I was thinking the other day about what if President Kennedy had went beyond what he spoke about in the moonshot speech. I was thinking about something like.
President Kennedy adds to the moon speech
- Thread starter gladiator8085
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Likely it would have been applauded and cheered just like OTL's speech. But not many other changes. Maybe more research put into the idea but not much beyond that. No one is going to settle the moon until we know there is A) Water B) Something to mine and where it is.
I'm pretty sure kennedy would have made it more inspirational than that
If he was going to add to the Moon program it would have been to travel father. A Moonbase doesn't have as much "Beat the russians" potential as a Manned Mars/Venus/ Flyby does.
Ford Aeronautics had also estimated in 1962 the program could be done for just 50% more than the Apollo Program by 1970. A single Saturn V Venus flyby was also proposed in 1967 (launch 1972). other proposals had launch dates in 1973, 1975. It's conceivable the program could survive nixon being so close to completion (though cancelled immedietly after the fist mission).
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/ford-aeronutronic-empire-1962/
The Soviet's would have to do something REALLY impressive for that to happen. Maybe a manned circumlunar flight before Kennedy's assasination in 1963. Unlikely (maybe not quite ASB).
Soviet equivelent to this?http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/around-the-moon-in-80-hours-1958/
Also let's be clear. It's not colonization we are talking about. But a permanent presence, like the ISS.
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/alsrbase.htm
Not happening though
If he was going to add to the Moon program it would have been to travel father. A Moonbase doesn't have as much "Beat the russians" potential as a Manned Mars/Venus/ Flyby does.
Ford Aeronautics had also estimated in 1962 the program could be done for just 50% more than the Apollo Program by 1970. A single Saturn V Venus flyby was also proposed in 1967 (launch 1972). other proposals had launch dates in 1973, 1975. It's conceivable the program could survive nixon being so close to completion (though cancelled immedietly after the fist mission).
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/ford-aeronutronic-empire-1962/
The Soviet's would have to do something REALLY impressive for that to happen. Maybe a manned circumlunar flight before Kennedy's assasination in 1963. Unlikely (maybe not quite ASB).
Soviet equivelent to this?http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/around-the-moon-in-80-hours-1958/
Also let's be clear. It's not colonization we are talking about. But a permanent presence, like the ISS.
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/alsrbase.htm
Tallest Skil
Banned
It certainly has more potential to do anything meaningful, though.
The idea of flying hundreds of millions of miles only to… NOT LAND has always been idiotic to me.
He explicitly said colonization.
Presumably, the Apollo Program would be geared toward that goal. The question is, can NASA get enough funding to sustain the program long enough to actually reach that goal.
If we are talking about Colonization then it's definetly not happening. Geting into ASB territory at that point. A permanent base, with 18+ people, with colonizarion as a long term goal, perhaps.
First this is a space-race. It has more to do with ideological supremacy and flashy firsts then doing anything meaningful (it did many meaningful things, but that wasn't the intention).
I would argue that a Manned Mars/Venus flyby is meaningful but that isn't the point as I mentioned.
First this is a space-race. It has more to do with ideological supremacy and flashy firsts then doing anything meaningful (it did many meaningful things, but that wasn't the intention).
I would argue that a Manned Mars/Venus flyby is meaningful but that isn't the point as I mentioned.