Let's play: Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space

[FaxModem1]

Spoiler

So, when a guy is washed out, does that mean I'm done for the rest of the game, or until I heal? If I heal, how long is that?

[PeZook]

You'll be released from the hospital in spring 1960

[FaxModem1]

Cue Montage music. Fax Modem is in physical therapy, getting himself ready for going back to basic training, and then, someday, the stars.

[PeZook]

Mein herren!

I must admit I am very excited, now that the race is heating up! Jawohl, while technical incompetence of the untermenschen is always amusing to watch, I would like to warn you about their reporting practices, that you may want to be aware of in future planning.

You see, the lesser races have an annoying tendency of reporting progress before additional research funding is factored into the equation. So when you request a status update at the beginning of a season, you will usually see reliability ratings as they are before additional research is applied.

I heard this is done because the apes can't be predictable and thus research results are a bit random.

Take it as you will, but I must say the incompetence of the untermenschen is becoming more and more apparent, ja?

Always faithful,
Hans von Smallhausen

[HMS Sophia]

With only 25MB, there is little Sam can do to make the budgets balance, especially when his poor maths skills are added to this.

No way can we afford titan... yet...
5MB on research on Mercury
Buy a pair of atlases I think (6MB)
Buy another mercury (3MB)
Research atlas (two teams: 4MB)

That's 18 total, saving 7MB for spring 1960. With our income, it should be enough to start titan, and to compensate the relatives of dead richly reward relatives of our brave astronauts.

Sam picks up the phone to the director
"Hey boss... Yeah, I was just thinking. What about taking a closer look at the other planets. We'll need to start ranger, but it will be worth it for the valuable data..."


(OOC: This is all for fall '59 I believe. Assuming the below screen caps are for that month? Or am I mad. Or do we only have 25MB for spring '60? or is that how much is carrying over. I'm so confused!)

[Eternal_Freedom]

"I was thinking similar thoughts..but correct me if I'm wrong; we can't launch Ranger to Mars or Venus using Atlas can we?"

[Simon_Jester]

[I tried this playing the game myself; you cannot launch Ranger/Cosmos probes beyond Earth orbit without using a Titan/Proton rocket]

[HMS Sophia]

"I was thinking similar thoughts..but correct me if I'm wrong; we can't launch Ranger to Mars or Venus using Atlas can we?"

"No sir. We'd have to build titan rockets to get them there. And right now with mercury going on we have no other reason to start up a titan program... I don't think?" Sam says, shuffling from one foot to the other.

[doom3607]

The Commissar rather dramatically sets about loading his pistol

Comrade von Evilstien, I will give you the luxary of one chance to explain why I should not this isntant recommend we transfer Comrade Pavylyvych to your position, speak quickly.

Because Comrade Pavylyvych is Director of Operations, and it is thus his responsibility to make sure things, well, operate. As that rocket failed to do, rather spectacularly, ja?

And to Comrade Pavylyvych: Move all launches back six months to allow time to repair pad two. Continue full research on A Series and Vostok. If we have the cash left over after all this is accounted for, buy me a pad three so we have a backup pad in the event of future explosions on the pad. We cannot allow the capitalist pigs to begin sending people to space before us, or they may begin, perhaps, spying on us from above! Before we can do it back! And I doubt our freindly local Commisar would be too pleased with the man who failed to ensure our own counter-spy's rocket would operate in time, ja?

Edit: If and only if the Murcans seem likely to beat us to a manned flight, impose a one-month rush on the first two launches. We need to beat them. We must, ja?

[PeZook]

(OOC: This is all for fall '59 I believe. Assuming the below screen caps are for that month? Or am I mad. Or do we only have 25MB for spring '60? or is that how much is carrying over. I'm so confused!)

Dates are all over the screenshots, dude

[HMS Sophia]

Dates are all over the screenshots, dude

Sorry I'm being particularly slow at this yeah that plan is for fall '59 then.

[Eternal_Freedom]

"We currently have no need for Titan rockets. Whilst the prestige and scientific possibilities of interplanetary flights are indeed tantalising, we must focus on what we know to be achieveable int he here-and-now.

But keep looking at plans for Titan/Ranger Sam, it never hurts to have contingency plans ready."

[Simon_Jester]

The Commissar rather dramatically sets about loading his pistol

Comrade von Evilstien, I will give you the luxary of one chance to explain why I should not this isntant recommend we transfer Comrade Pavylyvych to your position, speak quickly.

Because Comrade Pavylyvych is Director of Operations, and it is thus his responsibility to make sure things, well, operate. As that rocket failed to do, rather spectacularly, ja?

Ja, mein Herr. And as you may notice, the schedule for the launches came from your desk, not mine.

You can ask any man at this Cosmodrome where I have been and what I've been doing to make your schedule work over the past six months, Herr Doktor. My efforts, and the unsolved problems you chose to ignore, have been thoroughly documented; I point anyone interested in investigating the matter to Archival shelves 177-B through 178-F.

And I tell you, Herr Doktor, what you tried to do, at the speed you tried to do it, could not be done. You have tried to build Rome in a day, and when it didn't work you started papering over the holes in the walls and pretending the work was accomplished. Now you blame the masons for the impossibility of it all.

Do you really think a moon shot can proceed on this slipshod, hyperactive basis? Your policies are those of a careless boy on a sugar rush, not a grown man!

We've gotten one satellite launched successfully under your leadership, out of six tries, not counting launches scrubbed because not even you were willing to gamble on success. To date your failures have cost us forty megarubleoids*, and gotten us four megarubleoids* worth of hardware into orbit. It is only blind luck and the actions of Comrade Badenov that bought us time and opportunities to get that one success before the Murcans could launch a satellite.

*Insert name of Commiestani equivalent to the "buck" here

And to Comrade Pavylyvych: Move all launches back six months to allow time to repair pad two. Continue full research on A Series and Vostok. If we have the cash left over after all this is accounted for, buy me a pad three so we have a backup pad in the event of future explosions on the pad.

...Herr Doktor, the cupboard is bare. There is not enough money left to repair Pad B and still fund the research programs fully.

Your attempts to win a footrace by human wave tactics are costing us dearly.

[Vehrec]

Billy Bob Bernstein looked up from his 'Rocket Fuel' still in the middle of the swamp. Built from parts of the destroyed rocket, the still was percolating away, distilling the purest rocket fuel moonshine that he could make. Not to fuel an Atlas or a Titan, no this stuff was for him and his assistants. He'd be transporting it back to the assembly building in his new Sloop. What an amazing car. Everyone had one here and there were regular drag races between astronauts and scientists with their brand new sports cars bought with their fat paychecks. Well, except for him, since his executive scientist paycheck was enough to buy both corn to make mash and a new Sloop.

Still, thoughts of what was going on made him uncomfortable and needed the Rocket fuel to get through the day. The Mercury capsule was a deathtrap, and the rocket it was to fly on only marginally less so. While he'd forwarded requests to have the funds for more rocket testing forwarded to him-he was sure he could nail down that 'catches fire spontaneously' thing, he wasn't sure that they would be forthcoming.
Spoiler

OOC:Recommend full research on both Atlas and Mercury programs-that damn rocket is still going to kill astronauts 2/5 times.

[Eternal_Freedom]

I am now ordering maximum possible R&D on Mercury and Atlas.

Schedule two unmanned launches for Fall 1959 and the two manned launches for Spring 1960. Mannd launches may be scrubbed in capsule and rocket safety does not exceed 60%.

[HMS Sophia]

We can still do that with sams plan above, but only 1MB will carry over

[PeZook]

Except you can't: no launches have been scheduled for fall 1959, so none will happen.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Fine, that just gives us more money to carry over.

In that case, I'm pushing the manned flights back to Fall 1960, and the unmanned flgihts to Spring 1960.

Use the additional six months to improve the capsule and rocket.

[doom3607]

Well damn. We can't afford full research for a year and the pad? Then cut what you need to to fix the pad, we need that working. It doesn't matter how good our rockets are if we cannot launch them. Cut as you see fit, but we must have the first two launches in the spring. And then the next two in the fall after that. The pad has priority! Zenobians are expendable, our facilities are not, ja? We must be utterly ruthless to crush the Murcan swine, and cost-wise, the launch pads are more important! Focus on that, ja!

[OmegaChief]

The Commissars eyes dart back and forth between the two high ranking scientists, seemingly not having decided on a side

Though a point I can raise, if we cosntruct a pad at the expense of our research it increases the chance of an explosion taking out the pad a second time da?

[Simon_Jester]

Syrgy turns aside to Commissar Omega.

"Da, Comrade Commissar. You are absolutely correct. My... remarkable Thanasian superior seems not to grasp the idea that repeated failures may outweigh isolated successes. This may explain many of his rash decisions in the past."

He turns back to von Evilstein.

"Mein herr, are you not aware that the repeated failures to launch have cost us more prestige, and resources, then we gained from being the first men in the world to launch an orbiting satellite? We accomplish the dreams of science fiction writers, and the Kremlin- correctly!- gets angry at us for wasting expensive rockets and facilities with repeated and predictable failures.

"You claim I am responsible for operations- very well, but how are you, Comrade Chief Designer, not responsible for design? And now you tell me that a rocket which has just exploded- twice!- does not need redesign? Does it not seem more urgent to fix a broken rocket design that explodes five times out of six tries than it does to rebuild the launch pad you blew up, so that you can blow it up again?

"In the name of all that is sane, what is wrong with you? Your fecklessness, irresponsibility, and stupidity are putting all our efforts to naught!"

[doom3607]

That is... unlikely. That was a freak event, offs are it will never happen again with A Series. Explosions in-flight, now... But still, which do you prefer- sending up a number of rockets quickly to beat the Murcans to the punch with at least one of them, or waiting for our rockets to be good and having them beat us, ja? My way worked with Sputnik, it will work with this. And if it does not, remember that you can always send me to Zyberia.
Spoiler

[german]After I hobble you with that pickaxe. Goddamn commisar bastard... [/german]

EDIT, beat me to it: And we will make all that up when we beat them for the first succesful manned launch! Look, how much research must we cut to rebuild the pad, and what are the odds of a succesful rocket launch now, and what are they likely to be by launch time next spring?

[Simon_Jester]

Syrgy chuckles.

"...Unlikely, you say. Unlikely that the rocket will blow up on the pad. How in hell do you know what the odds are? All you know is that of the four times you've blown up a rocket, it only blew up on the pad once. What are the odds of a pad explosion- one in four? One in three, and we were lucky? You don't know!

"And yet you gamble fecklessly with lives and money, and demand more lives and money to gamble with, rather than taking the time to get the job done properly. Your way 'worked' with Sputnik, you say? Only because, again, you were lucky. The Murcans were unable to launch their more reliable design in '58, for reasons that had nothing to do with you and which are unlikely to be repeated.

"You cannot seem to grasp the difference between succeeding by luck and succeeding by skill. This is not a useful trait in an official with great executive responsibilities.

"If we go on with you in charge of the program, we will not 'beat the Murcans to the punch.' We will fall further and further behind, our record will be endlessly blackened with failure, death, and waste, and occasional successes will do little to salvage the situation. The Murcans will laugh, and pummel us, and as the commissar warns we may one day look up in the sky and see the Coca-Cola logo emblazoned on the moon!

"Comrade Commissar, if it were up to me, this man would be assigned to the labor gangs responsible for clearing the wreckage at Pad B, as Comrade Shroomanski proposed in the event of just such a crisis as has now occurred at the Thanasian's hand.

"Though I advise he not be trusted with any tool larger than a screwdriver; he might hurt someone useful with it. I've seen vindictive little idiots like him before."

EDIT, beat me to it: And we will make all that up when we beat them for the first succesful manned launch! Look, how much research must we cut to rebuild the pad, and what are the odds of a succesful rocket launch now, and what are they likely to be by launch time next spring?

Do the math yourself, Comrade Chief Designer; I assume you got good marks in grammar school and can do your own arithmetic.

[PeZook]

I feel obliged to note you had TWO succesful Sputnik launches, not one.

But by all means, continue. The political bickering on the Zenobian side is awesome

Tomorrow morning (GMT+1) I will do results of fall 1959, and maybe spring 1960 as well, depending on how much I will have to simulate, and whether or not the Zenobians will have their plans ready.

[doom3607]

I've got mine, just lemme see what research I can/should cut...

Edit: I want five research on the A Series, four on the Vostok, and the pad repaired, all this in time for our first launches next spring. The instant we get the new cash, restore full research and if possible while still leaving enough cash for all four planned launches and research, buy pad three.