{"data":{"id":15330,"title":"Portfolio: 999th Test Squadron","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/15330-Portfolio-999th-Test-Squadron","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/15330","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/15330","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Portfolio","images":[{"id":4884,"name":"Zeus.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/zujf3qgdir6esr\/source\/Zeus.jpg","alt":"","size":223980,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2016-05-10T21:15:26+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/4884","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/4884\/similar"},{"id":22318,"name":"TRAVEL_WARNING.png","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/xoh0h57yqhmror\/source\/TRAVEL_WARNING.png","alt":"","size":18693,"mime_type":"image\/png","last_modified":"2016-05-05T03:15:45+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/22318","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/22318\/similar"},{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"Portfolio: 999th Test Squadron\n\u201cMy goal was to make a ship the 999 would be excited to fly.\u201d\n\nSo said Consolidated Outland CEO and spacecraft fanboy Silas Koerner during a press conference unveiling the Mustang. From nearly the beginning of interplanetary travel, Squadron 999 has existed in some formal capacity. Their testing of a ship\u2019s technological limits and fearless piloting of experimental spacecraft have helped shepherd Humanity out to the stars. While Squadron 42 is home to the UEE\u2019s best fighter pilots, Squadron 999 can lay claim to many of Humanity\u2019s most courageous.\n\nFearlessly Flying Forward\nThe origins of Squadron 999 go back over 800 years. During the mid-2130s, Roberts Space Industries began testing the Zeus prototype, a short-range explorer that would eventually make history as the first commercially available spaceship. RSI\u2019s drive to bring people safely to the stars was an expensive gamble.\n\nA little over fifty years earlier, RSI had created the Quantum Core Engine, capable of achieving 1\/100th the speed of light, for the military. As time went on, civilians and various industries began petitioning to have the technology made available to the private sector. Fast forward to the launch of the Zeus prototype. RSI had been listening and worked to streamline the Quantum Drive enough to make it commercially viable. There were concerns however with the potential risk that would be involved with putting such a powerful technology into the hands of non-military trained pilots. The early test flights RSI conducted didn\u2019t ease that concern.\n\nThe main issue RSI had with the Zeus during these test flights was its hull integrity. These problems culminated on 2136-6-23 when, during a live flight that was being broadcast across the world, the hull of an early Zeus ship ripped apart as it left Earth\u2019s atmosphere, completely destroying the ship and killing the test pilot. The disaster shook people and suddenly the horrifying dangers of space travel transcended the excitement of making it affordable and accessible.\n\nDesperate, RSI turned to the Navy and renowned test pilot Michelle Saleno for help in keeping the Zeus program alive. Saleno, affectionately called Sal by her friends, had extensive experience with RSI\u2019s Quantum Core Engine and held the honor of being the first pilot to quantum past Jupiter. Saleno had been pushing for the training of new test pilots who would be dedicated to cutting-edge spaceships.\n\nAt the time, the people of Earth were very much alone in the universe, so while the Navy\u2019s spacefleet was expanding, there was only a small wing of active pilots. Saleno knew that as the civilian spaceflight market expanded to include quantum travel, the Navy would have to rapidly expand along with it to maintain its flight superiority.\n\nThe Navy accepted Saleno\u2019s plan and the first incarnation of the 999th Test Squadron was born. Since the Test Squadron was created outside of the normal structure, the 999 designation was just supposed to be temporary until the unit could be properly assigned, but the number wound up sticking. After the deal was struck for Navy resources to be used to help RSI develop the commercial ship, Saleno and her crew spent the first year demanding changes before she or any of her pilots would take a first test flight. She battled with RSI executives over the ship\u2019s hull and drove RSI to completely overhaul their design. Finally, on 2137-3-19, Saleno climbed inside the Zeus for her first test flight.\n\nThe new Zeus had been worth the wait. At 15:09 SET, Saleno safely touched down. It would require more testing, but thanks to 999\u2019s hard work, the release of the first commercial quantum drive enabled ship had become an inevitability.\n\nRSI touted their success and overnight Saleno became a media sensation. She was painted as a risk-taker willing to sacrifice her life so all of Humanity could go to the stars. Privately, Saleno bristled at the portrayal and made it abundantly clear that she had all intentions of dying of old age and not during a test flight accident. As she famously said, \u201cA test pilot\u2019s job isn\u2019t about taking risks; it\u2019s about achieving results. It\u2019s about safely landing again, just as much as it is about fearlessly flying forward.\u201d\n\nThe Wreckless\nFor two centuries, Saleno\u2019s squadron was used to test ships for the military. They were the ones to put new ships through their paces and to create training protocols for those ships to be introduced into regular use. Their work was so important that when the UNE came into existence, in 2380, the squadron was incorporated directly into the new Naval structure with their 999 designation intact, one of the few squadrons that can make that claim.\n\nDuring the First Tevarin War, the 999 were the first to test variants of the Retaliator. Some in command demanded a rush on the needed ships going into active service immediately, but (thanks to his heroics at the Battle of Idris IV) a then Colonel Ivar Messer had enough clout to advise that the Retaliators\u2019 deployment be held until the 999 had signed off on them. Historians credit this move with saving hundreds of pilots\u2019 lives. A fatally flawed power transfer unit was discovered and fixed during the testing process.\n\nToday, the 999th Squadron is part of the 18th Battle Fleet and calls the Chronos System home. The squadron uses the system\u2019s vast expanse to test the next generation of military fighters. They are reportedly putting the new Aegis Sabre through the gauntlet to see if it should become a staple of the Navy\u2019s fleet. Aegis executives and Navy pilots alike are eagerly waiting to hear the revered squadron\u2019s opinion of the cutting-edge fighter.\n\nFor centuries, the 999th Test Squadron had a reputation as home to some of the Navy\u2019s most courageous pilots, and the squadron\u2019s nickname, \u201cThe Wreckless,\u201d fed that repute. In Joyce Tuite\u2019s history of the squadron, Fearlessly Forward, the importance of their nickname was revealed.\n\nAccording to former members, the first question asked when interviewing to join the squadron was \u201cwhat does The Wreckless mean to you?\u201d Most young pilots would talk about pushing ship speeds to the limit, or sacrificing their safety for the benefit of Humanity. These adrenaline junkies were weeded out and assigned elsewhere. Pilots who become part of the 999 usually understood something Saleno was fond of saying: \u201cDetails matter!\u201d They looked at the squadron\u2019s nickname and noticed the \u201cW\u201d. The 999 is dedicated to pushing the limit while being \u201cwreck\u201d-less, not reckless.\n\nIt is recognition of these distinctions and details that has made the 999th Test Squadron one of the UEE Navy\u2019s truly elite assignments, and a vital part of improving Human spaceflight for centuries.","de_DE":"Portfolio: 999. Testgeschwader\n\"Mein Ziel war es, ein Schiff zu bauen, das die 999 begeistern w\u00fcrde.\"\n\nSo sagte Consolidated Outland CEO und Raumschiff-Fanboy Silas Koerner w\u00e4hrend einer Pressekonferenz zur Enth\u00fcllung des Mustang. Seit fast dem Beginn der interplanetaren Reise existiert die Staffel 999 in gewisser formaler Hinsicht. Ihre Erprobung der technologischen Grenzen eines Schiffes und die furchtlose Steuerung experimenteller Raumschiffe haben dazu beigetragen, die Menschheit zu den Sternen zu f\u00fchren. W\u00e4hrend die Staffel 42 die Heimat der besten Kampfpiloten der UEE ist, kann die Staffel 999 viele der mutigsten Piloten der Menschheit f\u00fcr sich gewinnen.\n\nFurchtlos vorw\u00e4rts fliegend\nDie Urspr\u00fcnge der Squadron 999 reichen \u00fcber 800 Jahre zur\u00fcck. Mitte der 30er Jahre begann Roberts Space Industries mit dem Testen des Zeus-Prototyps, einem Kurzstreckenforscher, der schlie\u00dflich als erstes kommerziell erh\u00e4ltliches Raumschiff Geschichte schreiben sollte. RSIs Bestreben, Menschen sicher zu den Sternen zu bringen, war ein teures Spiel.\n\nEtwas mehr als f\u00fcnfzig Jahre zuvor hatte RSI die Quantum Core Engine entwickelt, die in der Lage ist, 1\/100 der Lichtgeschwindigkeit f\u00fcr das Milit\u00e4r zu erreichen. Im Laufe der Zeit begannen Zivilisten und verschiedene Industrien, Petitionen einzureichen, um die Technologie dem Privatsektor zur Verf\u00fcgung zu stellen. Vorbei an der Markteinf\u00fchrung des Zeus-Prototypen. RSI hatte zugeh\u00f6rt und daran gearbeitet, den Quantum Drive so weit zu rationalisieren, dass er wirtschaftlich rentabel wurde. Es gab jedoch Bedenken hinsichtlich des potenziellen Risikos, das damit verbunden w\u00e4re, eine so leistungsstarke Technologie in die H\u00e4nde von nichtmilit\u00e4risch ausgebildeten Piloten zu legen. Die fr\u00fchen Testfl\u00fcge, die RSI durchf\u00fchrte, haben dieses Problem nicht gel\u00f6st.\n\nDas Hauptproblem, das RSI mit dem Zeus w\u00e4hrend dieser Testfl\u00fcge hatte, war seine Rumpfintegrit\u00e4t. Diese Probleme gipfelten am 2136-6-23, als w\u00e4hrend eines Live-Fluges, der weltweit \u00fcbertragen wurde, der Rumpf eines fr\u00fchen Zeus-Schiffes zerriss, als es die Erdatmosph\u00e4re verlie\u00df, das Schiff vollst\u00e4ndig zerst\u00f6rte und den Testpiloten t\u00f6tete. Die Katastrophe ersch\u00fctterte die Menschen und pl\u00f6tzlich \u00fcberwanden die schrecklichen Gefahren der Raumfahrt die Begeisterung, sie erschwinglich und zug\u00e4nglich zu machen.\n\nVerzweifelt wandte sich RSI an die Marine und die renommierte Testpilotin Michelle Saleno, um Hilfe bei der Aufrechterhaltung des Zeus-Programms zu erhalten. Saleno, von ihren Freunden liebevoll Sal genannt, hatte umfangreiche Erfahrung mit der Quantum Core Engine von RSI und hatte die Ehre, der erste Pilot zu sein, der das Quantenquantum an Jupiter vorbeiflog. Saleno hatte sich f\u00fcr die Ausbildung neuer Testpiloten eingesetzt, die sich mit hochmodernen Raumschiffen besch\u00e4ftigen sollten.\n\nZu dieser Zeit waren die Menschen auf der Erde im Universum sehr allein, so dass es w\u00e4hrend der Erweiterung der Raumflotte der Marine nur einen kleinen Fl\u00fcgel aktiver Piloten gab. Saleno wusste, dass die Marine mit der Ausweitung des zivilen Raumfahrtmarktes auf den Quantenverkehr schnell expandieren musste, um ihre Flug\u00fcberlegenheit zu erhalten.\n\nDie Marine akzeptierte den Plan von Saleno und die erste Inkarnation der 999. Teststaffel war geboren. Da die Teststaffel au\u00dferhalb der normalen Struktur erstellt wurde, sollte die 999-Bezeichnung nur vor\u00fcbergehend sein, bis die Einheit richtig zugeordnet werden konnte, aber die Nummer blieb h\u00e4ngen. Nachdem der Deal abgeschlossen war, dass Marine-Ressourcen zur Unterst\u00fctzung von RSI bei der Entwicklung des kommerziellen Schiffes eingesetzt werden sollten, verbrachten Saleno und ihre Crew das erste Jahr damit, \u00c4nderungen zu fordern, bevor sie oder einer ihrer Piloten einen ersten Testflug absolvieren w\u00fcrde. Sie k\u00e4mpfte mit RSI-F\u00fchrungskr\u00e4ften um den Schiffsrumpf und fuhr RSI, um ihr Design komplett zu \u00fcberarbeiten. Schlie\u00dflich kletterte Saleno am 2137-3-19 f\u00fcr ihren ersten Testflug in den Zeus.\n\nDas Warten auf den neuen Zeus hatte sich gelohnt. Um 15:09 Uhr SET landete Saleno sicher. Es w\u00fcrde mehr Tests erfordern, aber dank der harten Arbeit von 999 war die Ver\u00f6ffentlichung des ersten kommerziellen Quantenantriebs, der das Schiff erm\u00f6glichte, zu einer Unvermeidlichkeit geworden.\n\nRSI warb f\u00fcr ihren Erfolg und \u00fcber Nacht wurde Saleno zu einer Mediensensation. Sie wurde als Risikobereite gemalt, die bereit war, ihr Leben zu opfern, damit die ganze Menschheit zu den Sternen gehen konnte. Privat strich Saleno die Darstellung an und machte deutlich, dass sie alle Absichten hatte, an Altersschw\u00e4che zu sterben und nicht bei einem Testflugunfall. Wie sie ber\u00fchmt sagte: \"Bei der Arbeit eines Testpiloten geht es nicht darum, Risiken einzugehen, sondern Ergebnisse zu erzielen. Es geht darum, wieder sicher zu landen, genauso wie darum, furchtlos vorw\u00e4rts zu fliegen.\"\n\nDie Wracklosen\nZwei Jahrhunderte lang wurde die Staffel von Saleno genutzt, um Schiffe f\u00fcr das Milit\u00e4r zu testen. Sie waren es, die neue Schiffe auf Herz und Nieren pr\u00fcfen und Ausbildungsprotokolle f\u00fcr diese Schiffe erstellen, die in den regul\u00e4ren Einsatz kommen. Ihre Arbeit war so wichtig, dass bei der Gr\u00fcndung der UNE im Jahr 2380 die Staffel mit ihrer 999er Bezeichnung direkt in die neue Marinestruktur integriert wurde, eine der wenigen Staffeln, die diesen Anspruch erheben kann.\n\nW\u00e4hrend des Ersten Tevarin-Krieges waren die 999 die ersten, die Varianten des Vergelters getestet haben. Einige Befehlshaber forderten einen Ansturm auf die ben\u00f6tigten Schiffe, die sofort in den aktiven Dienst eintreten sollten, aber (dank seiner Heldentaten in der Schlacht von Idris IV) hatte ein damaliger Oberst Ivar Messer genug Einfluss, um zu empfehlen, dass der Einsatz der Vergelter bis zur Unterzeichnung durch die 999er gehalten werden sollte. Historiker w\u00fcrdigen diesen Schritt damit, dass sie Hunderten von Piloten das Leben gerettet haben. Eine t\u00f6dlich defekte Energie\u00fcbertragungseinheit wurde w\u00e4hrend des Testprozesses entdeckt und behoben.\n\nHeute ist die 999. Staffel Teil der 18. Kampfflotte und bezeichnet das Chronos-System als Heimat. Die Staffel nutzt die enorme Ausdehnung des Systems, um die n\u00e4chste Generation von Milit\u00e4rj\u00e4gern zu testen. Sie sollen den neuen \u00c4giss\u00e4bel durch den Handschuh stecken, um zu sehen, ob er zu einem Grundnahrungsmittel der Flotte der Marine werden soll. \u00c4gide F\u00fchrungskr\u00e4fte und Marinepiloten gleicherma\u00dfen warten gespannt darauf, die Meinung der verehrten Staffel \u00fcber den hochmodernen K\u00e4mpfer zu h\u00f6ren.\n\nJahrhundertelang hatte die 999. Teststaffel den Ruf, die Heimat einiger der mutigsten Piloten der Marine zu sein, und der Spitzname der Staffel, \"The Wreckless\", n\u00e4hrte diesen Namen. In Joyce Tuites Geschichte der Staffel Fearlessly Forward wurde die Bedeutung ihres Spitznamens offenbart.\n\nNach Angaben ehemaliger Mitglieder war die erste Frage, die bei einem Vorstellungsgespr\u00e4ch f\u00fcr die Aufnahme in die Staffel gestellt wurde, \"Was bedeutet The Wreckless f\u00fcr dich\"? Die meisten jungen Piloten sprachen davon, die Schiffsgeschwindigkeit bis an die Grenze zu bringen oder ihre Sicherheit zum Wohle der Menschheit zu opfern. Diese Adrenalin-Junkies wurden ausgemerzt und woanders eingesetzt. Piloten, die Teil des 999 wurden, verstanden meist etwas, was Saleno gerne sagte: \"Details sind wichtig!\" Sie betrachteten den Spitznamen der Staffel und bemerkten das \"W\". Der 999 widmet sich der Grenz\u00fcberschreitung und ist gleichzeitig \"wreckig\" - ohne, nicht leichtsinnig.\n\nEs ist die Anerkennung dieser Unterschiede und Details, die die 999. Teststaffel zu einem der wirklich elit\u00e4ren Aufgaben der UEE Navy gemacht hat und seit Jahrhunderten ein wichtiger Teil der Verbesserung der menschlichen Raumfahrt ist.","zh_CN":"Portfolio: 999th Test Squadron\n\u201cMy goal was to make a ship the 999 would be excited to fly.\u201d\n\nSo said Consolidated Outland CEO and spacecraft fanboy Silas Koerner during a press conference unveiling the Mustang. From nearly the beginning of interplanetary travel, Squadron 999 has existed in some formal capacity. Their testing of a ship\u2019s technological limits and fearless piloting of experimental spacecraft have helped shepherd Humanity out to the stars. While Squadron 42 is home to the UEE\u2019s best fighter pilots, Squadron 999 can lay claim to many of Humanity\u2019s most courageous.\n\nFearlessly Flying Forward\nThe origins of Squadron 999 go back over 800 years. During the mid-2130s, Roberts Space Industries began testing the Zeus prototype, a short-range explorer that would eventually make history as the first commercially available spaceship. RSI\u2019s drive to bring people safely to the stars was an expensive gamble.\n\nA little over fifty years earlier, RSI had created the Quantum Core Engine, capable of achieving 1\/100th the speed of light, for the military. As time went on, civilians and various industries began petitioning to have the technology made available to the private sector. Fast forward to the launch of the Zeus prototype. RSI had been listening and worked to streamline the Quantum Drive enough to make it commercially viable. There were concerns however with the potential risk that would be involved with putting such a powerful technology into the hands of non-military trained pilots. The early test flights RSI conducted didn\u2019t ease that concern.\n\nThe main issue RSI had with the Zeus during these test flights was its hull integrity. These problems culminated on 2136-6-23 when, during a live flight that was being broadcast across the world, the hull of an early Zeus ship ripped apart as it left Earth\u2019s atmosphere, completely destroying the ship and killing the test pilot. The disaster shook people and suddenly the horrifying dangers of space travel transcended the excitement of making it affordable and accessible.\n\nDesperate, RSI turned to the Navy and renowned test pilot Michelle Saleno for help in keeping the Zeus program alive. Saleno, affectionately called Sal by her friends, had extensive experience with RSI\u2019s Quantum Core Engine and held the honor of being the first pilot to quantum past Jupiter. Saleno had been pushing for the training of new test pilots who would be dedicated to cutting-edge spaceships.\n\nAt the time, the people of Earth were very much alone in the universe, so while the Navy\u2019s spacefleet was expanding, there was only a small wing of active pilots. Saleno knew that as the civilian spaceflight market expanded to include quantum travel, the Navy would have to rapidly expand along with it to maintain its flight superiority.\n\nThe Navy accepted Saleno\u2019s plan and the first incarnation of the 999th Test Squadron was born. Since the Test Squadron was created outside of the normal structure, the 999 designation was just supposed to be temporary until the unit could be properly assigned, but the number wound up sticking. After the deal was struck for Navy resources to be used to help RSI develop the commercial ship, Saleno and her crew spent the first year demanding changes before she or any of her pilots would take a first test flight. She battled with RSI executives over the ship\u2019s hull and drove RSI to completely overhaul their design. Finally, on 2137-3-19, Saleno climbed inside the Zeus for her first test flight.\n\nThe new Zeus had been worth the wait. At 15:09 SET, Saleno safely touched down. It would require more testing, but thanks to 999\u2019s hard work, the release of the first commercial quantum drive enabled ship had become an inevitability.\n\nRSI touted their success and overnight Saleno became a media sensation. She was painted as a risk-taker willing to sacrifice her life so all of Humanity could go to the stars. Privately, Saleno bristled at the portrayal and made it abundantly clear that she had all intentions of dying of old age and not during a test flight accident. As she famously said, \u201cA test pilot\u2019s job isn\u2019t about taking risks; it\u2019s about achieving results. It\u2019s about safely landing again, just as much as it is about fearlessly flying forward.\u201d\n\nThe Wreckless\nFor two centuries, Saleno\u2019s squadron was used to test ships for the military. They were the ones to put new ships through their paces and to create training protocols for those ships to be introduced into regular use. Their work was so important that when the UNE came into existence, in 2380, the squadron was incorporated directly into the new Naval structure with their 999 designation intact, one of the few squadrons that can make that claim.\n\nDuring the First Tevarin War, the 999 were the first to test variants of the Retaliator. Some in command demanded a rush on the needed ships going into active service immediately, but (thanks to his heroics at the Battle of Idris IV) a then Colonel Ivar Messer had enough clout to advise that the Retaliators\u2019 deployment be held until the 999 had signed off on them. Historians credit this move with saving hundreds of pilots\u2019 lives. A fatally flawed power transfer unit was discovered and fixed during the testing process.\n\nToday, the 999th Squadron is part of the 18th Battle Fleet and calls the Chronos System home. The squadron uses the system\u2019s vast expanse to test the next generation of military fighters. They are reportedly putting the new Aegis Sabre through the gauntlet to see if it should become a staple of the Navy\u2019s fleet. Aegis executives and Navy pilots alike are eagerly waiting to hear the revered squadron\u2019s opinion of the cutting-edge fighter.\n\nFor centuries, the 999th Test Squadron had a reputation as home to some of the Navy\u2019s most courageous pilots, and the squadron\u2019s nickname, \u201cThe Wreckless,\u201d fed that repute. In Joyce Tuite\u2019s history of the squadron, Fearlessly Forward, the importance of their nickname was revealed.\n\nAccording to former members, the first question asked when interviewing to join the squadron was \u201cwhat does The Wreckless mean to you?\u201d Most young pilots would talk about pushing ship speeds to the limit, or sacrificing their safety for the benefit of Humanity. These adrenaline junkies were weeded out and assigned elsewhere. Pilots who become part of the 999 usually understood something Saleno was fond of saying: \u201cDetails matter!\u201d They looked at the squadron\u2019s nickname and noticed the \u201cW\u201d. The 999 is dedicated to pushing the limit while being \u201cwreck\u201d-less, not reckless.\n\nIt is recognition of these distinctions and details that has made the 999th Test Squadron one of the UEE Navy\u2019s truly elite assignments, and a vital part of improving Human spaceflight for centuries."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":116,"created_at":"2016-05-11T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"9 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-04-29 16:58:49","valid_relations":["images","links","translations"],"prev_id":15329,"next_id":15332}}