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Zero-X was the designation given to the prototype solar system exploration spaceship, the ship was a proof-of-concept prototype spaceship fitted with the first ever (and highly experimental) faster-than-light T-Drive engine. Such technology would be a phenomenal leap forward in space exploration, allowing impossibly far destinations in and beyond the solar system to be reached within a matter of minutes.
The prototype spacecraft was designed to test the feasibility of the engines powered by the experimental T-Drive engine originally designed and built by the Mechanic. The Zero-X is equipped with dozens of external and internal environment camera recorders located inside and along the ship's main body.
Prototype Disappearance[]
Sometime during the mid-2050s, the Zero-X had successfully launched for its first experimental trip but the ship was hijacked by the Hood in flight. As the Hood pushed the ship to its limits in an attempt to outrun the Global Defence Force, the ship's T-Drive engine began to malfunction due to it being driven into critical overload. Captain Casey, knowing this would result in an explosion that would cause an extinction-level event if it happened in the atmosphere, fruitlessly attempted to reason with the Hood.
However, Jeff Tracy was already aboard the Zero-X trying to stop the Hood from getting away. The Hood made his escape from the ship by taking the cockpit escape capsule; leaving Jeff trapped aboard the ship. Jeff bravely sent the stricken spacecraft towards space, but the T-drive engine reached critical overload and exploded, taking the ship and Jeff with it. The explosion was so powerful that it vaporized the entire trace of the Zero-X. Seconds after the vaporizing explosion Captain Casey lost contact with Jeff, leaving his fate unclear.[1]
Eight years later, International Rescue retrieved the capsule the Hood had used to escape. The external camera footage revealed that the explosion was, in fact, an aftershock which was produced as a result of Jeff launching the T-Drive engine. Additionally, this footage showed that the Zero-X had successfully launched deep into an area of space called the Oort Cloud. It did so at a speed which was so great that it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
When International Rescue launched the Zero-XL to bring Jeff back home, Scott and Alan found the Zero-X stranded in the Oort Cloud. Sheltered inside a large planetoid, the craft was badly damaged with only the front section and the control cabin left intact; which Jeff had converted into his own make-shift home.
Technical Data[]
Engines[]
- Main body: 1 rear mounted detachable thruster, 1 T-Drive experimental faster-than-light engine, 4 rear mounted booster engines using air intakes in atmospheric flight.
- Lifting Body 1 & 2: 16 ramjets, 4 under each wing. 2 wing-tip booster jet turbine engines.
Landing Gear[]
- Main body: Front and rear landing gears with a total of 16 wheels (2 bogies with 8 wheels each). The front set are situated underneath the Nose Cone.
- Lifting Body 2: 2 landing gears with a total of 16 wheels. They are situated in the rear wing-tip turbine engine and have 8 wheels each.
Nose Cone[]
The Zero-X is fitted with a nose cone, presumably to protect the cabin and its occupants during exposure to harsh atmospheric conditions. Additionally, the nose cone is equipped with external environment recorders.
Control Deck[]
The control deck is located at the front section of the Zero-X in the nose cone of the ship. The cone itself has a large window section when docked with the main body in order for the crew to view the external environment.
Escape Capsule[]
In the case of an emergency the Zero-X is fitted with an escape capsule, when activated it enters into the control deck behind the pilots seats. The capsule itself provides room for both pilots to escape, once the crew are ready in place the capsule launches out through the roof section of the Control Deck. Like the Zero-X itself, the escape capsule is equipped with external environment recorders.
Remains[]
After the Zero-X launched into space and ended up arriving inside the Oort Cloud, Jeff crashed the paralysed ship inside a large planetoid to shelter from extreme environment outside. He then cannibalised what he could from what remained of the ship and created a make-shift shelter inside the control deck. With the remnants of the ship's flight deck, Jeff created an air-lock, a bed and even an oxygen supply in order to keep himself alive. As the ship was designed for deep space missions the prototype craft interior was packed with equipment and food supply crates for the crew; there was even enough for Jeff to make the supplies last nearly 8 years.
Gallery[]
Behind the Scenes[]
