Roger Redux said:
I like the Richard Branson tease though. ... ... Please don't kill him!
As far as Frank Church being PotUS, honestly I can't comment, because I've never heard of him.
Branson has proved pretty indestructable IOTL, so I’d say the chances are good he’ll survive.
Frank Church IOTL is probably most famous for his chairing a Committee investigating intelligence agency abuses following Watergate. ITTL, with no Watergate there’s not been a corresponding Committee, but political butterflies (including involvement in supporting nation-building in South Vietnam) has given him different breaks that have brought him to prominence.
dimovski said:
Somewhat sad to see the USSR on the verge of collapse ITTL aswell
EcoBOOM said:
The early 1980s are still not too late for the USSR to reform its economy. It could gradually open itself more. Besides, some reforms did take place ITTL starting during Kirilenko's term, unlike IOTL where Brezhnev did not do anything at all. Maybe the fall in oil prices makes them realize that they need to reform more?
“Verge of collapse” is perhaps a bit extreme. The cracks are definitely showing, but the edifice is tough and it’s becoming clear that things can’t go on this way. However, overall the Soviets are probably in a slightly better position than at the same time IOTL. Their economy took a bigger hit in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s from Shelepin’s military build-up, but has seen better performance in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s.
The realisation of the need to reform is certainly there (it’s been something Teplov’s been pushing since Shelepin’s time). Whether the
ability is there within the Soviet political system to reform sufficiently to save the economy (and, perhaps, the Union) is still an open question. The Khozraschyot reforms have given them a bit of a head-start, and moves towards more democratic government in Eastern Europe (in particular in Poland) could point a way forward for political reform, but it’s still a path strewn with landmines.
dimovski said:
However, what I'm really curious about... Why a black Mercedes? Did the XJ flop in this timeline? Did it retain that 40s-50s look of the 420G or what?
Bahamut-255 said:
But based on what you've written, it's pretty clear that the UK Car Industry is hurting in a big way right now, which, it did IOTL as well. No surprise there given everything that was acting to bring it down - I'm looking at you, SD1.
Why a Mercedes? No significant reason, other than they make decent high-end cars and, perhaps, as a subtle attempt to make Kayser comfortable by using a car from his hometown of Stuttgart.
Jaguar ITTL are part of the nationalised British Motor Company that Gilmore poked fun at. They still make pretty good luxury cars (although not the most reliable), so Gilmore’s teasing isn’t quite fair, at least where the Jaguar brand are concerned, but the BMC in general doesn’t have a great reputation.
Michel Van said:
Richard Branson in SPACE ?!
Bahamut-255 said:
Richard Branson in Space? Now that is one MASSIVE PR Boost! Assuming it goes well of course. But the 90% Reduction in launch costs? That's certainly a major challenge, but if their design is as basic as they say it is, I suppose it can be done.
omnimercurial said:
I kind of hate Richard Branson so if Private/Commercial Space Tourism gets a First Person in this TL I really hope it is not him.
I’m glad you enjoyed the twist
The part was ending on a bit of a downer, so I’d like to thank my superb collaborators
e of pi and
Brainbin for inspiring this plot point, above and beyond all of the excellent support they’ve provided to the whole timeline.
All I would say at this point is don’t assume it’ll be all plain sailing. As many noted earlier, Kayser’s claims for his rockets IOTL did not always match the reality, and Branson’s gift for PR sometimes makes it challenging to get his achievements to match his hype. However, such a high-profile venture is likely to have wider consequences, whether or not things go fully to plan.
Archibald said:
That Dynasoar night landing picture... just beautiful. Straight out of a sci-fi movie.
The inspiration is actually a real photo -
the landing of STS-135, the end of an era IOTL.
Petike said:
The ATL ASTP with a DynaSoar was pretty cool.
Glad you liked it! It was good fun to write.
TheBatafour said:
And so part IV of this glorious TL ends, with eccentric millionaires coming out of the woodwork and employing rocket scientists as odd as themselves to take them into space. At least Kayser won't be working for any militaristic regimes, just their corporate equivalent
Indeed, with closer ties to US government work (not to mention his taking of US citizenship - not mentioned in the final draft, but it was in earlier versions), he’s freedom to associate with some of his more… dubious OTL clients is more restricted. Hence he’s been forced to look for a different type of wealthy individual willing to fund his dreams.
Roger Redux said:
And now the waiting game.... Any idea how long it'll be before Part V? I would presume not until after the holidays. (so maybe March-ish at the absolute earliest?)
TheBatafour said:
Really looking forward to part V. As this is just the FIRST Space Race ending, I hope we have a lot more awesomeness to look forward to. But hey, who would such a renewed space race involve? US vs. SU again? Europe vs. China? Branson vs. Bigelow? Whatever it might be, it'll surely be awesome!
Thank you once more, Nixonshead. Your great space-based TL is an inspiration to us all. Let's hope other TLs like 2001, Explorers and the Selene Project will bridge the gap...
TaintedLion said:
So... when is Part V coming out?
So, the $64 000 question
I’m afraid that right now I don’t have a good answer for you. Offline events mean that I’m likely to have a lot less time for writing than has been the case up until now, so my current feeling is that Part-IV marks the last of the ‘formal’ Parts of the timeline. I am hoping to write more individual posts on specific topics, some set within the period of the existing parts, others taking the story forward into the late 80s and beyond, but these will be coming out on an ad-hoc basis. I’m also planning to continue the illustrations, especially to fill in some notable gaps (M-1, Liberty, Safir…), but again, the timetable is uncertain.
So thanks to everyone for your support and comments. Special thanks also to
e of pi and
Brainbin for their huge support and inspiration, without which this timeline would not exist. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the story, and I look forward to providing future updates for your enjoyment.
