the circumstances, but we are now making the circumstances themselves. Various plans and initiatives were created in the midst of the Cold War, which laid a vital backbone for progress towards a future of peace.

The "gigantic age" has arrived.

Arkbird
The "Arkbird" is a maneuverable orbiting spacecraft owned by the Osean Federation. It was developed from the SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) plan in the 1980s, but following the end of the Cold War, it was repurposed to be a joint international space development program between Osea and Yuktobania. Since the Arkbird orbits in such a way that does not allow for landing on the ground, supplies and personnel are sent to the Arkbird using a single-stage shuttle (SSTO). Although it is officially classified as a satellite, it uses atmospheric friction to change its orbit by dropping significantly into the upper atmosphere, a system unlike any other.

Mass Driver -Basset Space Center-
The Mass Driver is located on the equator of the Osean continent, jointly developed by Osea and Yuktobania and promoted as a "permanent space station construction project" aimed at restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries following the Cold War. Unlike typical shuttles that are mainly powered by a conventional rocket, launching an object into orbit using this 12km-long catapult (relatively low-cost by applying electromagnetic forces) requires the catapult to have the shape of a large curve. Most resupply launches that have high rates of acceleration are unmanned, but the use of an SSTO craft allows for the transfer of humans to the satellite.