Terminology
Alphabetical reference of canonical terms used across the Utopia and Terra Nordica project. If a term appears on the site, this definition applies.
- AAID
- Autonomous Artificial Intelligent Drone. A self-directed artificial system capable of independent decision-making and task execution without continuous human control, operating across physical, virtual, or networked environments.
- Aerospace medicine
- A medical specialty concerned with human health and performance in air and space environments. It addresses environment-specific challenges, such as microgravity, acceleration, radiation, and prolonged isolation.
- Artificial Gravity
- Gravity-like acceleration generated by rotation of the habitat ring.
- Auronaut
- Any human operating in space under the authority of the NORO administration, including crew, expedition members, and mission specialists.
- Bridge Officer
- Officer currently in command of the ship.
- Crew
- Professionally trained personnel responsible for ship operation and safety.
- Expedition
- A human mission unit consisting of an assigned crew complement and an Expedition Class designation. An expedition begins at the start of formal training and concludes upon return to Earth.
- Explorer
- A short-term passenger classification for individuals traveling primarily for experience, observation, or personal exploration, without operational or settlement responsibilities.
- Journey
- The complete mission lifecycle, encompassing pre-mission training, outbound voyage, surface operations, return voyage, and post-mission debrief and rehabilitation.
- Mars EHA
- Extra Habitat Authorization. Approval for personnel to live or work in additional, non-core habitat modules on Mars.
- Mars Liner
- A class of large-capacity interplanetary transfer spacecraft designed for routine human transport between planetary orbits, characterized by significantly higher passenger capacity than previous Mars vehicles.
- Mars Sol
- A Martian day, approximately 24 hours and 39 minutes.
- Mission
- A defined operational objective or set of tasks with clear goals, scope, and success criteria. A mission is independent of specific expeditions and independent of the physical voyage used to carry it out. It may span multiple crews, include one or more voyages, and ends when its objectives are achieved or formally terminated.
- Norddaler
- The official currency of the Nordic Union. Worth about the same as one euro in 2026, used for salaries, services, and internal transactions across Nordic Union territories and missions.
- NORO
- The space administration of the Nordic Union. Short for Nordiska Rymdorganisationen.
- Passengers
- Civilian participants transported by Utopia without command authority.
- Pioneer
- A permanent assignment type for individuals committed to long-term settlement and life beyond Earth, with no scheduled return rotation to Earth.
- Relay
- A passenger classification for individuals sponsored by external organizations or colonies, transported via Utopia and transferred onward beyond Nordic Union facilities upon arrival.
- Rotational
- A non-permanent assignment type where personnel rotate in and out of missions or facilities on fixed terms, rather than committing to permanent deployment or settlement.
- Terra Nordica
- A permanent surface settlement on Mars established by the Nordic Union and operated under NRO authority.
- Utopia
- A Generation B Mars transfer spacecraft operating between lunar orbit and Mars orbit, serving as the first vessel of its class.
- Utopia Center
- The primary simulation complex within the Svalbard Simulation Training Facility, housing the full-scale interior of Utopia spacecraft and mission systems used for end-to-end voyage simulations.
- Voyage
- A one-directional space transfer between two celestial bodies (e.g., Earth to Mars). Voyages are numbered per spacecraft and destination, using directional suffixes such as M (Mars) and E (Earth). For example, Voyage U-1M denotes Utopia’s first Mars-bound voyage, while Voyage U-1E denotes its first Earth-bound voyage.