IOTL, Idi Amin's plan for a Ugandan space program was an absolute failure that consisted of only an attempt to train an astronaut on an obstacle course. How could a Ugandan government develop a functioning space program before 1990 with a POD after 1950? The minimum conditions for a space program for the purposes of this challenge are a basic cosmodrome and a functional launch vehicle that could transport a human into low Earth orbit.
AHC: Make Uganda's Space Program a Reality
- Thread starter J. Westrate
- Start date
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- space exploration uganda
Whilst i dont know enough about Uganda, much less its history, There were many ballistic missile/space launch systems programs by many dictatorships in the cold war. The biggest obstacle would be actually bringing something to participate, most likely equatorial launch, if one ignores things like downrange stages dropping on another country. I guess they could just launch out of Scotland, seeing as Idi Amin was king of Scotland...
dey will show us de wey to de stars
okay, now that the obligatory Ugandan Knuckles reference is out of de wey, i admit that i had no idea that there had ever been plans for a Ugandan space program, but it makes me wonder, if it did succeed, if it would prompt other African states to follow suit. i could see Gaddafi trying, at least--he was the kind of ambitious madman who would shoot for that
one thing i can say about this, though probably everyone who would be discussing this in any serious way already knows this, is that "space program" doesn't necessarily mean "space shuttles" or "trying to get to the Moon"--for example, iirc Mexico has/had a pretty active space program IOTL but few if any aspirations of actually sending people into space like the Americans and Russians (i admit that i can't recall specifics beyond that, but i'm also pretty right now and i have work in the morning, anyway, so i'm out for now
)
okay, now that the obligatory Ugandan Knuckles reference is out of de wey, i admit that i had no idea that there had ever been plans for a Ugandan space program, but it makes me wonder, if it did succeed, if it would prompt other African states to follow suit. i could see Gaddafi trying, at least--he was the kind of ambitious madman who would shoot for that
one thing i can say about this, though probably everyone who would be discussing this in any serious way already knows this, is that "space program" doesn't necessarily mean "space shuttles" or "trying to get to the Moon"--for example, iirc Mexico has/had a pretty active space program IOTL but few if any aspirations of actually sending people into space like the Americans and Russians (i admit that i can't recall specifics beyond that, but i'm also pretty right now and i have work in the morning, anyway, so i'm out for now
)
Have the British Empire reform into a Imperial Federation or turn to the Commonwealth into a more muscular Organisation. Uganda geta membership and gets to send a Astronaut on a Pan Commonwealth effort
Uganda's not on a coast, so launching rockets should be out.
Buying a satellite is easy.
Getting deal to send one guy up on a Soyuz is believable.
Getting a university team to actually build some sort of small satellite to be launched as a subpayload is also possible.
Anything beyond that is probably the fevered imagination of a crazy man. Which idi certainly was.
Buying a satellite is easy.
Getting deal to send one guy up on a Soyuz is believable.
Getting a university team to actually build some sort of small satellite to be launched as a subpayload is also possible.
Anything beyond that is probably the fevered imagination of a crazy man. Which idi certainly was.
Unless you're Idi Amin and you don't really care about dropping spent boosters on your neighbors.
Ahh.. but THEY care.
I DID point out that he was crazy and was less ... limited by reality.
I would expect the easiest path would be to modify a Scud. It is not beyond the pale to imagine the Soviet Union exporting some to Uganda. Get rid of the warhead, build or import a crew capsule. Also, it would be technically easiest to train two astronauts who look similar. Put one in the rocket and launch it. When he dies, produce the other one for the parades and medals. If the global media breaks the story, denounce it as Imperialist propaganda.
Uganda does have the western shore of Lake Victoria that could be used for launches. From the Ugandan shore it’s over 150 miles to Kenya on the other side of the lake Depending on the orbital path, the first stage could easily land in the lake. But I’m not super sure how lakes are divided. I’m assuming the middle of the lake is not considered international waters.
The USA and USSR (including Israel) would be very Nervous, if Uganda under Idi Amin get Rocket Technology in his hands.
There Was interesting analog with Dictator Mobutu from Zaire and German OTRAG GmbH, who try to build extrem Low cost rocket and launch from Zaire.
They try to launch one of there contraptions in presence of Mobutu, but it failed and he evict the company out Zaire, so they went to Gaddafi Libya.
and there were allot political pressure from USA, France, West Germany and USSR in that Case on Zaire and OTRAG
Libya try to make Military rocket from OTRAG GmbH rocket, but failed do uselessness of the concept for military application.
now it make for this TL sense that OTRAG found a launch side in Uganda...
On OTRAG here it's pressure fed modular Rocket (smallest configuration)
There Was interesting analog with Dictator Mobutu from Zaire and German OTRAG GmbH, who try to build extrem Low cost rocket and launch from Zaire.
They try to launch one of there contraptions in presence of Mobutu, but it failed and he evict the company out Zaire, so they went to Gaddafi Libya.
and there were allot political pressure from USA, France, West Germany and USSR in that Case on Zaire and OTRAG
Libya try to make Military rocket from OTRAG GmbH rocket, but failed do uselessness of the concept for military application.
now it make for this TL sense that OTRAG found a launch side in Uganda...
On OTRAG here it's pressure fed modular Rocket (smallest configuration)
dey will show us de wey to de stars
okay, now that the obligatory Ugandan Knuckles reference is out of de wey, i admit that i had no idea that there had ever been plans for a Ugandan space program, but it makes me wonder, if it did succeed, if it would prompt other African states to follow suit. i could see Gaddafi trying, at least--he was the kind of ambitious madman who would shoot for that
one thing i can say about this, though probably everyone who would be discussing this in any serious way already knows this, is that "space program" doesn't necessarily mean "space shuttles" or "trying to get to the Moon"--for example, iirc Mexico has/had a pretty active space program IOTL but few if any aspirations of actually sending people into space like the Americans and Russians (i admit that i can't recall specifics beyond that, but i'm also pretty right now and i have work in the morning, anyway, so i'm out for now
Mexican space program...OK, forget the Moon, does this involve getting a man over a wall?
Nephi
Banned
If Ugandans could take a path that is similar economically to small states in Europe/Asia then it could easily be the continents wealthiest state, giving them the money they need for a space program, they might even be able to legally acquire the rights to use launch sites in neighboring countries like Kenya.
Good point. They would need a different leader than Idi Amin, and a likelier an earlier POD than 1950. But your direction makes for a much more optimistic timeline.