Three Shells Paradise

Once Upon a Time

This all began more than two hundred years ago. Existence of life on another planet was being confirmed. But parts of the world were in total decay. Pollution, deforestation, global warming and to top it all, bio chemical warfare had rendered many countries of the world unsustainable. And to top it all, there's also a feared meteor attack. Infighting on earth was reaching a new low and so all the great scientists and thinkers had come up with this solution. It wasn't easy. Astronauts suggested combining a few space stations; it wasn't enough and at that height, people would need oxygen masks and space suits. Atmosphere, pressure, wind, temperature, altitude, gravity, everything needed to be tested for sustainablity. They then decided to create a space ship large enough to hold at least a thousand people and flexible enough to change in size. This would have to be light enough to stay afloat in the Earth's atmosphere yet not be pulled down by her gravity. It was a real estate dream project an architectural marvel and an engineer's nightmare.

Time was short and yet the planning needed to be meticulous and the execution near perfect. Man was not just going to build another planet but also was planning to play God. Like a child's little doll house in her father's garden; a world of its own.

Scientists and world leaders decided to pool in a bunch of people. They would have to be the best in their field. Stringent tests were developed, millions of people tested. They wanted nothing short of the best.
Athletics and sports, science, law, medicine, architecture, agriculture, spirituality, literature, beauty,  education, music and fine arts.. no field was left. Hundred such couples would be sent to a new place to live and populate. It was a modern Noah's Ark of sorts. Plants and animals were also being chosen, some of the seeds which would not be sustainable on Three Shell's Paradise were chosen and frozen for the future. Likewise with other forms of life. Cryogenics was at it's peak.

Botanists had a different struggle, how to grow crops without soil? Soil less agriculture worked well on earth; drawing water and other nutrients from the atmosphere but in space, the atmosphere provided no nutrition no water. They then came to the proposition to grow in a contained environment , one that would be the food bowl for the entire brings on Three Shell's Paradise. Placing the space station in space was also a challenge.

It was decided to place it in the southern hemisphere where the sun's ray's would be at a an angle so it wouldn't be too hot to live. It was aligned with the Southern Crux. It was named Three Shell's Paradise in keeping with it's being aligned with the crux and also translation from the Indian mythology Trishankhu Swarg. It was neither on earth nor in the skies, it was in between and man would be definitely upside down relative to man living on earth. Legend talks of a king who wished to go to heaven with his mortal body. His efforts were thwarted by Lord Indra who presided over heaven or Swarg. He then approached Saint Vishwamitra who by his penance sent him up but Indra sent him down head first. Vishwamitra was very agitated at this and hence created a parallel heaven just as the king was descending upside down. The king was called Trishanku and hence the name Trishanku Swarg.

This Noah's ark was one of a kind. It needed the collaboration of various countries not just for setting up the elaborate and ever expansive space station but also sustainable until they could find a planet where man could live.
They shaped the space stations like two opened clam shells and one conch shaped, symbolic of the name. Many times people thought it looked more like a flower. Each petal had a name: North, South, East and West Zones. The conch though was the Council, the headquarters of 3Shell's Paradise and was in the middle of the four petals.

Over the years many changes came about. But all were built based on stringent guidelines. If people wished on expansion that too was well thought of. After all, that was the sole motive behind creating 3Shells. The expansion was to be symmetrical in North and South, and East and West. This was perceived to be for balancing purposes. So were the heights of the structures. They were not to exceed 50 feet. The conch shaped shell where the Council was housed was not to be modified as it was a functional spacecraft that could be flown in emergency situation.