Project CHRYSANTHEMUM: Difference between revisions

The schedule of the SPARTAN-III program was accelerated from that of the Spartan-IIs: because the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] wanted to have the Spartans deployed in the field as rapidly as possible, the Spartan-IIIs were augmented at an average age of twelve, whereas the Spartan-IIs were fourteen during their augmentations. As puberty had not yet started for the majority of candidates at this time, they were given human growth hormone as well as cartilage, muscle and bone supplements added into their food over several months to artificially induce the onset of puberty. As a result, the candidates had the bodies of near-adult Olympic athletes at an average of only twelve years of age, and it took some time for them to acclimatize to their larger physiques.<ref name="goo98">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 98, 100''</ref><ref group="note">These hormonal treatments supposedly replaced the catalytic thyroid implants received by the Spartan-IIs as part of their augmentation procedures. When describing the CHRYSANTHEMUM augmentations, ''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx'' does not mention the Spartan-IIIs receiving the growth hormone catalyst in the form of a thyroid implant like the Spartan-IIs. Since the Spartan-IIIs received human growth hormone months prior to receiving their augmentations, it can be inferred that the catalytic thyroid implant was rendered redundant since both serve the same purpose.</ref>