Challenge: Get Blue Gemini And The MOL Up Into Earth Orbit

Your challenge is to get Blue Gemini and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory make manned flights. Bonus points if you can get a Blue Apollo program. Bonus points for getting the USAF Saturn Vs for military uses such as launching space stations.
 
Simplest way I see is if the last few Apollo missions don't get cancelled. Rather than scrubbing the lunar missions and coming up with Skylab 18,19 and maybe 20 make landings and NASA gets one of the crew members on the first couple MOL flights (much as was planned for the original Blue Gemini). I'd guess you'd get three or four flights out of this, largely with NASA pursuing the goals of Skylab.

It would help if Gary Powers isn't shot down, so the Corona program moves slower. That said, by the end of the 60s when MOL would be flying, and was cancelled OTL, its still going to be pretty clear that crews aren't needed for reconnaissance so if we could add a bunch more technical problems to Corona it would help as well (though it would probably cause some butterflies with civilian probes).

As far as Apollo goes there are two ways I see it happening. The first is if a true military space station happens (and there is a real immediate need for it, as in something that can't wait for the shuttle, which bear in mind was supposed to be flying the late-mid 70s). I really can't imagine a credible scenario for that happening to be honest, between there being no way I can think of to kill off the satellites and the optimistic (to say the least) predictions as to the shuttle. The other option is if the military gets some kind of manned satellite inspection/shootdown capability based on an Apollo LM, which was proposed. I don't buy into that much either though, between Gemini seeming like a better platform for the mission (hell, even an Apollo WITHOUT LM seems like a better improvised fighter) and the reality that even in the late 60s missiles should be able to hit satellites if needed (the RIM-66 was in service from 1967 on OTL) and an unmanned inspection platform could probably be pieced together cheaper (certainly cheaper than Apollo, I could almost see a test or two of an armed inspection Gemini if MOL flies).

Now, if you want cool and within the realm of vague possibility how about this:
-Apollo's 18,19 and 20 go to the moon
-MOL flies with a primarily civilian mission (replacing skylab) but satisfies the desire for dedicated military flights
-With Blue Gemini flying the air force gets to experiment with satellite interception by Gemini when it becomes clear manned recon just isn't worthwhile
-Something (possibly Russian action, possibly changed space treaty, probably some of both) makes congress demand long term space "fighter" capability
-Approach ends up being a series of space station servicing reusable and on orbit serviced LM derived "fighters" based at these station

That last bit gets really ASB IMO. The sensible approach would be silo based launch on need Gemini's, which could very easily piggy back on existing ICBM installations. That said, it's a damn cool thought, and does get you some military Apollo capsules until Big G or the shuttle comes along. Going forward I'd think the shuttle either gets cancelled in favour of Big G or gets delayed so far into the future that we have Apollo's flying into at least the 90s as a result of the frankly ridiculous cost a program like this would have. Ultimately I see a very militarily oriented and rather ineffective space program that eats a budget at least as big as OTL and accomplishes even less after the moon landings (and pisses off Russia to boot). Altogether not that nice.

If we want to stay plausible (and IMO with a better result) I'd drop Apollo and space stations, have a black silo based launch on need Gemini program operational after a limited MOL program and have pretty much the shuttle program we did OTL. Gemini probably peters out sometime in the 80s as the OTL dedicated ASAT missiles come online and it isn't needed for some kind of strategic manned access to space reason after the shuttle flies. You might even get something interesting (certainly a lot of proposals) involving very late revivals of Gemini after Challenger (unless even this reduced program butterflies Challenger, or more likely delays the shuttle a few more years)...
 

Archibald

Banned
Most important thing is to have Robert Mc Namara dying of an horrible death. :D This is paramount !

I would try this: since NASA is busy with Apollo, have the Air Force "fill the blanks" I.e earth orbit.

Blue Gemini is not the same thing as the MOL. Blue Gemini come earlier, and consisted of military astronauts flying as copilots of NASA Geminis.

MOL, by contrast, used a modified Gemini, Gemini B - a hundred percent Air Force ship.
 
Most important thing is to have Robert Mc Namara dying of an horrible death. :D This is paramount !

I would try this: since NASA is busy with Apollo, have the Air Force "fill the blanks" I.e earth orbit.

Blue Gemini is not the same thing as the MOL. Blue Gemini come earlier, and consisted of military astronauts flying as copilots of NASA Geminis.

MOL, by contrast, used a modified Gemini, Gemini B - a hundred percent Air Force ship.

Kill off McNamara and aren't you more likely to get Dyna Soar? That sounds pretty good itself actually. As far as MOL/Blue Gemini goes, I really don't see a whole lot of chance for the original Blue Gemini to happen, it just doesn't have much purpose except showing the flag for the military in space.
 
dit you know that manufactor Douglas proposed civil MOL to NASA back in 1968 ?
one year befor it got canceled by Nixon Administration
but NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine show no interest in NASA MOL
he wanted all ambitions projects (Skylab AAP) carried out with Apollo Hardware
But wat if Thomas O. Paine never became Administrator of NASA?
another men take his his place, let call him "Goodspeed" :D

In order to save the 1968 NASA budget proposal he has to make deep cut in Programs
and stay focus on it main program Apollo, No misuse of Saturn V for other things like Skylab or Mars Voyager
so Skylab dies quiet and Goodspeed takes lowcost replacement MOL with TItan IIIM rocket
US Congress and Senat, Nixon Administration are happy.
Apollo goes with 20 Mission and USAF MOL Program is transfer to NASA
(with 1/3 allready payed by USAF and without military reconnaissance Hardware)

in 1970 the MOL 1 blast off, qualification flight Titan IIIM and unmanned Gemini B
from 1972 a thirty days MOL mission is launch, between the two Apollo Mission of year.
but Apollo Prgramm had its Problems
1970 Apollo 13 delay the MOL program also because the used same Fuelcell.
1974 Apollo 20 end in problems: one CSM RCS stop to work, another start to leak
lucky this was after docking with LM, so the Mission becomes a orbital one around the moon
Goodspeed declare after "second successful failure", the Use of Apollo CSM for terminate.
the ASTP will be replace by MOL 6 mission equipped with docking module APAS-75.



NOTE:
In 1968 things don't look good at NASA
the Apollo Program delayed: Apollo CSM redesign, LM not ready, Saturn V little problems
US Congress and Senat refused the 1968 NASA budget proposal
with Mars Voyager gigant probe who need a Saturn V to launch two units
the Johnson Administration gave order to Stop manufacturing the Saturn V
and scrapping the almost complet units SA-516 & SA-517
Administrator James Webb left NASA and is replace by
Thomas O. Paine ( with his "I want 2001 space Odysse Infrastructure NOW!" posture )
The Orbital Workshop (early Skylab) had run into Problems
the use a spend S-IVB stage in orbit and convert it into "Wet" orbital Workshop
So the program used only Saturn-IB, but NASA start worried that crew get damage to one's health
because convert and living in spend Fueltank.
Thomas O. Paine decided to launch modified S-IVB Dry "Skylab" with a Saturn V, on the sacrifices of a Apollo Mission
 
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