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Origin Pre-War Post-War To 2050 2050 to 2100 2100 to 2140 What Outsiders Know The Reality Population Territory and Locations Organization Government, National and Local Military Affairs Justice, Social Control, Punishment Political Factions, Dissent Famous/Infamous Persons Relationships with Other Groups Culture Ethnic Groups, Immigration and Emigration Social Divisions and Castes Religion, Beliefs and Superstition Morality and Values Progress and Failure Family, Age, Sexuality and Gender Education and Language Environment and Agriculture Food Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation Fashion and Appearance Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture Equipment and Resources Economy Science, Medicine and Technology Weapons and Military Equipment Communications Vehicles Aircraft Watercraft

     A community founded just before the Atomic War, dedicated to preserving knowledge of space travel technology. 

Origin

 

Pre-War

     A joint program between the United States government, and several prominent aerospace development corporations, was started in 1984. The goal of the program was to establish a secret, unregulated research facility for cutting-edge space travel programs.

     Much of the funding and staff came from the corporate partners; the government arranged to keep the program secret and un-molested by the press, public and bureaucracy. Thousands of acres of land in various locations were dedicated to the project, known initially as Icarus (but changed to Astra in 1987). The largest of these facilities was in the San Gabriel Mountains of California, overlooking Los Angeles.

     A private housing development for some portion of the staff, an airfield and testing site, and a large underground office and warehouse complex, were all constructed hastily between 1986 and 1989. The rushed establishment of the Astra facility puzzled most of the staff at the time.

     By November of 1989 there were a few thousand staff in the Astra program, of which six hundred had homes in the "gated community" nearby. Most of the staff at the San Gabriel site lived in Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena. No meaningful aerospace programs at Astra had produced any hardware before the Atomic War.

     There were seven "facility modules" which could support over 300 persons, and three underground "storage modules" as well -- after the Atomic War, these were found to be stocked with a large amount of supplies for the establishment of a post-apocalyptic community.

     Several years of drought had left the Santa Ana, San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains very dry up to 1989.

 

Post-War

     When the Atomic War began on Saturday, November 18, 1989 there were about three hundred persons present at the Astra labs in the San Gabriel Mountains; within a day or so this number stabilized at 327, as a few staff members arrived from elsewhere, many left to find their families in the ruins of Los Angeles county, and some outsiders made their way to the hilltop facility. As fallout and wildfires began to endanger the area, the people of Astra entered their underground shelters.

     Fifteen thousand square kilometers of land south of Santa Barbara and the Mojave Desert and west of the Salton Sea were destroyed in the fires lit by the nuclear blasts -- 60% of the land area. Debris from damaged buildings fed huge firestorms which burned for weeks after the nuclear attacks.

 

To 2050

 

     In June of 1990 the survivors at Astra left their bunkers and began building a farming community on the surface. The Big Tujunga Dam was modified to be a water supply and a hydroelectric generation plant. Some survivors from the Los Angeles area were taken into the growing town, from camps in the hills.

     Massive earthquakes in 1994 and 2020 damaged some of the bunkers, and most of the remaining pre-War surface structures; Big Tujunga Dam partially collapsed. The earthquakes of 2020 also brought a thin layer of volcanic ash.

     A wildfire in 2009 swept through almost the entire San Gabriel Mountains; strenuous efforts were required of the Astrans to save the Facility, the Mount Wilson Observatory, and Astra. Farmland in the Sunland area was brought under cultivation.

     About a thousand persons were living in the territory controlled by Astra by 2050, including dozens of children.

 

2050 to 2100

 

       As the violent, barbaric nature of the post-war world became apparent, Astra began requiring military training for almost all adults.

      The population reached 2,000 persons in 2085; 2,500 in 2096.

 

2100 to 2140

 

     Near the start of the 22nd Century the population was 3,000 persons; 4,000 around 2120; and 5,000 in 2131 (which means there are about a thousand children under age 10, ignoring immigration, childhood mortality, etc. for the moment).

     Salvage teams were sent to various locations in southern California, in search of resources.

 

What Outsiders Know

 

     In southern California the Astra community is considered very "high tech" but strange.

     Since 2136, the New Way Foundation has been attempting to convince the communities around Astra that the evils of science and technology must be eradicated. A military campaign, the Purge, has begun in the summer of 2140; this threatens both Astra and the Rationalists.

 

The Reality

     While too small to actually be an "industrial powerhouse", not located on a trade route, and not near any mineral resources, the Astra community is a center for education and specialized technology.

     They have begun producing simple aircraft since 2139 (in fact, these new aircraft have triggered -- or served as an excuse for -- the Purge).

 

Population

     6,000 in 2140. The population growth rate has been about 2% annually for the last century -- though of course there were surges of immigration, deaths, etc.. In common with most of North America, 55% of the population in 2140 are male. The population figures include a few hundred Astrans living in La Crescenta, essentially prisoners to the Purge forces.

 

population by age
age	total	male	female
under 5	726	400	326
5 to 19	1,938	1,055	883
20 to 44	2,262	1,244	1,088
45 to 64	822	440	382
65 and over	246	128	118

 

     The oldest living person at Astra in 2140 is 113 years of age, born in 2027 to a woman born in 2002; that woman was born in 1981.

     The "labor force" totals 3,400 people.

 

number of persons by occupation
farming and ranching	1,054
manufacturing	760
trade (inc. grocery, hotel, food)	312
transportation and utilities	296
construction	213
shipbuilding (all at La Crescenta until 2140)	180
mining and mineral resources	96
school teachers and college instructors	82
professional services (doctors, pharmacists, dentists, etc.)	70
government and regular military	49
forestry	24
other	264

note that persons called up for militia duty are listed here in their "normal" occupations

 

Territory and Locations

 

note that a large number of nuclear attacks struck the areas now submerged in Los Angeles Bay

 

     Astra consists of several well-defended towns, and several ranches, in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California. and south to the edge of the Los Angeles Bay. Total area is 640 square kilometers; the border is about 120 kilometers long.

     The largest communities are:

 

• Astra:  the "capital" and center of higher education, government, military affairs, etc. It was entirely constructed after the Atomic War. Population in 2140 is 1,500 people. There is a grass runway, only sort-of level -- it's very suitable for STOL aircraft, but is only 700 meters long.
  

• The Facility:  centered on the remains of the 20th Century airfield, missile launch gantries, and underground bunkers. 

• Sunland:  a farming and ranching area established on the remains of the pre-War areas of Sunland, Tujunga, and part of Pasadena. There is also a runway here.
  

• La Crescenta:  this is a harbor town established by Astra in 2098, but captured by the Purge forces in 2140. The runway here has been destroyed (by cutting ditches) since the town was captured.
  

 

Organization

 

Government, National and Local

     The legislature is known as the Community Council, headed by the Mayor, who is in charge of the civil government. The Astran Defense Force is led by a Commandant; the "Facility" (the former laboratories and shelters) are administered by a Director.

     The members of the Community Council are democratically elected by all the adult citizens; the Council in turn chooses the Mayor from among its members, the Commandant from among the ADF officers, and the Director from among the staff of the Facility.

 

Military Affairs

 

     In 2139 only 29 full-time soldiers were serving in the Astran Defense Force (ADF), along with 52 college students serving part-time, and 470 persons in the compulsory "post-education" militia (5 years service). A further "voluntary reserve" militia contains about another 500 persons, who don't receive much training after they leave the compulsory militia.

     "Peacetime" ranks were:  private, corporal, sergeant, senior sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and commandant. In wartime, the rank of major has been added; the peacetime lieutenants and captains are (by 2140) either dead or majors.

     By the summer of 2140, the entire voluntary reserve has been activated.

 

Justice, Social Control, Punishment

     Blah blah ...

 

Political Factions, Dissent

     A majority of the Astran population feels that any resources dedicated to rocketry and space travel are wasted.

     Until the Purge attacked La Crescenta, there was a sizable "let's get along with the foreigners" isolationist faction.

     There's a secret cadre of persons dedicated to the Morrow Project within the community -- a very small cadre.

 

Not really secret, more like "nobody cared when they revealed the truth about 70 years ago."

 

Famous/Infamous Persons

 

• Harve Trezyse, mayor and head of the Community Council. Age 48. A slim man with sandy, thinning hair, he's spend much of his adult life in public service. Married to a veterinarian, with three sons.

• Jared Connoll, director of the Facility. Age 42. Director of the Facility since 2133. Tall and lean, with dark hair, with a quirky sense of humor. A geophysicist by training, and a dedicated believer in scientific progress.

• Mikal Fennon, commandant of the Astran Defense Force. Age 54. A large man with a limp, gruff and easily angered after years of war.

 

Relationships with Other Groups

 

     There were minor conflicts between Astra and some neighbors in previous decades.

     Until two years ago, Astra had a quiet, commercial relationship with most of the southern California communities; but since the rise of the Purge movement, the Isles, Berdu, and Southshore have become enemies.

     The Foundation of Mankind has a deep respect for, and interest in, Ancient technology; for the last ten or twenty years and nations have traded information and a few scholars.

 

Culture

 

Ethnic Groups, Immigration and Emigration

 

     There's been very little immigration or emigration since the mid-21st Century. The locals are descended from 20th Century American rocket scientists.

 

Social Divisions and Castes

     Blah blah ...

 

Religion, Beliefs and Superstition

     The Astrans are thorough agnostics.

      A lot of minor superstitions exist, however -- some descended from military aviation, NASA or JPL. There are particular pieces of 20th Century recorded music regarded as lucky for various events (beginning a project, launching aircraft or rockets, etc.). Good luck charms are very common:  names for aircraft and vehicles, lucky socks, cleaning rags, stuffed animals, charm bracelets, etc. The number 13 is avoided; "events happen in threes", never pointing at the sky, etc.

     Astrans avoid mentioning clouds, rain, wind and other inclement weather if they can help it. "The sun's not out, and it's not dry" might describe a rainy day.

     These beliefs aren't strongly followed, though.

 

Morality and Values

     Blah blah ...

 

Progress and Failure

     Education, research, invention, and support of the community are notable qualities of a "famous person".

 

Family, Age, Sexuality and Gender

     The usual age at (first) marriage is 25 years for men, 21 years for women.

     Children born outside of marriage account for about half of the births in Astra.

 

Education and Language

     Astrans speak and read English; literacy is 90%.

     Elementary and high-school pupils total about 1,800; instructors total about 72 persons.

     Enrollment in all "post-secondary" institutions totals about 40 persons from Astra, plus about a dozen more persons from as far away as the Cartel and the Foundation of Mankind; 300 residents of Astra have completed a "four-year college degree". College students are required to spend an hour a day on military studies. Government spending on higher education totals about $6,000 per year.

     There are 10 instructors employed in post-secondary education; for some of the degree programs listed there is only one instructor available during an entire 4-year program.

      Four-year course programs are offered every year in engineering, pharmacy, medicine, and dentistry; programs for physics, chemistry and history are not always offered. There are no "graduate" level courses.

     Two-year courses available every year are in the fields of education, dentistry, and veterinary studies; the courses for nursing and literature are not always offered.

 

Environment and Agriculture

     The San Gabriel Mountains are dry and hot in the summer, with cold, wet winters. Snow falls above the 1,200 meters altitude in most years -- rain and snow are more common on the southern side of the range. Floods in the Sunland area happen after big rain storms; wildfires are common in the late summer or early autumn.

     Pine, fir, and oak trees are found in the higher parts of the range; in the Sunland valley the oak trees are quite common. On the dry, north side of the range the vegetation is of the chaparral type.

     Game and dangerous animals include black bears, mule deer, coyote, mountain lions, bobcats and rattlesnakes.

     About 50 square kilometers of level farmland exists in the Sunland area; irrigation canals lead down from Tujunga Canyon to this region, and orchards, cereal crops, dairy and truck farms, etc. are very productive. The underground bunkers at The Facility held a large supply of seeds.

     In the hills, goats and sheep are raised for wool and meat.

 

Food

     Blah blah ...

 

Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation

     Blah blah ...

 

Fashion and Appearance

     Blah blah ...

 

Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture

     The seven underground "office spaces" constructed at The Facility in the San Gabriel Mountains before the Atomic War are still in use as laboratories and factories. The three underground warehouses are still used as warehouses for community stores.

     Most structures are made of rammed earth, reinforced with steel or wood, built using power rammers and prefabricated forms. Solar and wind power systems, water storage and recycling systems, and other "whole earth catalog" stuff make the towns look very 1970s-hippie-ish.

 

Equipment and Resources

 

Economy

     Rated as Rich, Non-Agricultural.

     GNP totals $290,000 in 2139. The money supply (coins and notes) is about $144,000, of which $44,000 is paper currency, $7,000 is gold coins, and $29,000 is silver coins. The remaining  $60,000 is minor coins (the usual 22nd Century stuff) and $20,000 in community vouchers (good only at a few government-operated stores and mess halls).

     The work week is normally 48 hours.

 

Science, Medicine and Technology

     Technology Level C (early Electric Age, circa 1920 AD).

     While there's a useful amount of knowledge of chemical engineering available in Astra's archives, they have not transformed themselves into the acid- and metal-producing powerhouse that Styx is. A small amount of crude oil is obtained by some small wells; it's mostly used to produce lubricants and sulfur.

     Most of their electrical power comes from generators at the Big Tujunga Dam; there are seven big 20th Century multi-fuel generators at the bunkers, and various biofuel or methanol-powered generators, mostly as backups.

     They've been producing plastics, elastomers, epoxy glues and resins, using glycerol byproducts of biofuel processing.

 

Soybeans or palm trees are common sources of oils for making glycerol.

 

     The leading cause of death is heart disease, followed by pneumonia and contagious diseases.

 

Weapons and Military Equipment

     The bunkers at Astra originally had hundreds of semi-automatic AR-15 rifles (technically, with various model numbers from several manufacturers), a few 40mm M203 grenade launchers, and several .50 caliber machine guns. All of the original ammunition was used up by the middle of the 21st Century; cases and belt links have been conserved or replicated, but production of smokeless propellant has always been limited. For the last two decades, they have been buying acids and smokeless powder from the Cartel (who in turn obtain them from Styx).

     Their military vehicles are various "jeeps" and light trucks, converted to alcohol or gasogen operation; they carry .50 caliber machine guns.

 

Communications

     While there aren't any mass-produced radios at Astra, they use various transceivers similar to, or salvaged from, 20th Century police or CB radios. There is a manually-switched telephone system, a single "broadcast" 50 watt AM radio station (which broadcasts 8 hours per day), a postal service, and a few newsletters (but no daily newspapers). Newsletters include topics such as agriculture, aviation, and medicine.

 

Vehicles

     There are about 50motorized farm vehicles (tractors, planters, harvesters, etc.) along with trailers and towed equipment; and dozens of motorized construction equipment items (cement mixers, graders, bulldozers, etc.). Pickup trucks, cargo trucks, jeep-ish things make up most of the rest of the community-owned motor vehicles. A very few automobiles -- four-wheel drive types -- are available. Engines are mostly ethanol- or gasogen-powered.

     Some motorcycles, bicycles and horse-drawn carriages are used; personally-owned vehicles will usually be of these types.

 

Aircraft

     Some experimental glider and primitive powered aircraft have been produced since about 2130. Beginning in 2139 regular production began of a couple of designs of propeller-driven biplane and monoplane aircraft, powered by gasoline or alcohol engines. These aircraft have fixed landing gear (with a tail wheel), an open cockpit, and can carry two persons (three in a pinch), or just a pilot and 200 kg of cargo. One example: 

 

• open cockpit low-wing monoplane, carries 2 pilots and one passenger; engine 150 to 180 HP, wing span 8.5 meters, length 7.3 meters. Cruise speed 240 kph, stall speed 80 kph, range with gasoline 1,000 km. The wings can be easily folded by one person for road transport, and are fitted with landing flaps. It is spin-resistant, and has low-pressure tires for rough landings. It's made of epoxy-glued wood and plywood, with only 32 types of metal fittings in the structure; construction time 1,200 man-hours, cost $500. The option to build floats or skis for the landing gear has been discussed but never built.
  

 

Watercraft

     Steam- and motor-powered vessels were constructed at La Crescenta since about 2100, but the Astrans didn't have a tradition of maritime trade -- early designs were clumsy and inefficient. By 2140, however, the building yards at La Crescenta are responsible for many of the ships being used in Los Angeles Bay, and along the coast -- certainly the most technically-advanced craft. Biodiesel, methanol, or gasogen power plants power these vessels.