The Final Frontier of Humanity: An Alternate Space Race and Cold War TL

[Tal Shiar]

The Final Frontier: History of Alternate Space Race
"To break the final frontier of humanity, to explore space, to pursue greater goal of a prosperity and progress. To take a step where no one walked, to improve our knowledge."

​

[* ]Chapters are written from the perspective of described country. So, when reading about United States politics you can expect some pro-capitalist phrases. When reading about Soviet Union/Yugoslavia, you can expect some pro-socialist phrases.

 

[Tal Shiar]

"We are here to break the final frontier of the humanity - space. Just like Wright brothers fifty three years ago defeat barrier of air and flew in the first plane on American soil, we are standing now to watch launch of the first human-made Moon into space - the Explorer 1 - to begin a peaceful exploration of the Space, to guide whole humanity into space and show American prosperity to all. We are watching making history." - Richard M. Nixon; July 4th, 1956

Decision made by President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration about formation of commission under Richard M. Nixon (Vice President during 1953-1961) to supervise space exploration was fateful to billions of people currently living as it started one of the most important events in the human history - space race between United States and the Soviet Union leading to rapid development of space and space-related technology during late 1950s and 1960s with many of them landing in the hands of ordinary civillians years later. While there were deep concerns about international law which almost cancelled Explorer series of satellites due to fear of Soviet declaration of war or shooting at the American satellites, project was spearheded by the former SS-Sturmbannfuhrer and member of the National Socialist Worker Party of Germany Werhner von Braun who previously worked on V-series rockets during World War II and emigrated to the United States after V-Day in Europe. Named Chief Designer of Explorer 1, he was able to convince US Congress and President that peaceful exploration can not be described as violation of international law and would be perceived as show of American advance into technology and supremacy over world as it would be the only country in the world to do such a thing. With backing from the Army and intelligence organizations he led America into early phase of space race - Race for Orbit.

The first human-made Moon[1] was launched on July 4th, 1956 from Cape Canaveral Launch Site[2] during Independence Day of the United States of America. Start of the rocket was attended by thousands of people including Vice President Richard M. Nixon who gave one of his the most known speeches - "The Final Frontier" - which led to rapid increase of support for incumbent President and his Party. Human-made Moon stayed in orbit for twelve years during which high-power transmitter worked for 31 days while low-power one - for 105. Despite its short-time connection with Earth it was huge propaganda boost for United States as it became clear what country in he most advanced in the world.

[1]Human-made Moon or Artificial Moon phrase was embranced by majority of the Americans after Nixon's "The Final Frontier" speech while artificial satellite was used by Soviet Union to describe their unmanned vehicles sent into space. During next sixty years only space enthusiasts used Soviet phrase as more correct.

[2]On 1962 renamed as Dwight D. Eisenhower's Space Center to honour former POTUS. While he opposed his, Federal government called him as one of he fathers of space exploration (despite his objecions in 1956 to allow von Braun to launch Explorer).

 

[andry2806]

So American Sputnik, hm?

 

[Tal Shiar]

"This is a birth of new era in an international relations." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

On October 24th, 1956 the Presidum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union discussed political issues in Hungary and Poland. Hardliners under Vyacheslav Mikhailovych Molotov's leadership were pushing for direct intervention by using Soviet troops in Hungary to suppress demonstrations while Nikita Sergeievych Khrushchev and Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov were opposed to this proposal using information from Budapest delegation which reported that situation was not as dire as had been portrayed and could be resolved peacefully by making some concessions to the protesters. In addition Khrushchev saw protests not as ideological struggle but discontent of working men over unresolved economical and social issues that caused loss of people's support to their government. The Suez Crisis between Great Britain, France, Israeli and Egypt was another reason to not provoke Western Powers. Some of Politburo members feared that United States' President became more confident after orbital flight of the first American artificial satellite and could bomb every city on the planet using new weapon. To them it would be better to make as little concessions as possible and wait to reverse them or continue if they prove to be successful for local Communist Party.

After some debate Presidum decided to do not remove new Hungarian government following Marshall Zhukov proposal to withdraw Soviet troops from Budapest. Declaration of the Government of the USSR on the Principles of Development and Further Strengthening of Friendship and Cooperation between the Soviet Union and other Socialist States was issued by them on October 28th, 1956 as proposal to begin negotiations between Soviet delegation led by Anastas Mikoyan and new Hungarian people's government. While they did not agreed on withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact, some concessions were made in order to appease Hungarian society and resolve their major issues. Censorship was loosened, Soviet troops evacuated from Budapest and major cities (instead they were allowed to establish bases nearer Austrian-Hungarian border), allowed to dismiss Rakosi-era officials but not to prosecute them, introduced more scientific central planning made mainly by economists and engineers instead of ideologists, negotiated trade concessions, decollectivization and removal of Stalin's statues from Hungary and return of Hungarian prisoners from the Soviet Union.

On November, 3rd Nikita Khrushchev named Hungarian revolutionaries of 1848-1849 as one of the proto-communist freedom fighters and allowed to elevate statue for them in Budapest. Revolution was complete in Hungarian People's Republic was showed to Western states that new non-Stalinist government of the Soviet Union is willing to cease hostilities with other countries. Communist Party of Great Britain praised Nikita Khrushchev and his government as sign of future for all communist parties in the world and called all of them to support reformists within CPSU as the only force to pursue communist goals in the world. On January 21st, 1957 during his second inaugural address US President Dwight D. Eisenhower stated that billions of people are living in the most prosperous and progressive decade in the human history as humanity not only reached space but even in once totalitarian states leaders began to see advantages of reform and negotiations over brute force and suppression.

The most important events:
The Soviet Union accepted new government of Hungarian People's Republic.
Hungarian November of 1956 ended in agreement between protesters and the Soviet negotiators.
Nagy Thaw in Hungary began.

[*]OTL Nikita Khrushchev was reluctant to direct intervention in Hungarian People's Republic but was convinced after attack on Hungarians communists' headquarters and accidential bombing of building by Hungarian tanks. ATL there is faster reaction made by Presidum due to fear of a US nuclear attack in support for insurgents and protesters began to stop fighting earlier.

 

[O'Alexis 89]

You have all the attention you deserve.
Watching this.

 

[CrazyGeorge]

This is good.

 

[James1996]

What O'Alexis 89 & CrazyGeorge said above.

 

[Michel Van]

SUBCRIBED

Oh, I like this outcome of Hungarians uprise.
But this will let to a domino effect in Poland, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic and Bulgaria
There stalinist will be horrified about evolutions in USSR and Hungary.

Special east german Erik Mielke head of Ministry for State Security (STASI)
He build up one of most efficient repressive intelligence and secret police agencies to have ever existed.
Now that Soviet allow "more freedom" for there Satellite states, will let to confrontation between Mielke and First Secretary Walter Ulbricht, who goes for more independence course.
That would be very interesting to see that outcome!

 

[Nyvis]

Oh, I like this outcome of Hungarians uprise.
But this will let to a domino effect in Poland, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic and Bulgaria
There stalinist will be horrified about evolutions in USSR and Hungary.

It could be a positive domino for the USSR if the lesson learned is that you can negotiate something positive with the Russians without having to break away directly. In the end, the concessions they made aren't that big and it kept them on their side without having to resort to violence. It makes the next reformist actions less likely to degenerate because there is a positive precedent.

Let's see how it evolves.

 

[Michel Van]

It could be a positive domino for the USSR if the lesson learned is that you can negotiate something positive with the Russians without having to break away directly. In the end, the concessions they made aren't that big and it kept them on their side without having to resort to violence. It makes the next reformist actions less likely to degenerate because there is a positive precedent.

Let's see how it evolves.

Oh yes it will be positive
But in German Democratic Republic thing will not goes without a fight
See Erik Mielke was ultra hard Stalinist, head of STASI the most efficient repressive intelligence and secret police agencies, that has even own military divisions !
One of reasons the revolution in 1989 was peaceful, Mielke was in time 82 years old and out of touch with real life of east Germany.
but in 1950s he is around 40 years old and quite ruthless
I guess that First Secretary Walter Ulbricht has to ask Khrushchev for help by the Red Army in German Democratic Republic, To deal with the STASI and Erik Mielke.

 

[Tal Shiar]

Domino effect in the Eastern Bloc was started OTL by Poland where Władysław Gomułka was released from prison and given office of the First Secretary of the PUWP - during Polish October of 1956 or Gomułka Thaw. After there was Hungarian protests which forced government to step down. Khrushchev was willing to accept new government and negotiate new treaties just like in Poland but changed his mind where several officers defending old government building were killed while Hungarian tank missed and hit building. ATL there was fear of United States' interference as paranoid Soviet officials believe that Explorer I was in fact military test covered as civillian one and US has more rockets capable of reaching Soviet cities. So reverse missile gap caused quicker resolution on Hungarian situation and protesters who OTL lynched secret police officers went to home just a little earlier after hearing that Big Red Blob accepted their demands.

 

[Tal Shiar]

Issues of the Day:
Brown Segregation Ruling
Suez Canal Crisis
Communism (Destalinization - Poland, Hungary;McCarthy hearings)
Space exploration (success of the Eisenhower administration)

Election Facts:
Last election without Alaska and Hawaii as states
Last election when one of the major candidates was born in 19th century
Rematch from 1952 United States Presidential Election (Eisenhower v. Stevenson)
Rise of Richard M. Nixon popularity during election campaign (The Final Frontier speech).
Both candidates tried to ignore civil rights issues.
Rise of John F. Kennedy popularity (as a serious contender during Democratic National Convention he gained favourably national publicity)
Democratic Party nearly lost majority in the House of Representatives.
Republican Party regained majority in the US Senate at the first time since 1952 election.
Rise of Dwight D. Eisenhower popularity.​

 

[Tal Shiar]

​

After launching of the first artificial satellite Explorer I by Wernher von Braun's team it became clear to the President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower that responsibility of the space exploration can not be deemed primarily on a military ventures. The Space Act of 1956 was intended to create replacement for 43-years' old National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics which was perceived by government as too weak to rival with military rocketry projects. In large measure The Act was prompted by lack of civillian development of launch vehicles and creation of modern US infrastructure to keep primary role in the space exploration. T. Keith Glennan was chosen by Eisenhower and approved by the Congress Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration. During next few years he reformed NASA into centralized agency by absorbing power over Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, part of the Naval Research Laboratory, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Army Ballistic Missile Agency in Huntsville, Alabama creating one big agency to supervise all national space activities except reconnaissance satellites and ballistic missiles.

First attempts to gather funds for manned flight into space were rejected by US House of Representatives as too ambitious and to expensive as "there is not point of risking lives of Americans and millions of dollars for unnecessary and nonprofitable expedinture". Instead Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy proposed slow progress of American space program in order to reduce NASA budget per year to minimum dollars that should be available for placing men in space. One of the major arguments used by NASA opposers was fact that it was May of 1957, ten months after Explorer I start and Soviet Union did not sent anything into space since then. Opposition to increase of NASA budget delayed Project Mercury by nearly two years.

Most important events:
Creation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration under T.Keith Glennan on November of 1956.
Refusal to strenghten NASA budget by House of Representatives the Senate on May of 1957.

 

[Tal Shiar]

Wujek Józek zmarł
Darowano reszty kar
Znów się można było śmiać
W kawiarniany gwar
Jak tornado jazz się wdarł
I ja też chciałem grać.

Uncle Joseph
They abolished the rest of the sentences.
You were allowed to laugh again.
Into the café buzz
Jazz broke in like a tornado
And I wanted to play too.
Perfect Autobiography; 1982[1]
​

Protesters of 1956 took control over streets of Poland, Romania and Hungary after Nikita Sergeyevych Khrushchev's Secret Speech from 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Dissatisified with totalitarian, Stalinist regimes (wrongly remembered by majority of the population as Bolshevist) students and workers began to form committees demanding freedom of speech, repudiation of censorship, release of political prisoners and end to persecution of Church. The only European countries inside Warsaw Pact that did not experienced major social upheavals were Bulgarian People's Republic where Todor Hristov Zhivkov enforced strict censorship while making economical reforms, German Democratic Republic where after 1953 revolution population was kept with heavy hand by Walter Ulbricht and Albanian People's Republic where hardline Enver Hoxha's began to doubt in legitimacy of the new Soviet government.

Civil Conflict of 1956 caused major realigment in the Eastern Bloc political sytems - previously prosecuted politicians such as Władysław Gomułka (imprisoned for right-wing nationalist deviation) rose to power in their countries, new regimes allowed some degrees of liberties, new concept of states arose (wave of syndicalism in Hungary, religious socialism in Poland, technocratic state in Romania) while old became cursed by the population. Lack of strict censorship allowed culture to flourish as there were no barrier enforced by paranoid censors and even covert anti-communist works were allowed to be published. In Poland and Hungary decollectivization began allowing people to retain or regain their once lost properties leading to rise of the class of independent farmers. In Romania, more rational view of economy began despite criticism from hardline faction of local communist party.


[1](OTL song was chged from "Uncle Joseph died" to "The wind of renewal blew" due to clear allusion to Joseph Stalin and his death on 1953).

 

[Tal Shiar]

​

Tovarishch (ISZ-1)was the first artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union by OKB-1 (called from 1967 as Sergey Pavlovych Korolev's Design Bureau or by shortened name Korolev Design Bureau) on May 29, 1957. Launch marked first success of the Soviet Space Program and beginning of the Space Race's Soviet entrance. Described by many as the Khrushchev's little baby it was the heaviest satellite launched at the time of 1957 as it weighted 1.46 tons contrary to Explorer I which weighted only 14 kilograms and the first true scientific probe as it detected radiation belts called later as Vernov's Belt[1]. To show socialist superiority over capitalist countries Chairman of the Council of Ministers Nikolai Alexandrovych Bulganin together with First Deputy Premier Anastas Ivanovych Mikoyan announced that the Soviet Union will share its peaceful research over space with all willing universities of whole world.

Launch of the Tovarishch was seen by the people of the Western nations as late attempt to catch up the most advanced country in the world. Some of the fiscal conservative Representatives and Senators in the United States claimed that strenghtening NASA budget is unnecessary and it would be better to stimulate economy by lowering taxes than increasing federal expedintures. This caused delay in the United States efforts in space and setback in the F-1 engine development project which left US without strong rocketry engines for years. Actually very few people believed that the Soviet Union could launch something more advanced in space and seen ISZ-1 as failure, not a success stating that Americans mastered minaturization of technology and reduced costs while maintaing scientific gains when Soviets did not had efficent technology and were forced to send "big and crude" pieces of metal into space. Vice President Richard M. Nixon congratulated Soviet Union for joining in space exploration and offered help to develop more sophisticated satellites in order to cath up with the Soviet Union causing international embarassment for Nikita Khrushchev and his aerospace engineers.

Only NASA knew that it was wrong ... .

 

[Michel Van]

I wonder what happens, wen at Pentagon, CIA, NASA or RAND Cooperation, someone calculate the Mass of Satellite and figure out how big the R-7 rocket is and it potential use as ICBM..
see ISZ-1 is 95 times heavier as Explorer-1 !

 

[Tal Shiar]

@Michel Van

IOTL Eisenhower delayed launch of the first satellite leading to Soviets early successes. ATL he is even more convinced to do not expand NASA so much. Soviet Union launched the first satellite nearly year after USA so no one will believe that they are planning to send man into space. Americans only know that satellite was heavier as CIA report claimed that satellite has probably 30 or more 40 kilograms (not believing in more-than-tonne probe and claiming that heavier than one hundred kilograms probes are just propaganda*). Some of them may argue that Explorer I had similar scientific capability but was built in lighter version because von Braun wanted to launch it as fastest as possible. So, voices about Soviet danger will be weaker than OTL and will need just more time to become more loud and gain influence.

While some people may know that there is possibility of the Soviet ICBM, majority of the population including some congressmen is convinced about American superiority as Sputnik Shock never occurred. NASA administrators will have tough job to convince Congress to raise organization's budget. ATL NASA is weaker and less influential organization than OTL. Only hard shock can solve this.

*We are the most advanced nation on Earth. These pesky Soviet can not be more successful than we are!

 

[Michel Van]

Total Panic i say

"What do mean, the Russians can trow a hydrogen bomb on US Territory ?" is one of first question in White House.

Spekulation:
What follows is flood of Money toward Military to get there ICBM & SLBM program ready
But Martin and Convair are in there learning curve, means there prototypes Atlas and Titan I explode regularly.
with additional money USAF could look into alternatives like, Edward Hall proposal for Solid booster ICBM what became Minutemen ICBM.
and there is also another insane programs the USAF could put the additional Money into:
"Supersonic Low Altitude Missile" with a nuclear-powered ramjets engine.
"Project Orion" a Spacecraft that use a series nuclear explosion to catapult it self into orbit.

NASA look for moment as big looser in that Game, but on long term they will benefit from it.
the use of Atlas and Titan I for satellite launch or there engines on rockets build for NASA like Saturn I.
or if USAF get chance to build there Space Launcher System in 1960s and NASA the chance to use it.
http://www.astronautix.com/s/sls.html

For moment America will sleep uneasy for next 3 years until USAF first ICBM are operational...

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

Launch of the Tovarishch was seen by the people of the Western nations as late attempt to catch up the most advanced country in the world.

1.4 tonne vs 14kg. And people aren't supposed to notice?
Heck, the Soviet satellite will be visibly larger and brighter, and you KNOW amateur astronomers are going to be tracking these birds.

If the 'government' tries to down play the mass of the Soviet sputnik (which will still likely be the general word, even if not the name of the first vehicle(s)), they are going to look really, really stupid when *Gagarin files.

 

[Tal Shiar]

1.4 tonne vs 14kg. And people aren't supposed to notice?

People are going to notice. Government just want to ease tensions inside society claiming that greater mass of the satellite is required due to less advanced technology. There still will be shock after launch of ISZ but not as great as OTL's Sputnik. Just later than OTL (during first months ordinary American will say: Pesky Soviets want to achieve our succes but we were first in space). And progress of space exploration - while rockets will be useful as ICBMs, Congress would not be so sure to extend budget on manned capsules. Remember that OTL Eisenhower's did not exactly prepared American public opinion on Sputnik&Vostok launches. Why they would bother more if Americans are more confidant in their government?