Endeavour Reference

---
name: endeavour-reference
description: "Use when you hit an unfamiliar term of art from anywhere in this reference — Auftragstaktik, the culminating point, characteristic velocity, density impulse, vis-viva, the Oberth effect, the Lawson criterion, FDIR, SANS, the Armstrong limit, ecopoiesis, paraterraforming — and need the definition plus the section that explains it, or when you want the books, standards and reports that actually teach military science, rocketry, spaceflight, fusion, flight software and Mars. Covers the complete thirty-one-entry glossary spanning all six parts and the complete further-reading list in its six groups. Part 12 of 12 of the Military Science, Rockets, Space, Fusion, and Mars reference."
---

# Glossary and Further Reading

> **Part 12 of 12** of the *Military Science, Rockets, Space, Fusion, and Mars* reference (plugin
> `military-space-rockets-and-fusion`), covering §39–§40 — the terms of art across all six parts, and
> the works that actually teach this material. Sibling skills:
> `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` (§1–§3 — Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, sea and air power, the levels of war, the principles as contradictory heuristics, OODA and mission command, deterrence, nuclear strategy, escalation, alliances and grand strategy),
> `endeavour-logistics-doctrine-modern-conflict-and-the-law` (§4–§6 — force structure, logistics, doctrine, intelligence and procurement; unmanned systems, cyber, space, information operations, irregular warfare and total defence; and the law of armed conflict),
> `endeavour-rocket-equation-nozzles-engines-and-propellants` (§7–§10 — Tsiolkovsky and staging, nozzle thermodynamics and the c*/C_F factorization, the combustion chamber, turbomachinery, engine cycles, cooling, and propellants with density impulse),
> `endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry` (§11–§16 — vis-viva and manoeuvres, the ascent Δv budget, aerodynamic loads and thin-walled structures, guidance and control, reentry physics, and failure physics),
> `endeavour-mission-architecture-and-spacecraft-subsystems` (§17–§22 — the design cascade, power and thermal, communications, navigation and autonomy, attitude control, in-space propulsion and EDL, human physiology, life support and ISRU, and reliability and margins),
> `endeavour-fusion-physics-confinement-and-engineering` (§23–§25 — the binding energy curve, the candidate reactions, the Lawson criterion and the Q-definition trap, magnetic and inertial confinement, why fusion is hard to engineer, and the nuclear background),
> `endeavour-satellites-flight-software-and-instruments` (§26–§28 — satellite types and orbits, flight software and FDIR, command and telemetry, in-flight update, scientific instrumentation, and planetary protection),
> `endeavour-the-martian-environment-and-in-situ-resources` (§29–§30 — Mars as a set of engineering parameters, and the water, CO₂, regolith and nitrogen resources),
> `endeavour-mars-mission-design-and-settlement` (§31–§32 — launch windows, the Martian EDL squeeze, communications, surface power, habitats, mobility, ECLSS closure and the psychological challenge),
> `endeavour-terraforming-warming-and-the-magnetic-field-problem` (§33–§35 — terraforming theory and the three habitability thresholds, the five gas sources, warming strategies, and the magnetic field problem),
> `endeavour-ecopoiesis-oxygen-timelines-and-ethics` (§36–§38 — ecopoiesis, the oxygen problem, the four-phase timeline, paraterraforming, ethics and governance, and the Venus comparison),
>
> Section numbers are **shared across the whole set**: a reference written as §N → `skill` points
> into that sibling skill. Part I is strategic studies pitched at war-college survey level and Part IV
> is fusion energy; neither this skill nor any sibling contains operational, tactical, weapon-design
> or device-physics instruction, because the source contains none. The law of armed conflict is not an
> appendix — it has its own section at §6 → `endeavour-logistics-doctrine-modern-conflict-and-the-law`.

## How to read a pointer

Every glossary entry ends with a pointer of the form **§N → `sibling-skill`**. `§N` is the section
that explains the term in context — the argument it belongs to, not a restatement of the definition.
The skill name is the file to open. A few terms do work in two places; those carry both pointers.

| Sections | Skill | What lives there |
|---|---|---|
| §1–§3 | `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` | The theoretical canon, the levels of war and decision cycles, deterrence and nuclear strategy |
| §4–§6 | `endeavour-logistics-doctrine-modern-conflict-and-the-law` | Logistics, doctrine, intelligence, procurement, modern conflict, and the law of armed conflict |
| §7–§10 | `endeavour-rocket-equation-nozzles-engines-and-propellants` | The rocket equation, nozzles, chambers, turbomachinery, cycles, cooling and propellants |
| §11–§16 | `endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry` | Orbital mechanics, ascent, loads and structures, guidance, reentry, failure physics |
| §17–§22 | `endeavour-mission-architecture-and-spacecraft-subsystems` | Mission architecture, power, thermal, comms, navigation, attitude, EDL, physiology, ISRU, reliability |
| §23–§25 | `endeavour-fusion-physics-confinement-and-engineering` | Fusion physics, confinement, the engineering reality, and the nuclear background |
| §26–§28 | `endeavour-satellites-flight-software-and-instruments` | Satellite design, flight software, instruments, planetary protection |
| §29–§30 | `endeavour-the-martian-environment-and-in-situ-resources` | The Martian environment and Mars resources |
| §31–§32 | `endeavour-mars-mission-design-and-settlement` | Mars mission design and settlement |
| §33–§35 | `endeavour-terraforming-warming-and-the-magnetic-field-problem` | Terraforming theory, warming, the magnetic field problem |
| §36–§38 | `endeavour-ecopoiesis-oxygen-timelines-and-ethics` | Ecopoiesis, oxygen, timelines, paraterraforming, ethics, Venus |
| §39–§40 | `endeavour-reference` | This skill: the glossary and the further reading |

## §39 The glossary

Thirty-one entries, in the source's own order — the first twenty-four run across military science,
rocketry, spaceflight, fusion and flight software; the last seven are the Mars and terraforming block.
Each definition is the reference's own, numbers intact; the pointer sends you to the section where
the term does work.

| Term | Definition | Explained in |
|---|---|---|
| **Auftragstaktik (Mission Command)** | Specify the intent and the task, delegate the method. Requires trust, shared doctrine, and tolerance of subordinate error. | §2 → `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` |
| **Binding Energy Curve** | Binding energy per nucleon versus mass number. Rises steeply from hydrogen to iron-56 (fusion releases energy), peaks at ~8.8 MeV/nucleon, declines slowly to uranium (fission releases energy). The single curve that explains both fission and fusion. | §23 → `endeavour-fusion-physics-confinement-and-engineering` |
| **Characteristic Velocity (c\*)** | p_c · A\* / ṁ. Measures combustion quality only — how well chemical energy was converted to hot, low-molecular-weight gas. Typical: 1,800 m/s (kerolox) to 2,350 m/s (hydrolox). | §8 → `endeavour-rocket-equation-nozzles-engines-and-propellants` |
| **Clausewitz's Trinity** | Primordial violence (the people), chance and probability (the army), and rational subordination to policy (the government). War is unstable between these three. | §1 → `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` |
| **Culminating Point** | The point at which an offensive has weakened enough (extending supply lines, absorbing losses) that the defender becomes stronger. Usually a logistics phenomenon. Recognizing it is one of the hardest judgements in operational art. | §1 → `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` (and again as a logistics phenomenon at §4 → `endeavour-logistics-doctrine-modern-conflict-and-the-law`) |
| **Delta-v (Δv)** | The change in velocity a manoeuvre requires. The currency of spacecraft mission design. The rocket equation relates it to mass ratio: Δv = Isp · g₀ · ln(m₀/m_f). | §7 → `endeavour-rocket-equation-nozzles-engines-and-propellants` |
| **Density Impulse** | I_ρ = Isp × ρ_bulk. Impulse per unit tank volume. For volume-constrained stages, matters more than Isp. The quantitative reason hydrogen loses on first stages. | §10 → `endeavour-rocket-equation-nozzles-engines-and-propellants` |
| **Deterrence by Denial** | Convincing the opponent the objective cannot be achieved. Generally more credible than deterrence by punishment, because it does not require the defender to accept costs of its own. | §3 → `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` |
| **EDL** | Entry, Descent, and Landing. The sequence from atmospheric entry interface to surface touchdown. Mars EDL is the canonical hard case — the atmosphere is too thin for parachutes alone but thick enough to require a heat shield. | §20 → `endeavour-mission-architecture-and-spacecraft-subsystems` (the Mars case in full at §31 → `endeavour-mars-mission-design-and-settlement`) |
| **FDIR** | Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery. The organizing principle of flight software. Detect anomalies, isolate the cause, recover by reconfiguration or safe mode. | §27 → `endeavour-satellites-flight-software-and-instruments` |
| **Friction (Clausewitz)** | "Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult." The accumulation of small difficulties that separates the plan from the execution. | §1 → `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` |
| **Gravity Turn** | After a vertical rise, pitch slightly, then let gravity rotate the velocity vector with zero angle of attack. Zero-α is a structural constraint, not an efficiency choice. | §12 → `endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry` |
| **Hohmann Transfer** | Two-burn, minimum-energy transfer between coplanar circular orbits. The standard orbital manoeuvre for moving between altitudes. | §11 → `endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry` |
| **ISRU** | In-Situ Resource Utilization. Making propellant, oxygen, water, or other consumables at the destination rather than launching them from Earth. Breaks the exponential mass cost of the rocket equation. | §21 → `endeavour-mission-architecture-and-spacecraft-subsystems` (the full Martian mine-to-methalox chain at §30 → `endeavour-the-martian-environment-and-in-situ-resources`) |
| **Lawson Criterion** | n · T · τ_E ≳ 3×10²¹ keV·s·m⁻³ for D-T ignition. The triple product of density, temperature, and energy confinement time that must be achieved for net fusion energy. | §23 → `endeavour-fusion-physics-confinement-and-engineering` |
| **Mass Ratio** | MR = m₀/m_f = exp(Δv / (Isp·g₀)). The ratio of initial to final mass required for a given Δv. At 9.4 km/s to LEO, MR ≈ 15.6, meaning 94% propellant. | §7 → `endeavour-rocket-equation-nozzles-engines-and-propellants` |
| **Normalization of Deviance** | An off-nominal observation recurs without consequence and is reclassified as acceptable. The recurring organizational failure mode in aerospace — Challenger and Columbia both followed this pattern. | §16 → `endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry` |
| **OODA Loop** | Observe, Orient, Decide, Act — Boyd's decision cycle. Operating inside an opponent's cycle causes disorientation and collapse. ORIENT is the part Boyd considered decisive and the part popular versions omit. | §2 → `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` |
| **Oberth Effect** | The same propellant buys more energy when you're moving faster, because energy change includes a v·Δv term. Hence departure burns at periapsis and the value of dropping deep into a gravity well before burning. | §11 → `endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry` |
| **RTG** | Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. Converts heat from ²³⁸Pu decay to electricity at ~6–7% efficiency. ~110 W electrical at BOL. The only practical power source beyond Jupiter. | §18 → `endeavour-mission-architecture-and-spacecraft-subsystems` |
| **SANS** | Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome. Optic disc oedema, globe flattening, choroidal folds, hyperopic shifts. Affects ~70% of astronauts on missions over 6 months. Underlying cause not understood. A key constraint on crewed Mars missions. | §21 → `endeavour-mission-architecture-and-spacecraft-subsystems` |
| **Stability-Instability Paradox** | Stability at the nuclear level can enable conflict at lower levels, because both sides know it will not escalate to nuclear exchange. | §3 → `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence` |
| **Thrust Coefficient (C_F)** | Measures nozzle quality only — how well the nozzle expanded the exhaust. Depends on γ, p_c/p_e, and area ratio. Typical: 1.5–1.9. | §8 → `endeavour-rocket-equation-nozzles-engines-and-propellants` |
| **Vis-Viva Equation** | v² = μ(2/r − 1/a). The single most useful formula in mission design. Determines velocity at any point on an orbit from the semi-major axis and radial distance. | §11 → `endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry` |
| **Armstrong Limit** | ~6.3 kPa atmospheric pressure. Below this, water boils at human body temperature (37 °C). The first threshold for Mars terraforming — above it, humans can survive with an oxygen mask rather than a full pressure suit. | §33 → `endeavour-terraforming-warming-and-the-magnetic-field-problem` |
| **Ecopoiesis** | The introduction of microbial life to a sterile planet as the first biological phase of terraforming. Begins oxygen production, nitrogen fixation, and soil formation. | §36 → `endeavour-ecopoiesis-oxygen-timelines-and-ethics` |
| **Paraterraforming** | Creating habitable enclosed environments (domes over craters, roofed lava tubes) rather than transforming an entire planet. Vastly smaller gas volume and immediate practicality make it the tractable alternative to full planetary terraforming. | §37 → `endeavour-ecopoiesis-oxygen-timelines-and-ethics` |
| **Perchlorates** | ClO₄⁻ salts present in Martian regolith at 0.4–0.6% by mass. Toxic to human thyroid function, lower the freezing point of water (enabling transient brines), and are a potential in situ oxygen source. | §29 → `endeavour-the-martian-environment-and-in-situ-resources` |
| **Sol** | The Martian day: 24 hours 39 minutes 35.244 seconds. Remarkably close to Earth's day, simplifying circadian adaptation and solar power scheduling. | §29 → `endeavour-the-martian-environment-and-in-situ-resources` |
| **Super-Greenhouse Gases** | Manufactured gases (PFCs, SF₆, CFCs) thousands to tens of thousands of times more potent as greenhouse gases than CO₂. The most physically plausible method for warming Mars, requiring industrial infrastructure but no unknown physics. | §34 → `endeavour-terraforming-warming-and-the-magnetic-field-problem` |
| **Terraforming** | Deliberate modification of a planet's environment to make it habitable for Earth life without life support. Mars is the only plausible candidate in the solar system. Full terraforming may take 10,000–100,000 years; the warming phase is plausible on century timescales. | §33 → `endeavour-terraforming-warming-and-the-magnetic-field-problem` |

### The same thirty-one, grouped by part

| Part | Terms |
|---|---|
| I — Military Science | Auftragstaktik (§2), Clausewitz's Trinity (§1), Culminating Point (§1, §4), Deterrence by Denial (§3), Friction (§1), OODA Loop (§2), Stability-Instability Paradox (§3) |
| II — Rocket Science | Characteristic Velocity (§8), Delta-v (§7), Density Impulse (§10), Gravity Turn (§12), Hohmann Transfer (§11), Mass Ratio (§7), Normalization of Deviance (§16), Oberth Effect (§11), Thrust Coefficient (§8), Vis-Viva Equation (§11) |
| III — Space Exploration | EDL (§20), ISRU (§21), RTG (§18), SANS (§21) |
| IV — Fusion Reactors | Binding Energy Curve (§23), Lawson Criterion (§23) |
| V — Satellites and Space Probes | FDIR (§27) |
| VI — Mars and Terraforming | Armstrong Limit (§33), Ecopoiesis (§36), Paraterraforming (§37), Perchlorates (§29), Sol (§29), Super-Greenhouse Gases (§34), Terraforming (§33) |

### Three pairs worth reading together

Drawn from the reference's own sections, not added to them:

- **c\* and C_F are a deliberate separation.** Characteristic velocity measures the injector and the
  chamber; thrust coefficient measures the nozzle. Because Isp · g₀ = c\* · C_F and both are separately
  measurable, a single hot-fire tells you which end of the engine is the problem (§8).
- **The culminating point and the Δv budget are the same lesson in two domains.** An offensive stops
  when it outruns supply, not when it runs out of courage (§4); a stage stops when the logarithm runs
  out, which is why rockets are 94% propellant (§7). Both are hard limits that look like failures of
  will from the outside.
- **Normalization of deviance and FDIR point in opposite directions.** One is an organization quietly
  reclassifying an anomaly as acceptable (§16); the other is a machine designed to detect an anomaly,
  isolate it and stop (§27). The failure mode the first names is the one the second exists to resist.

## §40 Further reading

The reference's own list, in its own six groups, with the reason it gives where it gives one. Nothing
has been added.

### Military Science

| Work | Why it is listed |
|---|---|
| Carl von Clausewitz, *On War* | The theoretical canon. |
| Sun Tzu, *The Art of War* | The other canonical text. |
| A.T. Mahan, *The Influence of Sea Power Upon History* and Julian Corbett, *Some Principles of Maritime Strategy* | Sea power theory. |
| Antoine-Henri Jomini, *The Art of War* | The geometric tradition. |
| John Boyd, *A Discourse on Winning and Losing* | The OODA loop and manoeuvre warfare. |
| Schelling, *Arms and Influence* | Deterrence and compellence. |
| Paul Kennedy, *The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers* | Economic foundations of military power. |
| David Glantz on Soviet operational art | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| The US Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual (FM 3-24) | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |

Mahan and Corbett are set against each other at §1 → `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence`,
where the reference's judgement is that Corbett has worn better. Schelling supplies the
compellence asymmetry at §3, Boyd the OODA loop with ORIENT restored at §2, and Glantz the operational
art that the West adopted only in the 1980s at §2.

### Rocket Science

| Work | Why it is listed |
|---|---|
| Sutton and Biblarz, *Rocket Propulsion Elements* | The standard textbook. |
| Huzel and Huang, *Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines* | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| John Anderson, *Fundamentals of Aerodynamics* | For compressible flow and nozzle theory. |
| Bate, Mueller, and White, *Fundamentals of Astrodynamics* | For orbital mechanics. |
| Vallado, *Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications* | For the comprehensive reference. |
| NASA SP-8007 | For buckling knockdown factors. |
| Sutton, *History of Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines* | For the engineering lineage. |

SP-8007 is the source of the γ = 0.15–0.65 knockdown factor at §13 →
`endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry`, which exists because classical theory over-predicts
thin-cylinder buckling strength by up to 5×.

### Space Exploration

| Work | Why it is listed |
|---|---|
| Wertz, Everett, and Puschell, *Space Mission Engineering: The New SMAD* | The mission design bible. |
| Fortescue, Swinerd, and Stark, *Spacecraft Systems Engineering* | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| Brown, *Elements of Spacecraft Design* | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| Griffin and French, *Space Vehicle Design* | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| NASA's *Human Integration Design Handbook* | For human factors. |
| The CCSDS recommendation series | For space communication standards. |
| Prasad, *Spacecraft Power Systems* | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| Gilmore, *Spacecraft Thermal Control Handbook* | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |

CCSDS appears in both this group and the flight-software group; the reference's own instruction at
§27 → `endeavour-satellites-flight-software-and-instruments` is that it is genuinely worth following
rather than inventing.

### Fusion

| Work | Why it is listed |
|---|---|
| Jeffrey Freidberg, *Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy* | The comprehensive textbook. |
| Wesson, *Tokamaks* | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| Gross, *Fusion Engineering* | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| The ITER physics basis documents | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| National Academies reports on fusion energy and IFMIF/DONES | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| Krane, *Introductory Nuclear Physics* | For nuclear structure and reactions. |
| Knoll, *Radiation Detection and Measurement* | For instrumentation. |

IFMIF/DONES is on the list because there is no operating high-flux 14 MeV test facility and no material
qualified for a full plant lifetime at fusion neutron fluence — see §25 →
`endeavour-fusion-physics-confinement-and-engineering`.

### Flight Software

| Work | Why it is listed |
|---|---|
| Margaret Hamilton, papers on Apollo flight software | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| The ECSS-E-ST-40 and ECSS-E-ST-70 standards | For space software. |
| CCSDS standards | For command and telemetry. |
| The NASA Flight Software roadmap documents | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| The JPL design principles for flight software | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| Wertz and Larson, *Space Mission Analysis and Design* | For the systems context. |

### Mars and Terraforming

| Work | Why it is listed |
|---|---|
| Robert Zubrin, *The Case for Mars* | The most influential argument for Mars settlement and the Mars Direct architecture. |
| Christopher McKay, Owen Toon, and James Kasting, *Making Mars Habitable* (Nature, 1991) | The first rigorous terraforming analysis. |
| Robert Zubrin and Christopher McKay, *Technological Requirements for Terraforming Mars* (JBIS, 1997) | The super-greenhouse gas analysis. |
| Kim Stanley Robinson, *Red Mars*, *Green Mars*, *Blue Mars* | The definitive science fiction treatment, extensively researched and technically grounded. |
| Mark Adler et al., Mars Exploration Program architecture documents | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| The NASA Mars Architecture Steering Group reports | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| David Catling, *Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction* | For planetary atmospheres and habitability. |
| F. Donaldson and E. Heggy, *The Water Cycle on Mars* reviews | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| The COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy documents | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| Lisa Pratt et al. on Mars special regions | *(No reason line given in the source.)* |
| Kasting's *Runaway and Moist Greenhouse Atmospheres* | For the theoretical climate framework. |

Three of these are load-bearing rather than background. McKay, Toon and Kasting (1991) is the first
rigorous treatment and the origin of the lineage described at §33 →
`endeavour-terraforming-warming-and-the-magnetic-field-problem`. Zubrin and McKay (1997) is the
super-greenhouse gas insight — that you do not need to warm Mars with CO₂ alone — which §34 calls the
most physically plausible warming method. The COSPAR documents are the implementing policy behind the
Outer Space Treaty Article IX obligations at §28 → `endeavour-satellites-flight-software-and-instruments`,
and they are what §38 → `endeavour-ecopoiesis-oxygen-timelines-and-ethics` says exists precisely to
prevent the contamination that terraforming would perform deliberately.

## Where to go next

- **A strategy or defence term you cannot place** — start at Clausewitz, §1 →
  `endeavour-military-theory-levels-of-war-and-deterrence`. The trinity, friction and the political
  claim organize most of the rest, and the levels of war at §2 resolve most of the confusion that
  remains. If the term is legal, go straight to §6 →
  `endeavour-logistics-doctrine-modern-conflict-and-the-law`; distinction, proportionality, military
  necessity and humanity are stated there precisely, and proportionality is the one that is almost
  always misused.
- **A propulsion or trajectory term you cannot place** — start at the three facts that generate rocket
  engineering, §7 → `endeavour-rocket-equation-nozzles-engines-and-propellants`, then vis-viva at
  §11 → `endeavour-orbits-ascent-structures-and-reentry`. Between the logarithm and the two-number
  energy state, most rocketry vocabulary resolves.
- **A spacecraft or mission term you cannot place** — start at the design cascade, §17 →
  `endeavour-mission-architecture-and-spacecraft-subsystems`. Mass is the currency and everything
  converts to it, which is why the subsystems read as one budget rather than a list.
- **A fusion or radiation term you cannot place** — start at the binding energy curve and the Lawson
  criterion, §23 → `endeavour-fusion-physics-confinement-and-engineering`; the dose quantities and the
  half-life/activity relation sit with the nuclear background at §25.
- **A Mars term you cannot place** — start at the environment as engineering parameters, §29 →
  `endeavour-the-martian-environment-and-in-situ-resources`. The 610 Pa atmosphere below water's triple
  point explains most of what follows.
- **A judgement call rather than a definition** — the honest assessments live with their subjects: the
  Q_scientific versus Q_engineering distinction and what NIF's gain is measured against at §23; that
  deterrence working for decades is compatible with having been repeatedly lucky, and that you cannot
  observe deterrence succeeding, at §3; the magnetic field problem left unsolved at §35 →
  `endeavour-terraforming-warming-and-the-magnetic-field-problem`; and the oxygen problem and the
  optimistic-versus-conservative terraforming timelines, both columns intact, at §36–§37 →
  `endeavour-ecopoiesis-oxygen-timelines-and-ethics`.