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

[Eternal_Freedom]

First one is Odyssey, second one will be Pioneer.

[HMS Sophia]

First one is Odyssey, second one will be Pioneer.

I'll certainly second the first. I'm not sure about the second, but if nothing better comes up then I'm happy.

[PeZook]

You guys are aware Odyssey is the name of Apollo 13's CM, right?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Yup, but I find it preferable to Enterprise or any of the existing shuttle names.

[PeZook]

Another question. How do you want to name the missions?

XMS-2 I, XMS-2 II etc. sounds droll and horrible for spacecraft this awesome, so I'm giving you the opportunity to devise your own naming scheme for the program

[PeZook]

And just one more query: no missions scheduled for Murcans?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Haven't we got the orbital/duration flight? Or is that next season? Come to think of it, what season are we win right now?

As for the program name, hmmmm... I'll need to think on it.

[PeZook]

Haven't we got the orbital/duration flight? Or is that next season? Come to think of it, what season are we win right now?

As for the program name, hmmmm... I'll need to think on it.

We are in Spring 1969, the shuttle flight is this season. I am asking if you want to schedule anything for next season.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Yeah, schedule another minishuttle flight, assuming I have the funds for the rocket and boosters. Make it another duration-C flight.

I'll decide GO/NO GO details after the first flight.

[PeZook]

Why duration C?

EDIT: And which crews get the honor? You have crews III and IV available. Refer to the index thread for their compositions.

[Simon_Jester]

The Murcans could simply go STS-1, STS-2, and so on.

EDIT: Any future posts from me will be 'on the road.' No promises about when I'll be able to do it, though "every night" seems reasonably likely.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Doesn't another duration-C flight get me any bonus? Or can I move on to others (is there a Duraation-D? If so, I'll do that one).

III Prime, IV Backup.

As for naming missions, I'll go with the prject name followed by number, which I'm declaring to be Hermes, so Hermes-1, Hermes-2 etc.

Unless my illustrious colleagues have a better suggestion of course.

[PeZook]

Durations go up to E ; Though E is pretty much for prestige, as the longest lunar mission is actually D.

At this point, another C flight doens't give you any extra prestige, and the milestone will (hopefully) be hurdled by Hermes-I

[Eternal_Freedom]

All right, make this new mission a Duration-B.

[PeZook]

I will assume you mean D, as B makes...no sense

[Eternal_Freedom]

Yeah, what you said

[Scottish Ninja]

Durations go up to F; the different craft are capable of the following:

Vostok/Mercury: B
Voskhod/Gemini: E
Soyuz/Apollo: F
Lapot/XMS-2: D
LK-700/Jupiter: F

D mysteriously only gets you one point of prestige; E and F get you 5 and 7 respectively. I think there is a milestone penalty for doing a Lunar Pass (which is duration C) before an orbital duration C mission, and likewise for a Lunar Orbital (duration D) before duration D. Milestone penalties for Duration flights past B are not listed in the Future Missions screen though, which I think is what tripped me up a couple of times.

[PeZook]

Durations go up to F; the different craft are capable of the following:

True, my mistake. Then again, everything above D is pointless, unless you want to do an orbital laboratory.

D mysteriously only gets you one point of prestige; E and F get you 5 and 7 respectively. I think there is a milestone penalty for doing a Lunar Pass (which is duration C) before an orbital duration C mission, and likewise for a Lunar Orbital (duration D) before duration D. Milestone penalties for Duration flights past B are not listed in the Future Missions screen though, which I think is what tripped me up a couple of times.

Hmm? When I tried to schedule a lunar pass without duration C done, I got a milestone penalty listed just fine.

[Scottish Ninja]

That's odd; it never showed up for me. What was the penalty and what were the missions you'd done up to that point?

[PeZook]

All milestones except for duration C, and the penalty was -4.

[PeZook]

MISSIONS LAUNCH
COSMOS VIII, APRIL 1969



***


COSMOS IX, JUNE 1969

Spring of 1969 has seen more probes launched from Baikonurek. Both were carefully tracked by sensitive equipment everywhere on the globe. The world gritted their teeth and cursed the commienists, because the famed Cosmos satellites worked without a fault.

Foir the cosmodrome's crew, who were now busy analyzing The glourious Zenobian Onion has clearly mastered the art of unmanned explorations. It went without question, and was entirely obvious...which made the NKVDVDROM question the Chief Designer's decision to postpone the second attempted Luna lander flight until the fall.

Especially after what the Murcans did in May.

***


HERMES I, MAY 1969

"We stand here today on the eve of a historical event. The tale of the space program is filled with stories of bravery and daring in the face of overwhelming odds. It is a journey where the human spirit triumphs over obstacles and overcomes challenges most thought impossible to handle."

The reporter was speaking into his microphone in a hushed voice, full of almost religious reverence. Behind him, on Launch Pad B, sat the spacecraft which made him present such an unmanly demeanor.

Odyssey, the first operational spaceplane on Earth.

The reporter continued, "There is tremendous feeling of anticipation here at THE CAPE. Anticipation, reverence, and conviction that we are enlightened beings...and that anything is possible."

Ground crews that could be seen behind the reporter began boarding their APCs. The loudspeakers dotting the staging area blared, "Launch control, this is Odyssey. All systems check out. We thank the engineers and scientists who built this marvellous spacecraft, and the technical crews that services and prepared it for launch, for their hard work. This mission, Murca's return to space, is opening a new chapter in this incredible journey that will, hopefully, never end."

"These were the words of colonel Edward Ravensburg, mission commander.", MASA's press officer took over the transmission, handling himself with confidence and rigidness befitting a proper Murcan man, "We are now experiencing a built-in hold, which is used to verify the computer systems aboard the spacecraft and inside ground facilities are properly communicating. The hold will be rescinded...now."

Oddysey's launch gathered incredible crowds. Not only was this space vehicle a mark of Murca's return to the space race, a return with grand style Zenobia couldn't hope to beat: there was something about the very nature of a spaceplane that spoke of adventure and courage and sheer manliness - a sentiment which resonated well with any red-blooded Murcan male.

And more than one female, as evidenced by the newly created all-female astronaut stalkerfan clubs.

The crowds watched with terrifying concentration, listening intently to messages relayed via loudspeaker - most of which the gathered people couldn't understand.

"We are now five minutes from launch. Go for APU start."

"Verify Range Safety System safing & arm device armed."

"Go on range safety. LOX replenish terminated. Close LOX inboard valve."

"Main fuel valve heaters off. Initiate engine purge sequence 4."

"T-4 minutes. Still go."

"Aero surface profile check initiated. MPS gimbal profile checks initiated. First stage engines to start position."

"LOS pressurization initiated. Retract LOX vent line. Crew, visors to close position."

"Terminate LH2 replenish. Close LH2 topping valve. Close LH2 vent valve."

"T-2 minutes. Still go."

"Initiate LH2 repress. Closing LOX & LH2 outboard fill & drain. Deactivate booster heaters."

"GLS go for auto sequence."

"ARM cut off. Initiate RSL5."

"Booster APUs start. Twenty seconds."

"Activate sound supression water. Fifteen seconds."

"Booster MDMS lockout. 10 seconds. Free hydrogen burn off system ignitition."

"Nine."

"Go for main engine start!"

"Eight"

"Seven"

"Six"



"Main engine start. Thrust."

"Five...four...three...two...one..."

"Booster ignition"

"LIFTOFF! At 0912, May 1st 1969, Murca's first manned space shuttle clears the pad!"



The massive rocket spit out a gigantic cloud of white smoke. For just a second, a very long second, it looked as if the spacecraft exploded and burned, but then the rocket rose, triumphantly, racing towards the heavens.



"We have cleared the tower! Crew of the Odyssey wishes everyone back home the best of luck!"

Celebration erupted in the launch control center. Finally, after so long, Murca was back in the game! Shouts of MURCA FUCK YEAH, hip thrusts, hi- and low-fives, butt slaps and just plain old incomprehensible hollers filled the room with a confusing roar.

Mission controllers, though, still had a lot of work ahead of them. In fact, their job was only now beginning - launch controllers would go home by the end of the day. Mission Control would operate around the clock for the next five days.



"This is Odyssey, reporting MECO as planned. We had a smooth ride here, everyone! Excellent job!"

The mission's CAPCOM, astronaut Johny Olds, grinned and raised a thumbs-up towards the Flight Director, Common Carter Connoway, "Copy that, Odyssey."

"Okay people, this is where the fun begins!", CCC spoke with a confidence and tone befitting a Great Leader, "We have fifteen minutes until the first emergency re-entry window, forty-five until the second. I want you to run these checkouts like you stole 'em!"

"I don't think that's how the analogy goes, sir", a snotty young assistant tried to correct him.

Connoway just sneered at the recent college graduate, "Shut up. Nobody's interested in what you have to say, kid."

The assistant ran away, tears in his eyes, while the controllers and astronauts in orbit worked dilligently to discover if there were any problems that would warrant scrubbing the mission. None were discovered - the spacecraft performed incredibly well for a machine this new and complicated. Some journos looked dismayed at that revelation.

"Flight, we are go for orbital stay."

"A-ha! Excellent! Now let's take this baby for a ride, yo!"

"You mean tell the astronauts to run the first OMS test?"

"Uh...yes, indeed. Make it so!"



Johnny relayed the order, but couldn't help snorting under his breath. Still, even with Connoways eccentricities...it was great to be back in the game.

"For you, old friend. All for you!", Johny said to himself.

Up in orbit, the astronauts had their moment of reflection as well. They performed a thorough test of the Orbital Maneuvering System, seeing that their spaceplane could perform all the basic turns and burns in freefall. Then a small ceremony was planned.

"While we circle our home, the Earth, the crew of the Odyssey would like to honor those who lost their lives to the conquest of this final frontier.", colonel Ravensburg began, broadcasting to all receiving stations that tracked the spaceplane - in Straya, Taikinia, Cunnyfornia...to the tracking ships in far Zyberia and countless radio amateurs, "In memory of Virgil OhJesus, Bob Johnson and Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov, let the world know and remember them through this poem, chosen by the crew for this specific occasion."

He passed a little booklet to his nearest crewmember, and the Oddysey's crew took turns reading from it. All the world heard the eulogy to dead spacemen, read aloud beyond the atmosphere.

Lord of thunderhead and sky
Who place in man the will to fly
Who taught his hand speed, skill and grace
To soar beyond man's dwelling place
You shared with him the Eagle's view
The right to soar, as Eagles do
The right to call the clouds his home
And grateful, through your heavens roam
May all assembled here tonight
And all who love the thrill of flight
Recall with twofold gratitude
Your gift of Wings, Your gift of Food.

"This is the crew of the Oddysey, with well wishes to everyone below on God's blue Earth. Signing off."

For a briefest moment, a fleeting couple of seconds, most of the world stood still, in total silence, pondering the words they have just heard. Those who participated in this event would remember it for years to come.

[br][/br]



Days passed. Tests were performed, experiments documented. The spacecraft was put through a battery of trials so thorough that the crew joked if there were any faults, it would've shaken apart by now.

They weren't joking now.



"Burn is complete. We're on the slope. Ten minutes to entry interfrace.", colonel Ravensburg's face was utterly, insanely serious. Their spaceplane had a great many new systems: new life support setup, new navigational computer, state of the art fly-by-wire...and a new heat shield.

A radically new, fully reuseable metallic heat shield that had no equivalent of even remote predecessor anywhere, development of which consumed fully two thirds of the entire R&D budget.

Needless to say, the crew was slightly worried.

The plane hit the atmosphere. It skipped off after briefly immersing itself in it, shedding speed and energy. They were supposed to use this technique to see if everything held up well, but if it didn't...what would happen? They'd be stuck in orbit. Like Bob Johnson.

The crew shuddered, having had the same thought at the same moment. Bob Johnson's final message to the people of the Earth was still heard sometimes across THE CAPE'S PA system, especially at night, intermittent with Virgil OhJesus and his howls of terror.

The plane smacked into the atmosphere again, this time plunging into it like a rock after its last skip. Everything began to shake. Flames licked the cockpit windows, and the howling of rushing air sounded as if hundreds of hungry demons were trying to pound their way inside, to consume the very souls of the spaceplane's crew.

The colonel tried to yell something, Mike Collins yelled something back. An unsecured camera managed to slide out of it compartment and hit Barn Est I on his helmet, cracking the clear fishbowl. An alarm began to blare, and the entire crew jumped up, expecting the hull to break up at any second.

Mike Collins just slammed the master warning reset button, "It's just a program alarm! We're okay!", he yelled to his commander.



And then, suddenly, it was all over. The inferno of re-entry was gone, the abusive g-forces lifted, and the crew found themselves gently gliding through clear air, vague shape of THE CAPE emerging majestically before them.

The landing itself, compared to the complexity of their other tasks these last five days, was practically a formality.



They were home.

[Eternal_Freedom]

MURCA FUCK YEAH!

OOC: Thakn you PeZook, this was the perfect pick-me-up after a shitty few days. All the better than my astronaut flew the mission.

BOO-YEAH!

[OmegaChief]

OOC: Go go Muricans, that is a metric ton of Prestige, I think you're back in the game alright

[PeZook]

MURCA FUCK YEAH!

OOC: Thakn you PeZook, this was the perfect pick-me-up after a shitty few days. All the better than my astronaut flew the mission.

BOO-YEAH!

You know, I'm really glad to know this little silly distraction actually cheers people up in hard times.

Heads up, man. Remember: when it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Actually, I've got an awesome view of the Moon right now. Got my telescope set up at my window, admiring the Sea of Tranquility and the Bay of Rainbows. I love astronomy, it cheers you up no end when the skies are clear.