OZET

Texts

From the Birobidzhan Star, March 23, 1929

The Committee for the Deployment of Working Jews, under the guidance of Pyotor G. Smidovich, and with funds secured through private donations and its popular public lotteries, today dedicated the Collective Sphere OZET in a ceremony in Moscow. Upon its completion in late Spring, the OZET will become the home of nearly seven hundred pioneers, lishenets [politically disenfranchised enemies of the people] determined to become productive members of the Proletariat. Many Old Bolsheviks attended the ceremony and enjoyed, via live broadcast from space, a thrilling glimpse of this flagship, self-sustaining, super-orbital craft.

OZET contains both urban and rural environments, and has facilities for light manufacturing as well as agricultural production. (Part of OZET’s mission will be to identify planets along the outward path of its journey that are capable of providing the raw materials necessary for industrial activity.) Settlers will enjoy and benefit from forests of useful trees (hornbeams, Nordman Firs, etc), streams stocked with running fish, and a lake full of sturgeon. The CDWJ will also provide cultural materials such as songs for the edification and leisure-employement of generations to come.

OZET is not intended to return to Earth. It is expected to cross a band of stars emanating from cluster 310 (as defined in the New General Catalogue) in roughly 360 years, at which point it will be considered a completely autonomous oblast, under the independent governance of the Sixteenth Generation of OZET Pioneers.”