THE UNITED EARTH SPACE PROBE AGENCY
The United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA) is a civilian scientific and research space organization first founded in 2067, four years after first contact with the Vulcan race at Bozeman, Montana. Despite its name, UESPA predated the United Earth government by over sixty-five years and was originally considered an international space agency funded by various Earth nations.
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UESPA ORGANIZATION
UESPA headquarters is located at Houston in North America, on the site of the original NASA flight control complex of the United States of America. UESPA's warp probes and manned space vessels are controlled from the UESPA Flight Center (also at Houston) overseen by a Flight Director as well as subordinate Flight Controllers, Flight Surgeons, and Flight Engineers.
UESPA Organization in 2138
UESPA SPACE FLEET
The space fleet of the United Earth Space Probe Agency consists of various scientific research ships. There are three different classes of engine design (ring, nacelle, and direct propulsion) with the average speed of UESPA vessels being warp 1.6. Per the UESPA charter, all space vessels are unarmed and designed for research purposes only.
The UESPA Medal of Exploration
is awarded for monumental discoveries accomplished through
space exploration.
General command structure of UESPA space vessel crews. In addition to the commissioned officers shown above, the additional position of "Crewman" exists to augment all officer roles
UESPA TRAINING
​The UESPA training facility at Lunaport is at present the sole facility authorized to certify space mariners as astronauts (in addition to a ground school located in Houston). The standard Space Flight Certification Course (known colloquially as "Flight School") is twenty-four months in length with additional follow-on courses depending upon the career path of the applicant. In its early days, UESPA then required space fleet candidates to complete an additional 18 months of simulator training, however now assigns such personnel to active duty UESPA vessels under the unique rank of "Midshipman".
The standard UESPA training course for space vessel personnel.
UESPA Crewman, as well as Mission Specialists, undergo abbreviated training with only specific courses
UESPA HISTORY
One of the first tasks of UESPA was to take control of the short-lived United Nations space fleet which had launched the ill-fated SS VALIANT in 2065. Shortly thereafter, UESPA launched the first warp space probe, Friendship 1 on April 27, 2067.
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In the early years of its existence, several of Earth's nations did not recognize UESPA as a true United Earth representative organization; therefore, UESPA was frequently referred to simply as "the space agency" until approximitely 2118.
UESPA-Friendship 1
One of UESPA's early failures was the Terra Nova expedition, in which the colony ship SS Conestoga successfully founded the planet Terra Nova only to have the colony fail five years later. Another early challenge for UESPA was the creation of the Earth Cargo Service in 2097, considered an independent space agency until 2128 when UESPA was granted statute authority to certify all space mariners as astronauts.
​In 2119, UESPA was designated as the oversight agency for the new Warp Five Complex, tasked with successfully creating a prototype Warp Five engine by the year 2160. During the 2120s, UESPA also assumed control of the Earth Drydock, the primary shipbuilding facility for warp vessels, as well as Earth Orbital Control which oversees warp traffic through the Sol system.
In March of 2135, UESPA was directed by the United Earth Congress to form a new organization known as the "Earth Starfleet". A Director of Starfleet Operations was appointed in August 2135 with this new organization declared to be a subordinate office to UESPA Mission Operations in 2135. The Earth Starfleet operated from UESPA headquarters until 2137, after which Starfleet relocated to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, while a small UESPA liaison office remained in Houston.
The Conestoga Class Colony Ship
Various classes of UESPA vessels in the 2120s