The Ark

The Ark (formally known as Ark Station and as the United Ark Federation ) was a space station, the orbital home for the humans whose ancestors escaped the Nuclear Apocalypse on Earth 97 years before the events of the series.

The Ark was one of the main locations during the first season of the show. After that, no one lived there and the Government & Science section of the Ark was left in orbit. As of the end of Season Two, a nuclear component of the high-tech space station is in possession of the Artificial Intelligence A.L.I.E.

History and Background
When the Nuclear Apocalypse occurred on May 10, 2052, there were 13 space stations orbiting Earth. The space station inhabitants assumed Earth was uninhabitable and that they were the only survivors. To pool resources and populations, the federation stations decided to merge into a single space habitat, the Ark.

The docking procedures were initiated on October 1, 2054. However, when one of the stations, Polaris, failed to comply with the unification orders, Alpha Station launched a missile and destroyed it. The remaining 12 stations, which were from 12 nations, successfully joined together. All mentions of Polaris were wiped and the day was remembered as Unity Day.

Over the years, the Ark was further expanded with thousands of satellites harvested from orbit. However, resource were still scarce, especially as the population rose. In order to ensure the survival of the human race, strict steps were taken, including limiting couples to one child and punishing all crimes committed by adults with death. Nonetheless, by 2149, the Ark's original population of about 400 had grown to 2,659.

The Ark was intended to sustain survivors for 200 years. After which, it was believed Earth would be survivable and the inhabitants could return to the ground. However, less than a century after unification, life support on the Ark was failing. By 2148, even the best repair estimates had the work taking longer than the system could keep the population alive. As a means of lessening the load on the system and testing the survivability of Earth, a hundred juvenile delinquents, known as the 100, were sent to the ground in a dropship.

Not knowing if the 100 survived and still facing inadequate life support, the Ark was forced to cull 320 volunteers, bringing the population to 2,237. After learning that Earth was survivable, the Council prepared for Project Exodus. However, there were only enough dropships for 700 residents, leading to a mutiny that left the Ark crippled. The survivors then separated the Ark into the original 12 stations and used the thrusters to bring them to the ground, leaving only the Go-Sci ring in space.

Season One
Approximately one year before the start of the first episode, it had been discovered by Jake Griffin that The Ark's oxygen system was failing, which was the reason that the 100 were sent to Earth. This problem presumably continues to worsen as the season progresses.

Following Diana Sydney's mutiny, an Exodus ship is launched without detaching, severely damaging the Ark and killing approx 1500 on board. With stations imminent life support failure and dropships no longer functional, Jaha realizes the only way to save the rest of the citizens is by bringing the Ark and its people to the ground. In the episode, We Are Grounders (Part 2), Jaha sends all except the Central Government and Science (Go-Sci) Station to Earth. Most stations break apart in the atmosphere but Mecha, Alpha, Farm, and Factory Stations have shown to at least partially survive re-entry.

Season Two
Throughout the first two episodes the sole resident of the remnants of the Ark, Thelonious Jaha, finds a way to make it back down to Earth in order to help save his people. He spacewalks from one side of the Go-Sci ring to the other and, after disarming a nuclear warhead, he takes the space-to-ground missile to the surface, leaving the Ark deserted.

Season Three
The Ark is seen again in the episode Red Sky at Morning. A.L.I.E. uses Becca's drop pod to migrate her code up to the Go-Sci Ring, the only Ark station left in space.

Station Components
The major divisions of the Ark were functionally named Stations. Other divisions of the Ark include station sections and docks with alpha-numeric designations, such as Section 17, the location of the room where The Culling took place and B dock, the location where the Delinquents' Exodus ship was launched from.

Government & Science Station
The Government & Science Station (Go-Sci for short) is the large primary ring of the Ark. Go-Sci and the Ark's other ring stations rotate to create artificial gravity using centripetal force. The station has a United States flag on it, implying that much of Go-Sci was converted from the original United States national station.

Go-Sci is the location of the key command and operations sections of the Ark. It was also left behind in orbit when the rest of the Ark was de-orbited and is the only remaining Ark component in space after Project Exodus. Jaha stayed behind on this station before returning to Earth. Go-Sci Station was abandoned in orbit. It still has power and A.L.I.E. was able to upload her code to it.

Ark Station Medical
Ark Station Medical is located within Go-Sci Station.
 * Doctor Abigail Griffin worked here as the Ark's senior medical officer.
 * Doctor Jackson also worked here alongside Dr. Griffin.

Earth Monitoring Station


The Earth Monitoring Station is located within Go-Sci Station. Prior to the Delinquents' wristbands used to monitor the effects of earth on the Sky People, the Ark was "earth blind" after cannibalizing all the satellites in space. . It was from this station where Chancellor Jaha initiated Project Exodus allowing everyone else to attempt reentry to Earth while he himself stayed behind in orbit.


 * Sinclair worked here.

Agro Station
Agro Station, more commonly known as Farm Station, was the Ark's agricultural facility. It is where edible plants and vegetables were grown, used as food by the inhabitants. It was also known for moonshine and medicinal herbs.

Agro was one of three stations evacuated after losing power during the Unity Day mutiny. During the exodus, it survived the descending to Earth and crashed deep into Ice Nation territory somewhere to the northwest from Alpha Station with approx 200 survivors.. Two-thirds of the population was lost in conflicts with Azgeda. On January 28, 2150, they met up with other survivors from the Ark. Within a week, the remaining population relocated to Arkadia and Mount Weather.


 * Jasper Jordan was from here.
 * Hannah Green was from here.
 * Monty Green was from here.
 * Bryan was from here.
 * Riley was from here, and was imprisoned in its wreck by Azgeda warriors until rescue from Bellamy, Miller, Harper, Monty and Bryan.

Alpha Station


The Alpha Station belonged to the United States. It was lead station when the Ark was formed in 2054. When Polaris delayed docking, Alpha Station destroyed Polaris as a lesson to the other stations that dissent will not be tolerated. Little is known about Alpha Station's role in the Ark afterward.

During the exodus, it survived the descending to Earth. The station wreckage was used to establish Camp Jaha at its crash site. It became the first colony and gathering point for the remaining survivors of Project Exodus. Now known as Arkadia, it was left abandoned by A.L.I.E. after chipping its population. Alpha station was destroyed by Ilian as he despises technology for the death of his family by A.L.I.E.


 * Abby, Jake, and Clarke Griffin were from here.
 * Sgt. Miller and Nathan Miller were from here.
 * Thelonious Jaha and Wells Jaha were from here.

Arrow Station
The Arrow Station is located at the end of the Ark, away from Go-Sci and is adjacent to Mecha Station. This station was called Shenzhen before the nuclear apocalypse and may alternatively be spelled "Aero." Little is known about its role in the Ark.

Factory Station


Factory Station presumably manufactured items needed by the Ark from recycled materials and/or broken components. During the exodus, it survived the descending to Earth but had a rough landing due to it hitting the side of a cliff and shattering with only one survivor.


 * Section No. B-17 – the location of both Cuyler Ridley's and Bellamy Blake's living quarters in Factory Station, according to profiles shown onscreen.
 * Aurora, Bellamy, Octavia Blake, and Zoe Monroe were from here.
 * Mel is the only survivor from the Factory Station landing.

Hydra Station
Hydra Station, often pronounced "Hydro Station" and thus possibly water-related, i.e. reclamation and possibly aquaculture. One of three stations evacuated after losing power during the Unity Day mutiny. One of the station's four bulbs exploded during the process to get to Earth which led to the destruction of the entire station.

Mecha Station


The Ark's mechanical facilities were located in Mecha Station. Unknown to most, one of the station's maintenance bays housed a 130-year-old escape pod salvaged from Mir-3 in 2102. One of three stations evacuated after losing power during the Unity Day mutiny. The station's hull has a Brazilian flag painted on it, implying that much of Mecha Station was converted from the original Brazilian national station.

Mecha Station and Farm Station are the only known stations without casualties from the Ark separation, re-entry, and landing. It was abandoned by the Sky People in favor of Alpha Station.


 * Cuyler Ridley worked here.
 * Raven Reyes and Finn Collins were from here.

Prison Station


Prison Station is also known as the Sky Box and Lockup. It is the station that contained the juvenile prison where the Delinquents remained before being sent to Earth. Those who are under the age of majority when convicted of a crime are sent to the Sky Box until the age of 18. At 18, The Council reviews their case and it is decided if they should be executed or released. It was the fourth station that lost power during the Unity Day mutiny although it was not mentioned if it was also evacuated.


 * Abigail Griffin, Commander Shumway, and Cuyler Ridley were also locked up within the Sky Box

Tesla Station
Based on the names, Tesla Station may be the formal name for Power Station. Little is known about Tesla Station, but it was shown on computer displays as one of the stations that separated from the Ark and descended to Earth. Power Station was only named once as stations reported ready for Ark separation and atmospheric reentry. Presumably, it generated the majority of the electrical power used on the Ark. It was most likely unable to function after the Unity Day mutiny due to damages.

Dropships


Dropships are dedicated reentry vehicles allowing the return to Earth. After using one Exodus ship to send down the 100 and losing another to Diana Sydney's mutiny, the Ark’s drop ship capacity was reduced to 600 people, however, the damage to the Ark was too catastrophic to be able to use the remaining dropships.


 * Exodus ship – A large, 100-person drop ship.
 * Escape pod – A small, 2-person drop ship
 * Space shuttles – At least two shuttles can be seen docked to the Ark.

Thrusters


Thrusters are normally used to keep the Ark in its proper orbit since even in low-Earth orbit there is enough atmospheric friction to slow orbits over long periods of time. Each component station had thrusters and Chancellor Jaha came up with the idea to use the thrusters to make most of the Ark itself a large "drop ship".

Precursors
The Ark was constructed by merging 12 national space stations, three of which have been named.

Mir-3
(Russian: Мир-3; literally: "peace" or "universe") was a Russian space station, and one of the 12 national space stations that the Grounders joined together to form the Ark. Mir-3 was launched 130 years ago, and salvaged in 2102.

Shenzhen
(Chinese: Shén ("divine"/"deity"/"spirit"/"magic")Zhèn ("town"); pinyin: Shénzhèn; literally: "divine-town") was a Chinese space station and one of the 12 national space stations that the Grounders joined together to form the Ark.

Shenzhen formed part of Arrow Station, as shown in the episode Spacewalker when in the flashback it shows Chinese writing. One of the metal box components on Government and Science Station has a Chinese flag on it, indicating that Shenzhen also composed part of it along with the unnamed American space station (a U.S. flag can also be seen in front of the Go-Sci Station). The airlock that was going to be used for Abigail Griffin's execution in Pilot had Chinese characters over the door, indicating that the airlock was originally part of Shenzhen. This was the same airlock used for Jake Griffin's execution, although whether or not it is the same one used for all executions is unknown. The words "Solid Waste Disposal" were written beneath the characters in English although it is unknown whether they were part of Shenzhen's original design or if they were added later.

ISS
The International Space Station formed part of the Alpha Station, as shown in Demons when Emerson is holding Clarke's friends in the airlock. On the walls of the airlock, it has ISS POWERLOCK written on the wall. It is unknown if this is the same airlock in shown in any executions but the airlock is shown in Coup de Grâce as Emerson's prison during episodes of Season Two but ISS POWERLOCK is not seen.

Residents
During its 95 years of operation, the Ark had roughly between 400 and 2,659 residents. It is currently uninhabited.

Appearances
In this section, the Ark is referred to as the Ark being up in space as a whole. This does not include separate stations of the spaceship as seen in Season Two.

Notes and Trivia

 * The name is a literal interpretation of the Bible story Noah's Ark, a refuge for the survivors of a species after an apocalypse.
 * The Ark is the birthplace of the Sky People.
 * In the novels, the space station is called The Colony.
 * In We Are Grounders (Part 2), the Closed Captioning also lists Orchid and Flint Stations.