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[Quarque]

Sacrificing part of the structure of the ship to leave a functional satellite would be Dangerous (the Engineer specialty would effectively turn it into a Risky roll). Unfortunately such a satellite was not a part of the original design (every gram of payload increased the already ludicrous cost of the project), so you'd be improvising to pull it off -- of course it'd be very helpful if you manage.

[Xvareon]

I strongly advise against this. How are we going to power the thing? The main power supply of our ship was nuclear, right? You don't just split a nuclear reactor into halves like slicing a fruit. Do we have solar panels for that satellite? We'd have to. In any case, we could really use those panels groundside to get us started, because we're going to need some way to remotely power any installation away from the main hab.

[mightymushroom]

Yes, I expect to use some of our solar panels. And yes, we could use them on the ground. Thing is, it's clear from the packing list that we don't have much except tools to build more tools: from a material engineering standpoint everything's going to be a bit of a crunch for the predictable future. I'm suggesting trading a crunchier start to gain a solid informational benefit when our next opportunity to get a satellite may be a generation in the future (if 'generation' applies in our advanced medical tech) and an order of magnitude, if not two, more costly to launch from the ground.

I also didn't think I would sacrifice the 'structure of the ship' prior to entry and landing; a satellite sitting in restful orbit doesn't need quite as much sturdiness as one being boosted from ground to orbit. Refine the proposal, maybe bolt everything in/on the hibernaculum I just popped out of? We're not going to need that again, right? Right?!?

-----

Solar power is listed specifically as an advantage of the desert, by-the-by, which is another reason I suggested J-47 environs as an alternative landing site. Minerals from the mountains, power from the desert, anything that can grow a "Forest" should have sufficient water/nutrient to grow human crops.

Uh, did the map change? I'm not seeing light green/dark green contrast now.

[Quarque]

I also didn't think I would sacrifice the 'structure of the ship' prior to entry and landing; a satellite sitting in restful orbit doesn't need quite as much sturdiness as one being boosted from ground to orbit. Refine the proposal, maybe bolt everything in/on the hibernaculum I just popped out of? We're not going to need that again, right? Right?!?

The way I envisioned it you would be detaching a small part of the small spaceship you're on now, but yeah you can write a detailed proposal where you solve the engineering problem in another way. The difficulty would remain the same, though.

You do have some solar panels to work with, it is part of the "basic tools" package. Sorry to leave it a little vague what is in there, but I would definitely forget something important if I tried to make a complete list.
edit: I guess solar panels are important enough to include as a separate item. Adding them.

Uh, did the map change? I'm not seeing light green/dark green contrast now.

Yes, good catch. I first uploaded it on a site where the link expired and then accidentally uploaded an old version. Fixed now.

[a1s]

I don't think we're going to get any more proposals, let's vote on the ones we've got. (I understand we can look for a good site near I-14 or build a satellite, but not both?)

[Quarque]

Doing both is possible, too. It might up the difficulty a notch, depending on how it's worded. Please tell me in detail what you want to do. Voteboxes are an easy way to vote, like this:

Exterminate the dwarves: (2) John, Anne
Reinvent the Wheel: (1) Nick
Advanced Fun Techniques: (0)

[mightymushroom]

So, with only three players claimed it's like we've got 9 NPCs to order about, right? Turo wouldn't need more than two others to work on the satellite project, and if allowed by the vote, he would spend all his time on it and effectively take himself off the landing site search. If asked directly, as large a clear space as could be found would be preferable, but, you know, not paying attention...

Spoiler: WeatherCom Satellite (click to show/hide)

The WeatherCom can be constructed of very basic, even "recycled" metal scraps and electronics plus 5m²* of solar panel for power — it is assumed here that anything packed for interstellar travel is sufficiently hardened against space radiation. Attitude keeping would be by means of solar sail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statite) if those cheapskates packed material that can be used or improvised into one. Its primary function is a weather/cloud watching satellite: the wide resolution of Lucy's initial biome reports is sufficient. Due to the expectation of power constraints, the camera and the transmitting antenna will not operate simultaneously; observations will be stored locally until transmission is requested from the ground station. As an additional feature, data uploaded to the satellite can also be used for communications between distant parties, albeit more like a log-keeping and message drop form than a real-time relay.

The plan specifically avoids cannibalizing the scout drone, quad, or whatever mining equipment was packed. Although, Turo does have a background in patching things with holes in them.

you can write a detailed proposal where you solve the engineering problem in another way. The difficulty would remain the same, though.

Fair enough. Even if I'm not trying to cut off a chunk of the ship, I can imagine that most of the stuff is rather tightly packed and won't have simple in-flight access.

(*I must admit that I'm totally making a guess on solar panel requirements. On one hand, 5m² feels large to me for the capability of about two flying cellphones (one for pictures and data, one for operational control). On the other hand, one of the difficulties in making using small satellites is weaker transmitting power. And I don't want to pretend that we're getting it without sacrificing something.)

WeatherCom Satellite
yea: (1) mightymushroom
nay: (0)

How big an area to search for a landing site?
Very Wide: (0)
Close By: (1) mm
Exact Square: (0)

Where to search?
I-14: (0.5) mm
I-15: (0)
J-47: (0.5) mm

What to search for?
??

[a1s]

WeatherCom Satellite
yea: (1) mightymushroom
nay: (1) a1s

How big an area to search for a landing site?
Very Wide: (0)
Close By: (2) mm, a1s
Exact Square: (0)

Where to search?
I-14: (1.5) mm, a1s
J-47: (0.5) mm
(add your own)

What to search for?
a clearing near a lake (1): a1s
(add your own)

[Quarque]

Please tell me in detail what you want to do.

To be clear: "search for a clearing near a lake close by square x" as above is excellent - I just need to know in detail what you want to achieve and if you wish to spend particular resources on the project, when applicable. For example, with the weather satellite the minimum I needed to know was how much of the solar panels you were willing to burn on it and what it should be capable of doing.

Technical details are fun (I enjoy those, so go wild if you enjoy it), but not required. Same for details about which character does what -- you can specify it if you want to, but it is not required. The proposal is taken to be the course of action of the whole colony.

[Nirur Torir]

I didn't see this before. I'll in, and go social so we have an even spread.

Spoiler: Nigel Rosenburg (click to show/hide)

Specialization: Social
Background: Nigel was the only son of two Martian politicians, and a Follower of Zoab. He grew up intending to follow in their footsteps. Shortly before he graduated, they were part of a major scandal involving a Zoab biotech firm starting secret Earth clinics. They were made out to be scapegoats, and he signed up for this mission rather than try to enter politics under their stained legacy.
Despite being a Follower of Zoab, he remains 100% human.

WeatherCom Satellite
yea: (1) mightymushroom
nay: (2) a1s, Nirur

How big an area to search for a landing site?
Very Wide: (0)
Close By: (3) mm, a1s, Nirur
Exact Square: (0)

Where to search?
I-14: (2.5) mm, a1s, Nirur
J-47: (0.5) mm
(add your own)

What to search for?
a clearing near a lake (1): a1s
Search for a stable landing site near a river or coast, and look for ores in the nearby mountains (1): Nirur

I'm voting no on a satellite, as electronics are likely to be both scarce and difficult to replace until we have a full industrial setup.

How difficult is it to search I-14 for a nice clearing near a river, while also looking for useful minerals in the nearby mountains?

[Quarque]

How difficult is it to search I-14 for a nice clearing near a river, while also looking for useful minerals in the nearby mountains?

Searching for multiple things is allowed. The drawback is that it takes longer, while staying in space for much longer while your metabolism is back to normal (since you're back from stasis) is undesirable. This translates into a higher difficulty / risk level.

How long it takes depends on how wide you search, so there is a difference between searching for a landing spot in I14 itself, or searching in the squares around it as well, as you voted for. Generally speaking, searching for multiple things across multiple squares edges between Normal and Risky, depending on what exactly you're looking for.

Now searching for ores.. taken literally, I'm sorry but you can't really do that from orbit. You could analyse what the surface looks like and then you might find out some general info about the type of rock formation or, if you're very lucky, maybe reveal a small metal vein on the surface. But for a proper ore analysis you really need to land first.

[Nirur Torir]

In that case, I'm in favor of landing as fast as is reasonable.

WeatherCom Satellite
yea: (1) mightymushroom
nay: (2) a1s, Nirur

How big an area to search for a landing site?
Very Wide: (0)
Close By: (2) mm, a1s
Exact Square: (1) Nirur

Where to search?
I-14: (2.5) mm, a1s, Nirur
J-47: (0.5) mm
(add your own)

What to search for?
a clearing near a lake (1): a1s
a clearing near a river, or a lake if it's connected by river to the sea (1): Nirur

What's our tech database look like? Is it the equivalent of Wikipedia downloaded to an off-the-shelf iPad, or have people been working out how to re-build modern industry while packing an exhaustive array of industrial blueprints into a hardened data terminal, or somewhere in between?
What do are tools look like? Are they equivalent to wrenches and power drills, or does the ship have tools for smelting, lathing, milling, etc?
What's our expected set-up process for making use of the gene bank to increase our population? I would expect us to need to build artificial birthing pods, but that's pretty high tech.

[Quarque]

What's our tech database look like? Is it the equivalent of Wikipedia downloaded to an off-the-shelf iPad, or have people been working out how to re-build modern industry while packing an exhaustive array of industrial blueprints into a hardened data terminal, or somewhere in between?

The limiting factor to your inventory is weight, luckily data weighs almost nothing. The terminal is ultra-lightweight and you have access to basically the whole of collective human (relevant) knowledge.

What do are tools look like? Are they equivalent to wrenches and power drills, or does the ship have tools for smelting, lathing, milling, etc?

Think of it as the sci fi equivalent of a minimal embark. You have the bare minimum needed to survive and get started on building things locally. The things you do have are mostly lightweight and high tech. I will work it out in some more detail with the next update. If you have any suggestions, shoot.

What's our expected set-up process for making use of the gene bank to increase our population? I would expect us to need to build artificial birthing pods, but that's pretty high tech.

The setup for that is expected to take very long, you will need birthing pods and they have to be produced locally. On board is the minimum needed to keep the seeds alive.

[mightymushroom]

WeatherCom Satellite
yea: (1) mightymushroom
nay: (2) a1s, Nirur

How big an area to search for a landing site?
Very Wide: (0)
Close By: (2) mm, a1s
Exact Square: (1) Nirur

Where to search?
I-14: (2.5) mm, a1s, Nirur
J-47: (0.5) mm
(add your own)

What to search for?
a clearing near a lake (2): a1s, mm
a clearing near a river, or a lake if it's connected by river to the sea (1): Nirur

-----

If you have any suggestions, shoot.

I have one word for you: "explosives." Need to mine a rock face? Boom, done. Need to clear a large field of tree stumps? Boom, done. Have pesky megafauna roaming about? Bait, Boom, done.

What's our expected set-up process for making use of the gene bank to increase our population? I would expect us to need to build artificial birthing pods, but that's pretty high tech.

The setup for that is expected to take very long, you will need birthing pods and they have to be produced locally. On board is the minimum needed to keep the seeds alive.

If mass efficiency is a concern, the project masters could rule that every crew member, regardless of how they personally identify, must agree to be childbearing capable. Although, that method has its own risks and a notoriously long lead time before growing individuals are "net productive." It would make sense for technophobic Earthlings to do things that way, but would the mission planners at Titan consider it?

[Nirur Torir]

Think of it as the sci fi equivalent of a minimal embark. You have the bare minimum needed to survive and get started on building things locally. The things you do have are mostly lightweight and high tech. I will work it out in some more detail with the next update. If you have any suggestions, shoot.

If I was to plan for the tools, in a scenario like this and where every pound matters:
There has to be at least 2 sets of basic hand tools. It would be insanity for the colony to fail because someone lost the only wrench. Likely 3-4 for redundancy, and because tools break, but that's overkill with 4 players. One might make them be a new, lighter, carbon nanoweave/steel alloy. They might be modular, reducing weight but making it rather difficult for two people to use tools from the same tool kit at once.

The cryopods are useless on landing. The project has been under construction for over 60 years, and is a well-known project that has captured people's dreams. Various forums have doubtlessly work-shopped ad-nauseaum exactly what they'd do if they were the crew. Someone, somewhere, has figured out a plan to repurpose the cryopod components into a rudimentary seed factory. Perhaps the cryopod designs accepted for the project even took their plans into account, designing them so their components are easily turned into the seed factory.
I'd imagine a finished design to include a small smelter, that's slow and power hungry, and a versatile machine that an engineer has to more-or-less disassemble and reassemble by hand to reconfigure it between 3D-printer, lathing machine, welder, etc. While slow, it's computer controlled, allowing fairly precise but laborious manufacturing. It might be material-inefficient for small runs, needing to do test work to calibrate each new configuration.
There might be enough small, difficult-to-reproduce control chips to bootstrap that out into a full manufacturing suite, if nothing breaks and the colonists don't find a more pressing use for them.
After that, I'd imagine we'd be stuck with manufacturing obsolete chips, bulky and slow, until our industrial base gets built up properly, with NPC specialist workers.

With that, I don't think it would be especially difficult to get artificial birthing pods working in a few years, if we focused on them, but without first building robot caretakers, it would be expensive, and we'd be stuck with a first generation of perhaps a dozen at most.