Work Text
To Perseus Jackson,Leo Valdez,Chris Rodríguez,and Drew Tanaka: I trust that you will find this,or Ariman lied. It is Backbiter,or Ikiriânt in that language,the sword of Kronos. At my request,Thoth buried it deep in the mine of Phandelver,thus preventing Kronos from obtaining it. The Backbiter that Luke bore was named for this sword.
Phandelver was delved a thousand years before Christ,by Arazin the Pious,a Dwarven king. Doubtlessly you are now at the base of his tomb. If the engraving reads ‘Arazin uBalin,uVhar,King’,you are there. Chris,use your terrokinesis to dig until you reach a silver chest. Bring it to the surface and let Drew unlock it. It will contain provisions,a star chart,80 golden coins,and a phial. My servant Eurymetes left it here long ago. It will provide you with light.
Now the Great Danger is over,and so Ikiriânt goes home. Apollo will cleanse the sword at the headwaters of the Lethe,and bear it to battle whenever required. Other news I will now relate.
Percy,your mother has given birth to identical twin girls:Cynthia and Heather Blofis-Jackson. They are all in fine condition. You will be happy to know,via Katie Gardner,that Iapetus has reincarnated,and sworn fealty to Odin. To think that a Titan,once the Lord of the West,is now the squire of a Norse god! It exemplifies the new cosmopolitanism of our times. The reconstruction of New Rome should be complete in three months.
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On June 29, the Falcon 9-58 launched the NASA CRS 15 cargo ship to ISS. The "core" stage 1045, which performs its second flight is not recovered. The cargo brings to the occupants of the station 2697 kg of equipment, including 1712 kg in the pressurized part (1233 kg of experiments, 205 kg for astronauts, the rest in equipment for ISS). The ship also ships CIMON, Crew Interactive Mobile Companion, which will help astronaut ESA Guerst in his mission.July, Space X will launch this summer no less than 4 Falcon 9. July 20 will be launched from the Vandenberg SLC4 the Falcon 9 Bk5 B1048 with 10 Iridium satellites. the floor will be recovered at sea by the JRTI barge. This will be the first shot of the Bk5 on the West side and the first return at sea since October 2017. Telstar 19V will be launched on July 22 pad 40 with the "core" B1047 and recovered at sea on the barge OCISLY. After Telstar 19V, the pad 40 will be refitted for Telkom 4 with the "core" B1049 which will be recovered at sea on the barge OCISLY. In September, Space X should make the first return of a "core" in September for the launch of SAOCOM 1A.July 10, the launch of the Falcon 9 Iridium 7 is postponed until July 25.The QF6 copy of the Falcon 1 is on the road to its new exhibition site. Stored for years in a "dump", he never flew into space. It will be on display at Space X headquarters hung under the ceiling.Falcon 9-60 orbits 10 satellites of the Iridium Next constellation on 25 July. This is the 7th iridium mission for Space X which has placed 65 satellites in orbit for iridium since January 2017. It remains a mission for Space X in October with 10 other satellites. 6 remain on the ground in relief. The previous iridium was launched by US Delta 2 launchers (60 satellites launched in 12 times).On August 7th, Space X launches its 15th Falcon of the year, which puts the Telkom's Merah Putih satcom in orbit for Indonesia. The "core" stage B1046, which is revolving after its first shot in May, is recovered at sea on the OCISLY barge. This is the 60th flight of the Falcon 9, 33 th success in a row, more than the 32 consecutive flights of the Delta 4. On August 8th, Space X announces that the second launch of a Heavy is not planned until November 30th.August 17, the launch of Falcon 9 Telstar 18 postponed to August 26.August 18, NASA and SpaceX have agreed to fill the tanks of the Falcon 9: it will be well after the installation of astronauts in the cabin dragon 2. COPV (composite overwrap pressure vessels) tanks will be filled with helium and their stability checked before the arrival of astronauts. They will be on board 2 hours before takeoff. After the departure of the "ground" teams, the emergency ejection system of the cabin will be activated at T-38 mn, just before filling the tanks with fuel. "Super cold" propellant filling starts at T-35 min. The countdown can be interrupted at any time until launch.August 20, the "hot fire" of the B1049 Falcon 9 Telstar 18 is scheduled for August 21.September 13, Space X, by the voice of its CEO Elon Munsk announces the signing of a contract for a flight around the moon with a private customer. The identity is not revealed, but the Japanese flag was "twitter" during a message by the boss of Space X. The trip should be aboard the new rocket BFR. In early 2017, Space X announced that two passengers would be sent to the moon in 2018 aboard a Falcon Heavy, a trip that didn’t take place. Space X had however stressed at the time that the two lunar tourists had "paid a large down payment" for this mission around the Moon. The first training of astronaut apprentices was supposed to start in 2017, after assessing their physical condition. The name of the chosen one is revealed on September 18th. As suggested by a Musk Twitter, this is a Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa, 42, founder of Zozotown. The businessman bought 8 seats aboard the BFR and will fly to the moon in 2023.On February 21st, Space X launches the SLC 40 Falcon 9-68 and places the Satcom Nusantara Satu (4100 kg) for Indonesia in orbit. Associated with the satellite, the probe Beresheet (beginning in Hebrew), 582 kg, which will be placed on a trajectory towards the moon and will attempt a landing on its ground. The payload also included a satellite microphone for the USAF, S5. The first floor is recovered at sea on OCISLY.After closing the hatch Thursday night, the cabin separates from ISS on Friday, March 8 at 7:31, at the crossing of Sudan. The deorbitation takes place at 13:52 after 2 slow braking Draco engines, the release of "trunk" (at 13:48) and a braking 15 minutes 25 seconds (at 13:52). The protection cone of the mooring system is repositioned at 14:11 just before entering the first layers of the atmosphere, the input interface at 14:33. After a slight blackout of the communications, the pilot parachutes deploys at 14:41 followed by the 4 main ones. The landing is at 14:45 N / E Cape Canaveral. It's Space X's "Go Search" boat that is responsible for recovery. A first team arrives near the cabin and the other manages the parachutes which for the manned flights will be dropped just after the "spashdown". The mission of the Crew Dragon DM 1 is 6 days 5 hours and 55 minutes. The cabin, intact is hoisted on the boat 66 minutes after landing. On board the "Go Navigator" boat providing support are astronaut Shane Kimbrought and the recovery team. The cabin will be brought to Cape Town at Space X for analysis before being reconfigured for the IFA (In Flight Abort) test, a critical flight before the first manned flight. The DM1 cab will be mounted on a second stage Falcon without engine and a proven "core", the B 1048-2. The launch will be LC39 in June for a flight of 60 seconds. At Max Q, maximum moment of stress on the launcher, the SuperDraco engines of the cabin will be fired to distance it simulating an aborted flight.Hardly the Falcon 9 DM1 launched, the Space X technicians are on the pad 39A and begins the refit of the pad for the next shot. On the TEL, they are busy modifying the launch table and adapt it to the Falcon Heavy which will launch Arabsat 6A by early April. From 4, the structure will go to 8 Hold Down Post. In the future, Space X thinks to be able to realize the conversion of the pad in only one week. For this mission, Space X will use 3 new "core", the B1055 in central and the B1052 and 1053 in side. Floors that will all be recovered on land for the laterals and at sea for the central. For the next mission of the Heavy, the launch of STP2, Space X will reuse the 2 "core" side B1052 and 1053 ais with a new central "core", the B1057. The central core of Arabsat, the B1055 will land at sea on the barge more than 1000 km away after a so-called "hot" return, its speed will indeed be higher than usual. A new central core for STP 2 will avoid the loss of the 1055 or delays in reconditioning. On April 25, Space X will also launch the SLC40 cargo CRS 17 to ISS with the B1056 which will return to land in LZ1. Space has applied for a license from the FCC to land its "core" from the SLC 40 at sea, including for missions to satelliteize the constellations "Starlink of Musk." The first shot of the first Starlink is scheduled for May. Next will be the launch of 3 satellites of the Radarsat constellation with the B1051 (DM1), then AMOS 17 with a proven "core" and STP 2 with a Heavy in June, and the end of the summer will see the DM 2 test flight. with an inhabited dragon Crew.Space X programs another heavy flight in the year but did not achieve this feat. The second flight is scheduled for March 2019 with an Arabsat 6A satcom. The launcher will use new "core", in Bk5 version. They will be recovered and reused for the third flight a month later with the STP2 military payload consisting of two dozen satellites for the military, NASA and research institutes.————-Aquila was an original project that used powdered and liquid propellants (LOX) Tests were conducted between 1986 and 1993. American Rocket Co., Amroc, provided two versions Aquila 21 and 31. Aquila 21 used two H-1800 side and one in central body for the basic floor, an Orbus 21 as a second floor and an Amroc U-75 as the upper floor. Aquila 31 used three H-1800s in strap as the basic stage. The H-1800 has a thrust of 100 tons. The nozzle is controlled by injecting liquid oxygen into the flow of hot gases. Each H-1800 weighs 37 tons with 10 tons of powder and 22 tons of LOX. The H-75 engine is hybrid using powder and nitrogen as the oxidizer. Aquila can place 900 kg in LEO from the Vandenberg base. The first flight was planned for 1995. An H-1800 engine test failed in 1988. The project was abandoned in 1995.K1 is a reusable two-stage launcher developed by Lisler Aerospace Corp. The launching capacity is 4600 kg in LEO and 1250 in SSO. Each floor is recoverable by parachutes and airbags. The first floor is called LAP, Launch Assist Platform, the second OV, Orbital vehicle. At the top the cap with the payload. K1 is to be launched from the Womera base in Australia and the Nevada Test Site in the USA. Each stage is liquid propellant (RP1 and LOX) feeding an engine derived from Russian NK33 and 34.The BA2 launcher was developed by Andrew Beal Aerospace Technologies for commercial launches, 5800 kg in GTO. It used liquid propellant engines (RP1 and LOX) and was to be launched from Sombrero Island in the Caribbean from 2001. The project was abandoned after the second and third floor tests.
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Papal election of 2010
Preferiti:Bruce Canty of England.Robert Sandow of America.Armand Proulx de Telat of France.Gerard Fauckel of Germany.Alexander Cernan of Switzerland.Sergio Nespoli of Italy.Cassius Ormus (Artur Sanjurjo) of the New Roman Coalition (Iberia).Oliver Veropoulos of Greece.
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December 20,2015
New Athens,Washington
“Dearly beloved, we meet here today to witness a sacred ceremony: the union of Evangeline and Terrence. With great reverence, we come together to celebrate the love and devotion shared by these two children of God that stand before us. We are especially blessed to be joined today by family and friends. The Bride and Groom are honored you could be here to participate in this important occasion.As the Bible reminds us in First Corinthians, "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."Over the course of their relationship, Evangeline and Terrence have developed a strong bond based on shared values and mutual respect. With a solid foundation from which to grow, they have made the decision to take the oath of marriage and spend the rest of their lives together.Let us revel in the joy and love on display here today. May we treasure these memories as Evangeline and Terrence, under the eyes of God, get set to begin their new life together.”“Marriage is a venerated institution, and one deserving of deep reverence. Today we observe the union of Evangeline and Terrence in holy matrimony, a commitment they have chosen to undertake with all the sincerity that it warrants.While marriage is a sacred and serious tradition, it is also cause for tremendous joy. Married life is full of surprises, adventures, and memory-making – all made possible by the enduring power of love. When Evangeline and Terrence finalize this union, they will begin a new life of partnership, one defined by shared hopes, dreams, and successes.(Addressing couple) Evangeline and Terrence, as you learn to live as one; you will encounter many challenges that can help you grow. Spend time doing the things that make life precious – cooperate with each other, always make time to laugh together, and never lose appreciation for the love that you share. Remember, too, to adhere to the vows that you will make today. Seek strength from each other, give hope to each other, and let your trials help you grow together. They say love can build bridges and climb mountains — and they're right. You will find that as it grows and matures over time, your love for one another will prove both fulfilling and empowering.Yes, there will be challenges in life, but the strength of your bond will offer you protection against life's storms. Always make your relationship a high priority, and continue to nurture each other. Through a commitment to love, and with the power of faith, together you will be able to navigate any obstacles that come your way.””Evangeline and Terrence, I invite you to express your sacred vows to one another. Please face each other as you declare these vows before God and in the presence of your family and friends.Evangeline, you may start.”“I, Evangeline, take you, Terrence, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to keep you by my side through good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. I vow to stay true to you, honor you, and love you for the rest of my days, until death do us part.Terrence, now is the time for your promise.”“I, Terrence , take you, Evangeline, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I promise to keep you by my side through good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. I vow to stay true to you, honor you, and love you for the rest of my days, until death do us part.”“Evangeline and Terrence, please join hands. Under the eyes of God, Terrence, do you take Evangeline to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to support her completely and love her unconditionally, so long as you both shall live?”“I do.”“Under the eyes of God, Evangeline, do you take Terrence to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to support him completely and love him unconditionally, so long as you both shall live?”“I do.”“It is now time to exchange the rings. The circle formed by each ring is a symbol of your love and eternal commitment to each other. May these rings remind you always of these sacred promises you've made to each other today in the company of your family and friends.Terrence, you will go first. Please repeat after me as you place the ring on the hand of your loved one.I, Terrence, give you, Evangeline this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I thee wed.Evangeline, your turn.I, Evangeline, give you, Terrence this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I thee wed.““By the power vested in me, by the state of Washington and by the Universal Life Church, I pronounce you, Terrence and Evangeline as husband and wife, lawfully wedded before God.Terrence, you may now kiss the bride.“Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honor that I officially present to you Mr. and Mrs. Terrence and Evangeline Bitzan!“
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October 28,2077, 12:40 pm
St.Patrick’s Cathedral
Roarke got out of the car,moving away from Trueheart. He walked up the steps and through the double doors,an intent look on his face.He didn’t stop until he reached the middle of the aisle. There he stared at the ceiling. It seemed to mock him with its portraits of victorious saints. There stood Saint George over the remains of the dragon,there Saint Francis communed with the animals. There Christ Himself was,breaking the gates of Hell.”You’re a right rat bastard,y’know?”Roarke fixed his eyes on the icon above the altar,a mini of The Last Supper.“For more than a hundred years we allowed blind anti-Communism to falsify our own history. To make us think that it was the Soviets,and not the Nazis,who murdered those soldiers in the Katyn forest,when we now know that Stalin himself denounced it. Stalin,the greatest murderer of them all. I'm sorry, was that supposed to be funny? "Be you therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful", says Luke. Chapter 6,verse 36. I don't know who he was trying to please there, because I think you're just a vindictive little amadán who gets off on torturing his people. What was Trueheart,a warning shot? That man is my son,in a sense. What did I ever do to yours,beside praise his glory and name?Gratias tibi ago,domine. Yes, I‘ve lied, yes, I've committed crimes. They were sins." His voice rose until he was yelling; he raised his arms in defiance. "I've committed many sins. Have I displeased you, you feckless píosa cacamas?Is anything enough for you, tiùrr buachair? An bhfuilim chun na rudaí seo a chreidiúint ó dhia ceart, dia díreach, dia ciallmhar?
Chun ifreann leat! Chun ifreann le do phionóis: Spit mé orthu!
Tá tú ! Tá tú moncaí demon!
Ba mise do sheirbhíseach ar Domhan, seanfhear. Scaip mé do chuid focal agus rinne mé do chuid oibre i measc na ndaoine. Sin é a dhéantar anois!
Riamh arís! Ná! Go raibh maith agat as duine de mo theaghlach féin a dhiúltú dom, go dtí le déanaí! Agus ansin é a mharú! Chaill tú Sabina agus a hathair beagnach! Agus mise freisin! Conas ba chóir dom a chreidiúint, anois? Conas, ollphéist tú?
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That's the big question that will be answered soon as the world gets the news of her death. The singer passed away at 5:58am PDT after a battle with pneumonia. "This is so not OK. My daughter has passed on... RIP sweet girl," tweeted Grande's mother, Joan Grande, alongside a photo of her daughter lying on her side. Her mother also wrote on Instagram that Ariana died "due to complications of pneumonia" at home.
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‘Station,Houston,on air to ground 1.’ ‘Go.’ ‘On ROS format 12,transition to FGB attitude control,we have a few updates,flight plan updates.’ ‘Go ahead.’ ‘Roger. At GMT 18:30,when you transition to block 7,delete all USOS masses from computer,and transfer them to format 10. As a result,at GMT 22:15 or so you’ll get error message 4-080. Ignore it. We want Owen,sometime Friday,to inspect the WORF installation area for FOD. Also on Friday,or the weekend as convenient,we’ll want Vasili to spend some time on the simulator for the Progress docking. We’ve got ground-side time reserved to the 26th:let’s use it. And for Tom,we do have one small item. We have deselected the Bone Demineralization experiment for the rest of the expedition,as non-critical. Tend to it ‘whenever’. Finally,we have an update on the Columbia count. They’re still in the hold at T-11 hours,they’ll pick up the count around the next orbital sunrise for you guys. Over.’—————‘Therese,this is Houston.’ ‘Go ahead.’ ‘Roger. Can you confirm that you have the proper vectors and alignment?’ ‘Affirmative. Roll angle is good. Pitch and yaw angles are nominal. How’s the telemetry?’ ‘It’s looking good. You are go for DPS jettison. The switch is-‘ ‘I know where the switch is,Houston. Jettison in 15. 5,4,3,2,1,mark.’ ‘It looked good down here,Therese. You are go to reposition the aerosurfaces. You’re in a good attitude,consumable usage is nominal. The little red lines are on the white line down here.’ ‘Thanks. 8 minutes to entry.’
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Space Traffic Control cleared us up to FL7000.Need names for my log,mister.Roarke,Aidan,pilot. Pleasure,Sabina,second pilot. Faroshi,Khal,engineer. Yorck,Daniel,weapons officer.Josephson,Ceîli,propulsion. Pleasure,Edward,passenger.Cleared for takeoff from Sprodj Spaceport, 18 October 2077 at 06:28 local time. Maintain standard flight profile to FL2400,then climb-out for 7 minutes,maximum of 6.50 g-loads.———-My child....oh,dear grandnephew. New York is pleasant,I hear.Yes,great-uncle. It is.Who was the girl who gave me the water?Sabina. The daughter of a friend.Eddie Pleasure,is it? I thought I knew the look.She's his,yes.I am dying. No question about it. And yet,the heavens.....What about them?Ceaseless wonders. Infinite astonishment for all mankind.....I only wish I had more time. I am dreadfully sorry,young Aidan.Where are you going?Outside,little Sabina. I may be some time.He is going to his death.I know,Dad. I know.Hipparchus Outpost,this is Sprodj. Come in,Hipparchus.—————Your health,Sabina! Your wealth,Eddie!Cheers! Long life! Long life to you both!Ah,go piss in the river,Ryan!Perhaps I will. To Sabina and Troy! Live long and prosper!You forgot be fruitful and multiply!Horse shagger!Dumb Englishman!
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The Labors Men Go Forth To (launch?)
Consider the Lilies of the Field (Thérèse’s musings while in labor with Francie)
Nor Hell a Fury as a Woman Scorned (Thérèse,pregnant)
The Great Crush Collision (the descent of Soyuz TMA-1)
The Other Side of the Sky (post-insertion)
Nor Have I Yet Outrun the Sun (Marshburn musing on things)
On Eagles’ Wings / On Flaming Wings / Across the Stars (Thérèse’s descent in the X-38)
Long is the Way (one of the epilogues)
——-FS chapter title ideas
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John was listening to the hymn the organist was playing. <It's not Easter,so they're probably just using it for organ practice>,he thought. Just then,he saw Anthony and Therese in front of him. "Hi,Anthony. Hello,Therese. Where's Francie?" "We decided to let her sleep in. April's in charge of her." "So what brings you here?" "Anthony likes historic churches. He's heard a lot about this one. How are you,John?" "Good. I came here because its website looked promising,would you believe it?" Therese laughed. "John Patterson,you're a treasure. I can see why people like you." At that moment,the bells sounded. They stood for the opening hymn, "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today". John supposed it was chosen to mark the beginning of the tourist season.————— Becky was cooing over Françoise on the way to the beach. “Look,April!”,she said in a sing-song voice as she skipped. “Look at these itty-bitty fingers,those little sparkly eyes,she’s just too cute!” April couldn’t pass up an opportunity for one-upmanship. “You looked like that when we were kids,only you’re blonde.” Becky looked crestfallen. But Gerald showed up with fudge from ‘The Original Fudge Kitchen’,which lightened her mood.—————April sauntered down to where Gerald,Becky,Deanna,Therese,and Françoise were building a sandcastle. Gerald was making crenellations on the edges,Deanna was hauling sand in buckets,Becky was teaching Françoise how to mold the sand,and Therese was taking photos.
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Day 1Laurel killed by CaseyCasey killed by environmental disasterCollin killed by KennyNick killed by muttation attackAshley killed by environmental disasterChuck Norris killed by LuciaMakayla killed by GabbieJonathan killed by LuciaGabbie killed by JaciKenny killed by AbeEthan killed by muttation attackLaura killed by DylanDay 2James killed by LuciaKatniss killed by food poisoningJaci killed by LuciaNorah killed by SheReaDay 3Eli killed by TonyTony killed by DylanDylan killed by LuciaSheRea killed by amoebic dysenteryDay 4Emma killed by LuciaAbe killed by JeremyJeremy killed by LuciaThe victor is: Lucia———Who is the guardian of this church?'Tis I,master lord. Patroclus son of Alverius son of Filius Marcus.Oft of this the saints knew of his and the plans for us which of gods many arose in the Olympian hall of Zeus that forged by Dwarf power of him who made it.What?'Tis the password. It's nonsensical.Ah! You knew it. I will open the gate. Come,come in. The courtyard is empty.Where is Tertius Owen?In the aviary. You missed Moderatus and Rhælius Annius by two hours. They came with intelligence.————It has been decided. Felix Rhipheus will be our new Pope.I am the Pope. I am the Pope!And I as camerlengo will announce this to the people,lady Foxface.Now they clothed him in his vestments. Questions were asked and answered. At dawn,the bells ringing,Arturius strode onto the balcony.I bring you tidings of great joy:we have a Pope!The most eminent and reverend lord,lord Felix,cardinal of the holy Roman church,gens Rhipheus,who accepts the name Peter,the second.———-Yesterday,January 18,1746,a date which will live in infamy,the people of New Londinium,in Rome across the Sea in North Atlantis,were attacked by the forces of the Republic of Panem.......In this hour,and with the blessing of His Holiness the true Pope,I,Tiberius Comus,38th emperor in the dynasty of Ahenobarbus,have declared war on Panem.————I could no longer stand by. Not while his holiness....You? Who would see his church burn to save souls?You tried to set Saint Peter's,the papal church itself,on fire!The Swiss Guard will see to your arrest,old man.Ha! Miserable mortal,open your eyes! Snow will win.President Coin is dead. Ex-president Snow will face trial here.Here? In his own court?His? They will decide against him and you.————Halt!Your name?Lucia Alamia,sir.I am Cassius Andalus of the 265th Legion, the 8th Corps. We are on patrol here in Vidugavia.What of the Games?Ended. The claimant President Coin is dead.Coin was President?Yes. Coriolanus Snow was deposed. He will face trial in Rome.She would have.How?Someone called the Mockingjay. Everdeen?From District 12?I suppose so. The whole of your Panem is now under Imperial control. A new honest governor-general,who respects the freedoms of the peoples,will be named. Who is your friend?ShaRea. She is hurt. Amoebic dysentery.We will escort you to Camp Voscarium. Gennadi Stepanovitch,prepare a tank.————Oyez,oyez,oyez! All persons having business before the Honorable, the Supreme Court of Rome, are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the Court is now sitting. God save the Empire and this honorable court.Today's matter is the trial of Coriolanus Snow,former president of the Republic of Panem. Reeve,read the charges.In faith and the first,misuse of public support. Forcing on his people a deadly competition,the annual Hunger Games. Murder,in all counts and degrees. Arson,in the same. Denial of human rights. Denial of equal opportunity and equal outcome.Religious bigotry as a force of national usage. Electoral fraud.Denying electoral results in such a manner as to provoke a civil war. Misuse of the military. Sedition,of the first and major count.Thank you,master reeve.————-May 3,1788Emperor Tiberius Comus was to abdicate tomorrow,so at midday he summoned Crown Princess Melissa by phone. She came to him an hour later."My dear daughter,heiress of Rome,let me review the global situation. The USNA is a strong,prosperous democracy. The people have forgotten the horrors of Panem and built a new nation to be proud of. They are our chief ally in the West,having absorbed Mexica by the Treaty of Mogollon and prospered under the wise leadership of Gale Hawthorne. Truly the mockingjay has spread its wings!
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Level of Patterson involvement
Ellychlorians
Patterson Genetic Material on both sides (ex: Mike, Liz, April)
1,000
Patterson Genetic Material on one side (ex: Merrie)
750
Marriage arranged and approved by a Patterson
500
Have had sex with a Patterson
400
Patterson invests money in your business
350
LTR (sexual) with a Patterson
300
Currently Work with a Patterson
250
A Patterson expresses admiration for your work ethic
200
LTR (friendship) with a Patterson
185
Frequently expresses rapt, doglike admiration for a Patterson
175
Drunk something from a steaming mug with a Patterson
150
Employ a Patterson part-time
100
Former close relationship with a Patterson
75
Laugh at Patterson puns with tongue sticking out
50
You call a Patterson "amazing"
50
You're lucky enough to have a Patterson as a customer or client
25
A Patterson knows your name (for each)
10
Patterson used to own the business
????
Ugly person who chews with mouth open
-50
Not kissing Patterson ass (per story arc built around it)
-100
Calling a Patterson names or wearing wifebeater t-shirt
-250
Chasing a Patterson with your bike or other vehicle
-500
"Going after" a female Patterson
-750
Patterson can learn a miraculous lesson by you snuffing it in a maudlin fashion
-10,000
Ellychlorians are cumulative. If you have sex with a Patterson and work with one, you get points for both...
thus we see the chances of success are:
Ellychlorians
Outcome
1001+
Honking, big-titted success
800+
Fame and fortune are yours
500+
You're golden
250+
Happiness
100+
Contentment
50+
Getting along, just
0+
Ordinary rabble
-100+
You suck
-500+
Long hospital visit
-750+
What are you going to do with all that time on your hands?
-1000+
The lowest of the low
Thus Gordon gets points for 1)Marriage arranged or approved of by a Patterson (+500) 2) Patterson investment (+350) LTR (friendship) with a Patterson (+185) and Patterson patronage (+25) and all the Pattersons know his name (+50) for 1110 points (I think). No wonder he's such a friggin' automotive tycoon.
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October 22,1982Reactor In-Flight Test 1'Attention,all personnel. At T minus 25 minutes,clear the launchpad and firing area for Test #62948. Launch Hazard Area restrictions are in effect for the next two hours.'On Launch Complex 40,the Titan IIID booster stood in the early light of dawn. Seven miles away,April entered the blockhouse’s viewing room. Weed was waiting for her.”Greetings,my friend. The countdown continues apace. There hasn’t been any trouble,and the molten salt reactor is A-OK. Where’s my favorite ash-blonde?””Becky decided to sleep in. ‘It’ll be on the news anyway.’””She has a point,you know. ———-Here’s a Titan IIID for your viewing pleasure:
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“So,Mr.Kaltenbrunner,tell me,what do you know of Anthony Caine? “I will start with what your intelligence services have told you already,Mr.President. An upjumped British lord,an earl of wheat,woods,and fisheries. Artistic,but....unlettered,you could say.” “Wasn't he married? “Yes. The wife,Therese Arsenault,is believed to be dead. If she is dead,she leaves behind a child. A three year old girl named Françoise.””And he can be trusted to take care of her?””The Arsenaults might,but their interests lie with expanding their financial empire. As a relation by marriage,she wouldn’t inherit very much. Now if she were to inherit the Caine fortune,that would be quite a different situation. —————“Aaron Burr said: "My children,love one another,for God loves all things that He made." He said this in 1796. Today,nearly a century gone from that day,we would do well to remember Mr.Burr's words. Truly he was an inspired man.But many men have been inspired by God. Abraham,Isaac,Jacob,Joseph,Moses,Joshua,Samuel,David,the prophets,His own Son,the examples are manifold in history.” ———-Prince John Michael of the Hellenes:”Lady Patterson, Lady McGuire, attend me!As the heir of the Hellenes,beyond the powers of most men,it is in my power to reward favors given me. This is a boon commensurate with my duties.Therefore,on the 4th of July,in this year of God 1893,I give unto the following,April Patterson and Rebecca McGuire,the rank of Knights of the Order of Benificence. Arise,Dame April! Arise,Dame Rebecca!”
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Talk Fooby to Me: a podcast about all things For Better or for WorseEpisodes
The Life,Truths,and Mystique of Lynn Johnston (48:36)
September 10,1979:the day it all began (33:50)
August 31,2008:the day it all ended (48:05)
John Patterson:trains and dentistry (50:32)
Elly Patterson:a life well lived (54:17)
Michael Patterson:the delicate genius (1:02:26)
Elizabeth Patterson:the kid in the middle (1:05:20)
April Patterson:all about April (56:28)
Deanna Patterson:the girl who loved Mike (41:15)
Anthony Caine:an uneasy man (36:48)
Lawrence Poirier:coming out in 1993 (1:01:38)
Connie Poirier:enemy to friend (1:09:36)
Random Topix 1 (43:18)
Milborough:around the town (59:32)
The Nichols clan:the next-door life (40:26)
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Deanna Sobinski, daughter of Mira and Wilfred Sobinski of Burlington, Ontario, and Michael Patterson, son of Elly and John Patterson of Milborough, Ontario were married Saturday,September 15, 2001 at 12:30 pm,at St. Andrew's in the Glen. Jack Riles, ordained lay minister of the Episcopalian Church, performed the ceremony.The bride and groom both graduated from Western University in June 1999. The new Mrs. Patterson earned her degree in pharmacy, and works at Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto. Mr. Patterson received his degree in journalism, and now writes for Portrait Magazine.The bride wore a Romona Keveza gown from the designer's "Legendary Brides Collection". Lawrence Poirier, a long-time friend of the groom, served as best man at the ceremony. The bride's sister, Andrea Neeley, was matron of honour. The remainder of the bridal party included friend of the bride Maxine Hebert, friend of the groom Tracey Mayes,sisters of the groom Elizabeth,April,and Lianne Patterson, brother of the groom James Patterson,friends of the groom, Gordon Mayes and Jason Néeley, and nephew of the bride Sean Neeley was the ring bearer. The groom’s cousin, Laura Cruikshank of Bethel,Manitoba,was the flower girl.The newlyweds will reside in Toronto,Ontario. Deanna and Michael have honeymoon plans for January.
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As Gordon entered,the band started playing sweet music. Gordon almost wasn't aware of Mike next to him."Dude,you startled me.""What're you thinking about?""Tracey,of course. Remember when we were 7,and her mom served us the best strawberry cake ever? Or when she went to the Winter Dance with Lawrence,the year you met Martha?""Yep.",Mike said,popping the 'p'."Are you friends with her?""A little bit. But she's friendly with everyone. So....."Reverend McCool tapped him on the shoulder. "I never asked,but are you related to Ardith Mayes?""She's my sister.""I used to know her when I lived in London. She's a lovely girl." “Tracey, we came together in the most unlikely way. Mike here had a zit,and so I accompanied you to a school dance. From there our relationship has blossomed. You've been a huge help in setting up the garage. I look forward to many times and years together,good or bad. With this ring,I thee wed.”“Gordon,when you picked me up for that dance party I couldn't have predicted how this would turn out. I'm glad of that,because our relationship has been good from the start. You're one of the best men I know. I love you,and I'm ready to share my life with you. With this ring,I thee wed.”The Reverend held her hands out.“I pronounce thee man and wife,and what God has joined together none may pull asunder. May God and the company assembled bless Gordon and Tracey Mayes!”
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(Becky's Letter, May 2019)Hey folks, it's Rebecca here. Jason,Beth,and Duncan Jr say hi. So does Dunk. Now that that's out of the way,the news. My 8th album, That's Life for Ya, drops two weeks from now on May 21. I'll be sharing three singles on my site: Germy Wormy, Ellen's Song (from the For All Mankind soundtrack), and Ginny Gets Around (a wizard rock song. Yes,I'm that desperate sometimes).
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I.“Have I just lost my marbles or did I just hear you talk about how life is finally going your way? When hasn't it? My God, you and your family could fall into a pile of manure, pull out the Crown Jewels of old England and complain about the smell!! You people coast through this life with almost no effort at all and yet you still whine about how hard your lot is and how you've suffered. Having endured your company for the last few years, it's sort of obvious that the cruelest torment you jerks have suffered is the unfair and evil indignity of having to consider viewpoints that aren’t your own. Not only do you, Doctor Patterson, have no respect, appreciation or gratitude for your idiot wife, you're not even smart or decent enough to be grateful for your kids. I don't know why you're all twisted up and evil inside but get this through your thick skull: your children don't owe you a living because you and Elly brought'em into the world. It's quite the other way around and to think otherwise is to be a monster. It also says nothing good about you that you're the sort of entitled goomba who moves his family to a cramped bungalow so he can play with toys and packs his kids off to a farm when they start thinking for themselves and questioning Daddy's right to own their horses. I shouldn't be surprised, though; you and your shrew of a wife have spent the last five years telling me that a marriage that gets in the way of your tawdry little plans for your middle child isn't legitimate because, well, you wouldn't be able to get what you want when you want it or that the skeevy little prick who whined that his wife expected him to not fuss over you vermin is the Antichrist. The worst of it is that you think you're a good person; you don't know the meaning of the word morality but you think you're honest.”II.“About the only thing that can be said in your behalf, DOCTOR Patterson, is that you married a woman as stupid, greedy and with as much blind hatred for children as yourself. That way, only two people were made miserable instead of four. That's right, "El"; I went there and I brought back some souvenirs. If you aren't the most inept mother I'm fated to encounter, you'll do until she comes along. Having to listen to you yelping about how awful it is having to listen to what children are saying because they don't think and act like you would would be bad enough if you didn't insist that nothing that happened to them mattered or should be thought of as being important or that children know that they're not supposed to move or think without your approval and defy you because they hate the idea of your being happy. Happy? YOU?? That's a laugh!! You're a spoiled brat who can't be happy with anything because you don't want to give other people the pleasure of being right. Well, that and you don't want to admit that you're not the most put-upon mother in the history of ever. That's because you're the sort of screwed-up ignoramus who won't let people help with the housework while whining that they don't help with the housework; that's not nearly as bad as blaming them for your poor study habits, indifferent cooking and literally criminal negligence. And wipe the smirk off your face; you're a lot more controlling than Deanna makes me out to be, Mrs "Own-a-lotta-horses". When I interfere, it's because I want to help someone live better, not to feather my own nest. You, on the other hand, have just married your family to a car dealership so you can pay for your honeymoons in the sun after John stops being the Least Professional Dentist Ever without too much static from April. Too bad that treating her like crap for not wanting to be treated like furniture or to become Deanna's willing slave isn't the worst way you've warped your children. Treating them like crap because you actually had to pay attention to their concerns and acting like the passive sheep were out-of-control monsters that simply had to be exiled to a farm has made the older two almost as ridiculous and selfish as you and Train Man." III.
“Oh, what's that, Michael? You don't like being called ridiculous or selfish? Well. then, don't make wedding toasts like the patronizing, demeaning, belittling, funny-as-three-caskets-on-the-back-of-a-burro load of old cobblers you just delivered. You might think that you're witty but what you are is a whiny, sullen, empty-headed little brat who resents the fact that your idiot parents betrayed you by having another child; it's not her fault that your lazy, arrogant dimwit of a mother made your her primary caregiver because she thinks that she's too big a deal to have to be near children so get over yourself and quit throwing a temper fit. Thirty years is too long for a tantrum to last. Oh, wait; to do that, you'd have to be aware of how other people saw the world around you. You can't call yourself a real writer because you're an absolute chode whose understanding of the world hasn't progressed much farther than "Some kids were lost but were found." I mean, really; I've heard you talk about your landlady from University and her life of real privation, abuse and disappointment and realized why she's not going to be all smiles and giggles no matter how good the rest of her life might be. You, on the other hand, whine "But whyyyyyyyyy is she so grumpy? I caaaaaaaaan't understand it" like the slow-witted and insensitive little boy you are. All her sorrow and pain meant to you is that you had a nifty story to turn into abuse porn. Sure, you had help bulking it up and making it harder to follow but your mother is no better a guide to good English than she is a source for parenting tips. You might think that a real writer barricades himself in his study and bars his children from his life but that's just not the case; the reason your idiot mother said that is that she's too dumb to multitask. What really bothers me, of course, is the stupid way you handled your former career in the publishing industry. Not only did you go crying to Mommy because Mean Ol'Mr Gluttson asked you to make a decision, you destroyed your professional reputation and left a huge mess for your successor to clean up. Not that I could have expected better; not only are you too stupid to realize that your parents want to own your horses, you don't even get how you got hornswoggled into having a farce wedding by a master deceiver."
IV.
”Yes, Deanna; I said "sham" wedding and I meant it; you might have thought you'd gotten away with deceiving us about that but, thanks to the loose lips of Tracey Mayes confirming a hunch your father and mother had, we'd found out about the same time as that bunch of saps you gush over. I will admit that you did a great job making us think that it was that idiot Mike or his dolt parents that put you up to it but, well, that's not the case, is it? I should've known it was you all along; I mean, I remembered the stunt you pulled that torpedoed her wanting to give Andrea a great wedding; imagine her thinking that I would have called the whole thing off anyway just because of her false alarm. That's not nearly as bad as why you did it, though; somewhere along the way, you got it into your head that the Pattersaps are better people than we are, that Mike, Liz and April are freer. Since you're the same sort of spoiled and idiotic brat Elly is, you can't even see that she and John expect to be paid back with interest for having to interact with them. That sort of thing dovetails nicely with your thinking that Train Man and the Missus have a good marriage because she's a frustrated mess who can't or won't talk sense to her hubby. And don't you simper at me, girlie; I know I am not perfect but, hey, I admit it! Hating the sin, not the sinner is a mild thing compared to holding a sham wedding, depriving your children because you drew the wrong conclusions from your trip to Hondarus, defending and/or absolving every stupid move Dummy makes, trying to turn April into your damned slave and, judging from the fact that Liz is looking like a gaffed trout, not confiding in your maid of honor."
V.
”What I said just now doesn't imply that I don't feel sorry for you, dear; having dished it out and taken in, I know how tough it is to deal with the horrible sort of blackmail Michael subjected you to. That's not to say that I don't hate being party to weddings based on that sort of thing....which brings us to the young woman at the center of all this madness. You, Liz, pretty much deserve to be in the fix you're in right now; it's not just because you're a needy, passive lush who'd do anything to please two people who just aren't worth a damn, it's that your gutless inability to shut your trap is what set Operation "Super Tasteless Cash-In Fake Wedding" in motion. I know that none of you dullards are going to believe this but I would have preferred that all of us to be in the dark about the real wedding; that way I wouldn't have had to push people's buttons to figure out which of you jerks set it in motion. I also wouldn't have had to listen to you childish, spineless whimperers talking about how you don't want to have any sort of conversation that would involve having to apologize. One thing I've noticed is that Mike gets being a insensitive clod who gets all defensive when cornered from John, you get a martyrdom complex, self-loathing and need to evade personal responsibility from Elly and you both get the idea that having to apologize means a permanent loss of face from both of them. It is thus a sort of justice that you've willed her own ruination by marrying a clone of John; it's what you deserve for your selfishness, immaturity, moral cowardice and refusal to admit that people who criticize you aren't extra-bad people. And don't think that I'm enjoying this; it sickens me that you and Mike are too arrogant, immature and dumb to know that the people that didn't submit to his blackmail and your stringing them along dodged a damn bullet. Well, Mrs Caine, the reason I do know that the pilot and police constable you dated feel grateful to see your fat hind end is that I, unlike you, don't walk around in a stupor. Then again, I'm not the daughter of a simpleton who avoided the woman providing the grease-laden catering because of her idiotic misapprehension that Mrs Nichols is capable of forgiveness. My GOD!! The woman is still ranting because her husband gave their eldest a cookie 25 years ago or so. That, of course, isn't the stupidest thing that you clowns believe; only a corn-fed rube who can't tell his jacksie from a hole in the ground would look at the skeevy little drone you're marrying and call him funny, witty, charming and above all, sympathetic."
VI.
“I thought that'd get your intention, you repulsive moral pygmy. You, sir, are not my idea of what belongs in a house; what you are is a carbon copy of the rigid, humorless, dismally dull-witted, unimaginative, misogynistic, self-absorbed, entitled and immature dunderhead called "Father of the Bride". I still remember hearing about you whining that you didn't have a home to wreck; what you, of course, meant was that you didn't have to sort of home Deanna envies: one in which the wife is an inert, grinning little doll that doesn’t have an opinion of her own (or an IQ higher than room temperature) and who signs off on every stupid decision her idiot husband makes. What really hurts to think about is how everyone curses Therese for being an obstacle to this ugliness and, worse still, invoking the presence of the Big Picky-Face In The Sky who's a big meanie that tells them that they can't have what they want when they want it. As for your 'rescuing' her from the jerk who assaulted her, it was not especially brave or intelligent of you to take Liz to a park and browbeat her into waiting for you to destroy you marriage instead of waiting for the police to arrest the guy. Another thing that isn't especially all that nice is that you sniveling infants presume to look down on Therese for ‘daring’ to complain about something instead of suffering in silence so that you don’t have to face the ‘unfair’ horror of having to consider needs that are not their own. I will commend you on your choice of idiot trophy wife, though; since she's stupid and vain enough to not question how she's the only thing worth your time despite having a wife and child at home, you won't have to worry about losing any more arguments."
VII.
”Of course, the ugliest thing about this wedding is not the eye-searing color scheme that was Liz's sole contribution nor the sort of carny prize floral arrangements that we had to endure or even the fact that the wedding cake is dripping oil; the ugliest thing is that Françoise is being treated like she's radioactive because she's a reminder that the idiots and poltroons gathered together to sanctify this farce conspired to ruin Thérèse's life; it's almost as appalling as the sure knowledge that the "tragedy" she and her mother represent is the "horror" of Liz defining herself as a human being in her own right instead of a machine meant to glorify how great John and Elly are and how they should be rewarded for the performance of needful tasks. I mean, seriously!! Elly can't even be bothered to remember her name because that would mean that she had a right to exist or something; since she's pretty much a living reminder of the cruel, hateful, unfair truth that reality is not up for grabs just because it makes life easier for the Pattersaints, her life is going to be sheer Hell until she gets out of this stain on the map. This, of course, reminds me of another child who's regarded as a burden because she "rebels" against her "destiny" and cannot provide John and Elly services before they die; I'm, of course, talking about April. My advice to you, young lady, is to get the Hell away from these freaks before you become as big a jerk as the rest of them. And don't just do it for yourself; your nephews and nieces are going to need an escape route from this glorified kindergarten where the immature twerp is king and if you can get yourself to a place where you can be an adult, you'd be doing God's own work. Don't dawdle either; you're in danger of getting sucked in and being assimilated; they've already got Eva Warzone and Luis Refugee making you half-convinced that venting about a problem is counter-revolutionary. The next step is making the ‘Continental’ over there into Anthony 2.0; nobody but a Patterson wants that to happen."
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I announce to you tidings of great joy:We have a Pope!The most eminent and reverend lord,lord Blase,of the Holy Roman Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago,who takes upon himself the name Anthony, the first.———- Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum:Habemus Papam!Et Eminentissimorum ac Reverendissimorum Dominus,dominus Blase,De Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Archidioecesis Chicagiensis,accipit in nomine Antonius,primus.
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(birds chirping)Elizabeth:Hey,April. You okay?April:Yeah. I'm still sad.Elizabeth:We all are. He was a good dog,the goodest boy of them all. I've given Mom his bowl to put away,and Shawna-Marie and Dawn are coming over soon. Dawn's bringing Anthony.April:Which one's Shawna?Elizabeth:The curly-haired one. John:Hey there,shortstop.April:Daddy,I'm real sorry....John:No,April,I'm the sorry one here. I should've gotten to you two earlier. We're going to Doc Paulson's later.April:Why?John:He needs to make sure that you didn't inhale too much water. ———Scene 1:The Pattermanse,early morning (birdsong)(Michael yawns)Michael (voice-over,as he takes a shower and dresses):I can't believe it. Gordon is getting married today. Gordon Mayes,one of my best friends,the mechanically minded guy,who always got teased at school,whose dad beat him up at home,who skipped college and got a garage in return,is getting married. And to Tracey Wells,no less. Tracey Wells,whose parents always ran the school fundraisers,who was everybody's friend,who could be counted on to help anybody with homework. The geek and the prom queen. Wow.(breakfast noises)John:So,Mike,how does it feel to be Gordo’s best man?Michael:He’s been my best friend for years,Dad. It’s an honor.Elly:Carol Enjo just called. Brian’s left for Tracey’s house with Darryl and Dawn. Lawrence is already there.Michael:I know,Mom. He slept over,actually. One last night with the guys. They talked cars,planes,and trains.(John laughs)Elizabeth:And to think this all started when you grew a monster zit!Michael:Do you really have to remind me of that?Elly:So I’ll drive to the McGuires’ and pick up April and Becky. John,you take Elizabeth. Mike,you’ll go to Connie’s and pick her up. We’ll all meet by 10:30 for the ceremony to start at noon.(agreeing noises)Scene 2:Tracey’s parents’ house,about 8:25 am(breakfast noises)Lee Wells:Top of the morning,one and all!Anna Wells:Good morning,Lee (kisses his cheek). Well,well,well. I’ve been waiting for this day for years. At last Tracey is getting married. Are she and Gordon up yet?Lee:They were dressing when I saw them...(door opening,yawning)Lee (continued):and here they are now. Anna:Good morning,Gordon my dear. How are you?(Tracey yawns)Gordon:Great,mum. Anna:Tracey,dear,lean in closer. I’ll reapply your lipstick.(lipstick application noises)(yawning)Lee:And hello to you too,Lawrence.Lawrence:Hi,folks. Sorry if I’m in a rush:Brian texted and asked me to join him in the backyard.Lee:Well,go on then. We’ll see you in an hour or so if the schedule holds.Gordon:What he said.Lawrence:Thanks,man. Hi,Tracey.Tracey:Hi,Lawrence.(Lawrence leaves)Tracey:When do the Pattersons get here?Gordon:Mike’s last text said 10:30 or so:they have a few errands to run first. Elly’s picking up April and her friend Becky. John’s coming over with Liz,Mike’s picking up the neighbor lady.Lee:So,three trips.Gordon:They do everything in threes.Scene 3:Tracey’s parents’ backyard,a short while later(heaving noises)Brian:That’s the last icebox,Jake.Jake:That makes me very happy. Now,onto the streamers.(indistinct chatter)Lawrence:So,Gordo,here’s the order of events.Gordon:Yes,yes,I know.————(clattering noises)Lawrence:Why the lack of space,man?Gordon:Domestic priorities. My parents and Tracey's parents gave us stuff for Christmas. A crib, baby toys, a mobile of the planets-Brian:Are those Voyager pictures? On the mobile.Gordon:I guess so. Anyway,there are also food tins,frozen food,a music box,blankets,milk bottles,everything!I walled off a corner with cardboard. It'll serve as a temporary nursery.-----------Gordon:So,what else is new?Lawrence:Remember your old flame Allyson? She got married.Gordon:She did? To who?Brian:A guy named Matt Wiser. He's in the RCN, out of Charlottetown. She only knew him for 3 months before the wedding.Tracey:She always wanted to get married. At lunch back in school,she would often go on about her ideal guy. Tall,dark-haired,muscular,younger than her. Matt fills all those tropes.She was always at the library on certain weekends,looking through bridal books. I actually looked through some together with her,back when we were engaged. She told me all about her home life then.Gordon:What was it like?Tracey:You know that big house on Elderberry Street,the colonial style house? That's where the Creemores lived. Her dad worked at the school as a bookkeeper,and her mom is a nurse at Sick Childrens’ Hospital in Toronto.—————-Shawna-Marie:It was a hard choice,but I trusted Lizzie with Enrique. She took as best care of him as she could. And it worked! He's intact. Look at him,people.(appreciative gasps)Ms Carruthers:Wow,Shawna-Marie! I'd say you did well,very well.Shawna-Marie:Thanks, Ms C.Ms Carruthers:And Liz,too.Liz:Thanks,very much.Shawna-Marie:Liz'll make a great mother someday. She's a friendly girl,she's good with people,she's smart....Anthony:And cute.Shawna-Marie:That,too. But what's important is that she's got good qualities in abundance,like me. I think that's why we're friends:we complement each other.Ms Carruthers:On that I can agree.————-Tracey: And this is the master bedroom. I'll put Paul down now. He needs his naptime.(slight whimper)Deanna:This isn't too bad a place,Tracey. My dad,when he came off the boat from Poland,lived in a single room.Tracey:Is that right?Deanna:After four months,he was finally able to get his own apartment.Tracey:If you'd told me just a couple of years ago that I was going to end up above a garage,I'd have said you were crazy. But when I saw this little place,I just knew that I was home.—————-Gordon:The usual,right?John:Yep! So Mike's in London,chasing an assignment.He's writing about the fashion scene.Gordon:There's a fashion scene in London?John:Apparently so. How're Tracey and the kids?Gordon:Pretty good. Paul's in daycare.John:Where?Gordon:This young lady,Ardith Narayan,who's only 3 or 4 years older than we are,runs one out of her house in Eastgate. She's got a little boy of her own named Kevin.John:What kind of a name is Ardith Narayan?Gordon:Armenian. You know,that little Asian nation that abuts Persia.John:It's Iran now,Gord.—————-John:The groomsmen are in place,Mira.Mira:Okay. Music begins - the "Air on a G String" from Bach, as arranged by Tralec,Dalskar, Stretton, and McCoull.The groom and best man can now enter from the vestibule.Voice:Good entry.Mira:The ringbearer and flower girl will enter behind them,then the matron and maids of honor,with order of height and stepping in slow time to the music.The bride will take her father's arm,her right arm hooked in his left,wait for the Trumpet Voluntary in D,and.....now!—————Elizabeth:Here's what I know....Their fathers knew each other,but they hadn't actually met,not until college. They'd heard about each other,sure,and they're the same age. I think they'd exchanged e-mails.They actually met at an old-timey dance club in Williamsport. They're both wonderful dancers,and they even entered some competitions together.(Tales from the Vienna Woods plays in background)She's very sophisticated,as all the Arsenaults are. She sings,she plays the piano and violin,she used to be a gymnast-Candace:That's where I'd heard of her before!Elizabeth:Yeah. So,she captivated him.Candace:I guess 'captivated' became 'captured'!Elizabeth:Mike kept me up to date on them. We were still friends:we'll always be.Their engagement was short,about a year. They got married in August 2003:you know I was there. They honeymooned in Florida and Haiti. ————-(chatter)April:Hi,Jeremy! Hi,Zapata! Hi,Grace!Zapata:Here. Ron's absent. His great-aunt died. He's in Saskatoon for the funeral,won't be back till Friday. Kimmi agreed to hold his homework for him.April:Should I send him an e-mail or something?Duncan:Nah. Ger took care of that. Singing telegram.April:Far out! Where's Zara?Jeremy:Lunch detention with Mr Bardoni,the physics teacher,for 2 days.April:Zoe? Christa? Francie?Duncan:Zoe takes lunch with her boyfriend Landon now. Christa's home sick. Francesca is taking open dance in 6th period every day for the rest of the year.Zapata:Ms Selwyn teaches it:remember her?April:From Grade 3? Do I ever! Does she still have that pet snake of hers?Zandra:Ethan died in '02. Her new pet snake is Salazar. Like Slytherin from Harry Potter.April:I have got to re-read those!Jeremy:The last one came out in August. It's.......intense.————Episode (insert number here):The Valhalla VariationsScene 1:Merrie and Robin’s room,night(night noises)(laughter)Meredith:Ha,ha! Robin's mad and I'm sad and I know how to tease ya! Drink some ink,and then you'll stink,and then we'll have to freeze ya!Robin:You stink,sistwirp!Meredith:You calling me sistwirp?Robin:Yah!(Robin tackles Meredith)Scene 2:the bathroom,night(distant noise of Merrie and Robin)Deanna:I think it’s time that the kids got their own rooms. Michael:You really think so? (flush)Deanna:Why not,Mike? Paul and Rosie Mayes have had their own rooms since Rosie was two. That’s before we were married,honey!Michael:Make me see your logic,Dee.Deanna:Robin’s used to this house now. He should be able to sleep alone if that’s what he wants.Michael:Doesn’t Merrie like to tease him? All day Wednesday at the play park she was on the rides before he was.Deanna:Did he cry about it?Michael:Not that I heard. They were pretty pleasant to each other. They may start to grow out of that phase soon. I’ll talk to Dad about buying Robin a bed. He can sleep in April’s old room.Deanna:I think that’s a good idea.
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Processional
~ Introductory Music ~
Welcome Statement
Minister: Dearly beloved, we meet here today to witness a sacred ceremony: the union of Carter and Avery. With great reverence, we come together to celebrate the love and devotion shared by these two children of God that stand before us. We are especially blessed to be joined today by family and friends. The Groom and Bride are honored you could be here to participate in this important occasion.
As the Bible reminds us in Corinthians, "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."
Over the course of their relationship, Carter and Avery have developed a strong bond based on shared values and mutual respect. With a solid foundation from which to grow, they have made the decision to take the oath of marriage and spend the rest of their lives together.
Let us revel in the joy and love on display here today. May we treasure these memories as Carter and Avery, under the eyes of God, get set to begin their new life together.
Family Blessing
Minister: Who gives this Bride today?
Bride's Companion: I do.
Consecration
Minister: Under the eyes of God, I solemnly bear witness to these matrimonial proceedings. I will now finalize the sacred covenant you shall both enter into on this day.
The rite of marriage is an ancient institution, an important ritual that binds two people together for the rest of their days. Today, as you form this union, you're choosing to take a vow that is as sacred today as it was to your ancestors.
The Bible makes note of the power of partnership in Ecclesiastes. It reminds us that "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?"
Vows
Minister: Carter and Avery, I invite you to express your sacred vows to one another. Please face each other as you declare these vows before God and in the presence of your family and friends.
Carter, you may start.
Carter: (Groom states their vow...)
Avery, now is the time for your promise.
Avery: (Bride states their vow...)
Declaration of Intent
Minister: Carter and Avery, please join hands. Under the eyes of God, Carter, do you take Avery to be your lawfully wedded Wife? Do you promise to support her completely and love her unconditionally, so long as you both shall live?
Carter I do.
Minister: Under the eyes of God, Avery, do you take Carter to be your lawfully wedded Husband? Do you promise to support him completely and love him unconditionally, so long as you both shall live?
Avery I do.
Minister: Very well, let us proceed.
Ring Exchange
Minister: It is now time to exchange the rings. The circle formed by each ring is a symbol of your love and eternal commitment to each other. May these rings remind you always of these sacred promises you've made to each other today in the company of your family and friends.
Carter, you will go first. Please repeat after me as you place the ring on the hand of your loved one.
I, Carter, give you, Avery this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I thee wed.
Avery, your turn.
I, Avery, give you, Carter this ring as a symbol of my love, commitment, and the eternal vows we have made today to each other. With this ring, I thee wed.
Pronouncement
Minister: By the power vested in me, by the state of Texas and by the Universal Life Church, I pronounce you, Carter and Avery as Husband and Wife, lawfully wedded before God.
Kiss
Minister: Carter, you may now kiss the Bride.
Presentation
Minister: Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honor that I officially present to you Mr. Periard and Mrs. Iseut!!
Recessional
~ Exit Music ~
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Volume
Release date
Title
Period covered
Page count
ISBN
1
2017-11-14
“For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 1”
1979–1982
544
978-1-63140-982-0
2
2018-07-31
“For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 2”
1983–1986
544
978-1-68405-256-1
3
2019-07-16
“For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 3”
1986–1989
544
978-1-68405-426-8
4
2020-03-24
"For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 4"
1989–1993
544
978-1-68405-585-2
5
2021-01-05
"For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 5"
1993-1996
544
978-1-68405-750-4
6
2021
"For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 6"
1996-1999
544
7
2021 or 2022
"For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 7"
1999-2002
544
8
2022 or 2023
"For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 8"
2002-2005
544
9
2023 or 2024
"For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library - Vol. 9"
2005-2008
544
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Kerimov saluted. As did Titov."General-in-Chief of the State Commission for Soyuz,the flight commander of Soyuz mission 'Ocean' salutes you. We are reporting that we have completed our preparations satisfactorily,and that we are ready for launch."Remembering Soyuz T-8,Kerimov extended his hand."Vladimir Georgiyevitch,the State Commission and all of us clear you for this historic launch. We wish you a safe launch,an uneventful mission,and a soft landing on Mother Earth at the next New Year. Good luck,Volodya."———A slip of the switch - the heat shield was jettisoned."Attitude hold." Lyakhov said. "Stand by for the main chute,at 11,000 feet."Mohmand turned on the LSD. "Displays enabled."Outside the sky grew brighter. It was almost dawn. Only a few more minutes - and you're on the ground. The altimeter unwound. 17,000. 15,000. 14,000. 12,000...."Now!" A jerk made Mohmand jump."Parachute deploy! Damn!" The big white canopy snapped to its full diameter.
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What do you wish me to do with it?Keep it for your own. It is still in fine condition.Celestial copper. That explains the condition.Celestial-grade copper in an ordinary cuckoo clock?Actually,it falls to the earth in meteors. The Bhaliri dwarves mine it in their palaces.Ah. In any case,I would like that an ordinary clock replaces the cuckoo clock. That,or a wardstone.Why not both? The wardstone in the clock.Is that possible?Yes. I can have it here tomorrow.That's very good. I will talk with Avery regarding the changes.What about the bookcase?Don't bother with the bookcase. Avery'll put an expansion charm there and a locus stone. The central spellstone for the house. The wardstone would tie into it,right?Right you are. How many ward levels do you require?8,I think.Hello,master gnome spellsmith.My name is Jamarsys,son of Bannock,son of E'Darian. I will help you set the ring of secondary wardstones. You place the stones,I will handle the warding.Can we use the Guidera technique to extend the wards? My uncle lives down the street. The sole wardline he has is failing.It would take a day or two,but it can be done.
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———Emmett Seaborn:Now,Winston, I understand that you have a message for somebody out there - a rather special somebody. [chuckles] Can we hear it?Winston Egbert:My love, you have my heart for all eternity. And if I die in space, for whatever reason,my last thought will be of your lips. I love you,Grace Oliver.————Winston pushed his fingers into Grace,as she grabbed his hair,desperately."Oh,God. I'm glad you're back,lover boy. Don't leave me."They yelled their orgasms. Slick with sweat,they relaxed in each other's arms.
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Winston kneeled behind Cara,feeling up her back,her gorgeous self,gazing at her adorable teeth gap.Olivia had Cara on the other end,her hands in her brown hair,long and flowing,not like Olivia's own mess of curls.Cara took on Olivia's muff."God,Liv,your pussy tastes great. Tangy. But great.""You think so,Cara?""Yeah.""Well,you've got the biggest ass ever. It looks like bread buns,but tan.""Hey!""It's true. I wanna squeeze it."Liv relaxed on the bed. >Cousin incest:we go there.An hour later,they lay,spent. Olivia snuggled Cara with her right arm and Winston with her left.————Cara smiled playfully."Maybe you should shave that pussy of yours”, she said as she dipped a finger into it. She licked Liv’s juices,then burrowed closer to her. “Lila knows a professional waxer in San Theodoros who can do it for you. We can go there together. Next month. My treat.""San Theodoros? That banana republic on the Brazilian border?""The same", Cara cooed. "They're a democracy now,you know.They have nightclubs,tacky restaurants,sexbots, space programs, same as every other darned country nowadays......I had a taste of Denise Hadley. She tasted like chicken,but rubbery.""Oh,God. Who else?""April Dawson:peanut butter cookies. Danielle Alexander:cupcakes. Justine Belson:apples. Abbie Richardson:grilled cheese. Helen Bradley:regular cheese. And Aline Montgomery:applesauce.""So you've tasted eight pussies now,'Liv!""It could've been nine,but Ginny decided to set her cap for Mark Stouffer.
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They'll get out via the Soyuz,Liz! They'll be all right!Team Alpha,are you OK?Fine,Mr Egbert! We're on the inner landing now. Near the control station. What're the possibilities of saving this thing?Very good. The European ATV, the 'Nicolas Copernicus',will be used to boost Constellation's orbit. Atlantis will be on standby if something goes wrong.Oh,yes,I remember! What's Copernicus' status?On approach,25 feet out. The landing doors have opened to receive it.We're in the node now,Mr Egbert. We'll speak to you again when we're on Atlantis.Copy that,Team Alpha. You're doing great! 20,000 feet over Fowler. Stand by for pre-flare.Copy that,Atlantis. You're almost home free now. Can you engage autoland? Over.What panel is it,Mr Egbert?Panel C-2,at the top. How's Elizabeth?Asleep. Her vital signs are fine.OK,Houston. Autoland engaged.Roger that. Event timer countdown to auto sequence-Wait! Can it deploy the landing gear?Yes. 6,5,4,3,2,1,0.Auto sequence initiated,Houston. 12,000 feet.————Scene 1:the gym, afternoon(crowd noises)Coach Woolcott:Now as you know,the cheerleaders are practicing in here after school from 2:30 to 4:30. They're also accepting new tryout applications an' all that. I hope some of you try out:the Gladiators can never have too much support.Class is over,gents 'n' girls,and remember:stay safe out there!(he blows a whistle twice)Cara:Wow,Jess. Cheerleader tryouts! Half the girls'll turn out for 'em!Jessica:(blows raspberry)Cara:What?Jessica:You think I could cheerlead? There are loads of girls who can. I'm just....one of the crowd.Cara:Who's applied so far?Jessica:Let's see. Jean West,Art's sister. She's pixie-size,which helps her a lot. And she's good academically:Liz will love that.Robin has:I'll talk to Gemma about taking her. She's Miss Sweet Valley.
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Atlantis STS-37 - Keep on Walking
Introduction - Gamma EyesCrew - Ready to go walkingMission - A Really Interesting FlightThe Compton Gamma Ray Observatory - A Superhero’s Spacecraft Launch Preparations - On the Road AgainFriday,April 5,1991 (Launch Day) - Cloud BreakerFriday,April 5,1991 (Flight Day 1) - Setting UpSaturday,April 6,1991 (Flight Day 2) - Clean and GreenSunday,April 7,1991 (Flight Day 3) - The Longest DayMonday,April 8,1991 (Flight Day 4) - The Wall of EVATuesday,April 9,1991 (Flight Day 5) - VerificationsWednesday,April 10,1991 (Flight Day 6) - A Clean Bill of HealthThursday,April 11,1991 (Landing Day) - Landing ShortApril 12-14,1991 - To Rise Again:The 10th Anniversary of STS-1The Trials and Tribulations of Compton - A Gamma-Ray ZooSunday,June 4,2000 (CGRO Re-entry) - Last Data
Columbia STS-40 - The Flying Doctors
Introduction - A Medical MissionCrew - Three Women,or Three Doctors?Mission - A Packed Flight PlanProject Juno - “No Experience Required”A Brit Trains for SpaceThe Mission of Soyuz TM-12 - “At Home In Space”Juno Postlude - “Just Like Heaven”Russia In Space:1991Mission Preparations - The Return of SpacelabA Month of DelaysJune 1991 - “A Trained Crew”Wednesday,June 5,1991 (Launch Day) - The Clearest of SkiesWednesday,June 5,1991 (Flight Day 1) - Eclectic ExperimentsThursday,June 6,1991 (Flight Day 2) - Life SupportFriday,June 7,1991 (Flight Day 3) - The Vestibular Variety ShowSaturday,June 8,1991 (Flight Day 4) - Muscular ScienceSunday,June 9,1991 (Flight Day 5) - A Restful Day in SpaceMonday,June 10,1991 (Flight Day 6) - The Head DoctorTuesday,June 11,1991 (Flight Day 7) - Hot BloodedWednesday,June 12,1991 (Flight Day 8) - Science on the ScoreboardThursday,June 13,1991 (Flight Day 9) - One Last PassFriday,June 14,1991 (Landing Day) - Smooth As ButterMission Postlude - “Impressive Science”International Mir - Building for the FutureSLS-2 - A Dream Deferred?Atlantis STS-43 - Four Tracking Satellites and Three Days TripledIntroduction - A Mission of FivesCrew - The Fabulous FiveMission - The Fifth SatelliteSpace news in general:May 1991Space news in general:June 1991Ariane Goes Forth - the launch of ERS-1Mission Training - Seven Weeks to GoA Few Minor Bumps on the Road to SpaceMicrosat 1:The Winged Horse Rides AgainSpace news in general:July 1991Countdown:Three Days of ExcitementThursday,August 1,1991 (Launch Attempt 1) - Twenty MinutesFriday,August 2,1991 (Launch Day) - An Eight Minute RideFriday,August 2,1991 (Flight Day 1) - The Work of Six HoursSaturday,August 3,1991 (Flight Day 2) - The First Full DaySunday,August 4,1991 (Flight Day 3) - Three Hour’s WorkMonday,August 5,1991 (Flight Day 4) - “Happy Birthday,Neil”Tuesday,August 6,1991 (Flight Day 5) - The Halfway MarkWednesday,August 7,1991 (Flight Day 6) - Heat Pipe!Thursday,August 8,1991 (Flight Day 7) - Apple Pies in SpaceFriday,August 9,1991 (Flight Day 8) - Earth Photography and ExperimentsSaturday,August 10,1991 (Flight Day 9) - “Not Quite Yet”Sunday,August 11,1991 (Landing Day) - Eight Thousand FeetPost-Landing - “Spectacular Views”The Commissioning of TDRS-5 - “The Constellation is Almost Complete”Space news in general:August 1991Space news in general:September 1991Discovery STS-48 - What’s Out There?Introduction - A Mission of TestsCrew - A Mixed BagMission - Robotics and ScienceUARS - The Ozone WatcherCrew TrainingFreedom in 1991 - Building for the Future
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“Good God,do you want this? General,you lied to us about your satellite. Even now,Ms Davidson,who may I remind you is the great-niece of the Flight Director,is in danger! CapCom,tell her to return to the orbiter before the radiative charge grows.”“EV2,Houston. At PET of 3+25 you are to return to the airlock. Over.”“I'm on my way.”“Olivia,this is Flight. We've got a plan down here. Jerry'll use the RMS arm to return you to the airlock. You have 35 minutes of suit oxygen left. ““But-““The debris hit your suit. It sheared off your antenna. The only reason you can even talk to us now is because you're in line-of-sight of the Ku-band antenna. “
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Peter Berton,Dana Larson,Cara Walker,Elizabeth Wakefield,Denise Hadley,and Sam Evans,report to my office.Congratulations for receiving the Principal’s Award for November and December 1985. Here are free McDonald’s coupons for Dana and Sam,a reporter’s notebook for Elizabeth,new pencils and sketchbooks for Peter and Denise,and a school brooch and notebook for Cara. And $25 for each of you.———-‘I wonder who Solomon Levi was,Danny.',Regina Morrow was saying to her partner.Winston saw his opportunity.'A stock comedic character in Boston Brahmin humor of the late 1800s. The inspiration for him ,Solomon Levi ben Ramal (1829-1910),was a well-known tailor who sold to all his clients,rich or poor,for $1.49. He spent 3 terms on the Boston City Council in the 1870s.''And you know all of this how?',demanded Danny Stouffer.'The Encyclopedia Americana.'———-Eyes and Ears, 18 March 1992Winston E's survival training has paid off:he's so buff now.......Congratulations to Sam E. for winning that piano contest and for securing Leslie F's affections! You're awesome......Josh B. and sophomore Meghan L. were spotted at Miller's Point....Pamela J. and Bruce P. are still going steady, 61st week in a row. Good luck,you two!.....Suzanne H is packing her suitcases for a trip to Guadalajara for art and history class. More on that from Sophia F when they return.......Toni J.,although only a junior,has accepted a scholarship from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire,and has pledged PBA. Congratulations!......
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12 May 1995, 17:00 EDT
GR:....and I now declare the first meeting of the Palmyra,NJ Babysitters Club underway. Any calls,Jill?JM:We have a call from Dr Ben Tarnowski,requesting babysitting services for his two kids,Ben Jr and Michael,on Saturday,between 4 and 6:30 pm.EM:I can take it. Mom knows Ms Tarnowski.JM:Thanks,Em.Palmyra-Riverton-Delran BSCMembersPresident:Gianna RowleVice-President:Jill MaysSecretary:Emily MaysTreasurer:Elizabeth AlfareroAlternate Officer:Carli LloydAlternate Officer:Janyse RobbJunior Officer:Kaley SmithJunior Member:Marla AlfareroJunior Member:Danielle OhmsfordJunior Member:Lauren Redcliffe
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Lila's party was in full swing when she arrived. Ken Matthews and Grace Oliver were dancing,as were Chloe Murphy and their cousin Matt,whose brother Dave she was dating. Kerry Glenn,Cara Walker,Helen Bradley,Brooke Dennis,and some other girls were holding court by the fireplace. Altogether the atmosphere was congenial."Hey,Jess!", Mason said from where he sat on a beanbag. "Join us?" He gestured to his brother Mark and Guy Chesney."Sure,I guess."———"Tank pressure switches set. SMB retracting,both booms.""Challenger,Houston,we recommend you maintain attitude hold during retraction.""Roger." Martin Gilbert allowed himself a view out of Challenger's windows at the Indian Ocean beneath,sparkling in the morning Sun. "Say,how's the weather looking at Edwards? Over.""They say it should clear up by landing,with winds out of the north.. Speaking of such,we're at landing minus 40 hours and 30 seconds,and I'll give you a mark at the hour.""Standing by."———-——The more visible lights were those fronting the seafront. The Surfer's Lodge, the Knights of Columbus Hall, the Moon Beach Cafe, Daeron's Place,the bowling alley,the old pizzeria....Over the hill,past the Jacobson residence,the streetlights grew dim. Winston jumped the Dunbars' fence, over the next hill, through a stand of silver birch, then around the Rollins/Collins property line and up past some shrubs. The Episcopal church was in its own small vale,affording some protection,so Winston went that-a-way.———“No,I don't smoke,thank you."He moved a ways away. "As you will. It was just a thought. Who are you?""Brooke Dennis. You look like my friend Winston.""I'm his brother. Brandon Egbert,at your service.""Just as I thought! I see you around his house all the time."He was amazed. "Your mom's the lounge singer,right?""Yeah.""Nice dress."Brooke glanced down at herself. The green dress billowed in the breeze from the school's ventilation filters. "Thanks,Brandon. It cost me $400.""This tux set me back $120. You know why I like it? Your dress?""Why?""It's cute in an understated way,like you. Notice how your face is a hybrid between an oval face and a square face?"———"It was a total bust", I tell her. "We got down to T-15 minutes,and what do you know? It's scrubbed.""I'm sorry. What happened?""Battery issues in the second stage. Then a camera fizzled. By the time we replaced it,the launch window had run out."————“I call to order the 1695th meeting of the Sweet Valley Municipal Council, 28 January 1994, at 6:00 pm Pacific Time. Attendant are Peter Santelli (myself), Joshua Dawson, Arthur Dayne, Matt Belasca, Gregory Cooper, Deke Haver, Candace Trost, Kenneth Jennings,Alice Wakefield, Dyan Fowler,John Lapin, Mark Walker, Peter Chesney, Robert Pfeiffer, and Roger Collins. Bryn Oakenwood, SVH class of 1986, as secretary, standing in for Ben Martin.Any old business?.....I recognize Mark Walker.”“The town pool is scheduled to open the weekend after Easter. For the record, that is the weekend of April 9,on which day the pool will open. Filling operations remain on schedule to commence on March 6 and end on March 22. We're testing the pumps the week after next,and will fill them beginning on Valentine’s Day.””I hope you actually paid the AiResearch guys this time,Mark.”“Sure did,Mr Mayor.””I recognize Alice Wakefield.”“Plans for the graduation festivities (and yes,that does include prom) proceed more as less as planned,or so Liz says. They've picked a prom theme (Beach Days) and a class motto (Tomorrow Lives in Us). Robert,does John have anything to say?”“He's pretty involved in all the planning. Renting out the Valley Inn is tricky business,according to him.”————-—Among them,Todd recognized Pamela Jacobson,Molly Hecht,Billie Layton,Regina Morrow,Lois Waller,Julie Porter,Cammi Adams,Chloe Murphy,and Sam Woodruff's sister Leanne. Julie waved at Elizabeth,who took it as a signal to go off and converse.Molly motioned them to a table."Liz,you poor thing! You must be nervous!", Pamela said."About what,Pam?""Being nominated for prom queen! It's an important honor!""Yeah,so says the junior prom queen!", Billie teased. She was a Midwestern transplant who had come to Sweet Valley in fifth grade and taken to the town like a moth to a light source."Silly Billie over here is right. ""Speaking of....", Julie trailed off. Elizabeth asked her what she'd meant."Here comes the other Billie."Sure enough,Billie Winkler had arrived. She used her foot to hook a chair,sitting down between Julie and Lois."Hello,girls!""Ms Winkler!", said Regina. "How is it that you know Liz so well?""I happen to be dating her brother.“My god, Manny looks hot. Who's the auburn-haired girl with him?""That's his college girlfriend,Val Tripler.""Any relation to Vance from photography club?""She's his older sister.""Now that I think about it,he's mentioned her before. She got him into photography."“Hey,Wilkins!""Hey there,Pfeiffer!""“How much do you wanna bet Winston gets to be king?""With Olivia as queen? $40, easy money. He'll insist on it. Who're the other candidates?""Lemme see........Elizabeth,Cara,Lila,Maria Slater,Jean West,Billie Layton,Ellen Riteman,Mary Wallace,Grace Oliver,Dee Dee Gordon,and Sandra Ferris. For king,we have you,Sam Evans,Randy Mason,David Wakefield,Scott Trost,Ken Matthews,Tom McKay,Robbie Hendricks,and Sam Woodruff. Candidates for prom court are all of the above plus Kerry Glenn,Molly Hecht,Mason Gathers,Ginny Culpepper,Lynne Henry,Christian Tessier,Alvin Hung,Rachel Potter,and Leanne Woodruff." Alice went in search of Lyndon. It wasn't long before she found him talking to the concierge. He was clearly drunk:"I told him that I'm a proud liberal,and he can shove his anti-Chicano bigotry up his puckered ass! He didn't take it so well. Threatened to beat me bloody,ranted on and on about Jesus and white power,eventually I threw him out of the Moon Beach and told him to never come back or I'd call the cops on him,and that I knew Mayor Santelli and we'd both make his life a living hell......"Alice gestured discreetly to him snd he followed her into the courtyard, Not too far away,Claire and Jamie sat beneth a box tree,laughing about something.———"Awww.""What,Todd?""My once-ugly duckling of a cousin,Miss Sandra Ferris,is now a regal swan. Come here and gimme a kiss.""Todd!""...tasted good. You look great,Sandy.""Egbert!""Davidson! You look marvelous.""I always do. So,how's Liz?""Good,I guess.""When'd you land?""Just after 2,at Fowler. Debriefings took an hour. Then I drove home,cat-napped on the couch,took my ablutions,dressed,got some cereal and oatmeal to eat,and got in at 7:30 to admire the place."“The ceremony isn't until noon,silly. It's only quarter of 10."“Congratulations,Mr Egbert.”“Thanks, Ms......sorry,I remember your face but I don’t think I remember your name.”“Emma Rice. I taught Health to you guys your sophomore and junior years. You were the top boy in that class,second only to Ken Matthews.”“Naturally. And the top girls?”“Cara Walker,if you would believe it. And Shellae Mueller.”“Shellae? Only thing I think she'd be top at is that clipboard of hers.”“Ha. Oh,look. There's the future Mrs.Cam Geary. I must talk to Maria.”“Hello,Winston.”Ms Jefferson,isn't it?”“Call me Laura. We're all friends now. This is my granddaughter Emmeline. She just finished 2nd grade. Say hello to Winston,Emme.”“Hi.”“So,you'll be class of......”“She'll graduate in 2005. I'll be gone by then:my contract expires in 1997.”“And generations of Sweet Valley students won't get your pearls of wisdom.”“You're still a wit,I see. Did you ever return that copy of Dune?”“In March.”———-“I,Maria,take you,Cameron,to be my husband for as long as we live. I promise above all else to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I give you my hand and my heart, as a sanctuary of warmth and peace. And I pledge my love, devotion,and faith as I join my life to yours. I love you,Cam.”“I,Cameron,take you,Maria,to be my wife for as long as we live. I promise above all else to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I give you my hand and my heart, as a sanctuary of warmth and peace. And I pledge my love, devotion, and faith as I join my life to yours. I love you,'Ria.”“By the power that the state of California has invested in me,I declare Mr Cameron Geary and Ms Maria Slater as husband and wife, and let none but God pull them asunder. Boys and girls, may I present to you Mr and Mrs Cam Geary!”————“Ooooh," Jessica gushed when Dana and Mark sat down, their faces flushed. "Someone was passionate last night!""Yes!", Dana laughed. "My first time, and it was incredibly hot! And with my cousin! Whoo!"She made a production of wiping her forehead. Elizabeth laughed."Todd could hear you from the couch! And John too!"John and Robin were holding hands. John gave Robin a sheepish grin. He was proficient at such things.————-The next time they'd had sex,it'd been after a dinner party thrown by a local sea captain,Bobby Young,whose daughter Janice had gone to school with them and now went to college in Missouri. M:Has anyone ever told you that you wear your heart on your sleeve?D:Liz has. Todd has. Mike has. Aunt Alice has.M:Alice Wakefield.....she's the best aunt either of us could have, isn't she?D:(laughs) Yeah. When we get married,I'm asking her to be a bridesmaid. Fair pay for all the times she babysat me way back when.M:I'm gonna ask Steve to be my best man. That way,we both have family in our wedding parties. Who else will be your bridesmaids?D:Liz,Maria Santelli,Sally,and Emily for certain,with Liz or Alice as maid of honor. Maybe Mom. Maybe Jess. I may also ask Lila.M:That’d be crazy. Lila Fowler as your bridesmaid.....D:And then I can be hers when she and Ken inevitably get married.—————Mark and Dana come before us today already tied - by blood,as they are cousins. Having known each other since infancy,and loved each other nearly as long,they now pledge each other their eternal faith. In the light of God and the sight of mankind,these two will pledge their vows to each other.I,Mark Bryce,take you,Dana Alice,to be my lawfully wedded wife,to have and to hold,to love and cherish,for richer or for poorer,for better or for worse,in sickness and in health,as long as we live, and I pledge you my faith.I,Dana Alice,take you,Mark Bryce,to be my lawfully wedded husband,to have and to hold,to love and to cherish,for richer or for poorer,for better or for worse,in sickness and in health,as long as we live,and I pledge you my faith.—————Winston sat next to Lacey."There's no getting out of telling you,Lace. Olivia and I are getting married next year."Lacey let out a Bronx cheer.".....and we were wondering if you'd like to be the flower girl.""I'd love to,Win!——————-—"FUCK!", Brooke screamed / laughed. "You're big,Brendan! Like......real big! How on Earth.......?""We Egberts sure are big", he laughed.Brooke exhaled through her nose. "Like,wow. I wonder what Winston's dick is like.""It's small,but he says Olivia likes it.""Of course she does. What doesn't she like?"—————-In the end,the wedding of Pamela Jacobson and Matthew Wakefield went without a hitch. At 5 p.m,as the Sun set over Sweet Valley Harbor, she walked down the aisle on Lewis Jacobson's arm,Jessica behind her. Pastor Ed Kacerguis read from his Bible,the rings were exchanged,delivered by little Eric Matthews. The vows were said and Matt and Pam became husband and wife. It was a beautiful ceremony,and at one point Liz found herself softly crying.————-Miss Olivia Davidson and Mr Winston Egbert were united in marriage on July 1,1997,at 1:40 pm,at St David's Church in Verona Springs.The bride's second cousin,Carl Davidson,officiated.The bride is the daughter of James Davidson and Lillian (Riteman) Davidson of Sweet Valley.The groom is the second son of Marcus Egbert and Anne (Showalter) Egbert of Sweet Valley. Older brothers Brendan and Jackson were present at the wedding,and Brendan’s fiancée, Ms Brooke Dennis, provided musical entertainment.Escorted by Mr Philip Riteman,her uncle,and by her maid of honor (and cousin) Ellen,Olivia looked splendid in an ivory gown and wearing a gold necklace. She carried a bouquet of lilacs and pansies. Other bridesmaids included Ms Sandra Ferris,Ms Kerry Glenn,Ms Jenn Riteman,Ms Christina Ayala,Ms Annie Whitman,and Ms Cara Gathers nee Walker. Ms Regina Morrow opted to instead attend as a guest.The groom stood at the altar with his best man, Mr John Pfeiffer. Other groomsmen included Mr Michael Harris,Mr Alvin Hung,Mr Manuel Lopez,and Mr Christian Tessier.After a honeymoon in Colorado,Wyoming,and the Midwest,the two will reside in El Carro. They are currently attending Sweet Valley University,and due to graduate next year.————My friends, we are here this day to join Ms Brooke Dennis and Mr Brendan Egbert in marriage. It has been said that through trials, a man may be introduced to himself. I present to you two people who've truly been introduced to themselves.....————-
April 1,1999 9:38 a.m.Moon Beach
Winston skipped stones off the sandbars,as was his wont,while Olivia cradled her pregnant belly. She sat cross-legged beneath a green umbrella. Above them,the sky was graying:Winston guessed that a storm would soon break over the Valley. Vandenberg AFB had already closed down for the day,according to Winston's shortwave radio. The waves were coming in choppily. "Winston?""Yeah,Livvy?""I.....I don't feel good.""What do you mean?""My stomach aches,I feel dizzy.....oh! oh!""What happened?", Winston cried."I think my water is breaking. Maybe it's broken. We have to get to Fowler Memorial - ASAP!"Winston picked her up and carried her to their car. Placing her in the shotgun seat,he drove hard for Fowler Memorial Hospital.As it turned out,he was in luck. Anna Gregory,who had graduated from SVH the year before them,was the on-duty nurse when they arrived.—————-Todd:Thanks for agreeing to babysit Christian,Em.Emily:It's no big thing. Alex had something to do at Vandenberg,so I showed up.Todd:Oh,right, That Air Force Shuttle launch. It's scheduled for Wednesday,isn't it?Emily:Yeah. Elizabeth:Have a good time with him,Em. We'll be back at 1 am or so. It's just past 7 pm now. Help yourself to the fridge. There's frozen mac'n'cheese,sweet potatoes,pumpkin pie left over from Thanksgiving,Christmas cake,and more. Cara and Mason are just down the street if you need anything,so are Mom and Dad. Lynne and Guy are around the corner,and Mr and Mrs Pfeiffer live directly across.Emily:They're not going? This is Y2K!Elizabeth:Cara's sick. Mason thinks she's pregnant again.Emily:It wouldn't surprise me. Christian latched onto the nipple and sucked softly. Emily sighed and laid back in the chair,caressing her nephew's wispy locks.Near 11:55 she started singing softly, the familiar words of 'Edelweiss'. Her own mom had sung her to sleep with that when she was a toddler. She was still singing when the first fireworks launched over the hills,and when St Edward the Confessor's bells rang out joyfully over the Valley,signalling the new millenium.—————-——Jessica slid in across from Grace."Where's Ari and Jake?", she asked. She was referring to Grace and Max's children, aged six and four respectively."Mom's babysitting them for the day. You know,Jake's turning out to be a water baby.""Just like you!", smiled Jessica. Grace had always been one with the waves. Even as a toddler she'd been on a surfboard when she could,splashing around happily. She'd always been closer to Liz,preferring homework and team-watching to gossip and shopping,even though she'd been in the Unicorn club from 1987 to 1992. More recently, she'd been Alicia's godmother.....———If the Drea of 1998 and the Drea of 2007 had looked in the mirror, they would've seen largely the same thing. She was 5'4, about 150 pounds, with a figure that was stocky and yet curvy too. She had long dirty blonde hair which she let flow straight down her back,and which was made into a feathered style at the front. The hair framed an attractive face,of no particular shape,set in with blue eyes,a broad nose (but not too broad),and a pair of gloriously red lips........So Drea grew up in the house on the corner of Calico Drive. She loved,and was loved by,those close to her.
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<p>Chapter 1: McDonnell’s 1970 space station plan<br />In the autumn of 1966, NASA asked President Lyndon Baines Johnson's Bureau of the Budget for $100 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 1968 to begin Phase B contractor studies of Earth-orbital space stations. With the Apollo Program's culmination drawing near, the U.S. civilian space agency was eager to establish post-Apollo goals, and topping its wish-list was a space station - an Earth-orbiting laboratory for testing the effects on men and machines of long-term exposure to space conditions and for performing scientific and technological experiments and Earth and space observations.</p><p>NASA had performed internal Phase A space station studies almost since it opened its doors in October 1958. If NASA had had its way, a space station would have preceded Apollo's reach for the moon. President John F. Kennedy's May 1961 call for a man on the moon ahead of the Russians and before the end of the 1960s had, however, preempted space station development. The FY 1968 funding request was in some sense a plea to restore NASA's program to the traditional station/moon/Mars progression spaceflight thinkers had promoted since the 1920s.</p><p>The BOB turned down NASA's request: then, in January 1967, the Apollo 1 fire profoundly altered the space policy environment. NASA came under increased scrutiny and funding for post-Apollo space goals became even more elusive. Congress dealt the only approved post-Apollo manned program - the Apollo Applications Program (AAP), which would reapply Apollo lunar mission hardware to new goals, including a series of Earth-orbiting laboratories based on spent Saturn IB S-IVB rocket stages - a nearly half-billion dollar funding cut in August 1967.</p><p>NASA recovered from the fire - in November 1967, the successful first flight of the three-stage Saturn V moon rocket did much to restore confidence - but funding for post-Apollo programs was still not forthcoming. When NASA Administrator James Webb, who had led the agency from Apollo's beginning, announced in September 1968 that he would step down, he told journalists that he left NASA "well prepared. . .to carry out missions that have been approved." He added, however, that "[w]hat we have not been able to do under pressures on the budget has been to fund new missions."</p><p>After he stepped down, Webb's new deputy, Thomas Paine, became acting NASA Administrator. Webb, whose earliest Federal government experience dated to 1932, had deftly piloted NASA through Washington's political shoals; Paine, by contrast, had just seven months of experience in government service when he took over as NASA boss. Paine displayed his inexperience almost immediately by pressing President Johnson for a space station decision in the final weeks of his Administration. Johnson deferred the decision to the next President.</p><p>Soon after President Richard M. Nixon's January 1969 inauguration, Democrat Paine submitted his resignation as was customary. Republican Nixon, however, surprised everyone by keeping him on and appointing him as Webb's formal replacement. Paine then made another space station pitch. He apparently hoped that Apollo Program successes would induce the new President to give NASA a blank check for future projects.</p><p>Though the Apollo 8 Command and Service Module (CSM) had triumphantly orbited the moon and returned its three-man crew safely to Earth less than a month before his inauguration, Nixon refused to commit to new NASA programs. Instead, he postponed any decision on NASA's future direction at least until after the newly appointed Space Task Group (STG) completed its report in September 1969. Paine was a voting member of the STG, which was chaired by Vice President Spiro Agnew.</p><p>It is widely assumed today that Nixon kept Paine on in case Apollo failed. In the event that the first moon landing ended in grief, he wanted a holdover from the Democratic Johnson Administration upon whom he could hang the blame. At the time, however, even as savvy an aerospace trade publication as Aviation Week & Space Technology assumed that Nixon was impressed with Paine's abilities. Nixon, it must be said, was less impressed with the talents of the people with whom he surrounded himself than he was with their obedience.</p><p>Paine chose not to await the outcome of the STG's deliberations. In January-February 1969, he oversaw creation within NASA of a Space Station Task Force, a Space Station Steering Group, and an independent Space Station Review Group. These bodies prepared a Phase B Space Station Study Statement of Work (SOW), which NASA released to industry on 19 April 1969.</p><p>The SOW solicited proposals to study a 12-man Space Station, the design of which would eventually serve as a building block for a 100-man Earth-orbital Space Base. The 12-man Station was to reach orbit on a Saturn V rocket in 1975 and to remain in operation for 10 years.</p><p>Of the contractor effort expended in the Phase B study, 60% was to be devoted to the 12-man Space Station, 15% to its future role as part of the 100-man Space Base, 15% to an interim logistics spacecraft for delivering early crews and supplies to the 12-man Space Station, and 10% to 12-man Space Station interfaces with an advanced logistics system (specifically, a fully reusable Space Shuttle, design to be determined).</p><p>Grumman, North American Rockwell (NAR), and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Company (MDAC) submitted proposals in response to the SOW. On 22 July 1969 - two days after the successful Apollo 11 moon landing - NASA awarded to NAR and MDAC Phase B Space Station study contracts worth $2.9 million each. This was a far cry from the $100 million Webb had sought in late 1966 to fund Phase B Space Station studies.</p><p>Phase B study work began formally in September 1969, though the contractors had begun to put together subcontractor teams and to spend their own money on the study even before NASA issued its SOW. The MDAC and NAR Phase B study teams each included more than 30 subcontractors. NAR and MDAC were eager to move forward at their own expense because they expected that the eventual Phase C/D Space Station development contract would be extremely lucrative.</p><p>NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston managed the NAR Phase B study, while Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, managed MDAC's work. This division of labor reflected pre-existing center/contractor relationships. MSC managed NAR's contract to manufacture Apollo CSMs, while MSFC managed MDAC's contract to build the 6.6-meter-diameter S-IVB-based AAP Orbital Workshop.</p><p>AAP was renamed the Skylab Program in February 1970. The new name reflected AAP's abandonment of all missions not related to the S-IVB-based Orbital Workshop. The two planned Skylab Orbital Workshops were designated Skylab A and Skylab B.</p><p>In early June 1970, as the Phase B study effort neared its planned conclusion, NASA and European Space Research Organization (ESRO) officials met in Paris to discuss future cooperation in space with emphasis on the Space Station. Paine and ESRO Director General Hermann Bondi chaired the meeting, during which NAR and MDAC representatives presented briefings on their Phase B study results.</p><p>The U.S. Department of State had come out cautiously in favor of NASA's proposed Space Station/Space Shuttle Program in March 1969 because it expected that it would open up opportunities for international cooperation. With that in mind, NASA had invited foreign representatives to participate in Phase B Station study quarterly reviews. The Paris meeting gave ESRO an opportunity to return the favor and to confirm its desire to participate in a NASA-led Space Station Program.</p><p>C. J. Dorrenbacher, MDAC's Vice President for Advance Systems and Technology, began his presentation by drawing links between his company's 12-man Space Station design and Skylab A, which he said was scheduled to launch during 1972. The Skylab Program, he told the Paris meeting, would see NASA piloted spaceflight evolve from "cockpit to ship accommodations." He explained that Skylab would contain "many systems that are prototypes of those to be used on the Space Station," and added that "experience in the operation, maintenance, and habitability of [Skylab] will significantly extend our knowledge and, thus, our confidence in the Space Station Program."</p><p><br /> </p><p>Like Skylab, MDAC's Space Station would leave Earth on top of a two-stage Saturn V. Designated INT-21, the rocket would comprise S-IC and S-II stages measuring 9.2 meters in diameter. This established the maximum diameter of MDAC's Space Station. The S-II second stage would inject the bullet-shaped 34-meter-long Station into a 456-kilometer-high circular orbit inclined 55° relative to Earth's equator. Its labors completed, the S-II stage would then detach and deorbit itself over a remote ocean area.</p><p>Dorrenbacher explained that MDAC's Station would comprise two main modules: the two-deck, roughly conical artificial-gravity module at its front end and the four-deck, drum-shaped core module. The 15-meter-long core module would be divided into two independent sections, each with a research deck and a living deck. The artificial-gravity module would also include research and living decks. Each of the three sections would have an independent life-support system and could house the entire Station crew in an emergency. The artificial-gravity and core modules would also each include a conical unpressurized module. On the artificial-gravity module, this would be called the equipment module; on the core module, it would be called the power and equipment module.</p><p>Soon after reaching orbit, MDAC's Station would discard a streamlined nose cone covering its front docking port. A "telescoping spoke" linking the artificial-gravity and core modules would then extend to separate the two modules by a few meters. This would expose the core module power and equipment module, enabling four large radio dish antennas to deploy and exposing waste heat radiators for the Station's twin Isotope/Brayton (I/B) nuclear power units. The I/B units, which would each produce 10 kilowatts of electricity, would be designed to jettison from the Station in an emergency and safely reenter Earth's atmosphere.</p><p>By the time of the Paris briefings, NASA had pushed back the planned launch of the 12-man Space Station from 1975 to 1977. Though the move was inspired by increasingly disheartening NASA budget projections, space agency officials hoped that the two-year slip would also help to ensure that the Space Shuttle would be ready to deliver astronauts, supplies, equipment, and experiment modules to the orbiting Station, eliminating any need to pay for an interim logistics vehicle. For its study, MDAC assumed a Shuttle consisting of a piloted winged Booster and a piloted winged Orbiter with a 4.6-by-18.3-meter cargo bay.</p><p>Flight controllers on Earth would remotely check out the Station's vital systems. If it checked out as habitable, then 24 hours after it reached orbit its first 12 residents would lift off from Cape Kennedy on board a Shuttle Orbiter. Eight hours later, their Orbiter would rendezvous with the Station and open its cargo bay doors. The Station crew would depart the cargo bay inside an 18,000-kilogram Crew/Cargo Module (CCM).</p><p>MDAC's CCM, an independent spacecraft larger than the Apollo CSM, resembled designs for drum-shaped cargo spacecraft and small station modules based on Gemini spacecraft hardware which McDonnell Aircraft had put forward as early as 1962. McDonnell had manufactured the Gemini spacecraft, 10 of which carried two-man crews into Earth orbit in 1965-1966, before the company's April 1967 merger with Douglas Aircraft created MDAC. Probably MDAC viewed the 12-man CCM as a way of salvaging its Gemini-based designs or of saving time and effort during its Phase B study by partially reusing old designs.</p><p>The CCM would deploy four side-mounted engine modules and maneuver to a docking at the Station's aft port on the core module. The astronauts would then enter the Station through the port's 1.5-meter hatch (the standard Station hatch size) and begin checking out its systems. If initial Station manning came off without a hitch, the Orbiter, which would remain close by the Station but would not dock, would commence its return to Earth about 25 hours after the CCM bearing the first Station crew left its cargo bay.</p><p>A Shuttle Orbiter would deliver a CCM to MDAC's Station every 90 days with a new crew and supplies. Of the CCM's mass, about 13,000 kilograms would comprise cargo. After a new CCM docked at a side port carrying a new crew, the astronauts already on board the Station would board their CCM, undock, maneuver to the waiting Orbiter, and enter its cargo bay. The Orbiter would then hinge shut its cargo bay doors and return to Earth.</p><p>The hatch through which the first astronauts would enter their new home would lead into the core module's "central tunnel." Besides forming the main "artery" linking the core module's four pressurized decks, the three-meter-diameter cylindrical tunnel would provide emergency living quarters for the entire 12-man crew, a 180-day supply of emergency food, a passageway for ducts and conduits, radiation-shielded photographic film storage, and space suit storage. MDAC thus opted for a "fall-back" shelter where the crew could await rescue in place of a separate Space Station lifeboat that could evacuate the crew in the event of trouble while a Shuttle Orbiter was not present.</p><p>At the forward end of the core module tunnel, a hatch would open into a cylindrical airlock at the center of the core module's unpressurized power and equipment module. A hatch in the airlock wall would open into the power and equipment module, which would contain liquid and gas storage tanks, the twin I/B power units and their waste heat radiators, power conditioning and distribution systems, and storage for equipment and supplies able to tolerate vacuum.</p><p>A hatch in the airlock ceiling would open into the telescoping spoke linking the core module with the artificial-gravity module. The spoke would link to a hatch leading into the artificial-gravity module's central tunnel, which would provide access to the artificial-gravity module's two decks.</p><p>A hatch at the forward end of the tunnel would open into a cylindrical airlock at the center of the artificial-gravity module's unpressurized equipment module. A hatch in the airlock's side would provide access to unpressurized storage, gas and liquid storage tanks, and small thrusters and propellant tanks. The equipment compartment would also include a place for eventual installation of a third I/B power unit. A 1.5-meter hatch in the airlock ceiling would provide access to the Station's exterior and serve as the Station's front docking port.</p><p>After a month of artificial-gravity experimentation, the astronauts would halt the Station's rotation using the small thrusters to restore it to a zero-gravity condition. The artificial-gravity module thrusters would carry enough propellants to permit up to four similar experiments.</p><p>Dorrenbacher described the 12-man Space Station as "a research facility to accommodate all experiment disciplines. . .a general-purpose laboratory." It would include three lab decks. Deck 2 would at launch from Earth be dedicated to the study of living things in weightlessness. It would include the Station's medical dispensary and ward. Deck 4 would serve both scientific support and engineering experimentation roles. It would include a drum-shaped experiment and test isolation facility, a mechanical lab, an electronics/electrical lab, a hard-data processing facility, an optics facility, and a small experiment airlock. Deck 5 would include a centrifuge with a pair of cabs large enough to accommodate men and experiments.</p><p>Based on NASA input, MDAC defined eight experiment disciplines for its Phase B Station. These were astronomy, space physics, space biology, Earth survey, aerospace medicine, space manufacturing, engineering/operations, and advanced technology. Not all disciplines could be accommodated simultaneously; for example, the artificial-gravity experiment series would preclude experiments that would need a stable platform and weightlessness.</p><p>Dorrenbacher then provided a rough schedule of the Station's experiment programs. Biomedical experimentation would begin with the arrival of of the first crew and continue without pause throughout the Station's planned 10-year lifetime, as would "man-system integration" experiments. In general, early research not associated with the artificial-gravity experiment series would focus on Station operations and habitability. "Component test" experiments would end in early 1978, "maintenance and logistic" experiments would conclude in late 1978, and "occupancy and space living," "contamination," and "exposure" research would end in mid-1979.</p><p>CCMs would deliver new experiment apparatus to replace and augment that launched with the Station, Dorrenbacher told the Paris meeting. Disused experiment hardware and other unwanted equipment and furnishings would be packed into CCMs for return to Earth. He suggested that, following the conclusion of artificial-gravity experiments in late 1978, furnishings on Deck 6 should be returned to Earth in CCMs so that it could be converted into a physics & chemistry laboratory using new apparatus delivered in CCMs.</p><p>By then, the first Attached Modules (AMs) and Free-Flying Modules (FFMs) would arrive at MDAC's Station in Shuttle Orbiter cargo bays. One AM, devoted to Ultraviolet (UV) Stellar Astronomy, would dock with a port on the core module's side linking it to Deck 4. Another AM, devoted to Earth Surveys, would dock either at Deck 4's second port or at a port on Deck 2. Two FFMs, devoted respectively to Solar Astronomy and High-Energy Stellar Astronomy, would dock with the Station's front port on the artificial-gravity module when they needed servicing; for example, after they had expended their photographic film. AMs would rely on the Station for electrical power, while FFMs would each sport a pair of electricity-generating solar arrays.</p><p>CCMs, meanwhile, would deliver non-human biology experiment subjects beginning in early 1979. They would transport to the Station small vertebrates such as rats and invertebrates such as fruit flies. Vascular plants would first reach the Station later that same year.</p><p>Also in late 1979, the general Stellar Astronomy FFM would arrive near the Station. MDAC envisioned that UV Stellar Astronomy and High-Energy Stellar Astronomy would conclude at the beginning of 1981, while Solar Astronomy, general Stellar Astronomy, and small vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant studies would continue until the Station reached its planned end-of-life in 1987. Biomedical centrifuge and fluid physics AMs would arrive in late 1981, with the former remaining with the Station until end-of-life and the latter departing in late 1985. Small Vertebrates Centrifuge and Infrared Stellar AMs would arrive in late 1982 and remain docked until Station end-of-life.</p><p>Late 1983 would see arrival of the Remote Maneuvering Satellite (RMS), which would take up residence in a "hangar" in the airlock at the Station's front port. Dorrenbacher called the RMS a "subsatellite," but did not otherwise describe its role. RMS operations would cease in late 1986.</p><p>Also in late 1983, the X-Ray Telescope FFM and advanced particle and plasma physics experiment apparatus would arrive. The X-Ray Telescope FFM would operate through Station end-of-life. Some advanced physics experiments would cease in early 1985; all would end by late 1986. Late 1985 would see the arrival of materials science experiment apparatus and the Cosmic-Ray Physics FFM, both of which would remain in operation through Station end-of-life.</p><p>Dorrenbacher described how the vast quantity of data Station experiments generated would reach Earth. MDAC estimated that 9070 kilograms of magnetic tape, microfilm, exposed photographic and X-ray film, and photographic plates would need to be returned to Earth each year. The Station's four large dish antennas would enable continuous two-way television communication through ground stations or through relay satellites so that Station and Earth researchers could work together continuously in real time. The antennas would be capable of transmitting up to a trillion bits (one terabyte) of data to Earth each day.</p><p>The Station's impressive experiment capability would demand careful management of crew time. MDAC assumed that Station crews would work around the clock, with six men on duty and six off duty at all times. Each crew would include eight scientist-engineers and four Station flight-crew crewmembers. Two flight-crew and four scientist-engineers would work during each 12-hour shift.</p><p>One scientist-engineer would serve as principal scientist. He would work closely with the flight-crew commander, who would have responsibility for the safety of the entire crew, to ensure that science interests were taken into account during Station operations.</p><p>Two scientist-engineers would serve as principal investigator representatives. They would use the Station's considerable communications capabilities to work directly with scientists on Earth.</p><p>Off-duty Station crewmembers would spend most of their time on the living decks (Decks 1, 3, and 6). There, Dorrenbacher explained, they would have at their disposal private staterooms with 4.6 meters of floor space for "relaxation, recreation, study, and meditation." Each living deck would include six staterooms, which together would take up about half the deck's volume. Staterooms would each include a small viewport for watching the Earth go by, a folding bunk, a desk, and storage cabinets for personal belongings.</p><p>When not in their staterooms, off-duty crewmembers could hang out in their living deck's multipurpose wardroom, which would include portable dining tables with zero-gravity restraints in place of conventional chairs. Dorrenbacher told the Paris meeting that the wardoom could be "quickly and easily" converted into a gym, theater, meeting room, or recreation room.</p><p>Cabinets in the galley, adjacent to the wardroom, would be kept stocked with enough food for 90 days. Crew members could choose to serve themselves or could take it in turns to prepare meal trays for their crewmates. Food would be "selected for maximum palatability with various degrees of wet or even fresh foods."</p><p>The three living decks would each include a hygiene facility. Apparently configured for men only, these would include a toilet, two urinals, two hand-washing units, a shower, a clothes-washing machine, and a clothes-dryer. Hygiene facilities would be located next to water-recycling life-support machinery on each living deck.</p><p>MDAC proposed a novel approach to station orbit maintenance. Some processed waste water would be electrolyzed (split into oxygen and hydrogen using electricity) and the hydrogen used to fuel low-thrust resistojets on the Station's hull. MDAC calculated that water delivered to the Station in food would be sufficient to maintain its orbital altitude.</p><p>MDAC placed core module control consoles on the living decks adjacent to the wardrooms. The artificial-gravity module would include an identical control console on Deck 5. The primary control console - the Station's "bridge" - would be located on Deck 3. The control consoles on Decks 1 and 5 would serve as backups for the Deck 3 primary console, and would also support experiments; they might, for example, be used to monitor data arriving from the FFMs.</p><p>Dorrenbacher then described an arbitrarily selected moment in the MDAC Phase B Station's 10-year career to illustrate possible activities of on-duty and off-duty crew-members. At 2030 hours Greenwich Mean Time on 26 March 1983, the flight-crew commander would be at work conducting safety checks on space suits stored in the core module central tunnel. The shift's other on-duty flight-crew astronaut would, meanwhile, sample the Deck 1 water system to ensure that it contained no harmful bacteria.</p><p>Two of the on-duty scientist-engineers would work in the Deck 2 labs and two elsewhere. The physician would analyze crew blood and urine samples in the biomedical lab, while the psychologist would analyze data on "crew skill retention in extended zero gravity" in the man/system integration lab. The geologist/photo-optical engineer, meanwhile, would install and align sensors in the Earth Survey AM docked to Deck 2, and the astronomer/systems engineer would monitor data from the X-Ray Telescope FFM at the secondary control console on Deck 5.</p><p>The six off-duty crew-members, having just finished their late meal, would all be found on Deck 3. The operations director, a flight-crew crew-member, would take a shower in the hygiene facility while the physician, a scientist-engineer, would watch a videotaped television program in his stateroom before going to sleep.</p><p>The other off-duty crew would be in the wardroom. The station controller, a flight-crew astronaut, would compete against the astrophysicist, a scientist/engineer, in a simulated time-distance race on stationary exercise bikes. Nearby, the biologist and the electro-mechanical engineer, both scientist-engineers, would compete in a game of "computer football."</p><p>Dorrenbacher concluded his presentation by assuring Paine, Bondi, and the other NASA and ESRO officials that MDAC's 12-man Phase B Space Station would be a "low-cost, flexible, international research facility" built using known technology (that is, mostly adaptations and upgrades of Skylab hardware). Furthermore, its module designs would be readily adaptable to future NASA/ESRO joint missions; specifically, they could serve as building blocks making up the 100-man Space Base of the mid-to-late 1980s,which could perhaps be built from the Space Station.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 2: A 1966 study of asteroid and cometary missions<br />The comet now designated C/1965 S1 - better known as Comet Ikeya-Seki, for its discoverers, Kaoru Ikeya and Tsutomu Seki - was perhaps the intrinsically brightest comet of the past 1000 years. Ikeya and Seki independently discovered the inbound "dirty snowball" on 18 September 1965. As it neared the Sun in mid-October 1965, it blazed in daylight skies as magnitude -10 (that is, it was 100 times brighter than the planet Venus, which is typically the brightest object in earthly skies after the Sun and moon). </p><p>Shortly before it became lost in the Sun's glare, Comet Ikeya-Seki was observed to have broken into three major pieces. On 21 October 1965, the three parts of the comet passed a mere 450,000 kilometers (km) from the Sun. The fractured comet then emerged from the glare into dawn skies sporting a very bright tail, possibly because its fragmentation had exposed fresh ice. The fragments remained close together as Comet Ikeya-Seki retreated from the Sun. By early 1966, it was lost to sight. Its fragments might reenter the Inner Solar System as separate comets in about 900 years. </p><p>Soon after Comet Ikeya-Seki left the Inner Solar System, Tim Kreiter, with NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, prepared a brief report in which he outlined what might have become NASA's first missions to a comet and an asteroid. Kreiter sought to demonstrate that the space agency could aim for targets other than the moon, Venus, and Mars - all of which had been reached by mid-1965 - using existing or near-term spacecraft technology and "intermediate-sized" Atlas-derived launch vehicles. </p><p>Kreiter's target comet was 6P/d'Arrest, named for its 19th-century discoverer, German astronomer Heinrich Louis d'Arrest. Kreiter cited a NASA-funded March 1965 Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI) study that singled out the 1976 d'Arrest opportunity as the most favorable of any comet mission opportunity between 1965 and 1986. </p><p>Comet d'Arrest, a relatively faint comet, follows an elliptical Sun-centered orbit with an aphelion (point where it is farthest from the Sun) just beyond Jupiter's orbit and a perihelion (point where it is nearest the Sun) just beyond Earth's orbit. As the comet neared perihelion, solar heating would cause its surface to become active, making it an interesting target for spacecraft exploration. </p><p>A flyby spacecraft that intercepted Comet d'Arrest at the time of its 1976 perihelion would do so less that 0.16 Astronomical Units (that is, 0.16 times the Earth-Sun distance - about 23.9 million km) from Earth. Relatively close proximity to Earth would permit a typical low-powered spacecraft transmitter to return data to Earth at a relatively high rate and enable astronomers using Earth-based telescopes to closely monitor Comet d'Arrest during the flyby. </p><p>Jupiter's gravity often reshapes comet orbits. Because of this, Kreiter wrote, astronomers would need to track Comet d'Arrest for at least two months before spacecraft launch to precisely determine its orbit. Again citing the 1965 IITRI study, he explained that Comet d'Arrest would need to attain a visual magnitude of at least 20 before it could be spotted using Earth's largest telescopes. This would, he wrote, occur seven or eight months before planned launch of the comet probe, providing space navigators with ample time to plot the comet's orbit. </p><p>Kreiter considered Atlas rocket/upper stage combinations designated SLV-3A/Agena, SLV-3C/Kick, and SLV-3C/Centaur. These could in 1976 launch to Comet d'Arrest robotic spacecraft of considerable mass: about 430 kilograms (kg), 700 kg, and 1050 kg, respectively. For comparison, Mariner 4, which left Earth on a Atlas SLV-3/Agena on 28 November 1964 and flew past Mars on 15 July 1965, was limited to a mass of about 260 kilograms. </p><p>Kreiter had his Comet d'Arrest flyby spacecraft leave Earth between 22 March and 21 April 1976. Daily launch windows lasting about 2.5 hours would occur throughout the planned launch period. The Atlas would boost the Agena, Kick, or Centaur upper stage and attached spacecraft into a 185-km-high parking orbit about the Earth. The upper stage and spacecraft would then loiter for from 10 to 20 minutes before the former ignited to place the latter on course for Comet d'Arrest. </p><p>Travel time to Comet d'Arrest would range from 115 to 145 days, with the precise duration and flyby date determined by the date of launch from Earth. The spacecraft would zoom past the comet moving at about 12.8 km per second, Kreiter calculated, so would spend only about 4.4 hours within 100,000 km of its target.</p><p>Kreiter's flyby mission to Near-Earth Asteroid 433 Eros would launch between 9 August and 8 September 1974, about 18 months ahead of his Comet d'Arrest mission. He estimated that a Atlas SLV-3A/Agena could launch to Eros a spacecraft with a mass of about 470 kg; the corresponding masses for the SLV-3C/Kick and SLV-3C/Centaur launches were, respectively, 740 kg and 1050 kg. The Eros flyby spacecraft and its upper stage would orbit Earth for from 20 to 40 minutes before the latter ignited to send the former on its way.</p><p>The Eros spacecraft would fly past its target between 140 and 170 days after launch, with the precise encounter date being dependent on its launch date. As with the Comet d'Arrest mission, the flyby would occur near the target body's perihelion, when Eros and the Eros spacecraft would pass no more than 0.13 Astronomical Units from Earth. Moving at about 7.2 km per second, the spacecraft would spend about 7.9 hours within 100,000 km of Eros. </p><p>American space scientists would have to wait many years for NASA comet and asteroid missions. In the interim, they made do. The International Comet Explorer (ICE) - originally designated International Sun-Earth Explorer-3 - was launched in 1978, repurposed and renamed in 1982, and flown through 21P/Giacobinni-Zinner's tail on 11 September 1985. The Galileo Jupiter orbiter flew past Main Belt asteroid 951 Gaspra on 29 October 1991 on its way to its second gravity-assist Earth flyby. </p><p>The first successful NASA spacecraft designed especially to explore an asteroid and a comet did not leave Earth until 1996 and 1999, respectively. The former was the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker spacecraft, which entered orbit around Eros on 14 February 2000, and the latter was Stardust, which flew by 81P/Wild 2 on 2 January 2004.</p><p>Both missions were more ambitious that Kreiter's simple flybys. After orbiting Eros for almost a year, NEAR Shoemaker landed on the asteroid on 12 February 2001 and operated for about two weeks before draining its batteries. Stardust completed its primary mission by dropping off at Earth a reentry capsule containing Comet Wild 2 dust samples on 15 January 2006; in its extended mission, it flew past 9P/Tempel 1 on 15 February 2011, where it imaged a crater blasted by the Deep Impact spacecraft on 4 July 2005.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 3: The 1973 Cometary Explorer study<br />The world's longest-running spacecraft series is the Explorer series, which began with the launch of Explorer 1, the first U.S. Earth satellite, on 31 January 1958. The U.S. Army carried out Explorer missions until NASA opened its doors on 1 October 1958. NASA Headquarters tapped Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland, to manage the Explorer Program. Explorer 6, launched 7 August 1959, was the first in the series to reach Earth orbit under NASA auspices.</p><p><br />The NASA Explorers were envisioned as low-cost science satellites. Explorer 6, a 142-pound spheroid with four paddle-like solar panels, carried lightweight, relatively simple radiation and micrometeoroid detectors. Simple did not, however, mean insignificant: Explorer 6 conducted the first detailed survey of the Van Allen radiation belts, which contain solar radiation particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field. Subsequent Explorers took many forms, but Sun-Earth interactions and the interplanetary environment remained major Explorer Program areas of interest.</p><p><br />NASA launched Explorer 50/Interplanetary Monitoring Platform-J (IMP-J) on 26 October 1973. The following month, a 35-member GSFC team, the Cometary Explorer Study Group, completed a report for the Greenbelt center's Cometary Study Office which laid out a design for a low-cost dual-comet Explorer mission. One goal of the proposed mission, which aimed to carry out ballistic (unpowered) intercepts of Comet Grigg-Skjellerup and Comet Giacobini-Zinner in 1977 and 1979, respectively, was to gain experience ahead of a Comet Halley mission. Halley, well known to the public and of significant scientific interest, was due to return to the inner Solar System in 1985-1986.</p><p>That GSFC should seek a leading role in comet exploration is not surprising. Comets interact profoundly with the Sun and the interplanetary environment. The Greenbelt center staked its claim to comets as early as March/April 1970, when the GSFC-managed Orbiting Astronomical Observatory-2 (OAO-2) spacecraft turned its ultraviolet telescopes toward Comet Bennett, a long-period comet discovered in December 1969.</p><p>OAO-2 revealed a large "halo" of hydrogen gas surrounding the comet, which implied that it had a nucleus made up at least partly of water ice. This helped to lend support to astronomer Fred Whipple's "dirty snowball" comet model.</p><p><br />The Cometary Explorer Study Group based its 450-kilogram spacecraft on the drum-shaped Explorer 50/IMP-J design, which was very similar to Explorer 43/IMP-H (launched 13 March 1971) and Explorer 47/IMP-I (launched 23 September 1972). The spacecraft's 1.4-meter-wide, 1.8-meter-tall structure would be made up of four stacked 16-sided "rings." Of these, three rings would carry on their outer surfaces solar cells which together would generate 162 watts of electricity.</p><p><br />Within the fourth ring would be mounted most of Cometary Explorer's dozen science instruments. The instrument ring would have attached to it six appendages: four evenly spaced, 61-meter-long cable antennae for measuring interplanetary electric fields and a pair of instrument booms, each about three meters long.</p><p>For stability, Cometary Explorer would spin about its long axis at least 15 times per minute. Most of its equipment would not be affected by its spin or would be aided by it; for example, acceleration ("artificial gravity") the spin would create within the spacecraft would help to move hydrazine propellant from eight small pressurized tanks in the lower solar-cell ring to six thrusters spaced around the spacecraft.</p><p>Cometary Explorer's top-mounted high-gain antenna, on the other hand, would become useless if it spun with the spacecraft. An electric motor in the antenna base would thus turn the antenna against the spin so that it would remain stationary relative to the rest of the spacecraft. This would help to keep it fixed on Earth throughout Cometary Explorer's two-and-a-half-year mission.</p><p><br />Cometary Explorer would lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 4 November 1976, at the start of a 10-day launch opportunity. A Delta rocket would place the spacecraft and a solid-propellant upper stage into Earth parking orbit. At the appropriate time, the solid-propellant motor would ignite to place Cometary Explorer on course for Comet Grigg-Skjellerup. Its job complete, the spent upper stage would separate; the spacecraft's small hydrazine thrusters would then tweak its Sun-centered orbital path to ensure a successful comet intercept.</p><p>At the time the Cometary Explorer Study Group prepared its report, Comet Grigg-Skjellerup orbited the Sun once every 5.1 years. Its elliptical orbit had a perihelion (point closest to the Sun) of 0.99 Astronomical Units (AU), and an aphelion (point farthest from the Sun) of 4.93 AU. An AU, incidentally, is equal to the mean Earth-Sun distance (149,597,871 kilometers).</p><p><br />Grigg-Skjellerup's orbital elements were the result of a close (0.33 AU) pass by Jupiter in early 1964; prior to that encounter, its orbital period had been 4.9 years and its perihelion distance 0.86 AU. Though Grigg-Skjellerup's orbit had been precisely determined following the Jupiter encounter, the Group advised that observatories on Earth should locate and track the comet before Cometary Explorer's launch to help to ensure a successful intercept.<br />Cometary Explorer would pass about 1000 kilometers from the Sun-facing side of Grigg-Skjellerup on 11 April 1977, traveling at 15.2 kilometers per second relative to its target. At time of intercept, comet and spacecraft would orbit the Sun only 0.2 AU from Earth. In addition to collecting data on the comet's interactions with the Sun and interplanetary space and the composition of its gas and dust, scientists would attempt to image Grigg-Skjellerup's nucleus.</p><p>Departure from Grigg-Skjellerup would mark the start of Cometary Explorer's "extended mission," which would last nearly two years. The spacecraft would for a time follow the initial orbit that had taken it past Grigg-Skjellerup; then, on 26 October 1977, nearly a year after its launch, it would return to Earth to perform a gravity-assist flyby at a distance of about 42,000 kilometers.</p><p>Before and after its Earth flyby, Cometary Explorer would pass through and attempt to define the limits of Earth's magnetotail, the part of its magnetosphere pushed outward by the solar wind. During the flyby, the spacecraft would ignite the solid-propellant kick motor embedded in the "thrust tube" at the center of its lower solar-cell ring. This, combined with Earth's gravity, would bend its course toward its second target, Comet Giacobini-Zinner. As Earth grew small behind it, flight controllers would use Cometary Explorer's hydrazine thrusters to refine its trajectory.</p><p>The Giacobini-Zinner intercept would take place 1.83 AU from Earth on 19 February 1979. Relative to the comet, the spacecraft would zip along at a speed of 20.8 kilometers per second.</p><p>The Cometary Explorer Study Group explained that the Grigg-Skjellerup and Giacobini-Zinner encounters would occur in "the proper order," meaning that the least perilous comet intercept would occur first. Grigg-Skjellerup, Cometary Explorer's primary target, was not a dusty comet, so the group felt that the spacecraft would not suffer crippling damage as it flew past. Giacobini-Zinner, on the other hand, was a dusty comet, so was more likely to damage Cometary Explorer.</p><p>In the foreword to its report, the Cometary Explorer Study Group warned readers that NASA had already rejected its proposed mission. The space agency had cited its rapidly shrinking budget when it turned down the GSFC plan.</p><p>The Group argued, however, that its report was still worthy of publication because it had "established the framework for investigating future ballistic intercept missions to comets." In the decade that followed the Cometary Explorer study, several of the Group's members - but most notably Robert Farquhar, Mission Definition Manager for the study - would continue to plan inexpensive, pioneering missions to comets. More often than not, these would aim to prepare NASA to explore Comet Halley in 1985-1986. </p><p> </p><p>Chapter 4: A 2003 study of a Uranus orbital mission<br />The four largest and most massive satellites of Jupiter are, in order out from the planet, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Io and Europa form a pair of roughly the same size, as do Ganymede and Callisto. Io has a diameter of 3636 kilometers, while Europa, the smallest of the four, is 3138 kilometers in diameter. Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System, measures 5262 kilometers across. Callisto, Jupiter's outermost large moon, is 4810 kilometers in diameter.</p><p>The presence of four large, massive moons enabled the Galileo spacecraft to carry out a complex tour of the Jupiter system between December 1995 and September 2003. Over the course of 35 revolutions around the giant planet, Galileo used gravity-assist flybys of the four moons to change its orbit.</p><p>By contrast, Saturn and Neptune each have only one large, massive moon. Saturn's moon Titan, the second-largest moon in the Solar System, measures 5152 kilometers in diameter, while Neptune's moon Triton is just 2706 kilometers across. The Cassini Saturn Orbiter, at this writing exploring the Saturn system, must rely on Titan for most of its gravity assists, which means that it must rely more often than did Galileo on its finite supply of rocket propellants to make orbital changes. A Neptune orbiter, with only Triton available for significant gravity assists, would face a similar challenge.</p><p>The four largest and most massive moons of Uranus are puny compared with Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Titan, and Triton. Titania, the largest, measures just 1578 kilometers in diameter. The others are: Ariel (1158 kilometers across), innermost of the four moons; Umbriel, 1169 kilometers wide; and Oberon, (1522 kilometers), outermost of the four. Titania orbits between Umbriel and Oberon.</p><p>Though often derided as small and dull, the reality is that the Uranian satellites are little known. Voyager 2, the only spacecraft to visit Uranus, imaged no more than 40% of any Uranian moon as it flew through the system in January 1986. Furthermore, the Cassini Saturn tour has revealed that even small outer Solar System satellites can be surprising: Enceladus, for example, just 505 kilometers wide and by all rights cold and dead, is hot enough inside that it blasts salty water into space from parallel cracks ("tiger stripes") at its south pole at more than 2000 kilometers per hour.</p><p>In a paper published in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets shortly before Galileo concluded its Jupiter satellite tour, Andrew Heaton of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and James Longuski of Purdue University demonstrated that the Uranus system could support a complex Galileo-style tour. This was, they acknowledged, "contrary to intuition. . .because the Uranian satellites are much less massive than those of Jupiter."</p><p>A Galileo-style tour would be possible, they explained, because "the key to a significant gravity assist is not the absolute size of the satellite, but the ratio of its mass to its primary, and the mass ratios of the Uranian satellites to Uranus are similar to those of the Jovian satellites to Jupiter." Titania and Oberon form a large outer pair similar to Ganymede and Callisto, they noted, while Ariel and Umbriel form a small inner pair equivalent to Io and Europa. The "Uranian system is nearly a smaller replica of the Jovian system," Heaton and Longuski wrote.</p><p><br />Heaton and Longuski described a three-phase, 811-day Uranian system tour. After launch from Earth in March 2008 and a gravity-assist fly-by of Jupiter in September 2009, the Uranus tour spacecraft would fire its main rocket engine to capture into an elliptical Uranus orbit on Valentine's Day in 2018. This would mark the start of the first Uranus tour phase, which would be devoted to matching the plane of the Uranian equator, ring system, and moon orbits.</p><p>Uranus is tipped on its side relative to the other planets in the Solar System, and its moons have equatorial orbits. Heaton and Longuski wrote that the Uranian system would appear edge-on to the Sun in 2007, then would tilt gradually until the planet and its moons pointed their north poles at the Sun in 2028.  </p><p>The Uranus tour spacecraft would capture into an initial orbit tilted 13.6° relative to the planet's equator and system plane. It would fly past Titania in May 2019 at a distance of 316 kilometers, allowing the largest Uranian satellite to "crank" its orbital plane. A total of nine similar Titania flybys over 261 days would place the spacecraft into the same plane as the Uranian equator, rings, and moons.</p><p>The second phase of the Uranus tour, the energy-reduction phase, would see the spacecraft reduce the size of its orbit, thus shortening its orbital period, while at the same time conducting a thorough exploration of the four largest Uranian moons. This would begin 287 days after the spacecraft captured into Uranus orbit with a flyby of Oberon at a distance of 414-kilometers and would proceed through eight Ariel flybys, five Umbriel flybys, three Titania flybys, and four additional Oberon flybys over the course of the next 395 days. </p><p>The spacecraft would pass nearest any world in the Uranian system during this phase. At the start of its 14th revolution about Uranus, almost exactly one Earth year (364.3 days) after arriving at the planet, it would pass just 54 kilometers over Umbriel's icy landscapes.</p><p>Heaton and Longuski did not include the enigmatic moon Miranda on their list of close flybys because it orbits close to Uranus and, with a diameter of just 480 kilometers (only a little smaller than surprising Enceladus) is less than half the size of Ariel, the smallest moon they employed for gravity assists. Close proximity to Uranus and low mass would mean that Miranda's gravity could contribute little to shaping the Uranus tour. </p><p>Miranda has some of the most intriguing known surface features on the Uranian satellites - for example, Verona Rupes, a five-kilometer-high fault scarp that begins near the edge of the lighted area visible to Voyager 2. Presumably the Uranus tour spacecraft would image Miranda whenever its tour route took it relatively close by.</p><p>The third and final phase of the tour would commence 691 days after Uranus arrival with a 151-kilometer Umbriel flyby. The somewhat arbitrary goal of the third phase would be to place the Uranus tour spacecraft into orbit around Ariel. Through three additional Umbriel flybys and four Titania flybys over 120 days the spacecraft would nearly match Ariel's orbit about Uranus, reducing its maximum velocity relative to its target to slightly less than one kilometer per second. The Uranus tour spacecraft would then briefly fire its rocket motor to slip into orbit about Ariel.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 5: How Apollo might have continued<br />The Apollo Program might have continued for many years, evolving constantly to achieve new goals at relatively low cost. Instead, programs designed to give Apollo a future beyond the first lunar landing began to feel the brunt of cuts even before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. By the time Apollo drew to its premature conclusion - the last mission to use Apollo hardware was the joint U.S.-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) of July 1975 - NASA was busy building a wholly new space program based on the Space Shuttle. Throwing out the Apollo investment and starting over with Shuttle was incredibly wasteful both in terms of learned capabilities and money. </p><p>Apollo as we knew it included over its seven-year series of flights a total of seven major hardware elements. They were: the Saturn V rocket, available in three-stage and two-stage varieties; the two-stage Saturn IB rocket; the Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) spacecraft; the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) moon lander; the jeep-like Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV); the Skylab Orbital Workshop, a temporary space station; and the ASTP Docking Module (DM). </p><p>Apollo missions 1, 2, and 3 either did not fly (in the case of Apollo 1, which killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee on 27 January 1967) or were cancelled (in the case of Apollo 2 and Apollo 3). Flown missions began with Apollo 4, the first unmanned test of the Saturn V rocket (9 November 1967). Apollo 5 was a Saturn IB-launched unmanned LM test. Apollo 6 was the second unmanned Saturn V rocket test. </p><p>All subsequent Apollo and Apollo follow-on missions save one (Skylab 1) were launched bearing three-man crews. Apollo 7 (11-22 October 1968), the first piloted Apollo, was a Saturn IB-launched CSM-only mission in low-Earth orbit. It accomplished the mission originally planned for Apollo 1. Apollo 8 (21-27 December 1968) was a Saturn V-launched lunar-orbital CSM-only mission motivated by rumors of a Soviet piloted circumlunar flight, Apollo 9 was a Saturn V-launched, Earth-orbital CSM/LM test, and Apollo 10 was a lunar-orbital dress rehearsal for Apollo 11 (16-24 July 1969), which carried out the first piloted lunar landing. </p><p>NASA gave alphanumeric designations to the Apollo missions; Apollo 8 was, for example, designated C-prime. Apollo 11 was the first and only G-class mission. The Apollo 11 moonwalk lasted a little over two hours and the crew remained on the moon for only 22 hours. Though momentous (and the signal to most people that Apollo could end), Apollo 11 was really a full-up engineering test of the Apollo lunar mission system from Earth launch to Earth splashdown and post-mission quarantine. It paved the way for the H-class missions: Apollo 12 (H-1) which, after a pinpoint landing near the unmanned Surveyor III lander, included a 32-hour surface stay and two moonwalks; Apollo 13 (H-2), the "successful failure" (as NASA called it) which through adversity hinted at Apollo's untapped potential; and Apollo 14 (H-3), which included the longest lunar surface traverse on foot of the Apollo Program. </p><p>NASA originally planned for Apollo 15 to be H-4, but upgraded it to J-1 after NASA Administrator Thomas Paine, in an ill-advised attempt at horse-trading with the Nixon White House, cancelled one H mission and one J mission. J missions included LMs with longer landing hover times, lunar surface stays of about three days, improved space suits supporting up to four moonwalks, and an electric-powered LRV. Individual moonwalk duration was stretched to almost eight hours, in part because of suit improvements, but also because riding the LRV reduced astronaut metabolic rates; seated, they used less oxygen and cooling water than when on foot.</p><p>Apollo 16 was called J-2 and Apollo 17 in December 1972 was J-3. The last piloted moon mission of the 20th century, Apollo 17 was the final flight of the LM, the LRV, and the three-stage Saturn V.</p><p>Six months after it abandoned the moon, NASA launched Skylab 1, the first and only Skylab Orbital Workshop, unmanned atop the first and only two-stage Saturn V to fly. Three Saturn IB rockets each launched a CSM bearing three men to Skylab 1 for stays of up to 84 days. They lifted off from a makeshift raised platform ("the milkstool") on Saturn V Pad 39B. The last mission, Skylab 4, returned to Earth in February 1974.</p><p>Eighteen months after Skylab, the last Saturn IB to fly launched the last CSM to fly into low-Earth orbit for a meet-up with a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. The last CSM was named only "Apollo." The first and only DM, an airlock that enabled crews to move safely between the incompatible atmospheres of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft, rode inside the tapered shroud that linked the bottom of the CSM to the top of the Saturn IB's S-IVB second stage. </p><p>Upon reaching Earth orbit, the ASTP Apollo spacecraft turned end for end, docked with the DM, detached it from the S-IVB, and began maneuvers that led to the first international docking in space. On 24 July 1975, six years to the day after Apollo 11 returned from the moon, the ASTP Apollo CSM parachuted to a splashdown in the Pacific. </p><p>Though Apollo hardware remained, none of it reached space. A second Skylab workshop was placed on display in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Two Saturn Vs, one of which might have launched the second Skylab, and an assortment of Saturn IB rockets, CSMs, and LMs in various states of completion were parceled out to NASA centers and museums for display or were scrapped. </p><p>President Lyndon Baines Johnson, a NASA supporter (in 1958, as Senate Majority Leader, he had been instrumental in its creation), predicted Apollo's premature end. In 1967, Congress slashed to just $122 million the $450 million he requested to start the Apollo Applications Program (AAP). AAP - which would rapidly shrink to become the Skylab Program - had been intended to exploit Apollo hardware and operational experience to accomplish new lunar and Earth-orbital missions. As news of the deep cuts in his AAP request reached the White House, Johnson mused that, "the way the American people are, now that they have all this capability, instead of taking advantage of it, they'll probably just piss it all away." </p><p>What if Johnson had got it wrong? What if, somehow, Americans cared more about space exploration and so sought to wring from their $24-billion Apollo investment everything they could? </p><p>The Soviet Union for many years numbered its Soyuz missions consecutively regardless of changes in spacecraft purpose and design. If Apollo had been allowed to survive and thrive, perhaps the United States would have adopted a similar numbering policy, ultimately yielding impressively high alphanumeric mission designation numbers. What follows is an unabashed exercise in alternate history speculation (and, above all, shameless wishful thinking). It is based on actual NASA and contractor plans and is written as though the events it recounts actually occurred.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1971-1972</p><p>Because no one sought to kill Apollo, NASA boss Paine felt no urge to trade away two Apollo missions in the vain hope that Nixon would support his plans for a large Earth-orbital space station. This meant that Apollo 15 remained H-4. The first J mission (J-1) was Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 was J-2. </p><p><br />Apollo Earth-orbital space station flights began in late 1971. Apollo 18 was the unmanned launch of the first two-stage Saturn V bearing a temporary Earth-orbiting space station. In keeping with NASA’s old penchant for program names from Greek and Roman mythology, the station was dubbed Olympus 1. The Olympus name had a heritage in the world of space station planning going back to the early 1960s.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Apollo-derived Olympus station resembled the Skylab Orbital Workshop of our timeline, but lacked its side-mounted Apollo Telescope Mount and "windmill" solar arrays. It also included more internal decks.</p><p>Within days, Apollo 19, the first K-class Earth-orbital CSM, lifted off on a Saturn IB from Launch Complex 34 bound for Olympus 1 with three astronauts on board. K-class CSMs included batteries in place of fuel cells, an electricity umbilical for linking to the Olympus station power system, a retractable main engine bell to make more room in the S-IVB shroud, extra storage compartments in the Command Module (CM) capsule, an option to install up to two extra crew couches, a pair of small steerable dish antennas in place of lunar Apollo's large four-dish system, and smaller main-engine propellant tanks. It also included modifications that enabled it to remain semi-dormant attached to an Olympus station for up to six months (for example, heaters to prevent fluids from freezing in its tanks and propellant lines).</p><p>Apollo 19 remained docked to Olympus 1's axial ("front") docking port while its crew worked on board the station for 28 days – twice as long as any U.S. space mission before it. They returned to Earth on Christmas Eve 1971. The Apollo 20 (K-2) crew, launched on 23 January 1972, subsequently demolished Apollo 19's new record by living on board Olympus 1 for 56 days.</p><p>Apollo 21 (I-1), a Saturn V-launched mission to lunar polar orbit, marked the start of a new phase of Apollo lunar exploration. Two astronauts orbited the moon for 28 days in a CSM with an attached Lunar Observation Module (LOM) in place of an LM. From mid-March to mid-April 1972, the astronauts charted the moon's surface in great detail to enable scientists and engineers to select future Apollo landing sites and traverse routes.</p><p>Apollo 22 (K-3), launched in June 1972, delivered a three-man crew to Olympus 1 for a 112-day stay, doubling Apollo 20's stay-time. Ninety days into their mission, the two-man Apollo 23 (K-4) CSM docked at Olympus 1's single radial ("side") docking port for 10 days. One of the Apollo 23 astronauts was a medical doctor; he conducted health evaluations of the Apollo 22 astronauts. If any member of the Apollo 22 crew had been found to be unhealthy, then all would have returned to Earth in either their own CSM or with the Apollo 23 crew in its CSM, which included three spare couches (the empty Science Pilot couch and two couches located against the Apollo 23 CM’s aft bulkhead). </p><p>As it turned out, the Apollo 22 astronauts were in good shape and high spirits, so NASA authorized continuation of their mission to its full planned duration. Before returning to Earth, the Apollo 22 crew used their CSM's main engine to boost Olympus 1 to a higher orbit, postponing its reentry by up to 10 years. </p><p>NASA referred to the Apollo 22 astronauts as the third Olympus 1 resident crew and the Apollo 23 astronauts as the first Olympus 1 visitor crew. The full alphanumeric designations for Apollos 22 and 23 were O-1/K-3/R-3 and O-1/K-4/V-1, respectively. Most people did not pay attention to those designations, however, being satisfied to call the missions by their Apollo numbers.</p><p>NASA ordered 15 Saturn V rockets for the Apollo Program. In 1968, NASA Deputy Administrator for Manned Space Flight George Mueller asked NASA Administrator James Webb for permission to order more Saturn V rockets for AAP. With budgets for post-Apollo space programs already under fierce attack, Webb rejected Mueller’s request. </p><p>In our alternate timeline, Webb's answer was different. Apollo 24 (J-3) (October 1972) used the last Saturn V of the original Apollo buy. This fact aroused only passing interest, however, since in our alternate timeline no one ever seriously considered halting the Saturn V assembly lines. Apollo 25 (J-4) launched atop the first new-buy Saturn V, the 16th Saturn V to be built.</p><p>Two months after the Apollo 24 LM ascent stage lifted off from the lunar surface, the Apollo 25 LM landed about a kilometer away from the derelict Apollo 24 LM descent stage. The Apollo LM descent engine kicked up potentially damaging dust during landing, so the Apollo 25 astronauts inspected Apollo 24's descent stage, LRV, and ALSEP experiments to determine whether a one-kilometer landing separation distance was adequate. </p><p><br />The Apollo 25 crew carried out other technology experiments. They deployed an experimental solar array designed to withstand the cold of the two-week lunar night and a small battery-driven remote-controlled rover. Controllers on Earth drove the small rover several hundred meters in preparation for longer remote-controlled traverses to come.</p><p>1973</p><p><br />Apollo 26 (O-2) (January 1973) was the Saturn V launch of the Olympus 2 space station. It lifted off from Pad 39C, a new Complex 39 launch pad north of the existing 39A and 39B pads at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. 39C was designed for both Saturn V and Saturn IB launches, putting NASA on track to retiring the Complex 34 Saturn IB pad located south of Kennedy Space Center, within the boundaries of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.</p><p>Soon after Olympus 2 reached orbit, the last Saturn IB to use Complex 34 launched Apollo 27 (O-2/K-5/R-1). Its epic mission: to stretch the world spaceflight endurance record to 224 days. Over the course of the Apollo 27 mission, NASA launched four unmanned Saturn IB rockets with Centaur upper stages. Though not given Apollo numbers, the flights are often referred to unofficially as Apollo GEO A, Apollo GEO B, Apollo GEO C, and Apollo GEO D. Two lifted off from Pad 39C and two from newly upgraded Pad 39A. </p><p>Each boosted into geostationary orbit one Radio/TV Relay Satellite (RTRS); three operational satellites and a spare. Olympus 2 thus became the first space station capable of uninterrupted voice, data, and TV contact with Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and Payload Control at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. </p><p>The Saturn IB-launched Apollo 28 CSM lifted off from Pad 39C 45 days into the Apollo 27 crew's stint on board Olympus 2. The six-day, three-person mission, designated O-2/K-6/V-1, included the first female U.S. astronaut. Apollo 29 (O-2/K-7/V-2), another six-day, three-person mission, reached Olympus 2 110 days into the Apollo 27 mission. It included the first non-American to fly on a U.S. spacecraft. </p><p>Apollo 30 (O-2/K-8/V-3), a 10-day, two-person mission nearly identical to Apollo 23, reached Olympus 2 190 days into the Apollo 27 mission. The Apollo 27 astronauts proved to be in good health, so NASA authorized them to continue their mission to its full planned duration. The Apollo 30 crew returned to Earth in Apollo 27's CSM, leaving behind their fresh CSM for the long-duration astronauts. The Apollo 27 crew used the Apollo 30 CSM's main engine to boost Olympus 2 to a higher orbit with an estimated lifetime of more than a decade. </p><p>Just before the Apollo 27 crew ended their record-setting stay in space in July 1973 - a record that would hold for more than a decade - the unmanned Apollo 31 Saturn V launched a pair of modified RTRS satellites (one operational and one spare) into a loose orbit around the quasi-stable Earth-moon L2 point, 33,000 miles beyond the moon. When NASA launched Apollo 34 (J-5) to the moon’s Farside hemisphere, out of sight of Earth, the satellites provided continuous radio, data, and TV communication with both the CSM while it orbited over the Farside hemisphere and the LM parked on the Farside surface.</p><p>The Apollo 32 (O-3) Saturn V launched Olympus 3 - intended to be the first "long-life" space station - from Pad 39A (December 1973). Olympus 3 included three equally spaced radial docking ports, expanded solar arrays, an uprated life support system, a "greenhouse" plant growth chamber, improved internal lighting, an observation cupola, and guest living quarters. </p><p>1974</p><p>The next month, the three-man Apollo 33 (O-3/K-9/R-1) crew lifted off from Pad 39C to begin a 180-stay on board. Starting with Apollo 33, 180 days became the standard duration for Olympus station missions. The Apollo 27 crew had remained on board Olympus 2 for 224 days so that NASA could have in place a "cushion" of biomedical knowledge in the event that a 180-day mission had to be extended; for example, if a resident crew's CSM proved faulty when time came to return to Earth and a rescue mission had to be mounted. </p><p>Apollo 34 (J-5) (February 1974) was, as indicated above, the first piloted mission to the moon's hidden Farside. The last of the J-class lunar landing missions, its crew included the first woman on the moon. </p><p>Olympus 3 could support visiting crews for longer periods, permitting Apollo 35 (O-3/K-10/V-1) to be the first three-person, 10-day visitor mission. It delivered the first Cargo Carrier (CC-1) to Olympus 3 60 days into the Apollo 33 mission. Drum-shaped CC-1 rode to orbit inside the segmented shroud between the top of the Saturn IB's S-IVB second stage and the bottom of the Apollo 35 CSM's engine bell. </p><p>After S-IVB shutdown, the Apollo 35 crew separated their CSM from the shroud, which peeled back in four parts and separated from the stage. They then turned their CSM end-for-end to dock with CC-1's "outboard" docking port and detached the carrier from the S-IVB.</p><p>The Apollo 35 CSM docked with one of Olympus 3's three radial ports using CC-1’s "inboard" docking port. Its crew then entered the station through CC-1's meter-wide central tunnel. When their visit with the Apollo 33 crew drew to an end, they undocked their CSM from CC-1, leaving the carrier attached to Olympus 3 so that it could serve as a "pantry" or "walk-in closet."</p><p>Apollo 36 (O-3/K-11/V-2) was another 10-day, three-person visitor mission to Olympus 3. Its crew included an African-American mission Commander who had flown first as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 24. The Apollo 36 CSM docked with CC-1's outboard port 120 days into Apollo 33. When time came to return to Earth, they undocked CC-1's inboard port from Olympus 3. Following their deorbit burn, they undocked their CSM from CC-1's outboard port and performed a small separation maneuver. CC-1, packed with trash, burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, and the Apollo 36 CM capsule splashed down in the Pacific. </p><p>The Apollo 33 resident crew undocked from Olympus 3 and returned to Earth, and two weeks later the Apollo 37 (O-3/K-12/R-2) CSM arrived with Olympus 3's second resident crew and, on its nose, a hefty telescope module. The crew gingerly docked the telescope module to the radial port on the side of Olympus 3 opposite the radial port used for Cargo Carriers, then undocked their CSM from the telescope module's outboard port and redocked with Olympus 3's axial port. Olympus 3 thus became the world's first multi-modular space station. </p><p>Attention then shifted back to the lunar track of the on-going Apollo Program. Apollo 38 (L-1A) (August 1974) saw an unmanned uprated Saturn V-B rocket launch directly to the lunar surface an LM-derived Lunar Cargo Carrier (LCC-1) bearing a nuclear-powered Dual-Mode Lunar Rover (DMLR). The piloted Apollo 40 (L-1B) mission saw the first Augmented CSM (ACSM) and the first Augmented Lunar Module (ALM) launched to lunar orbit on a Saturn V-B. The Apollo 40 ACSM remained in continuous contact with Earth over the moon's Farside hemisphere through the RTRS satellites at Earth-moon L2. </p><p>The ALM descended to a landing within about a kilometer of LCC-1. The astronauts deployed the DMLR and drove it on five traverses during their one-week stay on the moon. They then reconfigured it for Earth-guided operation. After the DMLR retreated to a safe distance under Earth control, the Apollo 40 ALM ascent stage ignited to return the crew to the orbiting ACSM and, subsequently, to Earth. </p><p>In October 1974, a month after the Apollo 40 astronauts left the moon, DMLR began a 500-kilometer overland trek to the next planned Apollo landing site. As it moved slowly over the rugged surface, it imaged its surroundings, took magnetometer readings, and occasionally stopped to collect an intriguing rock or scoop of dirt. A pair of spotlights permitted limited lunar night-time driving. Assuming that the DMLR reached its goal, the next ALM crew, set to land next to a pre-landed LCC in July 1976, would retrieve its samples for return to Earth, reconfigure it for astronaut driving, use it to explore their landing site, and then reconfigure it again for Earth-guided operation.</p><p>Sandwiched between Apollo 38 and Apollo 40 was Saturn IB-launched Apollo 39 (O-3/K-13/V3), a routine 10-day visitor mission to Olympus 3 bearing Cargo Carrier-2. Apollo 39 docked CC-2's inboard port with one of Olympus 3's two unoccupied radial docking ports.</p><p><br />1975</p><p>The Apollo 41 (O-3/K-14/R-3) CSM docked with the third Olympus 3 radial port bearing the station's third resident crew in early January 1975. The start of their mission overlapped the end of the Apollo 37 resident crew's 180-day stay in space. The handover marked the start of Olympus 3's continuous occupation, which lasted until the station was safely deorbited in July 1979. </p><p>Apollo 42 (O-3/K-15/V-4), another 10-day visitor mission to Olympus 3, docked at the CC-2 outboard port in March 1975 and, when they returned to Earth, deorbited CC-2 over the Pacific Ocean. Apollo 43 (O-3/K-16/V-5) in May 1975, was the second 10-day mission to visit the Apollo 41 resident crew. They delivered CC-3.</p><p>Apollo 44 (0-3/K-17/R-4) docked with Olympus 3 on 19 December 1975. On their way to Olympus 3, they performed a rendezvous with Olympus 1 to assess its condition. Apollo 41's return to Earth on 28 December 1975 rounded out NASA's 1975 piloted spaceflight schedule.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 6: An appendix to the last chapter<br />In Apollo as flown, we saw the following spacecraft names (or, perhaps more properly, call-signs): Apollo 7, none; Apollo 8, none; Apollo 9, CSM Gumdrop and LM Spider; Apollo 10, CSM Charlie Brown and LM Snoopy; Apollo 11, CSM Columbia and LM Eagle; Apollo 12, CSM Yankee Clipper and LM Intrepid; Apollo 13, CSM Odyssey and LM Aquarius; Apollo 14, CSM Kitty Hawk and LM Antares; Apollo 15, CSM Endeavour and LM Falcon; Apollo 16, CSM Casper and LM Orion; and Apollo 17, CSM America and LM Challenger. Apollo 7 and Apollo 8 were CSM-only missions, so their spacecraft did not need names to distinguish them from their LMs in radio communications. Their CSMs were thus known by their mission designations alone.</p><p>Part One of this post series continued the Apollo series with the Saturn V launch of the Olympus 1 space station in late 1971. My alternate-history NASA designated the uncrewed station launch Apollo 18. Olympus is, of course, the name of the lofty home of the Greek Gods. It was a favorite name among 1960s space station planners - for example, Edward Olling - at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (since 1973, Johnson Space Center) in Houston.</p><p>The first Apollo CSM to reach Olympus 1 was Apollo 19. It was another CSM-only mission, so bore no spacecraft name - much as the Skylab CSMs in our timeline had only numbers (Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4 - Skylab 1 was the launch of the Skylab station). Apollo 20, nearly identical to Apollo 19 apart from its duration (its crew lived on board Olympus 1 for 56 days in early 1972, twice as long as the Apollo 19 crew) also bore no name.<br /> <br />After that, though, NASA had a change of heart. It developed and retroactively applied an alphanumeric designation system for flights and encouraged crews to name their spacecraft, much as it had during Project Mercury (but not Project Gemini). The alphanumeric system pleased NASA bureaucrats; naming piloted spacecraft in single-spacecraft missions was a public-relations ploy meant to point up the distinctive qualities of the individual CSM-only missions to the Olympus stations.</p><p>The Apollo 19 mission, which flew the first K-class CSM with modifications for long-duration space station missions, became O-1/K-1/R1 (Olympus 1/K-class CSM 1/Olympus 1 Resident Crew 1). Apollo 20 became O-1/K-2/R2.</p><p>Apollo 21 (I-1), the one and only I-class piloted CSM-only lunar polar orbiter mission, was dubbed Endurance by its two-man crew, who orbited the moon for 28 days to image potential landing sites for advanced L-class Apollo lunar landing missions planned to begin in late 1974. An automated imaging orbiter was considered for the mission, but was rejected because it would have required costly new development (for example, a complicated Earth-return capsule system for exposed film) as well as a unique Saturn IB upper stage configuration.<br /> <br />The crew of Apollo 22 (O-1/K-3/R3) named their CSM Discovery. They docked with Olympus 1 in June 1972 for a 112-day stay. Ninety days into their flight, the two-person crew of Apollo 23 (O-1/K-4/V1), the first space station short-stay visitor crew, docked at Olympus 1's radial port to check on the health of the Apollo 22 crew and certify continuation of their mission. In a poetic reference to their short stay of only 10 days, they named their CSM Hummingbird.</p><p>Apollo 24 (J-3), launched in October 1972, was a J-class mission resembling our Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17 missions. In fact, it carried the original Apollo 17 crew of Eugene Cernan, Joseph Engle, and Ronald Evans. In our timeline, Apollo 17 was the last crewed mission to the moon of the 20th century and geologist Harrison Schmitt, the only professional scientist to reach the moon, replaced Engle as LM Pilot. Cernan, Engle, and Evans named their CSM America and their LM Challenger, just as Cernan, Schmitt, and Evans did in our timeline.</p><p>Schmitt was one of six scientist-astronauts selected as part of Group 4 in June 1965. He would fly Apollo 17, and three others - Joseph Kerwin, Owen Garriott, and Edward Gibson - would fly as Science Pilots on the three Skylab missions. Garriott also flew a Space Shuttle mission. In our timeline, Schmitt was originally assigned to fly Apollo 18; after it was cut, he was moved to Apollo 17.</p><p>It would be different in the alternate timeline. Schmitt would not be the first Group 4 scientist-astronaut to fly; several would reach Olympus stations before he set out for the moon. He would become the first Group 4 astronaut to reach the moon, but not (as was the case in our timeline) the only one. He would also fly to the moon a second time and never run for U.S. Senator from New Mexico.</p><p>NASA selected the 11 scientist-astronauts of Group 6 in August 1967, just as Congress slashed President Johnson's request for funds to begin major work on the Apollo Applications Program (AAP). AAP shrank rapidly and morphed into Skylab. Of the eleven Group 6 scientists, seven eventually flew Space Shuttle missions. In the alternate timeline, most would fly Apollo missions before 1976.</p><p>This is a good place to consider how astronaut selection would unfold in the alternate timeline. Seven refugees from the cancelled U.S. Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory would join NASA in August 1969 as Group 7, just as they did in our timeline. In our timeline, they were the last astronauts selected until January 1978, when Group 8 - which included among its 35 members the first minority and women astronauts - was selected to crew Space Shuttles.</p><p>In the alternate timeline, NASA would select new astronaut groups of about 10 members every three or four years to bring in new skills and make up for attrition. Group 8 would, as in our timeline, include the first U.S. women and minority spacefarers, but they would join NASA in January 1971, not January 1978. Other astronauts of our timeline's Group 8 might join Group 9 (1974) and younger ones might join Group 10 (1977) or Group 11 (1981).</p><p>Apollo 26 (O-2) was the uncrewed launch of the Olympus 2 station. Apollo 27 (O-2/K-5/R1) saw three astronauts live in orbit for 224 days. They named their CSM Freedom, which led one stand-up comedian to quip that it should have been named "Incarceration."</p><p>The crew received the Apollo 28 (0-2/K-6/V1) CSM Athena, Apollo 29 (O-2/K-7/V2) CSM Amity, and the Apollo 30 CSM (O-2/K-8/V3) Liberty. Apollo 28 included the first American woman in space, Apollo 29 the first non-U.S./non-Soviet astronaut in space, and Apollo 30's Visitor crew returned to Earth in the Apollo 27 CSM, leaving their CSM for the Apollo 27 Resident crew.</p><p>The uncrewed Apollo 31 Saturn V launched a pair of Radio/TV Relay Satellites to Earth-moon L2 and the uncrewed Apollo 32 (O-3) Saturn V launched Olympus 3, first of the "long-life" stations. The Apollo 33 (O-3/K-9/R1) crew, the first to stay on board a space station for what became the "routine" interval of 180 days, arrived in the CSM Eos, which was named for the Greek goddess of the dawn.<br /> <br />Apollo 34 (J-5) in February 1974, the last of the J-class missions, landed in dark-floored Tsiolkovskii in the moon's Farside hemisphere. Harrison Schmitt was the mission's LM Pilot and the first geologist on the moon. They named their CSM Infinity and their LM for the red-golden star Arcturus, long seen as a harbinger of springtime.</p><p>The Apollo 35 (O-3/K-10/V1) CSM Hermes delivered the first drum-shaped Cargo Carrier (CC-1) to Olympus 3 and the Apollo 36 (O-3/K-11/V2) CSM Independence caused it to reenter after the Apollo 33 crew unloaded it. Hermes was, among other things, the Greek God of Commerce, The Messenger of the Gods, and the half-brother of Apollo. The Apollo 37 (O-3/K-12/R2) CSM Celeste (a feminine name meaning "heavenly") delivered the large Argus telescope module to Olympus 3.<br /> <br />The uncrewed Apollo 38 (L-1A) mission saw the LM-derived Lunar Cargo Carrier-1 (LCC-1) launched on a Saturn V on a direct path to the planned landing site of the Apollo 40 (L-1B) mission. Apollo 38 included no CSM. The Apollo 39 (O-3/K-13/V3) CSM Shenandoah was the first of more than a dozen Earth-orbital CSM spacecraft named for U.S. national parks and monuments.</p><p>The Apollo 40 CSM was the first L-class Advanced CSM (ACSM) and its LM was the first L-class Advanced LM (ALM). The Apollo 40 crew named their ACSM Aquila, for the constellation The Eagle, and their ALM Altair, for its brightest star. The lunar surface crew used Altair as their base camp to explore a complex landing site for one week. This more than doubled the three-day J-class lunar stay-time.<br /> <br />The Apollo 41 (O-3/K-14/R3) CSM Constitution delivered the Olympus 3 station's third Resident crew while its second Resident crew was still on board, marking the beginning of continuous station occupation. The Apollo 42 (O-3/K-15/V4) CSM was named Adventure.</p><p>The Apollo 43 (O-3/K-16/V5) crew named its CSM Yosemite, and the Apollo 44 (O-3/K-17/R4) crew named its CSM Acadia. Yosemite is, of course, a famous national park in California; Acadia, the first eastern national park, is on the other side of the country, in the Mission Commander's home state of Maine.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 7: The spacewalks that never were - a 1965 study on Gemini mission applications<br />On 18 March 1965 at 0700 UTC, the Soviet Union's Voskhod 2 spacecraft lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Soviet Central Asia bearing rookie cosmonauts Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov. As soon as Voskhod 2 entered a 167-by-475-kilometer orbit inclined 64.8° relative to Earth's equator, Belyayev assisted Leonov with preparations for the mission's main objective: to accomplish humankind's first-ever spacewalk. </p><p>The 5682-kilogram spacecraft carried a 1.2-meter-diameter inflatable airlock called Volga mounted over the inward-opening crew hatch of its 2.3-meter-diameter spherical reentry module. The airlock was necessary because Voskhod 2's electronics were air-cooled, so would overheat if its cramped cabin were depressurized. Following inflation - a process that lasted seven minutes - Volga extended 2.5 meters out from Voskhod 2's silvery hull. </p><p>At 0828 UTC, as the spacecraft neared the end of its first orbit, Leonov entered Volga and Belyayev sealed the Voskhod 2 hatch behind him. Belyayev then depressurized Volga, and Leonov opened its 65-centimeter-wide inward-opening outer hatch. At 0834 UTC, over northern Africa, the 30-year-old cosmonaut pulled himself through the hatch, kicked off the hatch rim, and floated away until he reached the end of his 5.35-meter-long safety tether and rebounded. </p><p>Leonov wore a white backpack containing enough oxygen for 45 minutes outside Voskhod 2. The oxygen entered his white Berkut space suit - a modified Vostok SK-1 intravehicular suit - then vented into space, carrying away exhaled carbon dioxide, heat, and moisture.</p><p>History's first spacewalker experimented with positioning himself using his tether, reporting after his flight that it gave him tight control over his movements. Then, at 0847 UTC, over Siberia, Leonov reentered Volga and closed the outer hatch behind him. Belyayev repressurized the airlock and opened the Voskhod 2 hatch so that Leonov could remove his backpack and return to his couch. </p><p>After the cosmonauts resealed the hatch, Belyayev fired explosive bolts that separated Volga from Voskhod 2. The spacecraft landed in the Soviet Union on 19 March after 17 Earth orbits. The Soviets declared that world's first spacewalk had been "easy." </p><p>NASA took notice. The U.S. civilian space agency had planned its first extravehicular activity (EVA) for Gemini IV, the second of 10 planned piloted Gemini missions. The Gemini IV EVA astronaut would not leave his spacecraft; instead, he would open his hatch (each Gemini astronaut had one) and stand up in the cockpit. This would test the G4C EVA suit and the life-support umbilical linking it to the Gemini spacecraft's life support system.</p><p>The first full-exit EVA would take place on Gemini V, then EVAs would become progressively more complex with each new mission. After Leonov's easy spacewalk, however, NASA decided that Gemini IV spacewalker Ed White should try to out-do his Soviet predecessor. </p><p>Gemini IV's two-stage Titan II launch vehicle boosted it into a 283-by-161-kilometer, 94-minute orbit on 3 June 1965. Gemini IV separated from the Titan II second stage, then command pilot James McDivitt sought to rendezvous with it. The flight plan called for him to pilot Gemini IV to within seven meters of the stage during the mission's first orbit. Near the end of the second orbit, about three hours after launch, White would leave the cockpit and, using a Hand-Held Maneuvering Unit (HHMU), attempt to reach the spent stage. </p><p>Unfortunately, rendezvous proved to be more difficult than anticipated. The spent stage vented propellants, causing it to tumble. This subjected it to increased atmospheric drag, causing it to move away from Gemini IV. McDivitt set out in pursuit, but found his efforts thwarted by poor visibility, inability to accurately judge distance (Gemini IV included no rendezvous radar), and an incomplete grasp of orbital mechanics. With Gemini IV's propellant supply dwindling, McDivitt called off the rendezvous. </p><p><br /> </p><p>EVA preparation needed more time than expected, then White's hatch refused to unlatch, so the first U.S. EVA did not begin until Gemini IV's third orbit. After shoving back the stiff hatch, White pushed out of the cockpit. He successfully tested the HHMU, which contained only enough compressed oxygen propellant for 20 seconds of maneuvering (image at top of post). </p><p>White then evaluated his umbilical. He found it to be useful for controlling his distance from Gemini IV and for pulling himself back to the spacecraft, but he was unable to demonstrate the precision maneuvering Leonov had reported. At one point, in fact, he accidentally collided with and smeared McDivitt's cockpit window. </p><p>White's life-support umbilical was covered in a thin layer of gold to protect it from the fierce sunlight of low-Earth orbit. If the umbilical had for any reason ceased to supply him with oxygen, his chest-mounted Ventilation Control Module (VCM) could have supplied him with enough to return safely to his seat. </p><p>As with Leonov's Berkut, oxygen passing through White's 10.7-kilogram G4C suit flushed exhaled carbon dioxide, heat, and moisture into space. America's first spacewalker reported later that he was more comfortable during his EVA than at any other time during the Gemini IV flight. </p><p>With Gemini IV moving rapidly toward night, White reluctantly returned to the cockpit. There he found that internal pressure had caused his suit to balloon slightly. During the five-minute struggle to squeeze back into his narrow seat and close his balky hatch, heat from White's exertions overcame the G4C’s cooling capacity. His visor fogged slightly and sweat blinded him until he could remove his helmet in the repressurized cockpit and wipe his eyes. </p><p>NASA judged White's 20-minute EVA to have been a resounding success. EVA, it seemed, presented few challenges. NASA management was, on the other hand, alarmed by McDivitt's inability to rendezvous with the Titan II second stage. Rendezvous was a critical part of NASA's Lunar Orbit Rendezvous plan for landing a man on the moon by 1970. </p><p>By the end of June, NASA top brass were considering cancelling the progressively more challenging EVAs scheduled for Gemini missions V, VI, and VII so that engineers, flight controllers, and astronauts could concentrate on rendezvous. </p><p>In July 1965, NASA made decisions critical to Gemini EVA planning. On 2 July, the Gemini Program Office (GPO) at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas, formed the Gemini Extravehicular Planning Group (GEPG) to revise EVA objectives for Gemini missions VIII, IX, X, XI, and XII. On 12 July, NASA Headquarters directed the GPO to postpone the next U.S. spacewalk until Gemini VIII. The GEPG submitted its recommendations to Gemini Program Manager Charles Mathews on 19 July. </p><p>The GEPG based its recommendations on several assumptions. First, of course, was that the EVA objectives planned for Gemini VIII would be attainable without the gradual development of skills that would have occurred during the Gemini V, VI, and VII EVAs. </p><p><br />In addition, the GEPG assumed that NASA would beat the rendezvous and docking problem. Gemini missions VIII through XII would each include a docking with a Gemini Agena Target Vehicle (GATV), an Agena-D upper stage modified to serve as a Gemini docking target and auxiliary propulsion stage. The GATV, launched on an Atlas rocket, would include a latch-equipped docking adapter sized to accept the Gemini spacecraft's blunt nose. During the Gemini VIII, IX, X, XI, and XII EVAs, the Gemini would remain docked to the GATV. </p><p>The GEPG also recommended that EVA equipment too large for cockpit storage be stowed on the aft-facing concave surface of the Adapter Section, the aft-most and widest part of the Gemini spacecraft, as well as on the GATV. On Gemini VIII, oversize equipment would include an HHMU with 10 times as much compressed oxygen as White's HHMU. The Gemini VIII EVA astronaut would evaluate the Adapter Section stowage concept, then test the HHMU. </p><p>The GEPG noted that oxygen flow through White's space suit had kept him cool and dry "except when [he] was working at a high exertion level." On Gemini VIII and subsequent missions, an Extravehicular Life Support System (ELSS) would replace the VCM. The ELSS could be used with a backpack-mounted oxygen supply that would permit hour-long EVAs without an umbilical. The GEPG recommended that the Gemini VIII EVA astronaut test the ELSS chest-pack to ensure that it could cool even a hard-working spacewalker adequately. </p><p>Before returning to the cockpit, he would also "inspect the Agena for engineering analysis," test a space hand tool, and evaluate a lightweight safety tether and a backup "suit exhaust" EVA propulsion system. By clambering over the two spacecraft, he would evaluate transfer between two vehicles, a skill of potential use in the Apollo Program if astronauts found themselves compelled in the event of docking problems to move by EVA between the Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) and Lunar Module (LM). </p><p>The many EVA tasks planned for Gemini VIII through XII would require EVAs of greater duration than White's, so the Gemini VIII spacewalker would also evaluate EVA operations during orbital night, which would last for about half of each orbit. </p><p><br />Gemini IX would see the first use of the U.S. Air Force Modular Maneuvering Unit (MMU), a hydrogen-peroxide-fueled "rocket pack" that would reach orbit stowed in the Adapter Section. The Gemini IX EVA astronaut would back up to the MMU, connect his ELSS to its integral oxygen supply, then grip t-shaped hand controllers and fly away from Gemini IX. The MMU's hot-gas thrusters would require that the astronaut's G4C suit be modified to include protective multilayer metal-fabric and foil leg coverings. </p><p>The GEPG noted that MMU development was proceeding to schedule, but added that NASA and the Air Force had yet to agree on the MMU's purpose or on whether it could fly without a safety tether linking it to the Gemini spacecraft. These questions were, it added, "beyond the scope of the present planning study." </p><p>The Gemini X EVA astronaut's tasks would focus on his spacecraft and the space environment. He would release "dense smoke" ahead of Gemini X and film its flow over the spacecraft's surfaces, photograph Gemini thrusters firing during day and night, gauge static charge on Gemini X and its GATV using a hand-held electroscope, measure hull temperature, and collect samples of contaminants (for example, the greasy contaminant that tended to cloud Gemini cockpit windows). </p><p>The GEPG also recommended two tether dynamics experiments for Gemini X. The spacewalker would simulate an untethered EVA using a "long slack tether," then would link his spacecraft and an inoperative Agena using a "towline." After the EVA, Gemini X would attempt to pull the Agena through space in an "evaluation of dynamics of orbital tow." </p><p>Gemini XI would see a dramatic increase in EVA complexity. The spacecraft would intercept the 10.5-ton Pegasus 3 satellite, which was due to be launched into low-Earth orbit on a Saturn I rocket soon after the GEPG submitted its report. Like its predecessors, Pegasus 3 was designed to assess the likelihood that spacecraft in low-Earth orbit would suffer meteoroid impact damage. To do this, it unfolded a pair of 4.3-meter-wide-by-29-meter-long "wings" containing a total of 400 meteoroid-detection panels. </p><p><br />The GEPG reported that discussions with NASA Headquarters and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center had already led to Pegasus 3 modifications for Gemini rendezvous and EVA mission. Pegasus 1, launched 16 February 1965, had achieved an elliptical 510-by-726-kilometer orbit, while Pegasus 2, launched 25 May 1965, had entered a 502-by-740-kilometer orbit. When launched on 30 July 1965, Pegasus 3 entered a near-circular 535-by-567-kilometer orbit. This made it a more readily accessible rendezvous target for Gemini spacecraft. </p><p>In addition, sixteen of Pegasus 3's meteoroid-detection panels had been replaced with removable aluminum meteoroid-capture panels and panels containing thermal control test surfaces. After rendezvous with the giant satellite, the Gemini XI spacewalker would use an HHMU to jet over and remove the panels for return to Earth. The GEPG stated that "[d]etermination of the method of accomplishing this task. . .must still be accomplished." </p><p>Gemini XII would see the second flight of the MMU rocket pack. If the Gemini IX MMU test was performed using a tether, then consideration would be given to untethered flight during Gemini XII. The mission would also rendezvous with the 2300-kilogram Missile Defense Alarm System (MIDAS) II satellite, which had failed two days after it reached orbit on 24 May 1960. The EVA astronaut would inspect and photograph MIDAS II in an effort to determine the cause of its failure. </p><p>The GEPG suggested alternate missions for Gemini XI and XII that would see one or both missions meet up with Apollo spacecraft in orbit. A Gemini might, for example, rendezvous with the SA-204 Apollo CSM, which in July 1965 was scheduled to be launched in September 1966. SA-204 was planned to be the first manned Apollo CSM flight, but it would be flown unmanned if either of the two suborbital test flights scheduled to precede it failed. The EVA astronaut would transfer to and enter the unmanned CSM, check out its systems, and return to the Gemini. </p><p>If Gemini XII were postponed until February 1967, then it might rendezvous with the unmanned LM planned for launch on mission SA-206. The spacewalker would enter the spindly LM, check out its systems, and jet back to Gemini XII. </p><p>NASA accepted many of the GEPG's recommendations. As it began preparations to implement them, it conducted Gemini missions V, VI, and VII. After a rough start, Gemini V (Gordon Cooper and Charles Conrad, 21-29 August 1965) successfully conducted an improvised "phantom rendezvous" with a point in space and remained in orbit for eight days. Gemini VII (Frank Borman and James Lovell, 4-18 December 1965) stayed aloft for 14 days, demonstrating that astronauts could survive in space long enough to reach and return from the moon. </p><p>Gemini VI (Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford, 15-16 December 1965) had been scheduled to launch on 25 October 1965, but NASA postponed the mission after its GATV was destroyed during ascent to orbit. The agency decided that Gemini VI should instead pay a visit to the long-duration Gemini VII crew. </p><p>On 12 December, the Gemini VI Titan II booster ignited, then shut down before it could rise off its launch pad. Command Pilot Schirra opted not to trigger a perilous pad abort, saving the mission. On 15 December, Gemini VI at last lifted off and performed rendezvous and proximity operations with Gemini VII. As 1965 ended, NASA looked ahead to dockings and spacewalks in 1966.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Chapter 8: The 1962 EMPIRE manned planetary flyby studies<br />At the 7th International Astronautical Congress, held in Rome in September 1956, Italian aviation and rocketry pioneer Gaetano Crocco described a manned space mission in which a spacecraft would conduct a reconnaissance flyby of Mars, swing past Venus to bend its course toward Earth, and, one year to the day after departing Earth orbit, reenter Earth's atmosphere. After Earth-orbit departure, the spacecraft would need no additional propulsion. Crocco told the assembled delegates that an opportunity to commence such a mission would next occur in June 1971. </p><p>A little less than six years later, in May 1962, the Future Projects Office (FPO) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, awarded manned Mars mission study contracts worth $250,000 each to General Dynamics, Lockheed, and the Aeronutronic Division of Ford Motor Company. General Dynamics was instructed to study Mars orbital missions, Lockheed to look at Mars flyby and orbital missions, and Aeronutronic to study dual-planet (Mars-Venus) flybys. The combined study effort was known as EMPIRE, an evocative (if somewhat tortured) acronym that stood for Early Manned Planetary-Interplanetary Roundtrip Expeditions. </p><p>EMPIRE took place against the backdrop of the Apollo lunar program. One year before its start, in a speech before a special joint session of Congress, President John F. Kennedy had put NASA on course for the moon. He had given the U.S. civilian space agency, which had been founded less three years earlier, until the end of the 1960s to achieve his goal. It was hoped, however, that an American could land on the moon as early as 1967, during Kennedy's second term in office. </p><p>As EMPIRE began, NASA had nearly completed the contentious 14-month process of choosing the fastest, most reliable, and cheapest way of placing men on the moon. The Lunar Orbit Rendezvous mode, which would rely on MSFC's Saturn C-5 rocket, was selected in July 1962, before EMPIRE reached its conclusion. C-5 was soon renamed Saturn V. </p><p>MSFC was fertile ground for NASA's first major manned planetary mission study. The Huntsville Center's director was Wernher von Braun, a famous advocate of manned flight to the moon and Mars. Von Braun's efforts in the 1950s to popularize spaceflight had helped to prime the American public for the 1960s Space Race with the Soviet Union. </p><p>EMPIRE was, however, not merely the whim of a long-time moon and Mars fan; it was also part of a strategy to protect and promote MSFC. The Huntsville Center's specialty was rocket development. Its engineers hoped to develop rockets larger than the Saturn V, which they dubbed Nova and Supernova. Von Braun knew that, unless a post-Apollo program was in place as MSFC's Apollo responsibilities wound down in 1966 and 1967, his center would suffer deep staff and funding cuts.</p><p>Besides calling for a man on the moon, President Kennedy's May 1961 speech had requested new funding for nuclear propulsion. MSFC was involved in joint NASA/Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) nuclear rocket development through the Reactor In Flight Test (RIFT) program. The precise form the RIFT mission would take changed rapidly; for a time, it aimed to launch a 33-foot-diameter rocket stage with a NERVA nuclear engine on a Saturn V in 1967. Another goal of EMPIRE was, thus, to create a justification for NERVA and RIFT. </p><p>In the introduction to their December 1962 EMPIRE final report, Aeronutronic's engineers praised NASA for its "forward thinking approach." They added that</p><p>[b]y attacking the areas of interest at this early date[,] it will be possible to obtain a clearer picture of the requirements for early manned planetary and interplanetary flight. Thus the nation's resources, and the NASA and other United States space programs[,] can be oriented toward long range goals at an early date. [EMPIRE] represents an unusually early attack on this type of analysis.</p><p>Aeronutronic looked at two interplanetary trajectories for its dual-planet manned flyby mission. The first was dubbed the Crocco trajectory because it was based on the scenario in Crocco's 1956 paper. The second was the symmetric trajectory, which would see the flyby spacecraft swing around the Sun one-and-a-half times. It would fly past Mars halfway through its mission and would cross the orbit of Venus once before the Mars flyby and once after. It would swing past Venus during one of the orbit crossings.</p><p>Aeronutronic engineers found that Crocco had been mistaken when he wrote that an opportunity to start an Earth-Mars-Venus-Earth voyage would occur in June 1971. They determined that a dual-planet Crocco mission could depart Earth in mid-to-late August 1971. A symmetric Earth-departure opportunity would occur sooner: between 16 July and 19 August 1970.</p><p>The Crocco trajectory would require more propulsive energy than the symmetric trajectory, Aeronutronic found. The amount of energy required would depend on the moment during the launch opportunity that the spacecraft left Earth orbit. Aeronutronic, however, selected single representative values for preliminary design purposes. </p><p>Assuming a departure from a 300-kilometer-high circular Earth orbit, a Crocco spacecraft launched in August 1971 would need to increase its speed by 11.95 kilometers per second to achieve the desired dual-planet flyby trajectory. A symmetric mission launched in the July-August 1970 window would, by contrast, need a velocity increase of only 5.3 kilometers per second. </p><p>Low departure velocity meant reduced propellant requirements. In short, a symmetric mission would have a much lower mass than a Crocco mission. A low-mass spacecraft would need fewer launches to place its components and propellants into Earth orbit. Fewer launches would mean lower mission cost and less chance that a launch vehicle would fail and destroy its payload, perhaps placing the assembly campaign in Earth orbit in jeopardy. It would also mean less complex orbital assembly (or perhaps no assembly at all, if a Nova rocket were used), further trimming mission risk. </p><p>Aeronutronic found that no dual-planet Crocco mission could last only 365 days; for design purposes, the study team assumed that a mission launched in the August 1971 opportunity would last 396 days. Though longer than Crocco had estimated, this was much less than the 611-day representative duration Aeronutronic selected for the July-August 1970 symmetric opportunity. </p><p>Aeronutronic's engineers determined that radiation and meteoroid shielding and life support masses, which would increase with trip time, would not approach the mass of the propellant required to launch the Crocco mission out of Earth orbit; they thus accepted the symmetric mission's greater duration. </p><p>The symmetric mission would have a low Earth-departure speed, but would pay for it by having a high Earth-atmosphere reentry speed. As a general rule, the faster a spacecraft is moving as it plummets into Earth's atmosphere, the more reentry heating it will undergo. Greater heating calls for more massive thermal control systems; basically, active cooling employing coolant loops and radiators and a heat shield that ablates (that is, chars and erodes away, carrying away heat). The reentering spacecraft might also use a braking rocket to slow itself before reentry. </p><p>The Aeronutronic engineers did not consider the difference between the Crocco and symmetric Earth-atmosphere reentry speeds to be significant. For a symmetric mission launched between 16 July and 19 August 1970, reentry speed would top out at 15.8 kilometers per second; the corresponding figure for the August 1971 Crocco opportunity was 13.5 kilometers per second. The propellant mass and Earth-to-orbit launch vehicles saved as a result of the Crocco mission's somewhat slower Earth atmosphere-reentry speed were minimal compared with the mass and launchers saved by the symmetric mission's dramatically reduced Earth-departure velocity. </p><p><br />Aeronutronic calculated that, based on the mission design values that it had selected, the nuclear Crocco dual-planet flyby spacecraft would have a fully assembled, fully fueled mass of 1121.5 tons, while an equivalent nuclear symmetric spacecraft would have a mass of only 188 tons. This would place the latter within the planned payload capacity of a single Nova rocket, eliminating Earth-orbit assembly entirely. </p><p>The Aeronutronic engineers did not bother to determine the mass of a chemical Crocco spacecraft because they knew that it would be even greater than that of the nuclear Crocco spacecraft. They calculated, however, that the chemical symmetric spacecraft would have a mass of 350.5 tons (nearly twice that of the nuclear symmetric spacecraft) or 929.5 tons (nearly as much as the nuclear Crocco spacecraft), depending on the thrust capability of its rocket motor. The company thus selected the nuclear symmetric mission for more detailed study. </p><p>Aeronutronic envisioned a 156-foot-long, 33-foot-wide symmetric dual-planet flyby spacecraft with a single 18,300-pound NERVA engine capable of generating 50,000 pounds of thrust. A tungsten shield at the front of the drum-shaped NERVA reactor would create a radiation shadow that would encompass the crew modules during Earth-orbit departure. </p><p>The engine would need to operate for nearly 48 minutes to boost the spacecraft's speed by 5.3 kilometers per second and place it onto its symmetric trajectory. Aeronutronic identified the lengthy burn time as a possible show-stopper; available reactor materials, it explained, could not withstand such prolonged operation. Increasing thrust would reduce required burn time, but the company was not confident that a nuclear engine with more than 50,000 pounds of thrust could be developed in time for the July-August 1970 symmetric launch opportunity.</p><p>Two tank clusters would supply liquid hydrogen propellant to the NERVA engine. The first-stage cluster, which would contain 56.2 tons of propellant, would comprise a core propellant tank to which the NERVA engine would be mounted and six detachable "perimeter" tanks. After expending the first-stage propellant and discarding the perimeter tanks, the spacecraft would have a mass of 127.7 tons. </p><p>Eight second-stage tanks would then supply a total of 38.3 tons of liquid hydrogen to the NERVA engine. After it expended its second-stage propellant, the NERVA engine would detach along with the empty first-stage core tank. </p><p>The empty second-stage tanks, with a total mass of 5.2 tons, would be retained to shield the Aeronutronic flyby spacecraft's cylindrical central core from meteoroids. After NERVA engine/first-stage propellant separation, the spacecraft would have a mass of 76.7 tons and would measure about 78 feet long. </p><p>From aft to front, the core would comprise twin SNAP-8 nuclear-powered electricity sources, the spacecraft's navigational stable platform, a small compartment for weightless experimentation, and a 20-ton command center/solar flare radiation shelter clad in 50 centimeters of polyethylene plastic. Four tanks containing a total of 10.9 tons of chemical trajectory-correction propellants would surround the command center/shelter, providing additional shielding. A two-stage reentry braking propulsion module ("retro-pack") and the Earth-atmosphere reentry vehicle would be attached to the command center/shelter at the front of the spacecraft. </p><p>Earth-orbit departure completed, the six-man crew would reconfigure their spacecraft for the interplanetary voyage. The twin cylindrical living modules, each with an empty mass of 4.5 tons, would extend on hollow telescoping arms, and one SNAP-8 would deploy a radiator panel and begin generating electricity (the other would be held in reserve in case the first failed). The crew would then spin their spacecraft about its long axis at a rate of three revolutions per minute to create acceleration in the living modules which they would feel as gravity. Sixteen-meter-diameter dish antennas would unfurl from the aft end of both living modules to ensure continuous radio communication with Earth. Aeronutronic noted that, when the spacecraft was farthest from Earth, one-way radio-signal trip time would reach 22 minutes.</p><p>Based on experience with nuclear submarine crews, Aeronutronic allocated 750 cubic feet of living space to each astronaut, except inside the command center/radiation shelter, where it judged that 50 cubic feet per man would suffice. The twin living modules and command center/shelter would each have an independent life support system designed to recycle all air and water. The company estimated that life support mass would total 10.9 tons, of which food would make up nearly five tons. </p><p>The six-man crew would follow a complex schedule designed to combat boredom while providing adequate rest and recreation. Except for sleep, crew activities would occur in two-hour blocks. The crew would include a Commanding Officer, an Executive Officer, a Flight Surgeon, and three astronauts identified simply as "crew members." All six would take it in turns to serve as duty officer in the command center/shelter, maintenance and repair crewmember, and scientific activity crewmember. The Commanding Officer and Flight Surgeon would not, however, take part in hazardous repairs.</p><p>A symmetric dual-planet flyby mission departing Earth in the 16 July-19 August 1970 opportunity would fly first past Venus between 97 and 102 days after launch from Earth orbit. Departure at the start of the launch opportunity would yield the shortest trip time on each leg of the interplanetary voyage (and shortest total trip time - 611 days); departure at the end of the opportunity would yield the longest trip time on each leg (and longest total - 631 days). Earth-departure near the start of the opportunity would yield a Venus flyby distance of about 4890 miles; the corresponding figure for the end of the opportunity would be 7520 miles. </p><p>As the spacecraft approached Venus, the crew would fire the trajectory-correction motors, changing their speed by about 650 feet per second to ensure an on-target flyby. The spacecraft would carry enough course-correction propellants to change its velocity by a total of 2000 feet per second. </p><p>Citing a November 1961 report planetary astronomer Gérard de Vaucouleurs had prepared for the U.S. Air Force, Aeronutronic allotted 1000 pounds for scientific equipment for studying Venus and Mars. The company declined, however, to define a scientific payload for its spacecraft, arguing that the EMPIRE mission's science objectives at Mars and Venus would be shaped by results from NASA robotic spacecraft launched between 1962 and 1968. </p><p>The Mars flyby would occur between 191 and 199 days after the Venus flyby, at the mid-point of the symmetric mission. During Mars approach, the crew would perform a second trajectory-correction burn, changing their spacecraft's speed by 330 feet per second. Mars flyby distance would range from about 2740 miles for an Earth departure at the beginning of the July-August 1970 opportunity to 4220 miles for a departure at its end. </p><p>An EMPIRE ground rule was that the contractors should use Apollo hardware and techniques wherever feasible, though this was not strictly enforced. The conical Apollo Command Module (CM) with its bowl-shaped ablative heat shield was considered a prime candidate for use as EMPIRE's Earth-reentry vehicle, but Aeronutronic rejected it. </p><p>The company opted instead for a 14.75-ton lifting-body with a pointed nose and a two-stage chemical-propellant retro-pack. Aeronutronic had determined that the lifting-body shape was more tolerant of reentry errors – that is, that it would be less likely to burn up or skip off the atmosphere – than the Apollo capsule. The lifting-body would, Aeronutronic noted, also offer a broader choice of land landing or sea splashdown sites because of its improved ability to maneuver in the atmosphere.</p><p>Landing/splashdown site flexibility would become especially useful if an abort during Earth departure became necessary. Aeronutronic found that the retro-pack, intended to slow the reentry vehicle as it neared Earth at the end of the mission, could return the crew to Earth no later than 16.7 hours after Earth-orbital launch provided that an abort was initiated before the flyby spacecraft passed beyond about 12,000 miles from Earth. </p><p>If, however, the mission unfolded as planned, the astronauts would return to Earth between 312 and 343 days after passing Mars. Prior to reentry, they would perform the final trajectory-correction burn of the mission, changing their spacecraft's speed by about 360 feet per second. Shortly thereafter, the astronauts would strap into the Earth-reentry lifting-body and fire small solid-propellant rocket motors to separate it from the flyby spacecraft. The abandoned flyby spacecraft would subsequently swing past Earth and enter orbit around the Sun. </p><p>After properly orienting the Earth-reentry vehicle, the crew would ignite the two stages of its nose-mounted retro-pack in succession, steering the lifting-body toward its reentry corridor and reducing its reentry velocity by 2.8 kilometers per second to 13 kilometers per second. The stages would detach in turn as they expended their propellants. </p><p>During reentry, the hottest part of the vehicle would be its small pointed nose, which Aeronutronic expected would be actively cooled to prevent melting. A blowtorch-like plume of superheated plasma would trail from the nose beneath the lifting-body, but would not contact its concave underside. </p><p>The astronauts, who would recline facing away from the nose, would experience deceleration equal to 10 Earth gravities, which they would feel against their backs. After deceleration and descent into the lower atmosphere, the lifting-body would deploy parachutes and descend more or less vertically. </p><p>Aeronutronic provided a detailed development schedule and cost estimate for its nuclear symmetric dual-planet flyby mission. The company placed the mission's cost at $12.6 billion, or about half the projected Apollo Program cost. Cost savings would be due in large part to experience gained and hardware developed during Apollo. Peak funding year, with expenditures totaling about $3.5 billion, would be 1966. </p><p>Aeronutronic estimated that development of a 50,000-pound-thrust NERVA engine capable operating continuously for 60 minutes would need to begin on 1 January 1963 (that is, 10 days after the company completed its final report for MSFC FPO), as would development of the Earth-reentry lifting body. NERVA engines would be tested at the Nuclear Rocket Development Station (NRDS) at Jackass Flats, Nevada, beginning in mid-1965. Earth-reentry vehicles would be drop-tested over the dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base in California beginning in mid-1966 and would be flight-tested unmanned and manned using Saturn C-1 boosters beginning a year after that. </p><p>Flyby spacecraft development would begin in early 1964, shortly before crew selection and the start of Nova development. Beginning in mid-1967, Saturn C-5 rockets would launch three symmetric dual-planet flyby spacecraft without Earth-reentry vehicles into Earth orbit for testing. A total of 13 Nova rockets would be required for ground and flight testing between mid-1966 and late 1969. Of these, the first four would be Nova development flights and the last three would launch complete manned symmetric dual-planet flyby spacecraft into Earth orbit for testing and crew training. The fourteenth Nova, designated N9, would launch the mission spacecraft and crew into 300-kilometer-high Earth orbit on 15 July 1970, the day before the symmetric launch opportunity was set to begin.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 9: Son of EMPIRE:a 1964 study on interplanetary Apollo missions<br />Between August 1963 and November 1964, a 13-member team at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, conducted a detailed in-house study of Mars and Venus flyby missions. These would see a flyby spacecraft bearing a crew depart Earth orbit, coast past its target planet, and return to Earth. Only small course-correction maneuvers would be necessary after Earth-orbit departure.</p><p>The study, led by Harry O. Ruppe of the MSFC Future Projects Office (FPO), was a follow-on to the Early Manned Planetary-Interplanetary Roundtrip Expeditions (EMPIRE) study, which had lasted from May 1962 to February 1963. MSFC FPO had directed EMPIRE contractors Ford Aeronutronic, Lockheed, and General Dynamics to study manned Mars and Venus flyby and orbiter missions in the early 1970s as a means of justifying early development of nuclear-thermal rockets and launch vehicles more powerful than the Apollo Saturn V. MSFC FPO stressed these technologies in EMPIRE because MSFC was NASA's lead center for large rocket development and because it was involved in the joint NASA/Atomic Energy Commission nuclear propulsion program through the Reactor In-Flight Test (RIFT), which sought to launch a nuclear rocket into space in 1967.</p><p>The new manned planetary flyby study acknowledged changes in the advance planning environment within NASA. Whereas the EMPIRE contractors had been instructed to "attempt" to use Apollo hardware in their spacecraft designs – and had responded by designing all-new systems with little Apollo heritage – the MSFC in-house study adhered strictly to the rule that Apollo technology should be used everywhere possible. This reflected increasing restrictions placed on NASA advanced technology development by President John F. Kennedy and his successor, President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Expressed succinctly, NASA planners had begun to realize that a commitment to the goal of a man on the moon did not imply a commitment to the goal of a man on Mars.</p><p>The MSFC team declared, nevertheless, that it was "inconceivable" that the "tremendous" technology that NASA had developed for Apollo would not lead eventually to a manned Mars landing. It was simply a matter of which course NASA should follow to get there. An Earth-orbiting space station or a moonbase were 1970s goals that could use Apollo hardware and provide "training" for manned Mars landings; like Apollo, however, these would operate "within the Earth's 'sphere of activity.'" Manned Mars/Venus flybys in the mid-to-late 1970s, on the other hand, could be based on Apollo systems, yet would venture beyond the safe harbor of the Earth-moon system.</p><p>Little was known of Mars's atmosphere or surface conditions when Ruppe's engineers performed their study. A manned Mars flyby in the 1970s could, they argued, provide data they would need to design a 1980s Mars landing mission. They proposed that, in addition to exploring Mars closeup with remote-sensing instruments mounted on their spacecraft, flyby astronauts should serve as caretakers for a small armada of automated probes. These would include "landers, atmospheric floaters, skippers, orbiters, and possibly probes. . .to perform aerodynamic entry tests [of spacecraft] designs and materials."</p><p>Automated probes would need caretakers, the MSFC team believed, because they had had a checkered history. Mariner II had flown past Venus successfully in December 1962, near EMPIRE's end, confirming what astronomers had already begun to suspect: that the planet's dense clouds hid a hellish surface. The Ranger VII moon probe had returned images of southeast Oceanus Procellarum as it plunged toward planned destructive impact in July 1964, thereby providing engineers designing the Apollo Lunar Module lander with essential data on the moon's surface. Mariners I and III had, however, failed, as had the first six Rangers. Mariner IV had been launched toward Mars on 28 November 1964, as editing began on the Ruppe team's study report. As it saw print in February 1965, the 261-kilogram solar-powered robot remained healthy. It was, however, anyone's guess whether Mariner IV would survive until its planned Mars flyby in July 1965.</p><p>The MSFC engineers believed that "the major emphasis of the manned flyby-unmanned probe combination" should "be focused on assisting later [Mars] landing missions." Engineers who lacked data on Mars conditions would, they explained, have little choice but to design the Mars landing spacecraft for "worst conditions." This would tend to increase its mass and thus the number of costly booster rockets necessary to place its components into Earth orbit for assembly.</p><p><br />Conversely, adequate knowledge of Mars would enable engineers to cut costs by taking advantage of the conditions there. Of particular importance, they wrote, would be probes that would test propellant-saving aerodynamic braking maneuvers in the martian atmosphere and prospect for "usable indigenous materials. . .such as water" on Mars's surface. They estimated that, lacking adequate prior knowledge of Mars, the first manned landing mission "would probably transport 2 or 3 men to the surface of Mars for a few days. . .[at a cost of] a billion dollars per man-day on Mars." If on the other hand, "the physical properties of Mars were well known, we could think. . .of the first landing as a long-duration base, reducing cost to less than 10 million dollars per man-day."</p><p>The MSFC team consulted Ruppe's previously published launch opportunity tables to determine that several Mars and Venus flyby launch windows would open in the mid-to-late 1970s. Because Venus has a nearly circular orbit around the Sun, opportunities to reach it would vary little in terms of amount of energy required, mission duration, and Earth-return velocity (all critical factors in interplanetary mission design). Mars, on the other hand, has a noticeably eccentric (elliptical) orbit, which means that these factors vary considerably from one launch opportunity to the next. For their detailed analysis, the MSFC engineers opted for a "typical" Mars flyby that would leave Earth orbit in September 1975, and a corresponding "typical" Venus flyby that would depart Earth orbit in August 1978.</p><p>An "improved" two-stage variant of the Apollo Saturn V would serve as the manned flyby program's workhorse Earth-to-orbit booster. The first payload it would place into orbit for any flyby mission would be the 125-ton flyby spacecraft with a multipurpose "aft skirt assembly." Stacked atop the two-stage Saturn V and covered with a streamlined launch shroud, the flyby spacecraft/aft skirt assembly would outwardly resemble the Skylab Orbital Workshop, which was launched on a two-stage Saturn V in May 1973, eight years after Ruppe's team completed its study (image at top of post).</p><p>The three-stage Saturn V configured for Apollo moon flights stood 363 feet tall, while the two-stage Saturn V with Skylab on top measured 333.6 feet tall. The two-stage Saturn V with the flyby spacecraft/aft skirt assembly combination on top would stand 332 feet tall. Skylab measured 84.5 feet long at launch, while the flyby spacecraft/aft skirt assembly would measure 89 feet long with its launch shroud and 81.6 feet long in orbit, after its shroud completed its task and was discarded.</p><p><br />The MSFC engineers tapped as their rocket engine for course corrections the Apollo Lunar Module Descent Engine. It would draw hypergolic propellants (that is, fuel and oxidizer that ignite on contact with each other) from four spherical tanks. The tanks would be designed to hold enough propellants to change the flyby spacecraft's speed by 500 meters per second (mps). The 0.5-kilometer-per-second course change would need 26,272 pounds of propellants for the 1975 Mars flyby and 20,583 pounds for the 1978 Venus flyby.</p><p>A pair of 5000-pound "radioisotope power supply systems" would be mounted to the flyby spacecraft near the course-correction engine, well away from the spherical, 20-foot-diameter Lab/Crew Living area. During ascent to Earth orbit, these would remain folded inside the launch shroud. Some time after shroud separation, they would pivot outward to their flight positions and begin to make electricity.</p><p>The flyby spacecraft's pressurized Hangar would fill the space between the course-correction engine and the course-correction propellant tanks. The three-man flyby crew would reach the Hangar from their main living area via an airlock tube. The Hangar would contain at its center a modified Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM). The Ruppe team felt it necessary to cocoon the CSM within the Hangar to protect it from "micrometeoroids, outgassing, and other detrimental effects" of long space exposure.</p><p>The CSM warranted special protection for two reasons. First and foremost, it was the flyby crew's end-of-mission Earth-atmosphere reentry vehicle. The astronauts would ride in its conical Command Module (CM) and would use the Service Propulsion System (SPS) engine, a part of the Service Module (SM), to slow to Apollo lunar-return speed of 11 kilometers per second (kps) before they reached Earth's atmosphere. Cocooning the CSM in the Hangar would also limit the amount of costly redesign and retesting the CSM would need before it could be used for manned Mars/Venus flyby missions. The CM for flyby missions would lack a nose-mounted docking unit, but otherwise would closely resemble the Apollo lunar CM. It would, therefore, need no new testing beyond that required for lunar missions.</p><p>For Venus flybys, the SM also could remain unchanged. The Mars flyby SM, on the other hand, would approach Earth moving fast enough that its SPS engine would need to fire for up to 536 seconds longer than the Apollo lunar SPS and would burn up as much as 2790 pounds more propellants than the Apollo lunar SM could hold. The Mars flyby SM would thus need longer propellant tanks and either a redesigned SPS or a pair of conventional SPSs operating in tandem or in series. A new engine rated for a longer burn time was also a possibility, though that option would not be in keeping with the MSFC team's goal of reliance on Apollo hardware.</p><p>In addition to the Earth-atmosphere reentry CSM, the flyby spacecraft Hangar would house five tons of automated probes destined for release near the mission's target planet. As noted above, the astronauts' main job would be to ensure that the probes remained functional until they reached Mars or Venus. The crew would thus have available within the Hangar 1000 pounds of tools and supplies for servicing the probes. The MSFC engineers also placed in the Hangar an airlock for spacewalks and a stock of emergency life support provisions.</p><p>When not attending to their cargo of probes, the three flyby astronauts would live and work in the Lab/Crew Living Area, where they would breathe a half-oxygen, half-nitrogen atmosphere at a pressure of 10 pounds per square inch. The Lab/Crew Living Area and the Hangar could each be repressurized 12 times during a Mars flyby mission and eight times during a Venus flyby mission. Repressurization would occur in the event that a meteoroid punctured the spacecraft hull and Lab/Crew Living Area pressure vessel or after scheduled periodic air dumps that would purge the atmosphere of toxic trace gases outgassed from furnishings and equipment and generated by experiments and cooking. Each repressurization would need 1885 pounds of gases, bringing the total breathing gas carried to 22,650 pounds for the typical Mars flyby spacecraft and 15,050 pounds for the Venus flyby spacecraft. A system for recycling air between purges would have a mass of 1800 pounds on both the Mars and Venus flyby spacecraft.</p><p>The Ruppe team's engineers cited a study by the MSFC Research Projects Laboratory (RPL) when they rejected specialized radiation shielding for the flyby spacecraft's bottle-shaped emergency shelter (K). The RPL had found that solar flares powerful enough to harm flyby crews were unlikely to occur in the mid-to-late 1970s. In place of 1000 pounds of shielding, the MSFC team proposed a double-walled shelter with the crew's water supply stored between its inner and outer walls. Two 500-pound water reclamation systems (main and spare) would recycle cabin air moisture, wash water, and urine. Equipment and food would be arranged around the shelter's exterior to provide additional radiation protection. The crew would sleep inside the shelter to minimize their exposure to cosmic rays. In the event of fire, catastrophic pressure loss, or other emergency, the shelter, which would contain a duplicate set of spacecraft controls, could be sealed off from the rest of the flyby spacecraft.</p><p>The MSFC engineers calculated that building the flyby spacecraft so that it could spin to create artificial gravity would add 69,000 pounds to its total mass. The engineers rejected this approach in favor of providing a small centrifuge (L) capable of holding two astronauts at a time (one at either end). Support arms would attach the twin centrifuge gondolas to a motorized ring around the hatch leading into the emergency shelter.</p><p>The Lab/Crew Living Area would nestle in a bowl-shaped recess in the aft skirt assembly (O). At its front end, the aft skirt assembly would match the 22-foot diameter of the flyby spacecraft; at its aft end, it would match the 33-foot diameter of the S-II second stage of the Saturn V that would boost it and the flyby spacecraft into 185-kilometer-high Earth orbit. S-II separation would reveal twin RL-10 rendezvous and docking rocket motors (P) and a large socket-like docking structure (N) on the aft skirt assembly's aft end. At its front end, the aft skirt assembly would contain a ring-shaped, 22-foot-diameter Saturn V Instrument Unit (IU) (not shown). In addition to guiding the Saturn V carrying the flyby spacecraft during its ascent to Earth orbit, the IU would provide guidance control for Earth-orbital assembly maneuvers and for flyby spacecraft Earth-orbit departure.</p><p>The number of two-stage Saturn V rockets required to place into Earth orbit the flyby spacecraft, its S-IIB Orbital Launch Vehicle (OLV), and liquid oxygen (LOX) for the S-IIB OLV would depend on the amount of energy required to place the flyby spacecraft on course for its target planet. Even in the least demanding opportunities, Mars flybys would require more energy than Venus flybys, so would need more Saturn V rockets.</p><p>The MSFC engineers described in detail the assembly campaign for the Mars flyby mission that would leave Earth orbit in September 1975, during a launch opportunity lasting 28 days. The first two-stage Saturn V in the assembly campaign would lift off from one of the two Complex 39 Saturn V launch pads at Cape Kennedy, Florida, on 28 April 1975. If the Saturn V failed, a backup would lift off on 24 June 1975.</p><p>The next Saturn V in the series would launch on 28 June 1975, bearing the first of four LOX tankers to 185-kilometer orbit. The Ruppe team's tanker could transport about 95 tons of LOX. Three more successful tanker launches would be needed; these would occur on 6 July and 7 July and 3 September 1975. A single backup tanker would stand by in case of a tanker launch failure; if it were needed, it would launch on 6 September 1975.</p><p>With a Mars flyby spacecraft/aft skirt assembly and four LOX tankers safely orbiting the Earth, the sixth and last Saturn V would launch the S-IIB OLV into a 485-kilometer-high orbit on 13 September 1975. As its name implies, the S-IIB OLV would be a derivative of the Saturn V S-II second stage. Modifications would include deletion of two of its five J-2 engines and improved insulation to retard boil-off and escape of the roughly 80 tons of liquid hydrogen it would carry into orbit. The MSFC engineers expected that an S-IIB OLV could be developed that would retain enough liquid hydrogen for flyby spacecraft Earth-orbit departure 72 hours after its launch from Complex 39, but aimed for an Earth-orbit departure just 50 hours after S-IIB OLV launch.</p><p>Using the twin RL-10 engines in its aft skirt assembly, the unmanned flyby spacecraft would climb to a 485-kilometer circular orbit and rendezvous with the S-IIB OLV as soon as the latter was confirmed to be safely in orbit. It would then back up and dock with the S-IIB OLV. Next, the four LOX tankers would climb to 485-kilometer orbit and dock one at a time with the S-IIB OLV. Each would pump its cargo into the S-IIB OLV's LOX tank, then would undock and move away, clearing the way for the next in the series.</p><p>The astronauts would board the Mars flyby spacecraft 20 hours before planned launch from Earth orbit. If NASA had a space station in Earth orbit in 1975, they might board from that. An alternate plan would see the flyby astronauts reach their spacecraft on board an Apollo CSM launched from Earth on a Saturn IB rocket. After entering the flyby spacecraft and checking out its systems, they would cast off the CSM.</p><p>The S-IIB OLV's three J-2 engines would burn for about eight minutes on 26 September 1975 to push the flyby spacecraft/aft skirt assembly combination out of 485-kilometer Earth orbit and place it on course for Mars. The burn would add about five kps to its speed. After the flyby spacecraft/aft skirt assembly combination separated from the S-IIB, the RL-10 engines in the aft skirt assembly would be used to fine-tune the flyby spacecraft's course. The aft skirt assembly, its work done, could then be cast off or retained for at least part of the mission to provide additional radiation/meteoroid shielding for the Lab/Crew Living Area.</p><p>Ruppe's team provided an example heliocentric orbital plot for a manned Mars flyby mission leaving Earth on 26 September 1975. The dashed line on the plot represents the flyby spacecraft's path around the Sun. Flight to Mars would require 130 days. Halfway to Mars, on 30 November 1975, the crew would adjust their spacecraft's course using the course-correction engine. The MSFC engineers budgeted enough propellants for the first midcourse burn to change the flyby spacecraft's speed by 150 mps. The crew would eject "consumed life support" (that is, body and food waste, saturated absorbent charcoal, used filters, and other trash) shortly before the course-correction burn so that it would continue on the flyby spacecraft's original course and not intersect Mars.</p><p>Mars flyby would occur on 3 February 1976, when Mars and the flyby spacecraft were 0.86 Astronomical Units (AU) – that is, 0.86 times the Earth-Sun distance – from Earth. The flyby spacecraft would approach Mars's day side, reaching a distance of 200,000 kilometers from the planet's center 6.5 hours before closest approach. It would pass 792 kilometers from Mars's surface moving at about 11 kps relative to the planet, then would retreat from Mars's night side. During approach to the planet, the astronauts would release 2.5 tons of robot probes and carry out continuous observations. Near closest approach, they would ignite the course-correction engine a second time.</p><p>During retreat from Mars, the astronauts would release the remaining 2.5 tons of probes. While the flyby spacecraft remained close to Mars, it would relay data from the probes to Earth at a high data rate. The flyby spacecraft would, however, spend only one hour within 18,250 kilometers of Mars's center. Five and a half hours after closest approach, it would pass beyond 164,000 kilometers from the planet's center, and shortly after that the Mars probes would switch to direct transmission to Earth at a low data rate. The crew would then begin a grueling 539-day journey home.</p><p>A few weeks later, the crew would become the first humans to enter the Asteroid Belt. Maximum distance from Earth (3.21 AU) would be attained on September 13, 1976, about one year into their mission. At about the same time, Earth would move behind the Sun as viewed from the flyby spacecraft. The crew would then perform the mission's final course-correction burn, changing their spacecraft's speed by up to 200 mps.</p><p>The flyby spacecraft would pass inside of Mars orbit on 31 May 1977 at a distance of 0.353 AU from Earth. Over the following two months, it would gradually catch up with the homeworld. On 19 July 1977, six days before planned Earth atmosphere reentry, the crew would transfer to the modified Apollo CSM in the Hangar and check out its systems. Two days before reentry, the CSM would emerge from its cocoon and abandon the flyby spacecraft. On 25 July, with Earth looming outside its small windows, the crew would turn the CSM so that its engine or engines pointed in its direction of flight. A burn lasting up to 19.4 minutes would reduce the CSM's speed from up to 15.8 kps to Apollo lunar-return speed of 11 kps, then the conical CM would detach and, using small rocket motors, orient its bowl-shaped heat shield for reentry. Minutes later, the CM would deploy three parachutes and lower gently into the ocean.</p><p>The Ruppe team also prepared an orbital plot for the Venus flyby mission departing Earth in August 1978. A shortened S-IIB OLV would add about 3.8 kps to the Venus flyby spacecraft's speed. The mission would be of shorter duration than the Mars mission – only one year – with Venus flyby occurring low over the planet's day side on 11 December 1978. The spacecraft would attain its greatest distance from Earth – 0.674 AU – on 15 April 1979. After leaving the Hangar, the CSM's main engine would trim about 2.6 kps from its Earth-approach speed. Reentry and splashdown would occur on 16 August 1979.</p><p>The MSFC engineers outlined a hardware development schedule based (inexplicably) on a Venus flyby in late 1975 and a Mars flyby in 1978 (that is, the exact reverse of the program detailed in their report). They also estimated the probable cost of the flyby program. They assumed that no new-start funding for the program would become available in NASA's budget before Fiscal Year (FY) 1969, after the first successful Apollo lunar landing, which in 1965 was scheduled to take place during early 1968. Detailed flyby program planning would begin in mid-1968 and last a year.</p><p>LOX tanker, flyby spacecraft, and interplanetary avionics development would commence in the last quarter of 1968. LOX tanker development, at a cost of $380 million, would be completed in late 1974. A pair of LOX tanker flight tests would launch on two-stage Saturn V rockets in 1973 and mid-1974. A flyby spacecraft development test unit would reach Earth orbit on a two-stage Saturn V in 1974; among other things, it would be used for crew training. The flyby spacecraft would cost more to develop than any other hardware element ($1.563 billion). Avionics development (total cost: $325 million) would include a Saturn IB-launched flight test.</p><p>S-IIB OLV development (total cost: $425 million) would start in late 1969 and conclude in 1974. S-IIB OLV flight tests would take place in 1973-1974. Apollo SM modifications (total cost: $115 milion) would begin in mid-1970 and end in 1974, and aft skirt assembly development (total cost: $165 million) would span late 1970 through early 1975. An aft skirt assembly flight test using a Saturn IB launch vehicle would take place in 1974.</p><p>Science probe development for the 1975 Venus flyby would begin in mid-1970 and continue through the last quarter of 1975. Mars probe development would start in the last quarter of 1973 and run through 1977. Probe development would cost $220 million for each mission.</p><p>The MSFC engineers based their operational cost estimates on learning curves developed through the many Saturn V and Saturn IB launches that they expected would occur by the mid-1970s. They estimated that 62 three-stage and two-stage Saturn Vs would be launched prior to the first Venus flyby Saturn V launch, so that each Saturn V for the Venus flyby would cost $70 million. Fifty-two Saturn IB launches would take place before the first Venus flyby Saturn IB launch, leading to a cost of $22 million per Venus flyby Saturn IB. They assumed that 70 Apollo CSMs would have flown before the first Venus flyby CSM, leading to a Venus flyby CSM cost of $72 million.</p><p>For the 1978 Mars flyby, the MSFC engineers assumed that NASA would already have launched 98 three-stage and two-stage Saturn V rockets by the time the first Mars flyby Saturn V lifted off, reducing the cost per Mars flyby Saturn V to only $65 million. Seventy Saturn IB launches would have taken place, reducing the cost for each Mars flyby Saturn IB to $20 million. One hundred CSMs would have flown ahead of the first Mars flyby CSM, reducing the flyby CSM cost to $69 million.</p><p>Design and development cost would peak in FY 1972 at $895 million. Operational cost would peak at $497 million in FY 1974. The peak funding year for the program would be FY 1973, when operational and development costs would total $1.222 billion. Development costs would total $3.75 billion between FY 1969 and FY 1978. Operational costs would total $2.671 billion between FY 1971 and FY 1978. The entire piloted flyby program would thus cost $6.421 billion. The MSFC team estimated that, by providing data to engineers, the flyby program would reduce by about $4 billion the cost of a follow-on Mars landing mission.</p><p> </p><p>Chapter 10: The space shuttle flight manifest for October 1977<br />Soon after President Richard Nixon gave his blessing to the Space Shuttle Program on 5 January 1972, NASA scheduled its first orbital flight for 1977, then for March 1978. By early 1975, the date had slipped to March 1979. Funding shortfalls were to blame, as were the daunting engineering challenges of developing the world's first reusable orbital spaceship based on 1970s technology. The schedule slip was actually worse than NASA let on: as early as 31 January 1975, an internal NASA document (marked "sensitive") gave a "90% probability date" for the first Shuttle launch of December 1979.</p><p>In October 1977, Chester Lee, director of Space Transportation System (STS) Operations at NASA Headquarters, distributed the first edition of the STS Flight Assignment Baseline, a launch schedule and payload manifest for the first 16 operational Shuttle missions. The document was in keeping with NASA's stated philosophy that reusable Shuttle Orbiters would fly on-time and often, like a fleet of cargo airplanes. The STS Utilization and Operations Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston had prepared the document, which was meant to be revised quarterly as new customers chose the Space Shuttle as their cheap and reliable ride to space.</p><p>The JSC planners assumed that six Orbital Flight Test (OFT) missions would precede the first operational Shuttle flight. The OFT flights would see two-man crews (Commander and Pilot) put Orbiter Vehicle (OV)-102 through its paces in low-Earth orbit. The planners did not include the OFT schedule in their document, but the 30 May 1980 launch date for their first operational Shuttle mission suggests that they based their flight schedule on the March 1979 first OFT launch date.</p><p>The first operational Space Shuttle mission, Flight 7 (30 May-3 June 1980), would see Columbia climb to a 225-nautical-mile (n-mi) orbit inclined 28.5° relative to Earth's equator (unless otherwise stated, all orbits are inclined at 28.5°, the latitude of Kennedy Space Center in Florida). The delta-winged Orbiter would carry a three-person crew in its two-deck crew compartment and the bus-sized Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) in its 15-foot-wide, 60-foot-long payload bay.</p><p>Columbia would also carry a "payload of opportunity" - that is, an unspecified payload. The presence of a payload of opportunity meant that the flight had available excess payload weight capacity. Payload mass up would total 27,925 pounds. Payload mass down after the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm hoisted LDEF out of Columbia's payload bay and released it into orbit would total 9080 pounds.</p><p>During Flight 8 (1-3 July 1980), Columbia would orbit 160 n mi above the Earth. Three astronauts would release two satellites and their solid-propellant rocket stages: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-A (TDRS-A) with a two-stage Interim Upper Stage (IUS) and the Satellite Business Systems-A (SBS-A) commercial communications satellite on a Spinning Solid Upper Stage-Delta-class (SSUS-D).</p><p>Prior to release, the crew would spin the SBS-A satellite about its long axis on a turntable to create gyroscopic stability and raise TDRS-A on a tilt-table. After release, their respective solid-propellant stages would propel them to their assigned slots in geostationary orbit (GEO), 19,323 n mi above the equator. Payload mass up would total 51,243 pounds; mass down, 8912 pounds, most of which would comprise reusable restraint and deployment hardware for the satellites.</p><p>The TDRS system, which would include three operational satellites and an orbiting spare, was meant to trim costs and improve communications coverage by replacing most of the ground-based Manned Space Flight Network (MSFN). Previous U.S. piloted missions had relied on MSFN ground stations to relay communications to and from the Mission Control Center (MCC) in Houston. Because spacecraft in low-Earth orbit could remain in range of a given ground station for only a few minutes at a time, astronauts were frequently out of contact with the MCC.</p><p>On Flight 9 (1-6 August 1980), Columbia would climb to a 160-n-mi orbit. Three astronauts would deploy GOES-D, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellite, and Anik-C/1, a Canadian communications satellite. Before release, the crew would raise the NOAA satellite and its SSUS-Atlas-class (SSUS-A) rocket stage on the tilt-table and spin up the Anik-C/1-SSUS-D combination on the turntable. In addition to the two named satellites, NASA JSC planners reckoned that Columbia could carry a 14,000-pound payload of opportunity. Payload mass up would total 36,017 pounds; mass down, 21,116 pounds.</p><p>Following Flight 9, NASA would withdraw Columbia from service for 12 weeks to permit conversion from OFT configuration to operational configuration. The JSC planners explained that the conversion would be deferred until after Flight 9 to ensure an on-time first operational flight and to save time by combining it with Columbia's preparations for the first Spacelab mission on Flight 11. The switch from OFT to operational configuration would entail removal of Development Flight Instrumentation (sensors for monitoring Orbiter systems and performance); replacement of Commander and Pilot ejection seats on the crew compartment upper deck (the flight deck) with fixed seats; power system upgrades; and installation of an airlock on the crew compartment lower deck (the mid-deck).</p><p>Flight 10 (14-16 November 1980) would be a near-copy of Flight 8. A three-person Columbia crew would deploy TDRS-B/IUS and SBS-B/SSUS-D into a 160-n-mi-high orbit. The rocket stages would then boost the satellites to GEO. Cargo mass up would total 53,744 pounds; mass down, 11,443 pounds.</p><p>Flight 11 (18-25 December 1980) would see the orbital debut of Spacelab. Columbia would orbit Earth 160 n mi high at 57° of inclination. NASA and the multinational European Space Research Organization (ESRO) agreed in August 1973 that Europe should develop and manufacture Spacelab pressurized modules and unpressurized pallets for use in the Space Shuttle Program. Initially dubbed the "sortie lab," Spacelab would operate only in the Orbiter's payload bay; it was not intended as an independent space station, though many hoped that it would help to demonstrate that an Earth-orbiting station could be useful.</p><p>ESRO merged with the European Launcher Development Organization in 1975 to form the European Space Agency (ESA). Columbia's five-person crew for Flight 11 would probably include scientists and at least one astronaut from an ESA member country.</p><p>Flight 12 (30 January-1 February 1981), a near-copy of Flights 8 and 10, would see Columbia's three-person crew deploy TDRS-C/IUS and Anik-C/2/SSUS-D into 160-n-mi-high orbit. Payload mass up would total 53,744 pounds; mass down, 11,443 pounds.</p><p>JSC planners inserted an optional "Flight 12 Alternate" (30 January-4 February 1981) into their schedule which, if flown, would replace Flight 12. Columbia would orbit 160 n mi above the Earth. Its three-person crew would deploy Anik-C/2 on a SSUS-D stage. The mission's main purpose, however, would be to create a backup launch opportunity for an Intelsat V-class satellite already scheduled for launch on a U.S. Atlas-Centaur or European Ariane I rocket. An SSUS-A stage would boost the Intelsat V from Shuttle orbit to GEO.</p><p>NASA JSC assumed that, besides the satellites, stages, and their support hardware, Columbia would for Flight 12 Alternate carry an attached payload of opportunity that would need to operate in space for five days to provide useful data (hence the mission's planned duration). Payload mass up would total 37,067 pounds; mass down, 17,347 pounds.</p><p>Flight 13 (3-8 March 1981) would see three astronauts on board Columbia release NOAA's GOES-E satellite attached to an SSUS-D stage into a 160-n-mi-high orbit. OV-102 would have room for two payloads of opportunity: one attached at the front of the payload bay and one deployed from a turntable aft of the GOES-E/SSUS-D combination. Payload mass up would total 38,549 pounds; mass down, 23,647 pounds.</p><p>Flight 14 would last 12 days, making it the longest described in the STS Flight Assignment Baseline document. Scheduled for launch on 7 April 1981, it would carry a "train" of four unpressurized Spacelab experiment pallets and an "Igloo," a small pressurized compartment for pallet support equipment. The Igloo, though pressurized, would not be accessible to the five-person crew. OV-102 would orbit 225 n mi high at an inclination of 57°. Mass up would total 31,833 pounds; mass down, 28,450 pounds.</p><p>Flight 15 (13-15 May 1981) would be a near-copy of Flights 8, 10, and 12. OV-102 would transport to orbit a payload totaling 53,744 pounds; payload mass down would total 11,443 pounds. The JSC planners noted the possibility that none of the potential payloads for Flight 15 – TDRS-D and SBS-C or Anik-C/3 – would need to be launched as early as May 1981. TDRS-D was meant as an orbiting spare; if the first three TDRS operated as planned, its launch could be postponed. Likewise, SBS-C and Anik-C/3 were each a backup for the previously launched satellites in their series.</p><p>Flight 16 (16-23 June 1981) would be a five-person Spacelab pressurized module flight aboard OV-102 in 160-n-mi-high orbit. Payloads of opportunity totaling about 18,000 pounds might accompany the Spacelab module; for planning purposes, a satellite and SSUS-D on a turntable behind the module was assumed. Payload mass up would total 35,676 pounds; mass down, 27,995 pounds.</p><p>Flight 17, scheduled for 16-20 July 1981, would see the space debut of Enterprise and the retrieval of the LDEF released during Flight 7. OV-101 would climb to a roughly 200-n-mi-high orbit (LDEF's altitude after 13.5 months of orbital decay would determine the mission's precise altitude).</p><p>Before rendezvous with LDEF, Flight 17's three-man crew would release an Intelsat V/SSUS-A and a satellite payload of opportunity. After the satellites were sent on their way, the astronauts would pilot Enterprise to a rendezvous with LDEF, snare it with the RMS, and secure it in the payload bay. Mass up would total 26,564 pounds; mass down, 26,369 pounds.</p><p>For Flight 18 (29 July-5 August 1981), Columbia would carry to a 160-n-mi-high orbit a Spacelab pallet dedicated to materials processing in the vacuum and microgravity of space. The three-person flight might also include the first acknowledged Department of Defense (DOD) payload of the Space Shuttle Program, a U.S. Air Force pallet designated STP-P80-1. JSC called the payload "Planned" rather than "Firm" and noted somewhat cryptically that it was the Teal Ruby experiment "accommodated from OFT [Orbital Flight Test]." The presence of the Earth-directed Teal Ruby sensor payload would account for Flight 18's planned 57° orbital inclination, which would take it over most of Earth's densely populated areas. Payload mass up might total 32,548 pounds; mass down, 23,827 pounds.</p><p>Flight 19 (2-9 September 1981) would see five Spacelab experiment pallets fill Columbia's payload bay. Five astronauts would operate the experiments, which would emphasize physics and astronomy. The Orbiter would circle Earth in a 216-n-mi-high orbit. Payload mass up would total 29,214 pounds; mass down, 27,522 pounds.</p><p>Flight 20 (30 September-6 October 1981), the second Enterprise mission, would see five astronauts conduct life science and astronomy experiments in a 216-n-mi-high orbit using a Spacelab pressurized module and an unpressurized pallet. JSC planners acknowledged that the mission's down payload mass (34,248 pounds) might be "excessive," but noted that their estimate was "based on preliminary payload data." Mass up would total 37,065 pounds.</p><p>On Flight 21, scheduled for launch on 14 October 1981, Columbia would carry the first Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) Kit at the aft end of its payload bay. The OMS Kit would carry enough supplemental propellants for the Orbiter's twin rear-mounted OMS engines to perform a velocity change of 500 feet per second. This would enable OV-102 to rendezvous with and retrieve the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite in a 300-n-mi-high orbit.</p><p>Three astronauts would fly the five-day mission, which would attain the highest orbital altitude of any flight in the STS Flight Assignment Baseline document. JSC planners noted that the Multi Mission Modular Spacecraft (MMS) support hardware meant to carry SMM back to Earth could also transport an MMS-type satellite into orbit. Payload mass up would total 37,145 pounds; mass down, 23,433 pounds.</p><p>On Flight 22 (25 November-2 December 1981), Enterprise might carry an ESA-sponsored Spacelab mission with a five-person crew, a pressurized lab module, and a pallet to a 155-to-177-n-mi orbit inclined at 57°. Payload mass up might total 34,031 pounds; mass down, 32,339 pounds.</p><p>During Flight 23 (5-6 January 1982), the last described in the STS Flight Assignment Baseline document, three astronauts would deploy into a 150-to-160-n-mi-high orbit the Jupiter Orbiter and Probe (JOP) spacecraft on a stack of three IUSs. President Jimmy Carter had requested new-start funds for JOP in his Fiscal Year 1978 NASA budget, which had taken effect on 1 October 1977. Because JOP was so new when they prepared their document, JSC planners declined to estimate up/down payload masses.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Chapter 11: NASA’s 1967 plan for the early Apollo missions<br />The Apollo Applications Project’s main stated aim was to gather scientific knowledge in space for the benefit of people on Earth. The program mainly sought to modify Apollo spacecraft and Saturn rockets to do things other than reach for the moon, but also aimed to enhance NASA's lunar exploration capability. The Command and Service Module (CSM) spacecraft and the two-stage Saturn IB rocket were envisioned as the AAP workhorse vehicles, though the Lunar Module (LM) and the giant Saturn V rocket would also play important roles.</p><p>Though Mueller did not say as much, AAP's conceptual roots went back nearly to the Apollo Program’s birth. In April 1963, for example, less than two years after President John F. Kennedy made landing a man on the moon a national priority, NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas, contracted with CSM spacecraft prime contractor North American Aviation (NAA) to study how the spacecraft might be converted into a six-man transport for Earth-orbital space station crew rotation and logistics resupply.</p><p>The AAP press conference followed NASA's Fiscal Year (FY) 1968 budget briefing on 23 January, during which NASA Administrator James Webb and Deputy Administrator Robert Seamans told reporters that President Lyndon Baines Johnson had authorized NASA to seek a total of $454.7 million for AAP in FY 1968. Despite the fact that it had existed for nearly two years as a formal program, most reporters present at the budget briefing knew little of AAP, so they prevailed upon the space agency to provide more information. The 26 January press conference was NASA's response.</p><p>Among the few space-savvy members of the press corps, the Johnson Administration's evident enthusiasm for AAP piqued interest. The White House had, after all, sought $270 million for AAP in FY 1967, only to see Congress appropriate just $80 million. Leaders in Congress had cited the escalating cost of war in Indochina when they slashed the President's FY 1967 AAP request. That President Johnson would expend political capital on the program for a second year in a row – and ask for almost double the sum he had been refused the previous year – indicated strong Executive Branch support for AAP.</p><p>When reporters arrived at NASA Headquarters for the press conference late in the afternoon on 26 January, they found on their seats a 10-page packet of detailed information on AAP. Mueller told the assembled reporters that the time was ripe for starting AAP. "By the end of this year," he declared, "we will have flown men on at least two of the Saturn V launch vehicles, and we will have tested both the [LM] and the [CSM]." He did not need to tell the reporters that the first piloted flight of the Apollo Program, designated Apollo 1 or AS-204, was scheduled for launch on 21 February, a little more than three weeks after the AAP press conference. Apollo 1 was planned as a 14-day Earth-orbital test of the Apollo CSM launched on a Saturn IB rocket.</p><p>Mueller reminded his audience that NASA had ordered 12 Saturn IB rockets and 15 Saturn Vs for the Apollo lunar program. He expected that fewer than that would be needed to reach the goal of a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s decade. It was from the surplus that the two-stage Saturn IB rockets needed for the first AAP missions would be drawn. As soon as the Apollo Program was finished with Earth-orbital test missions launched on Saturn IBs, AAP missions could begin. In fact, Mueller saw no reason why AAP Saturn IB-launched Earth-orbital missions and Apollo Saturn V-launched moon missions could not occur simultaneously.</p><p>"Assuming that everything goes perfectly well in the Apollo Program," Mueller told the reporters, by late 1968 or early 1969 NASA could have in 275-nautical-mile-high Earth orbit "an embryonic space station or the first step toward a space station. . .with the capability of reuse and resupply." The station might operate for more than three years before Earth's thin upper atmosphere dragged it down from orbit.</p><p>NASA did not have firm plans for staffing the AAP station throughout its time in orbit, Mueller explained. He declared, however, that the four missions required to establish the planned initial AAP capability constituted "a program that is firm, and is proceeding."</p><p>The first of the four "firm" missions, designated AAP-1, would begin with the launch of a Saturn IB rocket with a piloted CSM on top. Upon attaining orbit, the three-man crew would turn their spacecraft end-for-end and dock with a prototype Mapping & Survey System (M & SS) module stored in the Saturn Launch Adapter (SLA), the segmented, streamlined shroud that during ascent to orbit linked the bottom of the CSM with the top of the Saturn IB's S-IVB second stage. During an independent flight period lasting about a week, the AAP-1 crew would use the M & SS to record data on the oceans, landmasses, and atmosphere for the benefit of people on Earth.</p><p>Four or five days after the AAP-1 astronauts began their program of Earth observations, NASA would launch the unmanned AAP-2 Saturn IB with an SLA with a conical aerodynamic shroud on top in place of a CSM. The rocket would resemble the one in the image at the top of this post. The SLA and conical shroud would cover an airlock and a docking adapter with five ports. Charles Mathews, who had headed up MSC's Gemini Program Office before becoming NASA Headquarters AAP Director, added that the airlock would include a Gemini spacecraft hatch for exiting the station to perform spacewalks.</p><p>The AAP-2 S-IVB stage would inject itself, the SLA, the airlock, and the docking adapter into its 275-nautical-mile-high operational orbit using its single J-2 engine, then flight controllers would command the spent stage to "passivate" itself. Their command would open vents in the S-IVB stage tanks and engine to exhaust into space all liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer remaining on board. In answer to a reporter's request for more detail, Mueller added that small spherical helium tanks bolted to the lining of the 21-foot-diameter, 10,000-cubic-foot liquid hydrogen tank would also be vented – the inert helium was on board to pressurize the liquid hydrogen tank, forcing propellants into the J-2 engine – and that the stage would automatically "disconnect the various electrical things that might cause a problem."</p><p>The S-IVB stage would also deploy electricity-generating solar arrays from two of its four folded-back SLA shroud segments and a meteoroid shield that would stand several inches off the skin of the two-thirds of the S-IVB stage that contained the liquid hydrogen tank. The shield, a thin layer of metal, would break up any micrometeoroids that might hit it, preventing them from penetrating the stage skin and liquid hydrogen tank within.</p><p><br />The AAP-1 CSM would rendezvous with the AAP-2 spent-stage station and dock the M & SS with one of the docking adapter's four radial ("side") ports. It would then undock from the M & SS and dock with the docking adapter's axial ("front") docking port.</p><p>The AAP-1 astronauts would enter the 65-inch-diameter, 1000-cubic-foot docking module, where would be packed furnishings for outfitting the interior of the liquid hydrogen tank. Before they could deploy the furnishings (a process that would need three or four days), they would use controls in the airlock to close the vents in the liquid hydrogen tank and fill it with a mixture of three-fifths oxygen and two-fifths nitrogen at five pounds per square inch of pressure. Gaseous oxygen and nitrogen for pressurizing the liquid hydrogen tank would reach orbit in tanks bolted to the outside of the airlock module.</p><p>Mueller likened putting the furnishings packed in the docking adapter into the liquid hydrogen tank to "building a ship in a bottle." The astronauts would open a 43-inch-diameter hatch leading into the tank. The tank's interior would be modified during manufacture to include tie-downs and attachment points for installation of galley, hygiene, exercise, sleep, and experiment equipment, as well as lights and ventilation ducts and fans.</p><p>Though illustrations he displayed during the press conference showed pre-installed walls and grillwork floors, Mueller told a reporter that "I don't know that we will want to put additional things [besides the tie-downs and attachment points] inside" the liquid hydrogen tank. If the decision were taken to minimize tank modifications, then the astronauts would string fabric floors and walls within the tank, he explained. A "rope" running the length of the tank would aid mobility. He added that he was "sure that we will use liberal amounts of velcro."</p><p>Mueller was quick to note that few experiments had been officially manifested for any AAP flight; some of the $454.7 million the White House had requested for AAP in FY 1968 would go toward new experiment development. There were, for example, no biology experiments yet approved, though seven medical experiments were on track for flight. NASA also expected to include Defense Department experiments that would focus on "how to work in space" and test "jet shoes." Mueller likened them to "roller skates with gas jets on them."</p><p>He explained that experiment packages scheduled specifically for the AAP-1/AAP-2 mission would, among other things, aim to "find out what happens to the flammability of materials, how they actually burn when you have a combination of oxygen and nitrogen and. . .zero gravity." In addition, the astronauts would continue to use the M & SS for Earth observations, and would test a combination sleep/space suit-donning station.</p><p>The AAP-1 astronauts' stay on board the AAP-2 spent-stage station was scheduled to last for about 28 days, or twice as long as Gemini 7 (4-18 December 1965), which at the time of the 26 January press conference was the world record-holder for piloted space mission duration. As the AAP-1/AAP-2 mission drew to a close, the crew would shut off experiments and station systems and undock in their CSM. They would then ignite the CSM's Service Propulsion System main engine to deorbit, cast off the Service Module (SM), reenter the atmosphere, deploy parachutes, and splash down at sea in the conical Command Module (CM).</p><p>Between three and six months later – no later than mid-1969 – NASA would launch the AAP-3 mission to the AAP-2 station. A piloted CSM loaded up with supplies would ride a Saturn IB to orbit. One day after the AAP-3 launch, NASA would launch the unmanned AAP-4 Saturn IB bearing beneath its SLA and conical shroud the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM). The ATM was envisioned as a modified Apollo LM with solar arrays and solar observatory instruments in place of descent and ascent engines and landing legs.</p><p>The AAP-3 CSM would dock with the ATM, withdraw it from the top of the AAP-4 Saturn IB S-IVB stage, and transport it to the AAP-2 station. An astronaut would then board the ATM, undock from the CSM, and, using the ascent stage attitude control thruster quads for propulsion, pilot it to a docking at one of the station's docking module radial ports. The CSM would stand by until ATM docking was successfully completed, then would dock at the station's axial port. The ATM would then deploy solar arrays, which would provide it with electricity.</p><p>Mueller explained that the ATM was scheduled for launch in 1969 because the Sun's 11-year cycle of activity would peak in that year. The ATM would, he told the reporters, carry "the most comprehensive array of instruments that has ever been assembled for observing the Sun." An astronaut at the ATM control panels in the modified LM ascent stage would keep a constant vigil on the Sun, and would rapidly direct the instruments toward interesting phenomena as they appeared. The ATM might operate at the end of a tether attached to the docking adapter to minimize the effects on the quality of the data it collected of astronaut movements inside the spent-stage station.</p><p>Of course, the chief benefit of the ATM would be scientifically important but essentially abstract knowledge about the structure and behavior of the Sun. AAP was, however, meant to bring benefits of space to people on Earth, so Mueller opined that a better understanding of the Sun would "have marked benefits on our own understanding of how to generate and control energy here on Earth."</p><p>The AAP-3 crew would seek to double the AAP-1 crew's stay-time in space, setting a new record for space endurance of 56 days. In addition to operating the ATM, they would continue many of the experiments begun by the AAP-1 astronauts.</p><p>Mueller then described AAP payloads, missions, and capabilities that would begin to be developed if Congress voted to provide the funding for AAP that the White House had requested for FY 1968. In answer to a reporter's question, he explained that the AAP-2 spent-stage station would remain at the center of the program's Earth-orbital activity "until something fails," at which time NASA would launch a fresh spent-stage station.</p><p>Reusability would be a hallmark of AAP, Mueller explained. The term “reusability� had at least two meanings in the program. On the one hand, it meant that for as long as they could function, the AAP stations would host new crews and instrument payloads. On the other, it meant that certain hardware elements – in particular the Apollo CM – would be redesigned for refurbishment and multiple flights. Both approaches to reusability aimed to cut costs.</p><p>Mueller called the Apollo CM "one of the most expensive elements of the space vehicle." He described for reporters an uprated CM for later AAP flights that would touch down on land, not splash down at sea. "Since we don't dunk it in salt water at the end of the flight," he explained, "we don't then have quite the same corrosion problem. . .that we do with those [CM]s that are water landed."</p><p>Landing the CM on solid ground would, Mueller noted, also help NASA to double its normal three-person crew complement. Steerable parachutes and view screens would enable the crew to pilot their CM to a predetermined landing zone; then, five or 10 feet above the ground, retrorockets behind the heat shield would ignite, slowing the CM to a touchdown speed of three or four feet per second. Normal Apollo splashdown speed was, Mueller explained, 10 or 20 feet per second; reducing that velocity meant that shock-absorbing struts supporting the CM crew couches would not stroke very much to absorb landing shock, so would not need as much empty space behind them as in the baseline CM. This would enable NAA contractor engineers to install a new row of three couches behind the existing three Apollo CM couches.</p><p>Mueller then described three "payload packages" that might be added to AAP stations if funding allowed. AAP-A was a "Meteorology Payload Package" with 14 experiments which would, it was hoped, reach orbit on a Saturn IB in mid-1969. AAP-B, the "Earth Resources Payload Package" with 12 experiments on board, would follow in mid-1970. By then, Mueller told his audience, a three-man crew might live on board an AAP station for an entire year.</p><p>The "Manned Photographic Telescope," an ultraviolet telescope with a meter-wide aperture, might be docked to an AAP station in a high-Earth orbit, Mueller explained, in order to permit observation periods longer than were possible in the AAP-2 station's low orbit. A station high above Earth would need more time to complete an orbit, thus potentially permitting continuous observation of an astronomical target over the space of hours. The AAP-2 station, by contrast, would circle Earth in about 90 minutes, enabling less than 45 minutes of observation before the target dropped out of sight below Earth's horizon.</p><p>Placing an AAP station in high-Earth orbit would demand a more powerful launcher than the Saturn IB; specifically, the Saturn V. The S-IVB stage that formed the second stage of the Saturn IB served also as the Saturn V third stage, so could be put to use as an AAP spent-stage station in high-Earth orbit with only modest modifications.</p><p><br />The Manned Photographic Telescope was scheduled for launch in 1971-1972, so there was a good chance that other Saturn V-launched AAP missions might precede it. AAP planners expected that, after a series of Early Apollo lunar landing missions starting around the end of 1968, Saturn V-launched AAP lunar missions would take over. Early Apollo missions would spend up to 36 hours on the lunar surface and support 1000-foot moonwalks; AAP lunar missions might last 14 days and support traverses up to 15 miles from base camp.</p><p>Mueller expected that each AAP lunar mission would need two Saturn Vs; one to launch a CSM/LM Shelter combination and one to launch a CSM/LM Taxi combination. The Shelter, which would land at the candidate landing site without a crew, would house the two astronauts who arrived later in the Taxi.</p><p>The LM Taxi would be designed to park on the lunar surface, its major systems shut down, for 14 days, then "wake up" so that the astronauts could lift off in its Ascent Stage to rejoin the CSM Pilot in lunar orbit. Outwardly the Taxi would resemble the Apollo LM.</p><p>The LM Shelter, on the other hand, would need many very obvious modifications. Some concepts had all descent systems in the Ascent Stage moved to the Descent Stage and the Ascent Stage replaced entirely with a purpose-built habitat module; others only stripped out ascent systems and propellants and left the Ascent Stage otherwise intact. Regardless of its design, the LM Shelter would require modifications to enable an automated or remote-controlled landing and a long quiescent stay on the moon ahead of LM Taxi arrival.</p><p>The LM Shelter would also carry attached to its sides a heavy load of exploration equipment. This might include a "jeep" for surface mobility, a drill for boring 300-foot-deep holes, an instrumented "subsurface probe" for lowering down the bore hole, an astronaut-carried "survey system" for stereo imaging and precise post-flight location of sampling sites and traverse routes, and an elaborate suite of automated science instruments that would continue to operate long after the AAP lunar mission crew returned to Earth.</p><p>The AAP lunar landing missions, which would occur about a year apart, might be preceded by one or more AAP lunar-orbital mapping missions. These would see a CSM with an M & SS docked to its nose operate in lunar polar orbit for at least 14 days. The astronauts on board would map the entire moon in much greater detail than could the automated Lunar Orbiter series, which was on-going at the time of the AAP press conference. This would enable improved landing site selection and traverse planning for the AAP lunar missions. The advanced lunar missions would probably rely on Saturn V rockets built specifically for AAP; that is, not part of the original 15-rocket "buy" for the Apollo moon program. </p>