From Scott Palter's dystopian Dark America and Panay War timelines:
Obviously, this is all ASB, but how close can we get to anything close to a space program that begins around the WWII era?
Dark America said:Manhattan Project happens on schedule BUT Goddard and the rocket enthusiasts also get to Truman (let the sponsor be George Patton just for giggles). Full rocket and space program authorized. NASA started 4/15/42. Presume that we have Ultra intercepts on von Braun’s work. Space Race is on for recon, weather satellites (an easy sell to Harry the farm state Senator), comsats, space stations, lunar mining, near earth asteroids, etc. Also battle rockets and SAM’s.
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German space and rocket programs scoffed up by joint SAS and OSS raid at war’s end.
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US unilaterally announces that it owns space and will fire on the heat signature of any rocket it sees. Reserves the right to do the same to nuclear installations.
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Tech level is as current except nuclear power is widespread. There is a full SPS system. Most major manufacturing is off earth by now. We exploit the whole near earth area, Luna, the Martian moons and the Belt. We have experimental stations out to Pluto and on the Martian surface. Block residents cannot go to space (there are rumors of black [secret and we will destroy if we ever found] colonies based on undetected launches but…). The Sterling Block has some space facilities but no launch facilities. Fusion has past break even but is not yet in use. We have laser launch and nuke powered craft for quick transit within the solar system. We have big rocks we can drop if we are really pissed. We are not nice guys.
Panay War said:[1930s] Major $ into air and rocket research and major series production, especially on long-range transport, recon, and ASW. The heavy bomber frames are funded but little interest in strategic bombardment at this time. The B-17 is funded as a long range recon and antisub platform rather than as pursuit of the fantasy of victory through bombing cities.
Finally, in this period the American space program begins to pay off. [early 1940s] The first recon and com sats are up. A rudimentary GPS has begun. Space Station Freedom will begin launch from the Cape on January 7, 1942. Not every rocket works. This is war. Casualties are quite acceptable. Who can object to dead astronauts after the live pictures from the lagoon at Tarawa or the pitiful survivors’ accounts of the Luzon death marches.
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America has space stations, moon bases, L’s, near earth asteroids, orbital defenses, asteroid and Jovian exploitation bases in development, SPS, GPS, comsats, spy sats, CATV, computers. They have orbital bombs as well as NORAD and SAC. They have missile subs. Eurasia is not allowed atomics – America will bomb any suspected installation.
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The Americans had the miracle nukes first. They replied to every Eurasian bomb attempt several fold. America lost Dutch Harbor (1949). The Russians lost Kiev and Breslau. A second atomic round centered on sub launch weapons and nacent German ICBM’s (1952) cost America Hartford, Pittsburgh CA, and a few random villages (the ICBM’s and cruise missiles were not very accurate) and a lot of dead fish – the suicide bomb torpedoes rarely penetrated harbors. The response cost Russia every major city in Central Asia, Western Siberia and the Urals. The final round (1953) saw two dozen superbombers take off from hidden fields in Siberia. Four got past NORAD and the US lost Albequerke NM (Beria’s boys were a little off on Los Alamos after being penetrated), Berkeley CA, Tacoma WA, and Omaha NE. The American loss of patience saw a 1/4th sized dino killer powered rock take out Moscow and the bulk of the combined Politburo with Stalin. (the all volunteer all ex-zek, last survivor of extended Kulak family crew rides the rock in, broadcasting a group singing of Orthodox hymns in Ukranian and Russian) The new Moscow Sea made a shining picture from orbit. Eurasia rang like a bell. The remaining cities and major bases of Eurasia vanished under a steady stream of American H Bombs – Eurasia had tested them first but could not get past the bombardments for sustained serial production. Stalin and Beria die. So do most of the Politburo. A new one is cobbled together from the regional party bosses who were out of town led by the Ukranian boss, Nikita Khrushchev.
Obviously, this is all ASB, but how close can we get to anything close to a space program that begins around the WWII era?