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Think you got that part backwards or it was a REALLY bad landing to start with
Good stuff as usual
Randy
Glorious Dawn: The Two Paths of Spaceflight
- Thread starter SingularityG3
- Start date
Think you got that part backwards or it was a REALLY bad landing to start with
Good stuff as usual
Randy
typo but it does make the landing worse so uh yEah it was totally intentional : ) 👍
might be late on the next chapter again, next week is pretty busy for me, but I can still try to finish it, just no guarantees
Chapter 11b - A Meeting with Medusa
11b- A Meeting with Medusa
In the wake of Apollo 1, all eyes turned towards the moon, and the efforts to get there. NASA’s Surveyor program had been popular before, but now it was all around the news. And the first launch of Surveyor Block II was seen by millions. An all new design featuring improved engines, stronger landing legs, and a reinforced frame, all allowing for more surface payload capacity. The first one targets Mare Orientale, a massive crater on the limb of the moon, and a geologically fascinating area. The spacecraft descends, sending back live photos during the descent, until it unexpectedly dips behind a tall mountain. Being on the very limb of the moon, direct communications are tenuous at best, and this mountain just cut off all comms to Earth. It wasn’t a total loss of course, and it could have potentially landed, but it wasn’t a good sign. They had gotten too confident, and taken too large of a risk. Despite this, they still had one lifeline; Lunar Orbiter 3.
February 26, 1967
Lunar Orbiter 3 entered Lunar orbit just a few weeks after Surveyor II-I landed, and could potentially save the mission. In preparation for Apollo Lunar missions, the newest orbiters had been fitted with a “short” range comms system, able to talk to compatible systems within 1000 nautical miles. Surveyor II-I was one of these compatible vehicles. First, LO3 photographed its landing site, showing it had landed perfectly. Next time around, commands were uplinked from Houston, then downlinked to Surveyor. It transmitted its data up to LO3, which relayed it back to Earth. And at last, Surveyor’s first images and discoveries were returned -
April 5, 1967
CAPCOM “T-2 Minutes.”
Schweickart “Everybody comfy?”
Scott “As can be!”
Schweickart “What about the leader of the silver medalists?”
McDivitt “I’m worse after that remark.”
Schweickart “Well I’ll just shut up the next few minutes then.”
McDivitt “You’d better.”
CAPCOM “Ignition sequence start, 10, 9- All engines running- 6, 5- Main sequence go- 3, 2, 1, Liftoff.”
Scott “WOW!”
Schweickart “LOOK AT US GO!”
McDivitt “Houston, we are flying high and feeling good!”
Scott “We might not be, but it sure feels like we’re goin’ all the way to the moon!”
Apollo 2, along with Jim McDivitt, David Scott, and Rusty Schweickart, found itself in Low Earth Orbit. This was to be a second test of the major systems, proving once and for all that the spacecraft was ready to be transferred to the Moon. All systems appeared to be perfect, and the mission was brought back down after 8 days, the minimum time that would be required for a Lunar Orbiting mission.
May 25, 1967
Amidst increasing tensions within the country, Mainland China officially closed its borders. Nobody is permitted to leave or enter the country without express permission from a select few individuals. Political scientists are saying that this is the start of a slow decline for the country, with sources in the country talking about potentially relocating citizens.
July 5, 1967
On an overcast day in Florida, Apollo 4 took to the skies as the last pre-Saturn V launch. John Young, Donn Eisele, and Richard Gordon, began their trek to a lunar transfer orbit. This wasn’t heading to the Moon however, it would test one of the abort modes, performing an emergency burn back to Earth. Without the Saturn V it couldn’t be perfectly tested, but it would be able to be emulated. After entering orbit, the capsule was pushed into an eccentric orbit, bringing it up to outside the Van Allen belts, high enough to test. The crew marvelled at being the first humans to see the Earth as a ball, taking photos of each of them in front of the capsule window. A few days later, reentry is successfully completed, being the current fastest reentry speed ever of a crewed vehicle.
July 6, 1967
The thin air compresses violently against the heat shield, heating up by thousands of degrees, a bright and beautiful trail being left behind it, the first of surely many more to soon grace this world. The drag slows the vehicle down enough for real aerodynamics to come into play, a slight slant in the heat shield inducing a small amount of lift, aiding the descent, and helping with stability. The vehicle shakes as pyrotechnic fasteners detonate, pulling the parachute out and letting it deploy a few seconds later, causing another violent jolt. Mars 5 gently floats in the Martian atmosphere, drifting down ever so slowly towards the sandy surface below. No more than 2m/s, it continues to descend, the heat shield detaches, allowing the basic radar to find the distance to the surface.
To maximise the safety of the landing, retrorockets were mounted to the base of the lander, derived from the Soyuz vehicle’s. The lander was also provided with landing legs, instead of the traditional unfolding petal design. Back on Earth, communications vanished, as expected during the atmospheric entry phase, and completely unbeknownst to the entirety of Earth, Mars 5 was seconds from landing. The radar said 1 metre, and the vehicle commanded its retrorockets to fire. Only 3 of the 4 did. Mars 5 hit a large dune in Syrtis Major, part of a massive field stretching beyond the horizon, and it began to slide down. Scraping a path through the dark otherworldly sand, barely slowing down, coming to a stop around 20 metres from the edge of the dune.
July 10, 1967
July 13, 1967
The third approaching spacecraft of this transfer window, Mars 6, dares to skim the atmosphere, and try to enter orbit. Its panels catch the thin upper atmospheric air, and at the same time a small engine burn occurs, aiding in the orbital insertion. Mars 6 dips behind its namesake, and the Soviet controllers wait in suspense as the spacecraft, several minutes later, emerges from behind the rugged limb of Mars. The signal’s doppler shift is measured, it does appear to be in orbit! Though, not a spectacular one - the atmosphere provided less deceleration than was hoped, leading to a very loose orbit, an apoareion of almost 5 times that of Deimos’. But nonetheless, it is an orbit, the first ever around Mars. The orbiter spends the next few weeks relaying data from the Mars 5 lander, and the next few months surveying and imaging the planet.
July 20, 1967
Mariner 6 too approaches the red planet, conducting a similar engine burn to try and enter orbit, though without the dangerous aerocapture attempt. Slowly, the delicate vehicle slows down, Mars’ gravity having more and more effect on it, until the engines shut down. NASA waits several hours to confirm that Mariner 6 is now in orbit of Mars, a fantastic 8200x8100km orbit, entirely within Phobos’ orbit, and nearly a perfect circle. The spacecraft, with her fantastic photographic eyes, scans across the surface of Mars in hundreds of successive passes, complimenting Mariner-CRASH’s photos of Hellas Planitia, and mapping the entire sub-polar regions to within 300m resolution. With this window concluded, the time was now to truly plan for the next generation of Mars missions; the Voyager program. Multiple large orbiters, landers, rovers, and potentially a sample return mission, launching on the iconic rockets of today, Arcturus and Saturn V. The age of exploration has returned.
August 18, 1967
Back within the Earth-Moon system, a pair of rival landers begin their descents on separate days. First is Mechta-13, carefully descending towards the majestic Tycho Crater, carrying a small platform of experiments; A TV Camera, spectrometers, a small sample analysis arm, and a seismometer. Its landing legs grace the dusty regolith surface, commanding an automatic shut-off to its engines, and beginning the science phase of the mission. The samples were carefully observed with live observations, controlled by Soviet geologists on Earth. Interesting rocks were photographed, given endearing names, and studied in immense detail. To try and stretch this mission as far as it could go, it had a very special power source - an RTG, powering and heating the spacecraft with radioactive decay. This power keeps it living and functioning through lunar night, and the next night, and the next. Mechta-13 survives until December 30, 1967, a full 4 months after landing. With this, the USSR’s space program is confident enough to send their next ambitious mission, an independent rover, and a sample return spacecraft. If everything could be done in time, they could return rocks from the moon without human assistance, opening up a wide area of geological sites to retrieve from, otherwise impossible due to latitude constraints.
August 19, 1967
The other lander is the American Surveyor II-II, planting itself firmly on the foothills of Stevinus Crater’s central peak. It carries similar experiments to Mechta-15, with the exception of a radioactive power source. Surveyor II-II survives for just over a month, dying near the next lunar sunset. In that time, multiple nearby sites are photographed, and to conduct even more science, a short range hop is conducted, sending Surveyor closer to the mountain than it would’ve ever tried to land originally. She lands on a 20 degree slope, slightly past the tolerable limit, but she stays strong. Unique samples of previously unseen rock types are taken, and observed with care. For the geologists assigned to this mission, it was a marvellous surprise, one that may require Apollo to make further observations, with people on the scene itself.
August 25, 1967 - Soyuz 9 - LEO
Makarov “Range is 20 metres, holding position.”
Kubasov “Fuel margin at 28%”
FLYCON “Proceed with LK docking”
Makarov “Proceeding.”
Kubasov “Probe is released, ready for dock.”
Makarov “Contact!”
Kubasov “Yes! Contact! Deploying probe, the spacecraft are now locked together.”
FLYCON “Fantastic! We see docking confirmed as well! All systems show little deviation.”
Makarov “I’m sure it’ll be much better when this is done around the Moon.”
FLYCON “Little steps. If both of you are happy with this run, we can return you.”
Kubasov “Are we able to stay longer?”
FLYCON “You should have 5 days of food and supplies left, but for safety, 2 days is the most we can allow.”
Kubasov “You want another 2 days up here?”
Makarov “Would I be human if I said no?”
Soyuz 9 had just completed two daring firsts. The first docking of the Soviet space program, and the first crewed flight of the new Soyuz LOK, and LK lander. These would be used for their initial lunar landing, until a larger lander is completed, currently due in 1973. With this, it is now known that the spacecraft can truly perform as intended. Docking can be accomplished, and the engines can fire reliably and repeatedly. Soyuz 9 is brought back down 2 days later, and Oleg Makarov and Vasili Kubasov get to forever be the first crew, and first humans, to inhabit a lunar-destined vehicle.
September 19, 1967
Sitting atop an Atlas Centaur, ready for launch, is the wonderful Explorer 35. Designed by the Lewis Research Centre, spearheaded by Harold Kaufman, it was to be the first true electrical propulsion spacecraft. Three mercury-fuelled ion engines, powered by an improved SNAP-10B nuclear reactor. This would be no feeble tech demonstration, but a radiation-hardened ferry to the Moon, for Explorer 35 planned to enter lunar orbit. Project Manager Raymond Rulis, along with the entire team for designing and building the spacecraft, sat in the viewing area, watching their beloved spacecraft shoot off into the heavens. Several hours later, Explorer had reached LEO, and all systems were stable. 35’s mission control was filled with excitement, for it was time to activate the engines. A brilliant blue glow lit up the spacecraft, being pushed ever so slowly towards the moon, beginning its year long journey.
October 2, 1967
Lunar Orbiter 4 continues the steady stream of lunar reconnaissance missions needed for Apollo, its deadline rapidly approaching. It focuses on the Sea of Tranquility, as well as photographing the landing sites of Surveyor landers, and the impacts of Ranger spacecraft.
October 5, 1967
At Baikonur, a massive rocket named Proton stands its ground, fighting against the cruel storm raging around it. Within its fairing is a marvel of engineering, and a beacon of the hope for centuries of future exploration - Mayak-1. A small central bus, a 1 metre wide, 1.5 metre tall cylinder, topped with a large deployable antenna, and surrounded with 8 spheres filled with propellant, feeding the small attitude control thrusters. Providing the many instruments with power is a small Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, an RTG, on a 2m deployable truss, extending after launch to make room inside the upper interstage. Mounted on the top of the truss, on opposite sides, are two small spheres made of titanium, a small explosive charge in the centre of each. These are almost identical to the design used for Mechta 2, and are planned to be deployed before the two major moon encounters, at Europa and Io. Mayak-1 is going to Jupiter. It plans to fly past on the Fourth of July, 1969, And after that, it continues on to Neptune.
In a bold display of confidence, this launch is televised across the nation, and picked up by several networks across the globe, noting the rarity of the USSR displaying its rockets. Half an hour from launch, the rocket feed cuts to two people sitting at a table, surrounded by screens and a lit up blackboard next to them. The man on the left is simply referred to as the “Project Designer”, his real identity concealed for safety. He is Arkady Ilyich Ostashev, a close friend of Sergei Korolev. He speaks of helping to build Sputnik, and Vostok, and as a young child, dreaming of exploring the planets. The other man is Nikolai Semyonovich Kardashev, able to captivate the public, he spoke about the spacecraft, the Proton rocket, and basic orbital mechanics.
Western hosts speculated on what this launch could be, proposing that they could be missions to Mars or Venus, though the more science-savvy ones knew neither of those planets were aligned for transfers. Some grew concerned when “Nuclear Power” was mentioned, but they reasoned that if this had any military function, they wouldn’t be sharing it, would they? The countdown hits one minute to launch, and the cameras return to the rocket
“To all the viewers, Soviet and across the world, Our nation is going to Jupiter, and Neptune! We shall reach the surface of Jupiter’s two closest large moons, and Neptune’s largest moon as well. Let this day be remembered by all, and know this is just the start of the glorious age of interplanetary flight.”
Yep! More due to the program being under stress to conduct the landing earlier, but still partially for more ambitious missions.
If Pioneer 0 (1 in this universe) makes it as far as Pioneer 1 did in OTL, then the third flight in November will probably be successful, beating the Soviet efforts.
(I wrote the history on Pioneers 0-2: https://www.sdfo.org/stl/pioneer02.php)
Hi everyone ! The turtledove polls are now open, and Glorious Dawn is one of the options ! If you want, you can vote for it, but dont feel like you have to. Take a look at the other eligible timelines! Chances are, you’ll like them more 😁 Personally, it reccomends Ocean of Storms, A Sound of Thunder, and Time after Time!
Loving this so far, found it from the Turtledove nominations. No damn idea how Johnson lost '64, or how Bobko and Neubeck survived, but that's just nitpicks from me. When will Apollo switch from Block I to Block II? Are Block I/II and Saturn V different at all ITTL? When is the LM gonna be test flown? I haven't seen it mentioned yet. Dare I ask... Is this a direct ascent Apollo timeline?!
Aw, thanks!
William Scranton was a very left-leaning republican, which in my mind would've been able to attract a lot more voters than the intense Goldwater, and pull in some of the more moderate Democrats. I don't get into the politics of this timeline much, because it quite honestly hurts my brain to try and comprehend how all the moving parts work, but it would already be decently different. The late 60s would be a lot better than IOTL in some respects, just take a look at what Scranton did in Pennsylvania, he likely could've done a lot of good as President. As for why Goldwater wasn't the nomination? I imagine that if Scranton was more enthusiastic about running, unlike IOTL, he could've secured the nomination with relative ease.
The original plan was for Bobko to die on landing actually, from a combination of the burns and blunt force trauma, but a few months before that chapter came out, the real Karol Bobko unfortunately died, and I felt it would be sort of unfair to have him die ITTL after that. I think him surviving could lead to some interesting events further down the line, though.
Next chapter!
Pretty much the same as IOTL, though maybe with some marginal improvements to the F-1 and J-2 engines, thanks to Arcturus using both of those for several years already, providing a lot of much needed data and informing further construction of the Saturn V.
That's a mistake on my part, honestly I'm much more a fan of uncrewed and robotic missions, so I might occaisonally forget to mention some of the crewed components. It'll be seen next chapter though! Next chapter is coming along very well by the way, should be out within the next few days! It'll be very long though, at least 4k words.
I have considered it but no, It won't be. Was looking into alternate LM and CSM designs but decided just to keep it as it was IOTL (I somewhat regret this though, the LM is a nightmare to try and draw).
I'm glad you're enjoying the timeline! Thanks for reading! ^.^
Good(?) news everyone! Chapter 12 should be done in the next few days! Unfortunately it'll probably be over 5000 words. Whoops! might need an intermission in the middle...
Was taking a bit too long to finish off the next chapter, and since over 5000 words would be miserable to read through, I'm splitting the chapter! Expect it in like a few hours?
Chapter 12 - Convergence
Chapter 12 - Convergence
Yet again, the world was stunned hearing the news. The Soviets are going to Jupiter? How did they beat us? When are we going? What’s next? The Asteroids. The USSR had no asteroid missions planned yet, leaving this as perfect ground for exploration. And luckily, Dr. John Nicolaides would get his way once again, with help from Dandridge M. Cole. Seafarer 4, a larger probe than any seafarers launched before, rose from the launchpad, millions of eyes upon it, watching it fade away into the atmosphere. It sends its telemetry back as it goes further and further, finishing its injection burn. Its target, most people have not heard of, for there is nothing wholly unique about it - the asteroid 21 Lutetia. A main belt asteroid about 200 kilometres across, with little else known about it besides that. This was the first object to be visited, that we truly knew nothing about. Just a lone rock floating in the abyss, is it round? Rugged? Craterred? Smooth? There's only one way to find out, and one time, July 1969. Such is the agony of exploring beyond Mars, the distances increase exponentially, but thankfully, so do the scientific rewards.
In the past few years, Cole had continued to workshop various asteroid exploration missions, and had even begun to get funding to construct a small planetoid surveying observatory in Colorado, planning on opening in mid-1969. One bold mission idea of his was a crewed mission to the asteroid 1620 Geographos. It would be undertaken before a voyage to Mars, sometime in the 1970s. Taking only one or two Saturn V launches, delivering a crew of 3 to the asteroid for a number of weeks, performing a flyby around Venus to match inclinations. So far, he had spent months planning the designs, and it was getting close to being finished.
November 11, 1967
Floating towards the Moon, a cylindrical spacecraft, with 3 people sitting inside. This is Apollo 6, with Commander Walter Schirra, previously flying on Mercury-Vulcan 8 and Gemini 8. Command module pilot Jack Swigert, with this being his first flight, and Lunar Modular Pilot (Though there was no LEM), Walter Cunningham, also a newbie to NASA. As they sat in their chairs, two days from the moon, 100,000 kilometres above the Earth, they began to wake up for the day to Dream World by The Monkees, played by CAPCOM back on Earth.
Swigert “Darn. I was enjoying my dream world... Morning, Houston.”
CAPCOM “Mornin’! How’s the view, Columbiad?”
Swigert “Lots of stars. Can’t count ‘em all, but it looks like there's at least 12, probably more.”
CAPCOM “Got those same numbers down here too, you must be going the right way!”
Schirra “Morning, Houston.”
CAPCOM “Morning! Seems like most of y’all are up now, should we go through the day’s tasks?”
Cunningham “Might as well, whats first?”
CAPCOM “First make sure the star trackers are working, then a few observations of Earth and the Moon, then you’ve got an interview around 1600. That’s about it, it’s a pretty light day.”
Swigert “Well that sounds alright.”
CAPCOM “Don’t get used to light days, they’re a nice break but those heavy days are... Well, you’ll know tomorrow.”
Cunningham “Oh yeah we’re going to the Moon, aren’t we!”
Schirra “Definitely going to /a/ Moon. It's ours, right CAPCOM?”
CAPCOM “Ah, was that the plan? Sorry, boys, we’ve got y’all going to Ganymede!”
Cunningham “Won’t be the first time I’ve accidentally ended up there.”
Swigert “Happens to the best of us.”
The last peaceful day comes and goes, the Moon growing larger beyond the spacecraft, though they wouldn’t get their first view until tomorrow morning. As they wake up, the Moon is magnificent outside, vast sheets of bright dust layered on cooled lava flats, mountain ranges and craters. They’d seen the images
They emerge from behind the Moon, Earth hearing their voices again, overjoyed to know they’re ok, and they begin to prepare for returns. Apollo 6 shoots away from the Moon before falling towards Earth, a bittersweet final 2 days in space before the landing. They all hope they can all go back someday, walk on its surface, see that beauty up close. They land in the ocean, recovered by the designated ship, and are hailed as heroes. The first humans to travel to and around the Moon.
November 16, 1967
The Surveyor program is one defined by taking risks, being adventurous, and pushing the envelope. For their next mission, Surveyor II-III, they had a new daring target to attempt a landing at: Hadley Rille. A large snaking depression in the lunar surface, and a geological marvel. Surveyor, currently hurtling towards its floor at breakneck speeds, would be attempting a landing here. Slowing down with its engines, it transmits live footage back, showing the boulder littered rille, and a small clearing. Mission control waits for confirmation of landing, and for ten seconds, the room falls completely silent. Then, the signal. They did it, Surveyor was down, and they could begin the science.
December 4, 1967
Across the nation, TV screens light up with a familiar face, Walt Disney. For the past few months, Walt was bedridden, in what is now a frequent occurrence, an unmissable sign of his declining health. For now, he’s well enough to appear on camera once more, for he has something to announce. The full plans for EPCOT, a massive planned community of people southwest of Orlando, Florida. It was a grand plan, a new, larger Disneyland, an airport, a monorail, hotels, vast green spaces, and a nuclear reactor to provide power. Full construction was to begin in under 3 years.
December 23, 1967
They were getting desperate. Confident in their ability to beat America to the moon, but still desperate. The N1 wasn’t ready for crewed flights yet, having flown 5 times, failing twice. Korolev had been given demands to send crew into Lunar orbit before the year was out. This was abysmal to plan, but it had been worked out - a LOK Soyuz would be placed atop a Proton rocket. It had launched enough to prove itself as being safe, and was the only other rocket capable of sending crew to the Moon. Atop the rocket, within the capsule, sat two brave cosmonauts. Yevgeny Khrunov, previously flying on Voskhod 7, and Andriyan Nikolayev, last flying on Vostok 3.
“Archangel is in orbit!”
Mission control claps with such thunderous applause, it could be mistaken for a rocket launch. State media quickly announces the incredible news, and this makes its way across Europe, and Asia, and America. The USSR is the first nation to place humans in lunar orbit. They weren’t the first to reach it, no. But they would be the first to stay, at least for a little while. For the next few days, they map the lunar surface, taking photos of themselves in front of the far side of the Moon, and several spacewalks are performed, deploying a small satellite, Mechta-14. Their time around our celestial companion comes to an end, and Archangel burns for home. January 2, 1968, Archangel strikes the atmosphere, streaking a burning trail across the bare desert sky. Beyond this violent plasma, a few minutes later, the capsule gently touches down in the Kazakh plains. They’d gone to the Moon, stayed, and come back. Next time will get even closer.
January 18, 1968
The Soviets beat them to orbit. Goddamn it. They had nothing in store to one-up them this time. Just another orbiting mission. Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, and Buzz Aldrin sat within the capsule. One would think they would be crestfallen, at least the reporters did, but they were quite happy. Sure, they would no longer be first in lunar orbit, but they would still be going to lunar orbit! That’s nothing to scoff at. And so as the Saturn V launches with crew for only the second time, the three astronauts keep their hopes high, glancing at the Moon as the abort tower flies off into the distance, and their capsule is in Earth orbit. Their S-IVB ignites a second time, propelling Apollo 7 off into cislunar space, arriving at the Moon only three days later. Odyssey began to orbit the Moon, and much like the previous Archangel, they photographed the lunar surface and performed experiments. Unlike their soviet counterparts, they had multiple interviews with the news, limited by their orbits. This of course upset the scientists, wanting to focus on the actual mission, not just publicity. After two days in lunar orbit, Odyssey ignited her engine once more, propelling her back to the Earth. Another few days later, January 26, Apollo 7 splashes down in the Pacific ocean.
February 11, 1968
Two weeks ago, a meeting was held on how to proceed with the next Surveyor mission, II-IV. Its original landing site, Mare Fecunditatis, had been eclipsed by more intriguing targets. Some still advocated for it, more still for landing in the flat base of Messier A. Though these were incredibly intriguing landing sites, Lunar Orbiter 5’s reconnaissance had provided an interesting possibility - The poles. Some theorised that regions deep within craters that never saw the light of the sun could possibly contain frozen ice and volatiles. Such resources, if present on the surface, would be able to kickstart the colonisation of the Moon. From the few images returned, the south pole appeared to be a rugged nightmare, which, although landings had so far been successful in risky terrain, Surveyor II-I’s landing had cast a shadow of doubt over landings near the limb. At least until a relay satellite could be set up, they wanted to stay clear of the mountains, but this requirement was temporarily loosened, and one north pole area seemed to be a perfect spot. A somewhat large, decently flat area, around 86.6N 12.5E. This spot lies at the foot of a large mountain on the rim of Byrd Crater they named Clinch Mountain, after Nicholas Clinch, the first person to climb Vinson Massif in Antarctica, beating Max Conrad to the summit by 7 hours. 10 days later, Surveyor was on its way to the Moon. And today, February 11, Surveyor is hours away from the hopeful touchdown.
Like the previous Surveyor II missions, II-IV was able to transmit live photos back, showing the Lunar north grow larger and larger, more detailed than ever. Photos exceeded Lunar Orbiter’s quality, and the engines began to fire. The live photos turned to static, as expected from interference, but the telemetry was still coming back. The surface was passing by fast, and the operators began to worry it might not make it. As the Horizontal velocity was for the most part nullified, live camera footage began streaming back again, revealing this incredible area. Clinch mountain has a massive crater gouged out of it, and the “flat area” seems to be more cratered than expected. She continued to descend, as the altitude systems began to glitch, seeing each crater beneath as a sudden dip and rise in altitude, the computer wildly firing the vernier engines to compensate. True altitude fell to 100, 50 metres, and the camera began to show a plume forming beneath the spacecraft, while still moving fast. Surveyor hits the lunar surface at 3 metres per second horizontally, and 2 metres vertically. The live feed stopped, telemetry turned to white noise, and hope turned to fear. After the longest 10 seconds, a faint signal was heard, as the lander had unexpectedly bounced. Thankfully it landed upright, but its solar panel boom had been snapped. The camera turned back on, and it could be seen lying clear in the view, sitting towards Clinch Mountain. The images were beautiful. Clinch standing tall, 2 kilometres above the landing site, with the central peak of the unnamed crater they had landed in around 45 degrees to the side of it. The rest of Byrd’s rim wrapped around the horizon, hugging it tight, and Earth hung just to the side of the peak. The public was enthralled, and this mission was seen as another miraculous landing, and a public relations goldmine.
April 19, 1968
Long overdue, another crewed Saturn V lifts off from the Cape, thousands of spectators watching it rise into the clear noon sky. This mission, Apollo 8, is not destined for the Moon, but a simple low Earth orbit. Firmly placed into orbit, Commander Fred Haise detaches from the S-IVB, performing the first Apollo transposition and docking, pulling the Lunar Module out from its cocoon. Haise and lunar module pilot David Scott transfer into the LM, while command module pilot Charles Bassett remains. It’s a strange feeling being the first person in a brand new type of spacecraft, a kind of solace, being the first person to operate such a vehicle in space. The two spacecraft separate, performing their first individual systems tests, verifying the operation procedures, and making sure all facets of the spacecraft are ready. Everything comes up perfect, and Falcon, the Lunar Module, ignites its engine. Quite literally rocketing off into the distance, Bassett is the lone person left in the command module, Nest. Falcon completes its burn, doing several more system checks, before separating the descent stage, igniting the ascent stage engine, and burning back to Nest. Though it had only been two hours, it felt like a lifetime away, and the crew was overjoyed to see each other through the hatch once again. Nest and Falcon remain in orbit for 3 more days, deorbiting on the 24th of April. Sad to see Falcon go, burning up in the atmosphere with no heat shield, but the crew is glad to be back on Earth.
April 26, 1968
For the past 6 months, Explorer 35 had mostly been a skeleton crew. 2 or 3 people in alternating shifts, making sure nothing went horribly wrong with the ion engines. It was about double when they were passing through the Van Allen Belts, but it made it through mostly unscathed, to the surprise of many. One of the thrusters was operating on slightly reduced thrust, and it seemed the mercury tank was less full than planned, but not overwhelmingly so. Now, the time had finally arrived to reach the Moon. Raymond Rulis enters Explorer control, some 20 people arriving behind him. A mix of engineers, scientists, and members of the media. In just a few hours, 35 would slow down enough for the Moon to capture it. Then, it would spend several weeks lowering its orbit to a 400 km circular orbit, and the observation campaign would begin. The majestic 3-ton ferry hung high above the Moon, that same blue glow that had lit it up for the past half year still going strong.
This was a risky mission, and everyone knew it. This was justified with an incredible amount to gain, the opening up of the solar system for cheap. These ion engines were crude and relatively inefficient, but larger, better, cheaper ones could be made if this succeeded. Missions could be sent to fly past a cascading chain of asteroids, orbit the outer planets, send an interstellar spacecraft shooting away from the Sun into the frigid depths of extrasolar space. Should the mission fail at this point, it wouldn’t spell doom for ion engines, as they had proven they could fire for months on end already, but it still wouldn’t be good. As a payload, a massive gamble had been taken, placing a multitude of expensive and important payloads onboard. Colour camera systems, relaying capacity, 5 hard impactors designed to impact the surface, similar to the Ranger spacecraft, but a lot smaller. Finally, after what felt like forever, 35 and the Moon’s speeds matched, and orbit had been obtained.
May 19, 1968
It was becoming less and less clear who would win the Moon race. At first, the USSR was far ahead, but the United States had almost entirely caught up. If we can’t guarantee we’ll be first, thought the Mechta program managers, we can at least be the first to return samples - by using an uncrewed spacecraft. Launching on the ever powerful Proton rocket, it makes its way to the Moon in a matter of days, descending towards its landing site of Mare Crisium. Crisium had been well characterised already, by Mechta 10 and Surveyor VI, showing it as an ideal candidate site for the first attempt. Mechta’s engines flare, showering the regolith below with a strengthening shower of complex chemicals from the exhaust. Gently, the engines throttle down when the landing legs’ contact prongs touch the surface, the lander falling gently for the last metre. Mechta’s drill digs down into the surface, reaching a depth of 40cm before retracting, placing the sample in a small reentry capsule. collecting a core sample, weighing 250g, as a decent amount was lost during the transfer. The next day, after a short checkout, Mechta 15 lifted off from the lunar surface, performing a direct ascent back to Earth. 3 days later, 15 was a bright streak over Central Asia, parachuting safely down to the dry ground, and being recovered. As a display of sportsmanship, or taunting, the USSR would provide 5g of the returned samples to the United States. Everyone knew the next samples returned would be direct from the hands of men, and the first missions were set to launch before the end of the year.
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Crazy update! Korolev living really has had an impact, and yet, so has the expanded Explorer program... I'm guessing the first Block II Apollo flew on 8, the LEM docking mission? Additionally, the soviets have launch abort systems now, right? I didn't see any on that LOK Soyuz, but I'm assuming they're there - If not, it explains why they want more than 5 N1 test flights...
Oh totally, and there’ll be a lot more impacts later too :3
Expanded by some metrics, this mission? Definitely, but the launch cadence has been slightly slower. IOTL Explorer 35 launched in September 1967, as opposed to July 1967 as ITTL. Explorer 35/Windjammer was really a logical followup to SERT-1. Hopefully there’ll be more windjammers!
Yep! Should’ve made that clearer honestly,,,
The N1 will have abort systems, but the LOKs on the Proton don’t .
I feel like this'll have ramifications, considering what happened when one Proton had a few sensors hammered in wrong in 2013...
Doing some late range planning right now, next chapter is coming along well, shouldn't be much longer now!
Chapter has to be delayed, the main computer I write on has had its screen mysteriously gain an ominous empty patch. Working on getting the next chapter posted ASAP, as it's done writing right now. just waiting to finish the illustrations.
Chapter 13 - Objectif Lune
Chapter 13 - Objectif Lune
June 19, 1968For the first time, the N1 rocket carries its first crew to space. It had already conducted 3 successful test launches (though more than 3 attempts were made), and leadership was confident with moving ahead. Mirroring the American Apollo 7 mission, Archangel 2 travels across near-Earth space, making the journey out to the Moon once again. This time, they would orbit the Moon. Anatoli Vorynov and Viktor Gorbatko look at the Moon outside the windows, performing several spacewalks to deploy small satellites while in orbit, and letting a special mapping camera scan the surface. They image the future landing site of Archangel 4, Oceanus Procellarum, finding it to be relatively clear. The next mission, Archangel 3, is planned to be similar to Apollo 8, though around the Moon instead. A full landing test, coming just 5km short of the Lunar surface, planning to launch in September. If all goes well, they plan to land in December 1968. After a week in lunar orbit, Archangel 2 returns home, ready and excited for the next phases of exploration to come.
June 29, 1968
Despite its current political turmoil, the People’s Republic of China had ambitious programs underway. Specifically, their program named “2 Bombs, 1 Satellite”, bringing China their first nuclear weapon in 1964, and their first Hydrogen bomb the previous year. Now, standing on the launchpad in the Jiuquan launch facility, is the Long March 1 rocket. And atop this, is the first Chinese satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, translating to “East Is Red”. The YF-1A engines ignite, spraying their plume of Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine and Red Fuming Nitric Acid across the pad, lifting up. After a short while, stage 2 activates its YF-3A engine, and later still, stage 3’s FG-02 solid motor. China’s first satellite separates from the rocket, flying free, and singing its song for all to see.
July 4, 1968 - NASA National Protection Wing, Langley, VA
For the past year, the absorbed remnants of AMSA had been working on a brand new vehicle, one to replace the withering, inefficient NOTSNIC Pilot-3. Simple kinetic interceptors had fallen out of favour, mostly due to their incredible inaccuracy, and the B-58 Hustler used to launch it was proving subpar. A few members of the development team had submitted a proposal to go back to the basics, and they came up with CRUCIBLE. CRUCIBLE would launch from the X-15 once again, using the AMSA-modified X-15s from several years ago, able to reach at least 80 km and 1.2km/s velocities carrying the 2 ton rocket. It was similar to the original in more respects as well, having 4 stages, though in a different configuration. The first stage, or the boosters depending on who you ask, are two small solid motors mounted on either side of the top. These fire for several seconds providing a kick to the vehicle, shooting it away from the X-15. 10 seconds after deployment, the boosters separate as stage 1 ignites, a larger solid booster,
It was not ready to launch yet, and it would likely be at least a year, but testing was well underway. Scale models of the CRUCIBLE attached to the underbelly of the X-15 for mass and flight simulator tests. Individual firings of the solid motors, test payload verifications. The program was coming in under budget, ahead of schedule, and better than expected results, typical from a NOTS assisted program. NOTS themselves had been developing interesting plans, inspired by the recent successful ion engine tests, they wondered what special probes they could develop. Theoretically, an asteroid flyby craft could be around 50kg with current technology. CRUCIBLE has a payload capacity of 65 kg to LEO, leaving an extra 15kg which NOTS has inquired about using for an ion engine. 15kg of mercury fuel for an ion engine would result in a potential Delta V of 7.7km/s, enough to theoretically enter Saturnian orbit, though this was a bit too far fetched. Orbit capture around smaller asteroids was a strong possibility, as was a potential Mercury orbit, should gravity assists be involved. It was an inviting possibility, one that captured the minds of many at NOTS, prompting a new offshoot sector for designing missions. With the low cost of launch, it could be incredibly efficient at sending exploration missions across the solar system.
July 8, 1968
In the final planned pre-Apollo landing mission for Surveyor, II-V, Begins its landing procedures for Aristarchus Crater. This crater had long been the sight of numerous strange sightings by earthbound astronomers. Reports of it turning red, strange gases seen by spectrometers, the crater appearing blurry. Some of these reports dated back over a century, and were discounted as nothing, until occasional modern observations saw the same things. Travel to such a unique destination required some alterations to the suite of experiments brought along. Most notably, a Gas Chromatograph, and a small drill. Landing was much more successful than the previous close calls, landing just southeast of Aristarchus’ central peak, banded with shades of grey. Odd things were quickly found, a slightly higher radiation level, 20% above background levels, more than expected to arise from noise variations. The drill found surface temperatures dropping after a few centimetres, then slowly rising again, going against the expected results. The most surprising finding though, was confirmation of an incredibly tenuous atmosphere of a shocking composition - Radon-222. Radon-222 itself has a half life of just under 4 days, meaning it most likely has to be emerging from a decay chain, the most likely source of which is Uranium-238. Surveyor II-V may have found a massive deposit of Uranium under the surface of Aristarchus Crater. If these results are accurate, then Aristarchus could be a valuable source of radioactive materials to fuel a potential base.
July 10, 1968
Never one to be beaten, immediately following the launch of Surveyor II-V, the Soviet Union launches Lunokhod 1. Landing in Oceanus Procellarum, the future planned landing site of Archangel 5, their first lander, it’s not expected to survive until that landing occurs. Lunar nights are bitterly cold and harsh, it would be a miracle if Lunokhod survived a single one. Lunokhod was shaped somewhat like a tub, extending about 5 feet wide, with a deployable solar panel on a hinge, and a suite of experiments. Thanks to the Moon’s proximity to mission control, it can be controlled in somewhat real time, just a 2 second delay in commands. This provides a unique viewpoint and opportunity for the future Archangel missions to actually see their landing sites before the mission. Aiding with this, Lunokhod has a special boom, unfolding and
July 20, 1968
Using Lunokhod 1 as a location beacon, the backup ascent vehicle for the planned landing of Archangel 5 was sent to Oceanus Procellarum, performing a Surveyor-like direct descent to the surface. This was essentially a carbon copy of the LK lander to be used for such crewed landings, but with autonomous systems. It served as not only an important test of its ability to land, but also of the system’s capability of delivering heavy landers to the surface. Upgraded versions of the classic Mechta and Mars-6 computerised landing systems brought it down to just 1 kilometre above the surface, continuing to burn carefully as it approaches the sea. Lunokhod 1’s beacon told the lander it was about 60 metres away, combined with its elevation, this gave a rough prediction of LK’s height - though one which was incorrect by 10 metres. LK hits the surface at 3m/s, bouncing momentarily before the grounding motors fire, crumpling two of its landing legs. It had landed, and could theoretically lift off, but it wasn’t in the best shape. It would be too expensive to send a backup lander though, so this just has to be the backup they’ll need to deal with if something goes wrong.
July 24, 1968
The race for the Moon had heated to the boiling point, with intelligence from either side suggesting a launch several months away. This was a correct assumption to make of the Soviet program, but America was almost ready. President Scranton, along with NASA Administrator James E. Webb stood before a crowd of thousands to make the announcement. Apollo 9, the first landing on the Moon, would launch on August 5th. Immediately, an emergency meeting for the USSR’s program was called, with demands for an earlier landing. Taking into account the phases of the Moon for landing site surface illumination, the earliest launch chance was August 1. Sergei Korolev said this would not be safely possible, the next N1 was technically ready, but had not undergone the serious testing he required. Despite his warnings, they would be going ahead.
August 1, 1968 - Baikonur pad 110/37
Sergei Korolev stands on the crew access arm, his eyes darting around the cabin, Alexei Leonov and Boris Volynov sitting inside. Just over one hour to launch. He is visibly shaking out of anxiety, this gargantuan rocket, rushed beyond his repeated calls for safety, would soon launch with these two souls aboard. He stands for a while, trying to clear his head and think of something to say to the two brave cosmonauts. Something to assure them of their safety, to promise their destination, and their healthy return, but as he stares out at the launch complex, and into the crew’s eyes, he comes up blank. Leonov disconnects his suit and exits the open capsule, giving Korolev a firm hug.
Leonov “Thank you for all of this, the rocket and opportunity. We are both immeasurably grateful, and I promise, promise, that we shall return unharmed.”
Korolev tears up, hugging Leonov tightly before letting go, smiling as Leonov reenters the capsule, sealing the LOK hatch behind him. In that moment, his last moment of eye contact with Volynov and Leonov before the hatch closes, Korolev runs over a thousand scenarios in his head. What if Alexei forgets to reconnect his spacesuit? What if the capsule depressurised on ascent? What if the KORD fails to react like on that dreadful first failure, a turbopump violently exploding, causing the whole vehicle to crash to the ground with an explosion rivalling those of nuclear weapons... What if the abort system doesn’t work? There’s no way to test that before launch, its solid motors invalidating any pre-firings like the stages undergo- usually undergo. Oh god, what if the stages completely don’t work? The upper stage engines could be unfit and rupture after ignition, or the LK’s ascent engine could be damaged on landing, or Leonov could trip and shatter his visor, or the LOK hatch could erroneously blow open, or a meteoroid could strike the capsule, or they could break up on reentry, or-
He walks down the boarding arm in silence, enters the empty elevator, and goes down. The anxiety of what’s just about to happen continues to build, and he shakily takes out a tranquilliser pill, taking it to calm himself down. He leaves the tower complex and is driven away to the new dedicated mission control building. Half an hour later, he’s standing in front of a projected view of the N1 alone on the pad. Fuelling is nearly done, Leonov and Volynov’s heart rates remain stable, and everyone seems cautiously optimistic. The N1 hasn’t failed since its first test flights, but nobody was expecting this to launch so soon, there was no time to conduct any static fires. Leonov has full confidence in the mission, after all, Korolev gave it the all clear. And as he sits in mission control, visibly shaking, he prepares to make the call.
Korolev “Archangel, launch in one minute.”
It’s happening, the countdown is set, and if something goes wrong, he’ll be to blame, despite the facts. He felt those 30 engines ignite like they were part of his own body. Roaring with brilliant flames, a brutal, guttural screech as they consume and ignite the fuel sources like a ravenous beast. Slowly, the colossus begins to rise upwards, a massive cloud of billowing dust and steam struggling to keep up. A few seconds after launch, halfway up the tower, Korolev feels like a hole has just been torn out of his chest, searing with pain. A pair of engines shut off, one for an unknown reason, the other to balance the thrust. It's alright, we have enough of a margin to still- another pair shuts off. Korolev’s heart pounds, every fibre of his being screaming at him to call for an abort, but he knew nobody would listen. He regained his composure 50 seconds in flight, approaching maximum aerodynamic pressure. At this stage, the 6 central engines slowly throttle down and off, but due to a KORD error, they shut down instantly. This sudden shutoff jostles the rocket, and within one outer ring engine, a wire spawns a spark, growing into a flame. Korolev turns white; he'd seen this during the early tests, where the entire vehicle would break apart. He feels the growing flame in every cell of his body, running to make the abort call, almost falling to the ground in sympathetic agony. They don’t listen. Instead, they throttle up the central engines again, getting through stage 1 as fast as possible, and separating it.
Sergei Korolev would be having a heart attack right now, if not for the sheer need to see the launch through, even with tears in his eyes. He watches the crew’s life systems like a hawk, and on the camera, watches as the first stage falls away. He almost throws up when he sees it break apart a few seconds later. Already, a pair of engines had shut down on Stage 2, Blok B, the best worst case. The rocket remains steady, and Korolev begins to feel more confident in the situation. The crew reports the ride has smoothed out, and the second stage shuts down. Blok V ignites its four engines, giving the rocket the final push to reach orbit, though one of its engines shuts off as well. Enough thrust to reach orbit still, but it’s closer than most would like. At last, now that they’ve reached orbit, Korolev demands that they loiter for a day, making sure there are no issues. Officials in the room are cautious, but reason that if the Americans won’t launch for another five days, they can spare 24 hours.
Circling the Earth once every 90 minutes, Archangel goes through a series of system checks, multiple spacewalks, and a luxurious dehydrated lunch and dinner. The sun sets in orbit, and at Baikonur, and the crew is told to sleep for the night. Whatever happens tomorrow, they need to be well-rested. Leonov dreams he stands on the moon, a strangely small moon, and plants his flag. Then, he simply sits down, legs dangling over a crater rim, and stares at Earth. He drew the most beautiful painting, swirling clouds, a vibrant sun, and the majestically barren moon. Setting the painting down, he sees Mars in the distance, jumping out towards it only to fall back down to the lunar surface. Someday. Someday humans will place their flags on Mars, make a new home, and explore the entire solar system. Visions of lava seas on Mercury, factories on the asteroids, planes on Saturn, and farmers on Triton staring up at Neptune beyond the nitrogen hail clouds. Someday. For now, he just has to reach the Moon.
Korolev “Good morning, Archangel!”
Volynov “Hello, chief!”
Korolev “Is Alexei up yet?”
Volynov “Halfway, give him a second.”
Leonov “No, no. I’m alright. Good morning. What’s happening?”
Korolev “Well, good news, we’ve done a full checkout of your systems, and guess who’s going to the moon today!”
Leonov “Who? France?”