[snip]

OOC: Splitting this off into its own thread, pod 1 folks reply to the earlier branch before this to get launching!

Helena closed and secured the hatch. There was a hiss of air as the hatch sealed and the internal air started pumping. Slipping into her seat she buckled in. “Welcome to shuttle pod 2. Please make sure your gear and tray table are stowed and locked in place. Please make sure your harness is securely buckled a d fits snuggly.”

Helena hit the ship’s comm. “Sojourner this is shuttle pod 2. We are ready to launch. Please clear the bay.”

Warning klaxons sounded in the bay and everyone cleared the space into the corridor and then the doors locked. The bay doors began to open. “Cleared for launch, Laursen. Fly safe.”

“Always do.” The shuttle slipped out into the depths of space and made a smooth turn toward the planet and their landing point.

Lt Laursen, pilot

As Pod 2 safely launched from the Sojourner the pod was soon free and clear and on its way down into planet 2’s atmosphere heading for the second survey marker site on the eastern side of the main continent. They would be roughly 2,872 miles away from the other pod’s landing and survey site. There site as they got back into the upper atmosphere soon was in view by a high orbit.

The spot to be marked was at the base of a fairly sizable small mountain side. The area was about a quarter mile from a large river which flowed from the top of a nearby snow mountain range down through a large spanning valley and eventually after many hundred more miles branched off here and there before ending into the southern ocean. The water on scans was chilly up by their landing site, but once you would get into the lower regions down wind was much warmer. Some signs of various river life was in evidence. The landing site itself was in an open clearing about a few hundred yards from where they were to place their survey and claim markers.

Animal life was as expected, most being small mammals for forest terrains. There were a few signs of the large pack hunters they had been warned of but nothing near to their landing at the moment. Besides likely the sound of their presence would scare most things off for a time. The trees for much of the region were similar to many older red woods on Earth. But their only similarity was in their wide huge trunks, the trees it seems grew outwards more and more vs say upwards. In this case the tallest ones seemed to be topping not much more then 160 or so feet. Looking around the average width of the trees was anywhere between 10-15ft for younger ones to almost 80-100 ft thick!

As the pod came to a soft landing in the open clearing all signs of anything dangerous was gone, they had the area to themselves. Atmosphere outside was breathable, with the current temperature around 62F with a light warm breeze coming from the south east, making it closer feeling to 70F when present. Overhead it as fairly clear skies only a few clouds here and there. The gravity as noted was just slightly heavier then on Earth but nothing to be concerned for unless they had to do a lot of heavy lifting or running.

GM CockRoach