Laurifer

The Laurifer was a vehicle built by the SIA, designed to send four penguins to Mars, which it did successfully. It was designed by Warning von Brown and other SIA rocket scientists. It is designed to carry four penguins. Its first launch occurred in late May of 2013. It was only used four times before being scrapped in favor of the new ships of the SIA Space Command Fleet.

Usage
The spacecraft has three massive stages. It's the first SIA spacecraft to use a mix of kerosene and liquid oxygen, instead of just liquid oxygen. This causes the rockets to be more powerful, and need the use of less stages. The launch causes major effects on the ground around it, just like its predecessor. Around three minutes after launch, the first stage separates. After two more minutes, the second stage separates, and the third stage fires so it sends the vehicle out of earth orbit. This is called Trans-Martian Injection. There it docks with the Infantem capsule which holds another astronaut and the supplies, where they then head to Mars.

Construction
Initial engine tests completely altered the design of the rocket itself. The rocket was initially designed to use seven rocket boosters in the first stage, six in the second, and three in the third. However, a single rocket engine was so powerful during testing, that it actually broke free of its restraints and slammed into the back wall, destroying the entire facility it was being tested in. The SIA, however, declared the test a success. The rocket was redesigned so that the 1st stage only requires five rocket engines, the second stage three engines, and the third stage only one rocket. This also caused the third stage to be shrunk allowing more space for part of the capsule (the giant gold-looking part in the infobox to the right) that houses many essentials for survival on the spacecraft.

Impacts
The effects of the Laurifer's liftoff were devastating. Many structures around the launch site were completely obliterated. Earthquake sensors were also triggered, but were not as bad as the shockwaves created by its predecessor, due to newly used and acquired technology.

Infantem
The Infantem was designed to transport the lower half, and thrust chamber, of the Laurifer orbiting capsule while the Laurifer itself took the main command crew module and supplies. The Infantem went up with one of the four crew members, who were on board to oversee successful joining of the two craft. The two pieces of the capsule had to rendezvous in space, where they were successfully connected.

Orbiting Capsule


The orbiting capsule was designed to be the fastest craft of its time. Able to reach speeds much higher than other ships of its type, the capsule used nuclear blasts projected from the back of the craft to propel itself. The giant disk on the back of the craft is where the nuclear bomb was spit out of, and detonated behind the craft. The disk acted as a method of absorbing as much power as possible. Many of these controlled explosions set off at once could easily send the Laurifer craft hurtling towards Mars at twenty miles per second.

To land, the solar panel blades would be pushed back towards the light grey section of the craft, while the yellow and triangular-shaped parts would go down to Mars. After the mission on the red planet was to be completed, the yellow section stayed on the ground while the triangular section rocketed back into orbit before reconnecting to the rest of the module. They would then go home, and the triangular module would disconnect with all the astronauts, descending into Earth's atmosphere.

Trivia

 * Laurifer means triumphant in Latin.