The planet had been only recently discovered between the Earth and Venus.  It was roughly 20,700,000 km  closer to the Sun than Earth, or halfway between the Earth and Venus.  The scientists decided to call the planet Illyria after Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, as one of the top scientists was an overbearing, irritating Shakespeare buff and no one cared to argue with him for fear of losing their job.  After studying the planet for several years in the eighties, the scientists determined that Illyria was ecologically very similar to Earth and that a voyage to investigate wasn’t entirely out of line.  Illyria appeared to have water on the surface, some sort of producers, and a seemingly stable atmosphere made up of what appeared to be oxygen and nitrogen, like Earth’s, except in different proportions.  The voyage was a perfect excuse to further determine if Illyria was a suitable place to live.  So, they designed a ship and a very simple bubble to live in until Illyria was deemed completely livable for humans and certain animals.  The voyagers would construct the bubble when they reached Illyria.

    The scientists gathered together a promising group consisting of some cosmologists, some biologists, some chemists, two psychiatrists, an anthropologist, an ethnographer, a medical doctor, a mathematician, and farmers of various sorts.  The scientists decided that all sorts of farmers were a necessity to provide food and nourishment.  Among the farmers was the owner of a prestigious U.S. dairy farm.  The scientists figured that milk would be among the necessary dietary staples if man were to populate Illyria.  The farmer, therefore, brought 8 of his prize Holsteins and, for the sake of procreation, a bull.

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