Help rule orbit and fight Nazis
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Space Race Quest (Dieselpunk)
- Thread starter midnight77
- Start date
Space Race Quest
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
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- Recent readers
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- Threadmarks
- 4
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Statistics (4 threadmarks, 970 words)
User Total midnight77 4 Threadmarks Reader mode
Intro
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
The year is 1934 and Nazi Germany has done something impossible: they have launched the first man-made object into orbit! The Aryan I is a simple satellite that beeps every few seconds, yet it demonstrates the power of Germany and its scientists. Immediately there has been a scramble by other powers, especially as the Germans have announced they plan to put a man in space by 1939! He who controls the orbitals controls the world, and you'll be damned if it's not your country! But who are you?
[]Robert Goddard of the USA (Easy mode)
[]Sergei Korolev of the USSR
[]Phillip E Cleator of the UK
[]Robert Goddard of the USA (Easy mode)
[]Sergei Korolev of the USSR
[]Phillip E Cleator of the UK
- Location
- Manila, Philippines
[X]Sergei Korolev of the USSR
[X]Phillip E Cleator of the UK
- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
[X]Phillip E Cleator of the UK
Britain shall now rule the space waves!
Britain shall now rule the space waves!
- Location
- Somewhere in the area
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
[x]Sergei Korolev of the USSR
In the Beginning
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
You are Phillip E Cleator, founder of the British Interplanetary Society. You had always dreamed of space and when you founded the society in 1933, you had no idea Von Braun was so close to orbital flight. Now, the UK has decided to throw their weight behind your organization of thinkers in hopes of catching up to the Nazis. There are miles to go before you sleep and not much time.
Prime Minister Macdonald personally summoned you to his office to deliver your marching orders.
"Mr. Cleator, you are the most well-known promoter of space exploration in the UK. As such, given recent events His Majestys' Government has decided to appoint you head of our space program. You will be working under the aegis of the War Office. I have consulted the other members of the Commonwealth and they have agreed to donate funds and expertise towards the program. Given our current state, how long until you can build a rocket to match the Germans?"
[]Six months
[]A year
[]Two years
[]Unknown
"In addition, where should we set up a launching platform?"
[]The equator, in one of our colonies
[]Australia, plenty of room if things go wrong
[]The home isles, near sources of supply and industry
OOC: Do you want this quest to be mostly narrative, or full of math?
[]Narrative
[]Math
Prime Minister Macdonald personally summoned you to his office to deliver your marching orders.
"Mr. Cleator, you are the most well-known promoter of space exploration in the UK. As such, given recent events His Majestys' Government has decided to appoint you head of our space program. You will be working under the aegis of the War Office. I have consulted the other members of the Commonwealth and they have agreed to donate funds and expertise towards the program. Given our current state, how long until you can build a rocket to match the Germans?"
[]Six months
[]A year
[]Two years
[]Unknown
"In addition, where should we set up a launching platform?"
[]The equator, in one of our colonies
[]Australia, plenty of room if things go wrong
[]The home isles, near sources of supply and industry
OOC: Do you want this quest to be mostly narrative, or full of math?
[]Narrative
[]Math
Well how much funding do we get here?
[X]Unknown
Until the budget we have to work with is known. (I have a hard time seeing how we'd be able to solve all the problems needed to produce a rocket able to safely loft a manned capsule into orbit would be ready before 5 years though.)
[X]The home isles, near sources of supply and industry
Canada or a Caribbean colony might be better since they'd launch over the sea and have easy access to British and Canadian industry.
[X]Math
Because rocket science is fun. ^_^
fasquardon
- Location
- Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Without a clue what funding or resources we have access to, it can only be
[X]Unknown
As long as we can keep it secure, definitely
[X]The equator, in one of our colonies
After all, Britannia rules the waves, so transporting things to it shouldn't be an issue, and it offers undeniable advantages in launching.
OOC: Do you want this quest to be mostly narrative, or full of math?
[X]Narrative
[X]Unknown
As long as we can keep it secure, definitely
[X]The equator, in one of our colonies
After all, Britannia rules the waves, so transporting things to it shouldn't be an issue, and it offers undeniable advantages in launching.
OOC: Do you want this quest to be mostly narrative, or full of math?
[X]Narrative
- Location
- I think somewhere. I might be nowhere though
[X]Math
[X]A year
[X]Australia, plenty of room if things go wrong
[X]A year
[X]Australia, plenty of room if things go wrong
- Pronouns
- They/He
[X]A year
[X]The equator, in one of our colonies
[X]Math
[X]The equator, in one of our colonies
[X]Math
- Location
- Manila, Philippines
[X]Unknown
[X]The equator, in one of our colonies
[X]Narrative
[X]The equator, in one of our colonies
[X]Narrative
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
one more vote to break the tie
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Okay! Winners are: A year, the equator, and narrative
First meeting
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
Prime Minister MacDonald nods. "The Secretary of State for the Colonies will be informed. We have a perspective site in Kenya that can be built up. Now, I understand you've already poached our best and brightest. The rest is up to you. Do your best, for King and Country."
Exiting the Prime Ministers office, you are hustled to the inaugural meeting of the Committee for Space Development. When you arrive, the engineers and scientists are already there. Frank Whittle, the jet engine pioneer is the first to speak up. "Well, soonest begun, soonest done.I've been consulting with the other engineers on rocket engines and there are several problems we need to face. The first is metallurgical, we need lightweight, heat resistant metals capable of withstanding vast g-forces. The second is simpler. We need a chemical fuel. Now, we have two options: cryogenic or hypergolic. Cryogenic fuels are simple to make but hard to store for long periods. They also need extensive on-site generation equipment. Hypergolic fuels are easy to store, but toxic and corrosive. They are also less powerful."
[]Cryogenic
[]Hypergolic
"As to the rocket chassis, again that is a metallurgy issue. Aerodynamically, it is a simple shape so we don't have to worry too much about that. Mr Turing has some information on the rest."
Alan Turing speaks up "We face a huge challenge in creating both monitoring equipment and a payload capable of working in space. All the German information on the atmosphere and near space is classified most highly. We must send up rockets with sensor packages and then retrieve them in order to gain the necessary information on space before we can even think of orbit. We must also develop ways to detect and control objects in space. The recent invention of RADAR helps in this regard but we must build a worldwide chain of stations and repeaters in order to have constant contact."
[]Try and build a chain of stations across commonwealth positions
[]Deny the request at this juncture, too expensive when we don't even have a rocket
Exiting the Prime Ministers office, you are hustled to the inaugural meeting of the Committee for Space Development. When you arrive, the engineers and scientists are already there. Frank Whittle, the jet engine pioneer is the first to speak up. "Well, soonest begun, soonest done.I've been consulting with the other engineers on rocket engines and there are several problems we need to face. The first is metallurgical, we need lightweight, heat resistant metals capable of withstanding vast g-forces. The second is simpler. We need a chemical fuel. Now, we have two options: cryogenic or hypergolic. Cryogenic fuels are simple to make but hard to store for long periods. They also need extensive on-site generation equipment. Hypergolic fuels are easy to store, but toxic and corrosive. They are also less powerful."
[]Cryogenic
[]Hypergolic
"As to the rocket chassis, again that is a metallurgy issue. Aerodynamically, it is a simple shape so we don't have to worry too much about that. Mr Turing has some information on the rest."
Alan Turing speaks up "We face a huge challenge in creating both monitoring equipment and a payload capable of working in space. All the German information on the atmosphere and near space is classified most highly. We must send up rockets with sensor packages and then retrieve them in order to gain the necessary information on space before we can even think of orbit. We must also develop ways to detect and control objects in space. The recent invention of RADAR helps in this regard but we must build a worldwide chain of stations and repeaters in order to have constant contact."
[]Try and build a chain of stations across commonwealth positions
[]Deny the request at this juncture, too expensive when we don't even have a rocket