Space and the hotness of the Cold War

Thande

Donor
More of a debate than a specific what if. If the Cold War was hotter than OTL (e.g. no detente period) or cooler (detente after Stalin during the Krushchev period, say) then how does that affect space stuff?

On the one hand, if the Cold War is less hot, then there's less of an incentive to space-race and try to beat the other guy through prestige, and less military investment in space stuff. On the other, a cooler Cold War means you can spend more cash on things other than the military, you can do more international cooperation because it's less vested in national pride (e.g. the Apollo-Soyuz project) and things may go at a more measured pace rather than rushing to win propaganda victories that you then don't follow up on.

So what are your thoughts?

Let's say we're trying for a spacewank, with the maximum possible investment and achievement in space in the period 1945-1990 (of course the USSR will not fall in 1990 in all timelines, but it's just an arbitrary period). What kind of Cold War, in your opinion, would be best for that?
 
Interesting. A Spacewank scenario would have to mean no American involvement in Vietnam. It would also have to mean much closer space race where the Russians either manage to make a circumlunar flight in 1968/69 or actually manage to land either immediately before or immediately after the Americans. In which case one side or the other will respond by upping the ante. First moonlandings, a space shuttle, then a space station, then a moonbase, then a Mars mission and so on so tha by 1990 you have large Russian and American spacestions and outposts scattered across the solar system.
 

Archibald

Banned
Well, what you describe as "spacewank" really looks like what I'm writing for some days now :D

In this kind of scenario, the Soviet would need a superbooster. The N-1 is a lost cause, Energia is too late.
So why not give them the UR-700 ?
 
Well I think to some extent the pressure goes both ways, but some level of competition is an absolute necessity. There's a good argument that Apollo-Soyuz actually impaired both space efforts.
 
OK, here's an idea:

Space Travel becomes incredibly important, after a secret field test on the Moon launches a smallish meteor into the Pacific Ocean, doing no damage (meteor breaks up on entry due to its low size), but indicating that orbital bombardment is probably outstripping nuclear arsenals as a means of fighting a war.

As a result of the test, the Russians have little choice but to establish their own lunar stations, and WMD becomes the focus of the space race. The infrastructure that follows survives the Cold War, and by 2008 Space Tourism, Zero G manufacturing, and worldwide science progress keep a much larger space program alive.

Don't worry, like the Atomic Bomb, no one actually uses Orbital Bombardment in the cold war, it just becomes the new face of mutually assured destruction--and nuclear weapons start getting modified to intercept and shatter meteor impacts.

A Stronger Space Race...
 
A Stronger Space Race...

means a big old hole in the countries money bag

i'm not sure, but i'm sceptical about how achievable a "spacewank" scenario is, especially if it's from seperate countries like the space race was, if there were any space stations built on the moon... i could really see it bankrupting either one or both of the USA and USSR, well before any benifits started coming back from the investment

then again i'll likely get shouted down about this
 

Thande

Donor
By 'spacewank' here, I mean the maximum plausible investment in space, not countries bankrupting themselves to put men on Mars for no reason. What I'm asking is 'what do you think is the best way for the Cold War to go in order to produce the best possible result for space?'
 
well i'm pretty sure there was a plan for the US to put men on mars in the (late?) eighties... so plausible enough to get there atleast... of course i think the USSR was having troubles by then.... not entirely sure

hotter cold war means more millitary spending, but cooler may take the wind out of it's sails... to get more done in space i think something different needs to be concidered but that's my own 2p
 
Perhaps there would've been something actually happening in space. In the Immortal words of Jerry Seinfeld, "what the hell are you doing with a goddammed car on the moon" "there is no more male idea in the history of the universe than go up to the moon and drive around".
 
Top