SPECTRUM CRAFT
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Cloudbase is Spectrum's operational headquarters and command centre. It is a massive, grey-white aircraft carrier, stationned at 40,000 feet above the surface of the Earth. It is equiped with the most state-of-the-art technology in all fields of communications, security, military, computerisation, robotisation, building automation, etc. This makes it, by far, the most advanced and extraordinary man-made creation of the second half of the 21st Century.
Previous alternative ideas had been proposed for the organisation's main headquarters, ranging from a super-carrier, a super-submarine, a remote island or even a 'floating island'. All of these ideas were rejected, in favour of an airborne carrier, which was unanimously deemed more practical for the new organisation's operations, permitting it to move to any strategic point during missions. Cloudbase's original plans were developed between 2065 and 2066. Although the full plans and design remain secret, it is said that Colonel White himself was somehow involved, if not with the conception, at least with the idea behind Cloudbase. Although its actual exterior design remains unchanged since its construction, Cloudbase is constantly being upgraded. The latest interior modifications were instigated in 2067, and completed in 2068. Cloudbase was built in fifty different sections, at a World Government research facility in Stockholm, Sweden. The completed parts, made of hardered Fleetonium alloy, were then shipped to a disafected weather satellite, where a crew assembled them together. Colonel Conrad Turner of the World Space Patrol (WSP), who would later be known within Spectrum as Captain Black, supervised the construction. He himself piloted Cloudbase down into Earth's atmosphere, to station it at 40,000 feet above ground. The carrier is primarly powered by a nuclear fusion reactor, complemented by solar-cell panels connected to a vast complex of engines in the Engine Room, situated in the main body of the carrier, providing enough energy for power, life support, light and heat for all personnel.
Four vertical-thrust air-ducting hover combines and anti-gravity compensators keep Cloudbase aloft. Additional power is provided by air-intake nuclear powered cloud conversion engines, located in the nacelles, which feed the twenty-plus energy powered Cahelium electric generators powering the horizontal thrusters. These jets enable the carrier to move to any point around the world in a matter of hours. Cloudbase is made of two main units: the main body and the Control Tower. The Control Tower stands on the starboard nacelles; it is the decisional and administrative centre of Spectrum. The main body is comprised of multiple decks, and includes two flight decks. Principal sectors within the main body are, amongst others, the Engine Room, the life support centre, the multiple hangars, the Medical Centre and the Amber Room. The crew can move around the various sectors through a network of passageways, moving walkways, stairs, lifts and escalators. Because the carrier might seem like a huge maze in some areas, directional signs and diagrams are posted in strategic places. Most passageways will eventually end up to the deck main access corridor, which enclicle the perimeter of each deck of the main body.
A system of airlock accesses separates the various sectors of Cloudbase at strategic points. This way, any sector can be locked down, in time of emergency, for example to contain a nuclear leak from the generators, isolate a sector in case of a hull breach or an outbreak, or even to trap an enemy who could have had access to the base. Some areas are restricted to certain personnel, and security keys or coded are needed to access them. Cloudbase has a crew of approximately 600 people, which includes field agents (mainly the Captains), female aircraft pilots (The Angel pilots), the medical staff, the administrative staff and the maintenance staff operators. Personnel can be either military or civilian. Spectrum personnel such as the officers, Angel pilots and administration staff will normally work on a four hours on call/four hours off basis, with four hours on/two off in emergencies. In those times of emergency, the crew can make use of the 'Room of Sleep', several of which are scattered around the base. The Room of Sleep is employed by Spectrum to combat fatigue when needed. It is a chamber fitted with hypnotic devices, diffused lighting and 'weightless' gimbal-mounted bed. The Room of Sleep is able to cram height hours worth of sleep into a mere hour or two, permitting the user to be fresh and ready to return to duty. Although a fully operational military base, Cloudbase's still equiped with the best facilities to make life as agreable as possible for all its residents. Personnel is provided with the best and healthiest food, which is checked and prepared daily at the restaurant or cantine. Sports halls, gymnasium and pools are provided to all, to indulge in their favourite sports and physical activities, and special spaces were built for social interactions, pasttimes (reading, watching movies, playing games, etc.) or simply relaxation, such as the officers' lounge, the crew's recreation rooms, cinema, auditorium, etc. The Promenade Deck and the secondary Promenade Deck are also such spaces. These specially designed areas are in fact, 'indoor gardens', decorated with a large variety of plants, flowers and bushes, fountains and a furnitures. Both located in the Control Tower, they are adorned with large windows (some of the rare rooms built this way), thus providing a large amount of sunlight for the plants to thrive and grow. The windows also gives a superb view to the sky (especially at night) and to both landing strips below.
Needless to say, security is of the outmost importance on Cloudbase. Extreme safety measures was put into place to counter any events, either due to accidents or attacks. Massive tanks of fire-extinguising foam, carbon dioxide and halon are stored onboard, mostly on the Control Tower, where they can be pumped anywhere around the base via its extensive piping system in a matter of seconds. All sectors of Cloudbase, from top to bottom, are patrolled and maintained by various maintenance robots, which function is to either keep all areas clean (like 'robovacs'), or to monitor and repair all systems, insuring that everything runs smoothy; the various ducts coursing through the carrier are also checked by such maintenance robots. They are aided in their work by teams of technicians, working 24/7. Repairs and replacement of faulty or worn out parts are done efficiently and in record time, no matter if it should be serious or not. Teams of guards are also available on Cloudbase 24/7, to insure security onboard. They perform various duties, such as patrolling the passageways, monitoring and restricting access points, escorting visitors, etc. They assist officers on various occasions, and given orders by any of them, or by Colonel White himself, are allowed to make arrests and escort prisoners to the brig, where they will keep guard.
Cloudbase's surrounding airspace is monitored by radars, which in turn provides the information to the Spectragram. Should an unauthorised craft approaches the carrier past the security distance, and not obey radio requests to leave, the Angel interceptors is dispatched to intercept and repel the intruder, even destroy it, should it comes to it. This doesn't mean that the Angel craft are the only way of defence for Cloudbase. The carrier is also equiped with electron ray discharge air-to-air missiles and hyprosanic paralysing cannons, which will deal appropriately with any intrusion or attack. At this point, however, it does mean that the intruder is fairly close to Cloudbase. Although a vital part of Spectrum's continuous work in protecting Earth against the Mysterons or any terrorist forces, the organisation is by no means reliant on Cloudbase alone. There are multiple ground bases and Spectrum agents all around the world, as well as smaller offices, and hidden MSVs, SPVs and saloon cars, kept by loyal agents, until such as time a ground agent will come to take delivery of them. |
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Cloudbase's principal sector is its Control Tower, which stood on sturdy support pylons on both hover nacelles from the starboard side. The whole of the construction, from nacelles to top of the tower, is 130 feet high. Access from the main body to the tower is achieved through passages through the hover nacelles, and then stairs, escalators and lifts, running the whole length of both pylons. The Control Tower houses the Command Centre, which is Spectrum operational nerve centre, as well as the craft's Control Room, computer databanks, Spectrum's main communication centre and systems, information and observation centres, conference room, etc.
The Control Room is the hive of activity of Cloudbase. Located there are Colonel White's round control desk and Lieutenant Green's communication console. From his desk, which is in effect a powerful computer in itself, Colonel White is able to contact anyone in the world, either any enterprise or individual, Spectrum's auxiliary forces, World Government organisations, etc. Embedded in his desk are multiple DEL lights, one for each of his senior field agents, which will light up whenever one of them will contact him, either directly or through Lieutenant Green's console. Behind the control desk is a large LCD screen, set on the wall. At the touch of a single finger from Colonel White's desk or Lieutenant Green's console, it can display diagrams, video images, maps and any other information from the Information Centre. It can also be used to display image from a caller when using videophone. The control desk can rotate on itself, so that the colonel can turn around to use the screen, while still having a comfortable and easy access to all the commands on his desk. When receiving people in the Control Room, White can press a command on his desk, and stools, hidden in the floor, will rise to accommodate his visitors. When privacy is needed, the colonel can press another button, and a transparent, soundproof screen will rise between the platform onto which his desk is set and Lieutenant Green's console.
The communication console is a long, transparent wall of computerised circuit, which run the whole length of the Control Room, from the door to the platform unto which Colonel White control desk is set. Green's seat is set on a moving walkway, which he uses to move along the console quickly and efficiently. The communication console is a computer even more powerful than Colonel White's desk, and is not only devoted to communications. Through this console, Lieutenant Green has a direct access to Cloudbase's Information Centre, and to the whole of Spectrum personnel. He has access to nearly the same commands as Colonel White. He can monitor communications, relayed from various points around the World, or within Cloudbase itself, and transfert them to Colonel White when required. Lieutenant Green also has access to the monitoring of all of Cloudbase. All events of importance are relayed to his console. Activities related to the Amber Room and the Angel Interceptor are controled and checked through the console: Green will immediately know if there's the required amount of pilots in standby duty, and if there's a pilot in Angel One. If 60 seconds pass before Angel One is manned, for example, a red light will ignite on his console and Green will inform the Amber Room that someone must go up immediately.
Access to the Control Room can be gained through two sliding green doors, on each side of Lieutenant Green's console. To get to the colonel's desk, the visitor can than either let the moving walkway set on a platform take him there, or walk the distance. Adjacent to the Control Room is the Observation Tube, one of the Control Tower most unique features is the 'Observation Tube'. It's a curved, tunnel-like gallery, which goes through the entire tower from one end to the other, emerging on each side of it. It is constructed from clear Cahelium alloy, giving all-round clear visibility of the area surrounding Cloudbase.
Most important for Spectrum's operations is Cloudbase's Information Centre which function is to garners information from various sources, most notably through Spectrum's telecommunications system in Cloudbase's Monitor Room, and from Information Offices from various Spectrum Earth based and other facilities; every major city has some form of information bureau linking them up with Cloudbase. All this information is conveyed to Cloudbase's own Information Room. The Information Room uses advanced seventh generation super computers and liquid plasma information storage systems to analyse and identify all transfered data, sorted it, gauged it on importance values, and filed it for eventual uses, thus creating vast amounts of information necessary for Spectrum's work. Any threat, coming from the Mysterons or any World-based terrorist organistation, is reported, analysed and dealt with appropriately.
The Information Room also houses the Spectragram, video-scanners, astroscopes, spacemascope. Any part of Earth and its surrounding space can be scanned through observation satellites. The Spectragram is the radar defence of Cloudbase, registering any object coming within a 500-miles radius of Cloudbase. All data from the Information Room can swiftly be relayed directly to Colonel White's desk and Lieutenant Green's console in the Control Room. The Conference Room is also located within the Tower. This is were Colonel White will address his senior staff, or where reunions would be held, either for works or for social gatherings. Atop the Control Tower, an helipad was built, so to accommodate landing of an helijet, which is usually used for VIP visitors or in case of emergency. Access directly to the Tower is gained through a pressurised hatch, which leads near the Control Room. The helijet doesn't normally park ontop the Tower after disambarkment; it will usually land on the main body runway, to either park there or access the hangar below the flight deck.
The Control Tower houses the officers' quarters. Each of these quarters is equiped with a system of prisms and mirrors, which reflects the view from the six main windows facing the port side. Colonel White's quarters is a large suite, incorporating a stand-by mini office console. It has a direct lift access to the Communications Room. Guest rooms and a VIP suite are also located in the Tower. A Room of Sleep is located not that far from the Officers' quarters, where they can use it in time of need. The Control Tower also houses various facilities put at the officers' disposal, either practical or recreational: library, Officers lounge, restaurant, pool, gym, promenade decks, etc. Within the Control Tower exists an auxiliary sickbay, which is located below the Conference Room. Like the Medical Center, the auxiliary sickbay is under Doctor Fawn's responsibility, and can be used by officers, VIP, or as a back up unit during emergency situations, should the Tower be isolated from the rest of Cloudbase, or the Medical Centre be working at full capacity or disabled. |
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The Engine Room, generators, and most of Cloudbase's power and life support equipments are mostly located within the carrier's main body, which is divided in decks, where are also located staff sleeping quarters, an auditorium, gymnasiums, conference, seminar and lecture rooms, a cantine, a store (called a SpectraMart), and various other facilities for the staff. Hangars are also located in the main body, for housing and repairing SPJ, helicopters and the occasional visiting craft. Lifts are used to bring these craft up to or down from the main runway just above. For fast approach and emergency landing, Cloudbase can use the Spectrafan, situated at the far end of the runway, to slow down any incoming craft. Deck C of the main body is where Cloudbase's Medical Centre can be found. It is, in effect, a small hospital, with all the needed staff and the most advanced medical and scientific technology. Cloudbase main body is also composed of a second flight deck, specifically dedicated to the Angel interceptor jets launch and landing. Hangars and repair shops for the Angels are situated beneath the runway, and again, lifts can be used to bring the craft down to the hangars/repair shops and back onto the runway.
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Over twenty engines serve to make Cloudbase self-sufficient, using a unique principle found nowhere else in the world. Sun rays are accumulated in a receiver and converted into energy waves, to be fed into the engines, thus providing power, electricity, life-support, heating, etc. It also produced the energy necessary for the four hover combines that keep the air-floated base in the air. The incessant buzz of those huge Cahelium engines is cut down to a minimum from the rest of the base by soundproofed walls.
The Engine Room is constantly checked by supervisors in the Engine Control Centre, through control panels.Those panels, rising from floor to ceiling, are complemented with hundreds of dials and flashing lights. The supervisor only has to press a button to pinpoint the detailed engineering components of each engine, across a videoscreen scanner, simultaneously programmed into a computer for maintenance check. Any trouble coming from any of the engines can be found on the spot and dealt with, without any delay. The Engine Control Centre is also home to the Flight Control Room (wheelhouse), where Cloudbase's helmsmen pilot Cloudbase, at Colonel White's command from the Control Room. For optimal flight, at least two pilots are needed at all time at the helm of the huge carrier. |
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Cloudbase's is equiped with two flight decks. The main flight deck covers most of the surface of Cloudbase's main body. It is wide and long enough to permit landing of all kind of craft, short of large international commercial transporters, unless equiped with VTOL technology. Landing and take off can be acheived vertically or the traditionnal way, depending of the craft (SPJ, courier and transport shuttles, helijet, Magnacoper, visiting military aircraft, etc.). Like for a naval carrier, the use of a cable arresting system is available for some type of aircraft, which landing should be done the traditionnal way.
Set at the forward end of Cloudbase is the Spectra-Fan. It is a device which main capacity is to stop an approaching aircraft from crashing during emergency landing. Hydraulic lifts hoist the fan into position. The pressure from the fan is equal to over 500 tons per square centimetre, intense enough to stop a craft travelling at over 500 mph dead on its track. Though the surface of the main flight deck is accomodated with parking spaces for craft, the runway itself must always remain free, so it can be used at a moment's notice. Upon landing, the craft is automatically taxied to an hydraulic lift that will bring it down to one of the hangars below deck, which will permit pilot and passengers to disembark and access into Cloudbase without being exposed to the harsh cold of high altitude. Once the craft is empty, it will be immediately checked thoroughly, to make sure it will be in flight condition for its next juse. Then, depending of needs and situation, it can either stay in the hangar, or be brought back up on deck with the lift, the same way it came, to be parked on one of the allotted spaces on the starboard side of the carrier.
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Medical Centre (Sickbay)
The Medical Centre (or Sickbay) is one of the most important sectors of Cloudbase. It is run by a small team of doctors and nurses, under the supervision of Doctor Fawn, Cloudbase's chief medical officer. In these settings, Fawn has complete authority, and even Colonel White, when under his medical cares, is bound to follow his orders. The Sickbay is located on Deck C of Cloudbase's main body, on the starboard side, between the pylons supporting the Control Tower. It is near the stern hover combine, giving it a close access to the Tower and to the auxiliary sickbay therein.
The Sickbay also has its own helicopter launching and landing pad; generally, it is dedicated specifically to medicopters, but will also accept landing of helijets. An hydraulic lift lowers the craft down to a hangar below, where there's a direct access to a corridor leading to the medical facilities. This permits an injured patient to be taken straight to the emergency operating theatre within minutes upon landing. Additionnally, the lift gives straight access to the flight decks, where security and medic teams can quickly intervene, in case of a crash landing. Cloudbase's Sickbay is a fully operational hospital, with operating theatres, intensive care modules, isolation wards, laboratories, decontamination units (located at several entrances), sleeping wards, etc. It is equiped with the most sophisticated and state of the art in medical, science, research and technology.
Every member of the staff is required to have many medical specialities so that Cloudbase's sickbay could be as self-sufficient as possible in every field imaginable. However, if a field is not covered by sickbay's doctors or if the need of experts is required, contact can swiftly be made to ground-based hospitals for help. Surgery can also be performed by such specialists, remotely, through the 'robot doctors'.
One of the most advanced tools used in sickbay, the ‘robot doctors’ (or 'auto docs') were designed and created by Doctor Fawn himself for the World Medical Organisation. They are computerized medical beds are programmed with very advanced ‘near free minds’ capable of medical analysis and assessment. They can check on a patient’s needs, producing required data in a matter of seconds, and are even able to make their own prognostics and present solutions. The auto docs system incorporates scanner, laser scalpels, mini video 3D cameras, and numerous other devices. As stated above, they can be used to assist during surgery, either with the presence of a surgeon, or remotely, via computer link. Operating table lighting is supplied via the centra hub of the auto doc. Sickbay is also equipped with chemical analysers (also called 'auto-analysers'). These devices can perform complex blood and toxin tests within seconds. The auto-analyser is often used in conjunction with the auto-pharmacist, which can synthesise anything from headache pills to a cure for snake-bites in minutes.
Another marvel of medical technology is the life recovery unit, which is in fact a computer-aided operating table. It can also be employed by Doctor Fawn and his team to monitor and help Captain Scarlet in his recovery after he had been wounded or killed during a mission. Within Cloudbase, Sickbay is a self-sufficient unit. Doctors and nurses reside within the Medical Centre. It has its own laundry, food preparation bay, bathroom facilities, SPA and physiotherapy aids for the patient, and stores of various equipments and medications. The whole unit is soundproof, speficically the various wards and operating theaters. Although linked to Cloudbase's main systems, it has its own computer centre and life support systems, which are continually checked and monitored by its own computer room, performing regular emergency memory back up in the event of a power failure. Sickbay has a direct access to the sport centre, which is situated on the deck just above. This helps provides better care to the patients, who can then perform needed exercices during recovery, either on their own or under the supervision of a nurse, a doctor or a physiotherapist. Like for all sections of Cloudbase, security camera are installed in sickbay, and from the command centre in the Tower, it is possible to even follow a procedure in one of the operating theatres (as shown in "Operation Time"). |
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Angel Flight Deck and Amber Room
The Angel Flight Deck, dedicated solely for take off and landing for the three Angel interceptors, is narrower and rest higher on the port side of the main body. For launching, the Angel Flight Deck is equiped with three catapults, which will hurl each of the craft along the runway, so they would reach take-off velocity faster. The Angel's landing manoeuvre is unique, and although it would seem dangerous at first glance, it is in fact safer, given a very high degree of piloting skill, than trying to put down a supersonic fighter on a short flight deck. It involves putting the aircraft in a stall, close to a huge flap attached to deck. This reduces the flying speed, but momentum still carries the aircraft forward in a tail-down position until contact with the flap is made. Clamps then snap to the Angel's landing gear, and the flap is lowered to the horizontal position.
Hangars and maintenance bay specifically dedicated for the Angels aircraft are situated below the runway. A lift system, similar to what is found on the main deck, can be used to take the interceptor down for maintenance, refuelling, re-arming and repairs. Spare parts are also kept in the maintenance bay, as well as three standby Angel interceptors. The craft are constantly checked and re-checked by the maintenance team and computer-controlled robots, ensuring that everything is at maximum safety. Although it is a rare occurence, it can be possible to put five interceptors in the air, should the need arise for it.
The Angel pilots ready room, the Amber Room - so-called because of its colour - is the lowest part of Cloudbase. It is situated on deck E, underneath the main body of the carrier, at the very far end of the port side, below the Angels craft launching pad. The Amber Room has a unique rounded design, and is one of the rare Cloudbase rooms to have a large bay window, this offering one of the carrier's most spectacular views of the sky. It contains a quantity of entertainment equipment (radio, television, books, computers, etc.) which helps pass the time between alerts. The five Angel pilots work continuous four-hours shifts,each of them taking her turn as "Angel Leader" - stationing in Angel One, constantly sitting on flight deck, ready for immediate take-off. Angel One must be manned at all time. During change-overs, a red light on Lieutenant Green's console in the Control Room will flash if Angel One is unmanned for more than sixty seconds.
While one of the pilots does Angel One duty, two of her colleagues would stand duty in the Amber Room, waiting for the order to take-off. The remaining two are off-duty. When given the order to launch, the engines of Angel One are automatically fired up, and the catapult hurled the jet toward the sky. In the Amber Room, upon order, each waiting pilot can access her interceptor through an elevator, which is fitted with the craft seat. As the pilot takes place into the seat, a glass shield slides shut to form a pressure seal, and the elevator takes the pilot towards an airlock on the next level, where it travels alongs the chute leading to the designated Angel craft. Then, it travels through a pressurized plasti-glass chute which extends up to the flight deck, where waits the interceptor jet. The chute locks on to the hatch located under the craft, and rises the seat through that hatch, snapping it in place. Then the chute withdraws, and the craft is ready for immediate take-off. It is to note that Angel One can also be accessed through that same procedure. |
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(Sources: TV Century 21 material (Annuals, books and magazines), Engale Marketing's Century 21 magazine, Issue 15, Winter 1995, Fleetway Magazines, Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons book by Chris Drake & Graham Bassett, Complete Book of Captain Scarlet by Chris Bentley… all related to TV Century 21 material - Photo-montages provided by Keith McNeill's 's Space Model Photography.) |
CLOUDBASE - ANGEL AIRCRAFT - SPECTRUM PASSENGER JET (SPJ) - SPECTRUM HELIJET - MAGNACOPTER
SPECTRUM PURSUIT VEHICLE (SPV) - MAXIMUM SECURITY VEHICLE (MSV) - SPECTRUM SALOON CAR (SSC) - YELLOW FOX
SPECTRUM DETECTOR VAN - SPECTRUM HOVERCRAFT - SPECTRUM CLAM SUB
COLOR-CODED OFFICER UNIFORM - ANGEL PILOT UNIFORM - OTHER UNIFORMS
WEAPONS - COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES - OTHER EQUIPMENT - NEW CAPTAIN SCARLET EQUIPMENT
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