WI: Boers in Space? A South African Space Agency

Just a question, what if South Africa had decided, in an effort to boost national morale, as well as justify the merits of their apartheid society, joined the race to moon?
 

abc123

Banned
Just a question, what if South Africa had decided, in an effort to boost national morale, as well as justify the merits of their apartheid society, joined the race to moon?

They had not enough money or technical knowledge or industrial basis for that.
 
South Africa would have to massively improve its industrial base to go to the moon, and in order to get the necessary economic size would have to do a considerable amount of economic development for the country's minorities. The apartheid state is gonna have a very hard time justifying that.
 
I'm sorry, I pictured in my mind a certain skit from the Muppet Show in the 1970s and the announcer introducing it:

"Boers in Spaceeeee!!!!"

Seriously, South Africa probably could have put a satellite into orbit if they really put the effort into it, but beyond that would be beyond their ability.
 
They had not enough money or technical knowledge or industrial basis for that.

It pursued a nuclear program OTL, there's enough technical knowledge to do a space program.

The industrial capacity and economic ability on the other hand are problems that South Africa gets after the end of Apartheid.
 
It pursued a nuclear program OTL, there's enough technical knowledge to do a space program.

The industrial capacity and economic ability on the other hand are problems that South Africa gets after the end of Apartheid.

Not only did they have the technical knowledge, they actually had a launch vehicle under development. Had Apartheid continued for a few more years they may well have been able to put a satellite into Earth orbit although a manned programme was decades ahead of them.
 

abc123

Banned
It pursued a nuclear program OTL, there's enough technical knowledge to do a space program.

The industrial capacity and economic ability on the other hand are problems that South Africa gets after the end of Apartheid.

Race to the moon is one thing while sending missile in space or satellite in low orbit is another.
 
Race to the moon is one thing while sending missile in space or satellite in low orbit is another.
Quite. You notice that lots of countries have launched satellites into space (ranging as far down in size as Israel), while only 3 countries have launched a human into space (US, USSR, China), and only one has ever gotten a man to the moon - and no one's gone there since I was in high school.

So, no, no Boers in space. Sorry. Not unless they're flying in US spacecraft.
 
Just a question, what if South Africa had decided, in an effort to boost national morale, as well as justify the merits of their apartheid society, joined the race to moon?

That part is not plausible.

Maybe some sort of Soyuz-lite with two Boernauts might be possible, assuming a thriving economy and a successful South African nuclear program. I mean, if Iraq could take the time to strap Scuds together into a rudimentary orbital launch vehicle (never tested, of course), then I think South Africa might just be capable of putting together something with a one- or two-tonne-to-LEO capability. Its primary purpose would still be as an ICBM (they wouldn't build the rocket without a bomb to put on top).
 
Programmes were indeed in place for launching satellites. The RSA-3 and later RSA-4 rocketry was there, also thanks to Israel.

After all, SA envisaged an inter-continental ballistic missile with a range of some 8,000 miles, so that was in place.

HOWEVER! manned space flight is a different kettle of fish. Going off to the moon is something different again.

And more importantly, why would they? To colonise what? The amount of resources required would have been beyond SA's capacity, let alone trying to convice the voters that this is a good idea (at a time when SA was going broke).

With embargoes in place, SA would have to rely on own resources, and I cannot see SA develop a Saturn-V or something similar.

Sorry, fascinating, but ...

Try with Brazil or India or maybe Pakistan.

PS: I was offered to partake in a scam a few years back: One approached me telling me his brother was the first NIGERIAN astronaut on a secret Nigerian space mission, but they had stuffed it up a bit, so now he was stuck in space and they needed $20,000 to get him down. My reward would obviosuly be the treasures he had found up there!.

PPS: I said no, after having stopped laughing!
 
Hugh, I will bet at least 50c that some sucker fell for it. So, he is probably back now.

I kind of like that scam, Nigeria's secret space mission. Finding untold treasures!

Ivan
 
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