Spoilers ahead
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Progress reports from members of ARDA's R&D department, regarding various potential breakthroughs, to the department head, Dr. Ophelia Turner.
These in-game documents can be found scattered throughout the Zone, and then stored inside of the Fax Machine at the Auto Shop.
Lab Reports #1: Remote Battery Charger
Initial trials on the Remote Battery Charger have been extremely encouraging. As predicted, the key mitigating factor is distance: we can only charge in close proximity. Our success here, though limited, does suggest a future in which we can make plugs and connectors obsolete. But for now, the devices we charge still need to be nearby.
In the short term, we can find applications for roll-on/roll-off battery recharging in vehicles (anything from cars to light aircraft), mass proximity charging for handheld devices like radios, and make greater use of larger examples of field-portable equipment.
However, our ultimate goal still remains: to remotely charge a device as far as our line of sight. A car with a flat battery down the road. A cordless power tool half a mile away. Imagine that!
Lab Reports #2: Accelerated Radioactive Decay
It appears that a combination of the correct conductive materials, LIM-enhanced electromagnetic induction, and a bombardment of electrons can substantially accelerate radioactive decay.
So far, the figures suggest we can now accelerate the decay of U-235 by as much as 8%, while R-222 is accelerated by as much as 12%. We remain cautiously optimistic. I don' t think it's unrealistic to expect to reach values as high as 20%, which has enormous implications for the future treatment of nuclear waste. Not to mention what we can do to mitigate the changes we're experiencing in the Zone.
Lab Reports #3: Radioactive Shielding
I'm delighted to report that the radioactive shielding has been a runaway success. We barely had trace readings inside the landing module, the command module, and the cargo module. We can now confirm that we have created the most radiation-resistant material humanity has ever known.
We've shipped the last of the panels and materials back to ARDA engineering for further analysis, but I see no reason they can' t be used again on the next mission. The degradation is minimal.
I'm excited to show you the full analysis in person. Meet you in the ARDA Cafeteria on Thursday?
Lab Reports #4: New Catalysts
This is the real deal. This is how we truly make money from LIM technology. Forget the physics. Forget the engineering.
It's the chemistry.
What we've got here is the secret to a host of new, more efficient catalysts. See, petroleum refining is dependent on a variety of catalysts, right? But there are a boatload of applications in everything, from pharmaceuticals to biocatalysts. They are the secret ingredient in so many modern industrial processes and we have the key to lowering their activation energy to ludicrously low levels.
Imagine how much the chemical and petroleum companies would pay for this. And if ARDA won't sell, then we should really - wait, we shouldn't talk about this here.
Lab Reports #5: Advanced Electromagnets
Almost a hundred and fifty years ago, William Sturgeon demonstrated the first electromagnet, lifting nine pounds of iron with the current taken from a single battery. The doors to electromagnetic research were thrown open that day. Tomorrow, we'll take what may be the most significant step forward since Sturgeon.
LIM technology has allowed us to shape smaller, denser, and ever more powerful electromagnets. This year we demonstrated the most efficient pulsed field magnet to date, running even cooler than we had expected.
It's all been prelude to what comes next. For tomorrow, my friends, we shall switch on the most powerful electromagnet yet devised. It's going to get a little warm down in Lab 5, but what we'll be demonstrating will also be stable, safe, and very exciting.
It's all thanks to our research - your research - here at ARDA.
Lab Reports #6: Experimental Timing Issues
I need your help.
Read through the data. Look at the numbers. I've checked every equation, every result. The batteries were consistent. The quality of the materials were pure.
And yet, nothing on paper could really, truly explain the disparity in the results. The fact is: the materials in Chamber A were exposed for longer than those in Chamber B, despite the experiment running for the same exact amount of time.
Please. I beg you. I'm at my wits end. Help me find an explanation.
And hurry. We've already deployed a dozen setups like this. They're already running out in the field. I fear, if we don't get ahead of this, it's going to be bad.