I'm resuming work on a timeline/story I'd put aside, and was looking for a few thoughts.
If, in 1876, it became very clear that there was danger in the skies (A mile wide crater blasted out of New Hampshire's White Mountains by a large meteorite, with the blast heard in Montreal and New York) and a determination to do something about it, how soon could people be in orbit? I'm not talking about a Manhattan Project level program, but an American population that supports research into this sort of thing, and 5% of the military budget each year going for research into everything from telescopes to ways to get off the ground. I'm just collecting more ideas for "Reach for the Skies," including what sort of things might be tried.
If, in 1876, it became very clear that there was danger in the skies (A mile wide crater blasted out of New Hampshire's White Mountains by a large meteorite, with the blast heard in Montreal and New York) and a determination to do something about it, how soon could people be in orbit? I'm not talking about a Manhattan Project level program, but an American population that supports research into this sort of thing, and 5% of the military budget each year going for research into everything from telescopes to ways to get off the ground. I'm just collecting more ideas for "Reach for the Skies," including what sort of things might be tried.