A Shift in Priorities - Sequel

[rast]

How much further can we go? What are the final frontiers in this quest for travel? Will humankind only be satisfied when journeys into space become readily available and affordable?
(Jules Verne)

NASA had taken ample precautions not to be surprised by freak weather and found icebound once again. The climate at Achinsk was fairly continental with short and hot summers and long and cold winters, even without GQDD interference. Already in October, average daytime temperature could be expected to fall below zero, but deep snow was – normally – not a feature to be feared. Yet, you never could tell – everything that can happen, may happen these days, said the weatherman.

The space port had been enlarged. There were six large launch pads now, theoretically allowing two major rocket starts per day. Supplies and spares of all kinds had been accumulated and were stored in warehouses near–by. What was missing still, were the parts for the solar mirrors. – These were now, by mid–September 1953, starting to arrive. The proven Kósmos space capsules would serve as transport vehicles. Loading the first of them was completed on September 22nd.

On September 25th, Kósmos–6 and Kuryér–5, the latter manned by Poruchiks Grigory F. Dubtsev and Pavel B. Lysenko, went up. Svyosdniy Óstrov could accept two additional Kósmos capsules simultaneously, and each Kósmos capsule could berth one Kuryér. Poruchiks Pyotr G. Sosslov and Dmitriy F. Dobrynin, the permanent Star Island crew, together with Dubtsev and Lysenko now were to start construction of the supporting frame.

Extra–vehicular activities had been performed before, but executing real work in outer space was an innovation. The plan was that two men should go out, while the other two were monitoring and servicing the life support systems of the space suits. The space suits were unwieldy widgets, very similar to deep–sea diver suits, and as it quickly turned out, operating in them was extremely exhausting. And working on long leads proved to be downright troublesome.

Nevertheless, assembly of the frame was progressing, even if with a speed of only a third of what the planners at home had anticipated. And while Achinsk was reporting the first snow of the year on October 2nd, Poruchik Dobrynin was bolting together the final elements of frame for Sólnechniy Párus Odín – Solar Sail One.

 

[rast]

The oldest picture book in our possession is the midnight sky.
(Edward W. Maunder)

Eight people were now up there circling through outer space, four Germans and four Russians. It was incredible. Joseph Grzeskiewicz, born in the last century and grown up before the Great War, could hardly believe it. In his youth, people still had been travelling by horsepower – and the railway had been the fastest thing imaginable. He had seen automobiles, zeppelins and aircraft materialise, all wonders in their own right. But this space business was beating everything.

Joseph understood very well that the current space effort had to do with fighting the threat of a new ice age, which was said to have been caused by another latter–day contraption, the nuclear bomb. It was unsettling. There was a device that could change the weather on a global scale – and to fend off its impact, man had to fly into space. Why couldn't people just go on living happily with electrical lighting and refrigerators?

The young folks, Hanne and Egon, were keen as mustard on this space adventure. Egon was even fantasising about becoming a space farer. He was strong and persevering, why shouldn't he go up and help building something important? Well, Hanne was trying to put him at ease again. Those space farers were officers and scientists. Sending an uneducated ex–convict into space certainly wasn't possible...

But Egon wouldn't give up easily. Why did it need studied people to assemble an aluminium structure? That was a waste of human resources. Manual work should be done by workers, not by officers or scientists. – Space was there for all, said Herbert Weller. Hadn't Hanne seen the female space farers? Wouldn't she like to go to the moon? Or fly to Mars?

It was this new party, thought Joseph, the AFV. They were clamouring for space travel. Germans to the Moon, to Mars and to Venus! It was bollocks, in Joseph's opinion, but the youngsters were suckers for it. Many people were, indeed. He was perceiving it every day. There were some few who were grumbling about the expenses, but most folks seemed to approve.

The DELAG Große Schwester could take twenty people into space – at one go, said the AFV. The current space stations were way too small. Large ones, true cities ought to be build, where men could live and thrive. The Sun was providing the energy, and water could be recycled. It could be done. So, it should be done.

Joseph wasn't sure what was pie in the sky here and what really could be done. – But he could see that these dreams were making people happy. So much had been broken and destroyed hereabouts, life wasn't easy. Housing space was in very short supply; nourishment of the masses was only managed by employing mobile kitchens. And folks were happily chatting about events in outer space...

Joseph's forefathers had become Prussians a long time ago, when Prussia, Russia and Austria had partitioned Poland. They had been nobles, his father had told him, but Dad had told a lot of tall stories, when he had been drunk... For all he knew and felt, Joseph was a German – just like Egon, whose surname, Schagalla, strongly pointed to Polish roots as well, even if the lad was blissfully ignorant of his heritage.

But he didn't want to deal with space travel. And he didn't quite believe space travel was a solution for all worldly problems. One was going to see whether the current ventures really could accomplish what was being loudly advertised they would. Germans to the Moon was not going to work. Even if some space farers really should sing the national anthem and raise the flag on the moon, the vast bulk of the people would have to manage down here...

 

[rast]

It is strange how new and unexpected conditions bring out unguessed ability to meet them.
(Edgar Rice Burroughs)

If the Russian space farers were already experiencing considerable difficulties working in space, their German colleagues were confronted with a veritable quandary. While the Russian solar sail frame was a relatively simple and straightforward construction, the sphere for the Weizsäcker Device was a bitch. Already rehearsing assemblage on the ground proved a joyless enterprise. Repeating it in orbit became a veritable planning challenge for scientists and engineers.

The space suits were one source of trouble. They weren't autonomous but were receiving power and breathing air via long leads. But the length of the leads couldn't be extended arbitrarily, hence the sphere had to be rotated during construction, so that the section actually under construction was as close to the space station as possible. This would not be a problem initially, but as the sphere grew in size, revolving it would become a true hitch. At best, the process would be consuming a lot of time, at worst, it might destroy the station.

Shuttling the components into space was not a problem – as long as Lake Constance remained free of ice. The DELAG's Middle African branch site was a cute idea, but impractical for the ongoing project. The parts were produced in Germany, transporting them to equatorial Africa before shooting them up would create only additional sources for failure. Without the reusable Große Schwestern, however, construction time would treble, just about.

The space farers would be rotated in and out so that none of them was sojourning longer in space than five weeks in a row. One had no clue, admittedly, whether this – haphazardly chosen – period meant a medical risk for the spacers. But the stock of spacers available was, despite the vociferous clamouring of the AFV, pretty limited. Trained personnel wasn't growing on trees, it had to be selected, instructed and kept fit. The RRA hadn't anticipated this sudden enhanced demand, but they were still well–posed – compared to DELAG.

In fact, RRA spacers would have to co–pilot the DELAG gliders, as the aerospace trust was just capable of providing the required chief pilots. – Of course, both RRA and DELAG were frantically training new staff, but formation required time, hands–on tuition simply didn't work. And the AFV aspiration to send ordinary folks up into outer space was just rubbish – homicidal rubbish.

While the Scandinavian countries were already reporting the first seasonal snowfalls, preparations at Prerow and Meckenbeuren were approaching the final stage. One was hoping that the clerk of the weather would play along, but one couldn't be certain of it. If, however, the heavy snowfalls should really alternate between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, as some weathermen were claiming, it would be Western Europe's turn to be snowed under this time...

 

[rast]

Not hammer–strokes, but dance of the water, sings the pebbles into perfection.
(Rabindranath Tagore)

Work was as hard as could be duly expected. Well, Choe Kyung–jae hadn't anticipated anything else. But these Indians had something in their repertoire that truly had surprised him, surprised him pleasantly: a day off. They said they had adopted it from their former British overlords. The original religious background didn't matter anymore, there hardly were any Christians left in country, but it was a great opportunity to stage sports events. The Angrez had left an important heritage: cricket, today India's most popular sport, and field hockey, where Indian teams consistently were scoring high internationally, but also football, tennis and badminton were popular in many regions. Playing all these games properly – and indigene sports like polo and kabaddi as well – simply required a day off.

For the Koreans, this holiday concept had been utterly unfamiliar. One had attempted to disregard the strange custom, but the Indians had a law that governed the issue – and were insisting it was obeyed, also by bloody aliens. – Okay, what to do then on a day off? Learning more about India seemed to be a good idea – for Choe Kyung–jae at least. Most workers and engineers were just happy to sleep longer, cook a good lunch, sleep again – and then do some sport of their own, like table tennis or wrestling, in the afternoon. Kyung–jae, however, was travelling. Indian railways were an amazing means of transport. Kyung–jae was having a lot of fun riding on the trains.

The Indians generally were taking him for a Chinese, he quickly had figured. The English he had learnt when dealing with the Canadians was serving him well here. In most Indian groups, there was at least one guy who could communicate in English, oh dear, the Indian version of English, needless to say. It was good enough for Kyung–jae. – They didn't understand him when he claimed to come from Korea, so, he eventually agreed to be a Chinaman. That often earned him small donations – food, tea, fruits, talismans... The poor Chinese deserved pity, obviously.

Indian society, as far as Kyung–jae could glimpse, was very much layered. At home, there were rich and poor. Here, there were several kinds of poor – and an unending sequence of rich, very rich and super rich. But the affluent folks were beyond his level of access; he could only regard their mansions, quarters, estates, palaces from outside. The poor were his counterpart. They were providing about eighty percent of the population. And they were well organised. There were schools for their children, healers for their ailments, merchants and markets for earthly joys. But they were divided by faith, worshipping in different temples – and not merging freely.

Basically, it wasn't much different from home. It smelled different, looked different and sounded different. But behind the presentation, it was very similar to Korea. Only that in Korea ninety–nine percent of the populace were poor – and that the Korean poor were less organised. But then again, Koreans were so few – compared to Indians, who were forming vast crowds everywhere. Was there an equivalent to the chaebŏl? Kyung–jae couldn't tell. However, the chaebŏl were organising the poor at home. Here, the poor were organising themselves. But perhaps they didn't count at all... Were the rich fifth doing all important business amongst themselves? And the poor were abundant? That would, indeed, be alarming...

 

[rast]

The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars did wander darkling in the eternal space.
(Lord Byron)

On October 5th, 1953, Kuryér–5, with Poruchiks Dubtsev and Lysenko on board, left Svyosdniy Óstrov and landed safely in the taiga north of the Angara River. On October 9th, Kósmos–7 and Kuryér–6 with Poruchik Valery K. Baslukh and Sotnik Ivan I. Yefremov went up. This time, the Kósmos capsule contained the mirror material for Sólnechniy Párus Odín. Once the thin foil had been mounted, Kuryér–6 was to jockey the structure into position. It was planned to adjust it so that a chosen area on Novaya Zemlya should come into focus. Or at least, one would try to place it approximatively.

SPO had a diameter of 250 metres. It was estimated that – seen from Earth's surface – it would appear a hundred times as bright as the Moon and that it would illuminate and heat an area perhaps five kilometres long and up to three kilometres wide. If the conception really should come to work, up to 400 mirrors were to be mounted in order to warm up the polar region – by one or two degrees Celsius, hopefully. – It was an ambitious – and admittedly desperate – project, but the Russian scientists considered it more promising than the German Little Sun scheme. The Sun was always shining, once the mirrors were mounted, they would produce without limit. Weizsäcker's hydrogen supply, on the other hand, was limited – and there definitely was no way to restock a burning little sun.

However, once SPO had been completed, the Russians were discovering a new phenomenon: solar wind. – The mirror was starting to move by its own. – German scientist Ludwig Biermann had predicted the existence of a solar particle radiation already in 1950, but his theories hadn't found much interest and diffusion, hence it came as a surprise for NASA. – For the Russians, the solar wind posed an insurmountable problem now. Their mirrors possessed no capacity for self–propulsion. They were to be planted by the Kuryérs and then remain in place held by the speed conveyed. The solar wind was spoiling that conception.

After some heated discussions at Achinsk and in Moscow, the space farers were ordered to dismantle the mirror foil again – after the power of the solar wind had been gauged diligently. One had to rethink the project – and to make allowance for the solar wind, if that was possible. For the time being, the Russian project to save the world had to be put on the back burner...

 

[Kitiem3000]

Nice catch. I would've totally flaked on the solar wind thing.

 

[Bmao]

I looked it up on Wikipedia, and there was a scientist in 2001 who proposed that to deflect 1% of the sun's light in a direction they chose, they would need a space mirror that would be 600,000 square miles in area, or several smaller ones that size.

That doesn't sound feasible with 1950s technology...

 

[rast]

It isn't. The Russian project, if fully implemented with all 400 mirrors, would comprise approx. 20,000,000 square metres or 7.7 square miles.

 

[Ciryatur]

Not sure how much light they need, but surely not 1%. I mean, 1% is a lot of damn light.

 

[chrnno]

I looked it up on Wikipedia, and there was a scientist in 2001 who proposed that to deflect 1% of the sun's light in a direction they chose, they would need a space mirror that would be 600,000 square miles in area, or several smaller ones that size.

That doesn't sound feasible with 1950s technology...

If you redirected 1% of the Sun's light to Earth nothing would survive on it, hell maybe the planet itself wouldn't. The percentage of the Sun's light that Earth receives is 0.000000045292% so you would be increasing it by over two billion times.

 

[Bmao]

Not sure how much light they need, but surely not 1%. I mean, 1% is a lot of damn light.

Yeah, 1% of light is a huge amount and they wouldn't need that much. However, even 0.01% would require 6,000 square miles, or heck, even 0.001 % would require 600 square miles and 0.0001 % would require 60 square miles, which is nowhere near the requirement the Russians would be able to make.

 

[Bmao]

If you redirected 1% of the Sun's light to Earth nothing would survive on it, hell maybe the planet itself wouldn't. The percentage of the Sun's light that Earth receives is 0.000000045292% so you would be increasing it by over two billion times.

I think it meant the 1% of light that Earth receives from the sun, not 1% of all light from the Sun itself, which would surely kill all life on earth.

 

[chrnno]

I think it meant the 1% of light that Earth receives from the sun, not 1% of all light from the Sun itself, which would surely kill all life on earth.

That makes much more sense but then the numbers are a little off. A tenth over, maybe even close to a fifth so 1% would require significantly less. I think, weird units might have confused me.

Not that it helps much in making Russia's plan more feasible. Assuming ideal everything they can get an increase on how much the Earth gets of 0.000016% from 7.7 square miles.

 

[rast]

Every cubic inch of space is a miracle.
(Walt Whitman)

While the Russians scientists were brooding over the problems encountered with SPO, an investigation that would erelong lead to the discovery of the Grigoryev Radiation Belt, the Germans were now ready to launch their Weizsäcker Sun project. To everybody's relief, the weather was compliant, although the experts weren't happy: it was mid–October now and it was snowing already in Scandinavia, Novaya Zemlya and Greenland. This was feeding the glaciers, not good in the long run, not good at all...

Nevertheless, Prerow was free of snow and ice, and also Meckenbeuren–Friedrichshafen was reporting wet water galore; the show could begin thus. The RRA had experimented with an automated guidance system, but one had eventually decided against it, as the system wasn't sufficiently matured yet. Therefore, every mission was going to be manned. Unfortunately, a lot of missions would be required, because the elements of the sphere were quite large. However, work on the guidance system would continue. Developing a procedure where supplies could be auto–delivered to outer space would not only reduce the stress on the personnel but also allow higher payloads.

Thursday, October 15th, 1953, saw the first mission, Raumschrat–10 and Transporter–1, ascend. The transporters were simple carrier shells to be attached to the Schrat space crafts. The catch, however, was that the shells themselves were useable for the construction of the sphere. The German engineers had done their utmost to simplify the task of the space farers, which remained highly complex nonetheless. Markwart, Leiplinger, Grabowski and Gottschling, the Raumpunkt 1 crew, were now busy assembling the cradle for the sphere, while Raumschrat–10 safely returned to earth, only to be replaced in orbit by Raumschrat–11 and Transporter–2.

Unfortunately, the Schrat space crafts weren't reusable. On re–entry into atmosphere, the propulsion unit had to be jettisoned. Therefore, employing the DELAG Big Sisters was vastly preferrable. But once committed, a Big Sister required a complete overhaul which took about four weeks – in 24/7 mode. Hence, only one DELAG mission per week was feasible – for the time being, until more units – and pilots – became ready. Yet, with the Transporter–2 load the cradle had been completed. And Big Sister C was the first tender to carry up regular sphere elements. On October 28th, construction of the sphere commenced.

 

[rast]

Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.
(Henry David Thoreau)

Yeah, she could see now why this Rose character had scooted. It was a tragedy. – Oh, there was a crop, but it was a trifle, not even sufficient to feed the Canadians. To say nothing of supplying Britain... – What should she do? What could she do? Polly Brown was perplexed. Her – new, Canadian – staff neither was able to present an answer. Butchering livestock was self–evident, because fodder was lacking. But that didn't solve the quandary. And in the long run, it exacerbated the crisis.

Tom Wintringham, who had received her down in his bunker, on her stopover in London, trusted her to save the situation – and Britain. The dude was, however, clueless as well how she should accomplish this mission. Well, he had given her full power, at least. – The Duck Brothers, her secret gentlemen at arms, were screening the local top spooks for any moles planted by Westminster, one never knew... Unsurprisingly, some of the local power brokers had emulated their former boss's conduct – and had bolted. Those who remained – were the loyal ones? – or the stupid ones? – or both?

There were no stocks, that was worsening the crunch. The previous crises – and there had been some, she had learnt – had consumed all reserves. One had been living from hand to mouth latterly. – And now, with the 1953 crop hardly capping the floors of the silos, one was facing ruin. Famine was imminent, here and in Britain. Canadians could be trusted to wander south to avoid starvation, immigrating to the US, no matter whether the Yankees welcomed them or not. But Britons had nowhere to go. Polly was no Canadian, she didn't care for the Canucks. Her heart was in England, in London, her home. They had already suffered so much...

It was a university type, a scholar, who finally presented a possible way out. One had to sell Canadian natural resources on the free markets. For the money earned one could buy foodstuffs. – It wouldn't be easy, and one should have started much earlier, but it still might work. Gold, nickel, uranium, diamonds, lead, iron ore, bauxite, wood pulp, and lumber would have to do the trick. One would be forced to sell the stuff for dumping prices, in order to swiftly earn revenues. And foodstuffs were damn expensive, had become so because of the recent food crisis.

As a consequence, British industry would run dry. That might produce dire consequences in the long term, but it offered a way to save Britons from starving. Subsequently, the Canadians wouldn't get the commodities they were used to. That might cause some commotions. But those could hardly be worse than mass migration of starving Canadians to the US. – Once she had made up her mind to pursue the boffin's proposal, Polly started spilling out orders. That was the easy part, she was used to it. And she had to inspect the armed forces. They might soon be needed...

 

[Bmao]

Actually, the best solution for Canada has always been the most obvious one, but the one that the Canadian controllers can never bring themselves to do.

Swallow your pride and re-open full trade with the United States and beg for US investments to save your dying industries.

 

[rast]

When the world has once begun to use us ill, it afterwards continues the same treatment with less scruple or ceremony, as men do to a whore.
(Jonathan Swift)

While the Germans were gearing up for their big effort in space, they were growing increasingly impatient with their neighbours in Europe. Making profit was one thing, insisting on cash payment another. Germany would pay her debts – in due time, if she survived as a nation. If not, if the glaciers won, there would be nobody left in Europe to state accounts. Germany needed foodstuffs, intermediate goods and natural resources in order to accomplish her mission. It was the duty of fellow Europeans to deliver.

This was obvious to Scandinavians, Dutch, Belgians, the people of the Baltic countries and the Heymshtot, who, however, could contribute little. To the countries in the south, where folks could expect to survive even when the North German Plain was razed by advancing ice sheets, this was less apparent. One was ready to help, but one couldn't pre–finance the relief supplies one was sending to Germany. Stuff had to be paid – or one was facing ruin and was forced to drop out, which wouldn't help the cause either.

Germany was paying deliveries she received from the US and South America, so why should she refuse to remunerate Spanish, French, Italian, Hungarian and Bulgarian farmers for their efforts? – That Middle Africa and the West African Union had agreed to chalk up didn't matter. They were German proxies. – The Russians, also struggling in space, were paying without complaint. So, what was the German rationalisation for being special?

But the Schmidt government was in no mood to bargain. One was ruining Germany in the current quest for salvation. And one didn't give a damn whether Spain or Italy or ... went broke in the process or not. Either they were sending foodstuffs and resources, or Germany was starting to send people, uniformed ones first, followed by several millions of civilians. – It was an irresistible argument. But none to create smiling faces.

The German hegemon never had been easy to deal with, being far too big and powerful to feel comfortable besides. And now the old brute was dropping the mask. The socialist varnish was off – and the ugly Prussian was back. Unfortunately, tackling the Prussian beast was not advisable at all. It was known to be cranky and prone to biting. So, grudgingly, one had to oblige. But it wasn't fair...

 

[luis3007]

Polly's heart is in Great Britain, she couldn't care less for what the Canadians think as long as they deliver the minerals to exchange for foodstuff to give to Britain. As long as she has the (most likely imported from England) army and her spooks covering her back what she says is what will happen.

And while Germany's attitude is very realistic in such an existencial crisis this will generate huge bitterness after the problems in space are over. But there is no one else that can truly intervene on behalf of those fleeced. Germany has made sure that Europe is commanded by the barrel of a gun, a German one

 

[sloreck]

Germany doesn't really have much choice, so necessity is a mother as they say. As far as the British, they have dug their own hole. There the question is can they sell enough Canadian resources on the open market to buy enough food for Britain and Canada, and there is also the question is stepping up production of these raw materials - who will cut down trees,mine ore, etc to make the increased quotas? If the Candians see a lot of their limited harvest going to the UK, and the money from resources going to buy food for the UK, it could get very ugly.

 

[Bmao]

Germany doesn't really have much choice, so necessity is a mother as they say. As far as the British, they have dug their own hole. There the question is can they sell enough Canadian resources on the open market to buy enough food for Britain and Canada, and there is also the question is stepping up production of these raw materials - who will cut down trees,mine ore, etc to make the increased quotas? If the Candians see a lot of their limited harvest going to the UK, and the money from resources going to buy food for the UK, it could get very ugly.

There is only one way you can be saved Canada, and that is to join the benevolent Union of the United States of America!!

Seriously, if things get THAT bad in Canada, it could become an instance where for the US it becomes 'just a matter of marching'.