The shuttle which the characters will use 
is the last one in the Snobol shuttle dock 
(area S4). It is fully automated and cannot 
be piloted manually, except to choose the 
destination. The options are "Jetsom", 
"Snobol" and "Low orbit, EMERGENCY 
ONLY". The last option was fitted by Ellen 
Coopermann on Day 75 (see Preparation 
- page 7). There is also a small panel of 
indicator lights, a radio, a radar screen 
and two view ports. Prior to departure, the 
shuttle has a huge block of ice (from the 
ice cavern - area S3) fitted to its front end 
as a heat-shield. The shuttle has ten 
couches for passengers, and room to 
stow equipment. There is also a rack for 
tanks of crude bio-chemicals from Jetsom. 

This shuttle was used by the returning 
Beta team on Day 38 and its computer is 
infected by the Matrix. 

Descent to Jetsom 

Early on Day 76, the characters will be 
taken to the shuttle dock (area S4). Their 
equipment will have been stowed already. 
The shuttle will leave at 0500 hrs. 

The descent to Jetsom takes 2 hours. 
During this time the shuttle's computer 
will be occupied in guiding the ship, and 
the characters will not be able to consult 
the Jetsom data file in the computer's 
memory (see The Offer - page 6). So long 
as the shuttle is inside Venturi's atmos- 
phere, no radio communication with 
Moneyspider is possible (see Jetsom - 
page 2). 

When the shuttle is deep inside Venturi's 
atmosphere and has slowed down suffi- 
ciently, the remains of the heat-shield are 
ejected and the characters will be able to 
use the view ports as the craft files 
towards Jetsom. The shuttle is on the 
daylight side of the planet and the 
characters will see the scudding clouds of 
Venturi by the feeble light of Belnafaer. 

Half-an-hour before it reaches Jetsom, 
the shuttle will pass through a small 
electromagnetic storm. The characters 
will feel a strange prickling sensation as 
there is a rapid build-up of static electricity 
inside the shuttle and the electronic 
equipment will stop working for about 
half a minute. 
 

Minutes later, the Jetsom platform will 
come into view. The shuttle will approach 
it quite quickly, but the characters will be 
able to see the shuttle in the other dock 
(area D3) and will catch a glimpse of the 
damage caused by the external main- 
tenance robot (area F2). 

After the shuttle has docked, a light on 
the panel, labeled "Warning: Autore- 
fueling Malfunction" will begin to flash. 
This is because the fuel line to the shuttle 
dock has broken. The shuttle cannot leave 
until it is refueled (see area A2). 

THE PLATFORM 

The Jetsom atmospheric bio-chemical 
extraction platform (see Plan VP/J/01) 
floats in the very cold hydrogen atmos- 
phere of Venturi, supported like a hot-air 
balloon by huge buoyancy bags of heated 
hydrogen. It does not have a fixed position 
relative to the planet, but is blown around 
by Venturi's winds which gust at up to 
2000 km/hr and seldom at less than 500 
km/hr. It is, however, kept level and 
maintained at a constant altitude. At this 
altitude, Jetsom's gravity is a little greater 
than normal 91.25g). If they wish, referees 
may take account of this during the 
adventure (see AD - page 20). 

At Jetsom's altitude, the temperature of 
the atmosphere is about -120°C, and the 
pressure is only slightly above normal for 
the major races. The gas in the buoyancy 
bags is kept at -55°C. This is hot in 
comparison with the atmosphere, but 
extremely cold by ordinary standards. 

The most important part of the Jetsom 
platform is the central, 184-meter-high, 
gas distillation column which extracts an 
impure form of the chemicals Cys-DE and 
Meta-TI from Venturi's atmosphere. The 
crew and their sape assistants live and 
work in insulated, modular compartments 
supported on a frame which extends 
outwards from the column, and which 
 

There are six crew compartment modules 
(A to F) which radiate from the distillation 
column like slices of a cake. Modules A 
and D contain docking facilities for 
shuttle craft; B contains the crew's 
quarters; C has the maintenance facil- 
ities; E has the distillation control room, 
the main computers and life-support; and 
F contains stores. 

At the bottom of the distillation column (in 
area E7) are the reactors which provide it 
with heat, generate power for the platform 
and heat the buoyancy bags. Around the 
distillation column, 92 meters above the 
main part of the platform, is an observation 
gallery (E8). An elevator (E6) provides 
access to the reactor room and gallery. 

The "Bug" 

The circuitry of computers, robots and 
other electronic devices is an ideal home 
for the Matrix (see Disaster on Jetsom 
- page 3), and it has infected the electrical 
systems of Jetsom (computers, robots 
etc.). The MAtrix acts like an electronic 
virus, and has spread across the circuits, 
often with alarming and dangerous eff- 
ects on their programming! The circuits 
themselves are not affected, however, 
and it is relatively easy to remove the 
Matrix's effects temporarily (see Defeat- 
ing the Matrix - page 9). 

Just like a virus, the Matrix is infectious. It 
can spread from device to device simply 
by latching on to the electrical impulses 
which flow between them. 

The Disaster 

The Matrix had been present in Jetsom's 
electronic systems for some time before it 
caused the disaster (see Disaster on  
Jetsom - page 3) and had, up to then, 
caused only minor problems to the crew. 

However, during a magnetic storm (on 
Day 43), when the systems were under 
maximum strain, the Matrix produced 
some sudden system failures, particularly 
in the life-support systems, resulting in a 
dangerous drop in temperature.