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

[Eternal_Freedom]

Ok, form the flight crews and keep the budget as planned, but don't schedule the mission. We can form compatible crews later with new docking people if needs be.

[PeZook]

MISSIONS LAUNCH
VOSKHOD XII, MAY 1968

"What a beautiful day for launch, eh, comrade?"

Syrgy Pavylyvych couldn't agree. Not in good conscience, anyway. He undid his collar, quickly wafting a thick logbook to cool himself down. Even after all this time, ventillation in the command bunker wasn't quite working right, and there was no air conditioning. The New Zenobian Mang did not need such luxuries, they said. He had to wonder about electronics in the spacecraft and inside the bunker, though. They didn't much care what commienist ideologues thought.

"We have finished all the checkouts, comrade, and it seems systems are operating fine despite the heat...I think we are just about ready. I'm sure the comrade cosmonauts are eager to go as well."

"Thank you, Vasily", Syrgy extracted a nitroglicerin pill from a small bottle he always kept on him, and inserted the foul-tasting medicine under his tongue, "The key?"

Vasily Mishin handed over the rocket's ignition key. His face looked worried - everybody at the cosmodrome knew the Chief Designer's health was...not very good, and though they wished him well, the opressive May heat didn't seem to help.

Syrgy walked up to his console and inserted the key.

"Comrades, we are ready on our end. Is everything good inside the capsule?"

"We are a little warm in here, wouldn't mind you turning down the heaters!", comrade cosmonaut Klimuk joked good-naturedly, "Let's go already. My Pollackistani friend here is about to drop."

"Oh, zamknij się. Jedziemy, comrade chief designer?"

"Jedziemy", Syrgy muttered under his breath and turned the key.



"Look at it go! Lennon I love this rocket...All readings are green, comrades. No deviations. Beautiful, just beautiful, check out these engine indicators, smooth work, really smooth!"

It was the new engineerski, transferred to replace a comrade whose Murcan behavior got him...investigated by the NKVDVROM. The new guy was competent, though a bit too enamored with Baikonurek's space boosters, and had a habit of making everyone uncomfortable during launches.



"Ten minutes. Staging...staging complete...", the moment of the final burn to orbit was always intense. The engineers worried because engines on the opper stage could easily put the capsule on a trajectory that would be suboptimal for reentry. The NKVDVROM worried because that trajectory could end up in Murca, and thus it was a potential way for cosmonauts to defect.

"Orbital insertion complete, we are in orbit!"



"Excellent work, comrades!", Syrgy beamed, "Another well executed manned launch, but let us not rest on our laurels just yet."

"Of course, comrade. With your permission, we'll proceed with contingency tasks now, then the comrades will perform stellar photography on the dark side of the planet."

"Should we move the rest period?"

"No, I don't think there is a need. The comrades will rest as scheduled, after the third orbit. We proceed according to the flight plan."

---

Flight Day 4

"Rook to G5"

"Good move, comrade.", Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz moved the little white figure to the proper place. The magnetic chess board was affixed to the capsule's "roof". An identical board was in the center of the control bunker, and it was a point of honor for the flight controllers to beat the cosmonauts at the game. So far, they were winning.

"Thank you. How is Sasha doing?", Syrgy asked, meaning the white mouse sent up along with the cosmonauts.

"Oh, she is doing great. Was very quick to get used to microgravity, da...can be hard to catch at some times. Hmm..."

"Yes? What is it?"

"Stand by."

Engineerskis in the bunker glanced at each other with worry, and immediately rushed to their telemetry screens, scouring them for any sign of failure.

"Come in, control. Uh, it seems Sasha is, erm...pregnant."

"Come again, Voskhod?"

"Pregnant. Our little mouse is going into labor."

The look on the Comissar's face was priceless. Then again, pretty much everyone was stupefied.

"I will want a talk with comrade Kalinin from the flight experiments lab.", Syrgy finally said, "This will play havov with our schedule."

---

Flight Day 6

There was something new on the wall of the control bunker. It was a photograph of a little white mouse, floating inside its plexiglass cage with four even littler baby mice. The photo was transmitted yesterday by crew of Voskhod XII, and the flight controllers were engaged in heated discussion about names for the brave "comrade rodents", to the point where Syrgy had to intervene several times in order to keep everyone on schedule.

Pravda will have a cute little story to tell here, the Chief Designer thought, reviewing the day's planned activities. He glanced at the chessboard, where little notes made with chemical pencils pointed out suggestions for the flight control centre's next move. He contemplated if it was best to go straight for the king, which the cosmonauts left dangeorusly exposed or...

Suddenly, a buzzer interrupted the normal flow of work in the bunker.

"I have a life support system warning light!"

"Command, Voskhod, we have a warning light on the life support system.", comrade Klimuk interrupted his coo-cooching of the baby mice, "Cabin pressure is fine, oxygen tanks one and two green, humidity stable, oxygen feeds stable..."

Telecommunications engineerskis conferred for a moment before reporting, "Telemetry link diagnostic comes trough just fine. It's not a downlink problem, comrade!"

"What about the circuit breakers?"

"Stand by, stand by...", the cosmonauts reported. Up in the capsule, they were calmly checking all capsule systems, "...circuit breakers one to five okay. Five to ten okay. Ten to fifteen okay. Fifteen to twenty...", Syrgy felt his heart jump, "...okay. Removing second cover..."



"I have no telemetry! I have no telemetry!"

"Comissar!", Syrgy immediately turned towards Omeganski, "I need to know if it's another tracking station problem. Get some of your men to start making calls to every station on this list and get me a report."

"Comrade Chief Designer, this is not..."

"Right now, comrade! I do not have people to spare for that, we have to diagnose a potential life support problem."

[LaCroix]

Can I have one of the nitroglycerine pills?

[FaxModem1]

Huh, you would think it would be number XIII and not number XII that would screw up.

[LaCroix]

What mission number is it in non-Zenobian numbers? I lost count...

[PeZook]

What mission number is it in non-Zenobian numbers? I lost count...

That is a non-Zenobian count. The game counts missions in American nomenclature

[Simon_Jester]

Oh crap oh crap oh crap.

And yes, the game counts every launch including unmanned tests. The Soviet system would not count the unmanned tests, and failures were often reclassified as "satellite launches" after the fact, especially in the planetary program.

[PeZook]

Americans also didn't do it the same way: test launches got separate nomenclature from actual manned launches.

Apollo 1 only retained the name after the astronaut corps and particularly the three widows pushed NASA to do that, they wanted to rename it using test flight nomenclature (justifying the fact by saying the spacecraft never actually flew)

[Simon_Jester]

In Zenobian nomenclature, this is Voskhod 3.

[OmegaChief]

Damn it, it's like the game lured us into a flase sense of security and then pulled the rug from under us!

[ChaserGrey]

NASA used a sort of mixed terminology for Apollo, giving mission numbers to unmanned flights for press purposes but using the booster numbers for internal consumption. For example, AS-501 (first Saturn V flight) was known to the public as Apollo 4. Manned missions seemed to have their program numbers used for both external and internal communications, although I've seen materials for Apollo 11 that refer to "AS-506".

And, yeah. As soon as that red bar showed up, my reflex kicked in. "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccc-"

[Simon_Jester]

Yeah, I saw this when I'd just woken up, charming thing to start your day with and go to work after, waiting for the other shoe to drop...

It's possible that this stage failure will lead to something less-than-disastrous, perhaps something as innocuous as "Comrade Brzęczyszczykiewicz has severe bout of space-sickness, recovers, continue mission."

Of course, such a 'recoverable' failure can still lead to disaster, as happened to Ohjesus.

In his case, the reentry stage failed, which is also what killed Comrade Ivanov. But unlike what happened to Ivanov, the Mercury IX capsule heat shield merely came ajar and damaged the capsule- it did not burn up during reentry. This applied a penalty to the "recovery" stage of the mission of 25%; had the random roll been less than 59% for recovery, Ohjesus would have been fine. However, the roll was 79% (which would have been fine normally, but not with the penalty applied), resulting in astronaut death.

[PeZook]

Voskhod XII
Flight Day 6
Emergency briefing

The bunker was in a state of barely controlled chaos. Binders with full technical documentation of the Voskhod capsule were everywhere, as engineerskis tried to figure out if the loss of telemetry could be related in some way to the warning light they detected earlier.

They weren't going anywhere, however. Report from comissar Omeganski revealed no problems with any of the tracking stations. Worse, they had Moosecow on the phone, demanding to know what had happened, for the Murcans had also lost signal from the capsule, and their news were already interrupting their usual programming, gleefully gloating about problems with Zenobian spaceflight technology.

While all that was happening, the engineerskis couldn't come to any satisfying conclusion.

"Even if it is a problem with the capsule, they have backups! By now, those would've kicked in!"

"Maybe they don't know there is a problem?"

"How can they possibly not know?! The signal was cut off in the middle of the conversation!"

"Nyet", Syrgy interjected, "Not conversation, da? They were reporting on the circuit breakers, and they still had seventy to go. Meanwhile, they were coming up on their scheduled loss of signal, since the Cubic tracking stations are still not operational...which would put them...", the Chief Designer calculated something in memory, "...here, about fifteen minutes out from the next tracking ship. It is likely they didn't even notice the loss of contact."

"So, If they realized there is a problem with communications, they should be reacquired by the Potemking in a few minutes."

"Correct, young comrade Glovko. We should instruct the tracking ship to switch to auxilliary bands just in case the capsule's main transmitters are still not working. See to it that it's done."

The young engineerski rushed out, passing a Red Army Hot Librarian who carried another stack of papers. The papers landed on the chessboard, ruining the game in progress.

"Comrade, the Murcans have, uh...sent offer of aid...", Syrgy's secretary reported feebly, "Moosecow refused for now, but they are imploring in terms most strong that we solve the problem."

Syrgy sighed and glanced at the watch. He really, really wanted his theory to be correct. The capsule should be coming into range of mighty transmitters mounted on the Potemking in just a few short minutes...

"Tell them they will have to wait.", the Chief Designer finally said. He turned around so as not to see the tortured face of his secretary, "Comrade communicationists! Please tell me you have good news..."

The comms station was in the tight grip of telephone cables, since the engineerskis dragged several phones here to coordinate with tracking stations and design bureaus which actually made the capsules. It was also swarming with people, but they all shook their heads negatively.

"Voskhod XII, this is control. Come in Voskhod XII."

The clock on the wall ticked off the seconds with agonizing slowness.

"Voskhod XII, come in. This is control. Do you hear me major Klimuk?"

The speakers crackled to life, and a barely audible voice came through, "...breaker...problem, UHF..."

"Voskhod XII, come again, this is control!"

"We read you on backup frequencies, control. We have lost primary communications. There is short circuit in the warning system which disabled the main transmitters. We cannot fix this in orbit."

The eruption of joyful cheering was subdued immediately. Engineerskis began working on regaining at least some telemetry data.

"Comrade Chief Designer, the mission rules..."

"Da, Vasily", Syrgy sounded sullen, "Malfunction in any circuit related to life support means mission abort. I know, I wrote that rule."




"Then we are agreed. Bring them down at the alternate landing site in Jihadistan. Alert local commanders about the landing."

It didn't take long: the spacecraft's automatic systems worked perfectly and deorbited the capsule. Within half an hour, the control bunker received its first pictures of the descending capsule, parachute open.



"Don't worry, comrade. We still accomplished much of the mission plan, da? We got much data from this one, it is okay as the Murcans say."

"Da.", Syrgy nodded to himself. His mind was already elsewhere, though: he wondered if the problem actually was bad enough to scrub the mission. He would definitely have to find out.

[PeZook]

CHAPTER 9: BUDGETS
Time is: Fall 1968




MURCA
TEDDY SPACE CENTER

"I want one"

"The Department Of Offense says you can't have it, sorry."

"I don't care what they say. I want one."

"We might try, but..."

"Do whatever you have to. I want one."

Johny von Bran put his hand against the lead-impregnated glass. Beyond it lay the prototype of the Kiwi, a rocket design as awesome as it was insane. A nuclear core, exposed, heating up propellant to absurd temperatures!

It was dangerous, it was unstable, it spewen radioactive material out of its backside...it was also glourious.

"I cannot guarantee we'll be able to utilize this technology in the Moon program, sir", it was Sam Francisco, the fool, that damnable fool with no vision, "But I will try to get us a prototype."

Von Bruan sighed, "I suppose this will have to do. Let's get back to work on our superweapns."

"You mean superships."

"Ah, ja, jawohl. That is true."

Code: Select all

Current funds: 40 megabucks

Unassigned astronauts:
CONRAD - CAP 4, LM 1, EVA 1, DOCK 1, END 3 ; MOOD: 32
BROWN - CAP 4, LM 2, EVA 2, DOCK 1, END 2 ; MOOD: 34
RAVENSBURG - CAP 3, LM 3, EVA 0, DOCK 0, END 4 ; MOOD: 37
BARNESTI - CAP 2, LM 1, EVA 2, DOCK 2, END 4 ; MOOD: 44
OLDS - CAP 3, LM 0, EVA 0, DOCK 3, END 3 ; MOOD: 50
MAY - CAP 3, LM 2, EVA 2, DOCK 4, END 2 ; MOOD: 88
LOOPY - CAP 4, LM 1, EVA 2, DOCK 3, END 2 ; MOOD: 73
ROCKET - CAP 3, LM 0, EVA 2, DOCK 2, END 2 ; MOOD: 88
SUITCASE - CAP 3, LM 2, EVA 2, DOCK 4, END 4 ; MOOD: 88
HAISE - CAP 4, LM 3, EVA 0, DOCK 0, END 2 ; MOOD: 83
CHAFFEE - CAP 0, LM 1, EVA 2, DOCK 3, END 2 ; MOOD: 88
EISELE - CAP 0, LM 0, EVA 2, DOCK 1, END 3 ; MOOD: 83
CUNNINGHAM - CAP 1, LM 2, EVA 1, DOCK 0, END 4 ; MOOD: 83
MCCANDLESS - CAP 3, LM 0, EVA 0, DOCK 2, END 2 ; MOOD: 73
SWIGERT - CAP 2, LM 0, EVA 0, DOCK 1, END 1 - laid up in hospital due to groinal injuries
ANDERS - CAP 0, LM 2, EVA 2, DOCK 2, END 1 ; MOOD: 73
WILLIAMS - CAP 1, LM 3, EVA 1, DOCK 2, END 1 ; MOOD: 83
COLLINS - CAP 0, LM 3, EVA 4, DOCK 1, END 1 ; MOOD: 83
GORDON - CAP 0, LM 1, EVA 2, DOCK 2, END 3 ; MOOD: 78


Other astronauts:
REXMODEM - retired fall 1968
BORMAN - retired fall 1968
KNIGHT - retired fall 1967
FLASHHEART - retired fall 1967
MODEMJR - retired spring 1965
CUNTSER - retired fall 1965
KELLY - retired spring 1965
MCCAIN - retired fall 1963
HARDBEEF -  retired spring 1963
OHJESUS - DECEASED, MERCURY IX
JOHNSON - DECEASED, MERCURY XVI

Programs running: Explorer, Ranger, Mighty Strapons, Atlas, Titan, Mercury, XMS-2, EVA Suits

Launch pads: 3

Scheduled missions: 
Launch Pad A, DESTROYED BY EXPLOSION, 20MB TO FIX
Launch Pad B, none
Launch Pad C, none

***

ZENOBIA
BAIKONUREK

It was a calm place, this Boratistan. The people here, da, they were laid back and cheerful. The weather was always nice, and the vast expanse of open space seemed soothing, somehow.

When my work is done, perhaps this is where I should settle down?

Syrgy Pavylyvych took a deep breath of the last fresh summer air. He was used to the cycles of Boratistan by now, the coming and going of seasons, the magnificent winters and gorgeous springs.

An NKVDVDROM troopers following him thre down a cigarette and extinguished it with his boot.

"Are you done, comrade?", the man asked. He obviously did not carry the came appreciation for the spartan beauty of nature.

"Da. We can go back now."

It was a Baikonurek ritual, the 'goodbye to spring', as it was called. The Chief Designer would take a day off (usually at the urging, begging and/or threats of the cosmodrome's physicians) and use it to just wander the steppes, perhaps read a book. He'd do it alone if he could, but the NKVDVDROM obviously disagreed.

Syrgy got back into the GAZIK jeep, and the soldier started the engine. They drove back towards the cosmodrome. The helicopter gunships and armored vehicles followed a couple minutes later.

I still have a few hours...perhaps I will visit comrade Mametov in the medical center before going back to work?, Syrgy thought, watching the setting sun. But his mind was already in his office, remembering information about the projects being run at the cosmodrome. Fortunately, the doctors now predicted comrade Mametov would make a full recovery despite his injuries. Just a couple months before the cheerful Boratistani was in danger of being permanently grounded, so he could talk about having lucked out.

Code: Select all

Current funds: 141 megarubloids

Cosmonauts in Voskhod program:

KLIMUK - CAP 4, LM 0, EVA 2, DOCK 1, END 2 (CREW I/PILOT) ; MOOD:100
BRZECZYSZCZ - CAP 3, LM 2, EVA 0, DOCK 3, END 3  (CREW I/SPECIALIST) ; MOOD: 57

PETROV - CAP 2, LM 1, EVA 0, DOCK 3, END 2 (CREW IV/PILOT) ; MOOD: 37
BEREGOVOY - CAP 2, LM 1, EVA 1, DOCK 3, END 0 (CREW IV/SPECIALIST) ; MOOD: 58

Cosmonauts not assigned to programs:
KARZANOVSKI - CAP 4, LM 1, EVA 0, DOCK 0, END 3 ; MOOD: 58
BORISOV - CAP 3, LM 0, EVA 2, DOCK 1, END 1  ; MOOD: 62
FAAABIO  - CAP 2, LM 0, EVA 2, DOCK 0, END 3 ; MOOD: 24
FILLYERESKI - CAP 1, LM 1, EVA 1, DOCK 3, END 1  ; MOOD: 88
SMIRNOFF - CAP 2, LM 0, EVA 1, DOCK 3, END 2 ; MOOD: 78
NEFARTNYI - CAP 2, LM 2, EVA 1, DOCK 3, END 2  ; MOOD: 78
YEBANOVY - CAP 2, LM 3, EVA 0, DOCK 1, END 2  ; MOOD: 24
RUKAVISHNIKOV - CAP 1, LM 2, EVA 1, DOCK 2, END 3  ; MOOD: 88
GRECHKO - CAP 2, LM 1, EVA 0, DOCK 3, END 1  - laid up in hospital, training accident
IVANCHENKOV - CAP 3, LM 1, EVA 1, DOCK 1, END 3  ; MOOD: 93
KOVALYANOK - CAP 2, LM 1, EVA 3, DOCK 1, END 4  ; MOOD: 93
ZHOLOBOV - CAP 1, LM 3, EVA 1, DOCK 1, END 3  ; MOOD: 78
LEBEDEV - CAP 3, LM 1, EVA 2, DOCK 1, END 3  ; MOOD: 93
LAZAREV - CAP 1, LM 3, EVA 0, DOCK 0, END 2  ; MOOD: 83
MAKAROV - CAP 0, LM 2, EVA 1, DOCK 3, END 2 ; MOOD: 83

Other cosmonauts:
MAMETOV - mangled while playing ice hockey in Spring 1968. Laid up in hospital.
YEBANOV - retired spring 1968
ALEXANDROV - washed out in training, fall 1967
DIGADITCH - left to join the Red Army, spring 1967
NIKOV - retired Fall 1966
DOSTAROVASKI - Forcibly retired, Fall 1964
TITOV - Retired Spring 1964
IVANOVICH - Grounded due to lung cancer
VLADIMIRENSKY  - Deceased, training accident
IVANOV - Deceased, VOSTOK VII

Programs running: Sputnik, Cosmos satellite, Lunar Probe,A-Series, Proton, Booster stage, Voskhod, EVA Suits, Docking module

Launch pads: 3

Scheduled missions: 
Launch pad A, Lunar flyby
Launch pad B, Lunar flyby
Launch pad C, Lunar probe landing

GM Notes:

Well, the Murcan flyboys did not take very kindly to their flight crewa breaking up, now did they?

It happens sometimes, just like this sudden "persnality conflict" which made Beregovoy leave in a huff. Welcome to prima donna land.

Anyways, I will break slightly with my policy here: The XMS-2, despite its problems, seems to be emerging from development hell. Murcans would be well advised to try for an orbital flight in Spring 1969. The reliability should be high enough by then, and you will get a sudden leap ahead that might just provide you with enough cash to leapfrog the Zenobians to a lunar landing (especially since the XMS-2 is the most espensive piece of kit you'll need for now).

Perhaps even a lunar flyby would be doable, if you accept a bit of risk? Who knows! Who dares, wins after all

[ChaserGrey]

Well, they say that breaking up is hard to do. And now I know, I know that it's true.

*Ducks thrown objects*

Recommend we proceed with an orbital flight for next season, Director. Let's kick this pig!

[Eternal_Freedom]

All right then. Time to kick this thing into gear.

-Research XMS-2, 5 teams (35 MB)
-Research Strap-ons, 2 teams (4 MB)

Remaining funds: 1 MB

Schedule a manned orbital flight for the XMS-2, using Boosted Titan for Spring 1969. PeZook, please formt he best/most compatible crew you can.

I have an inkling, that whilst a lunar flyby would be a prestige bonanza, that we get a penalty for not having done an unmanned lunar flyby with probes. Is this true?

[Simon_Jester]

URRA! Hail the safe return of comrade cosmonauts Klimuk and Brzęczyszczykiewicz from the Voskhod 3 mission!


As regards the Murcans... I'd never have the guts to try a lunar pass at XMS-2's max R&D of 87%. Even the 92% of a maxed-out Voskhod makes me nervous. Plus I don't think it would be physically possible to do a lunar flyby in the XMS-2 without a kicker, which the Murcans don't have and won't have ready until some time in 1970-71.

Of course, I have my own plans for prestige catchup, which should allow me to nearly match the Murcans' announcement of their minishuttle success...

[ChaserGrey]

Yeah, I wouldn't try a lunar pass for the first flight. It's a little *too* ballsy, and we'd need a kicker, which I don't want to wait for.

First priority needs to be acquiring a second shuttle so we can start rippling off docking flights. Then we have to look at this **** recon situation...

If at all possible, let's try to get Bob Johnson on the first flight.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Uh...Johnson is dead remember?

Now, Chaser, here is what I think our list of aims should be, assuming all goes well with the XMs 2 flight.

-Spring 1969: begin either Kicker or docking Module research
-Spring 1970: when we have the budget boost (hopefully massive) from the minishuttle flight, we need to buy another shuttle, begin Saturn V and lunar lander programs. Those are our last two obstacles in hardware terms for a lunar landing.

[PeZook]

Comrades! I announce competition!

There is something incredibly amusing to your GM about the Voskhod XII flight.The first director to guess what this amusing thing is will receive a modest in-game reward!

[Eternal_Freedom]

It's the first time something has been born in space?

[PeZook]

Nein, herr von Braun

[Narkis]

A partial failure that gave 5 prestige?

[PeZook]

Nyet

[Simon_Jester]

[thinks]

First Pezookian in space?

(Also, we now have a picture for Comrade Brzęczyszczykiewicz!)