PhotonDetector

Are the SULEU engines supposed to have no TECs (unlike other RR Nuclear Family engines) when you have System Heat installed?

Chapter 6: Project Mercury Germany Puts First Man Into Orbit Sigmund Jähn during a test flight. BERLIN, Dec. 1, 1960 — The German Reich announced today that it has won the “man in space” race by launching a young air force officer, Captain Sigmund Jähn, into orbit and returning him alive. The 23-year-old astronaut, or raumfahrer, has broken the barrier to manned spaceflight. The German spacecraft was launched from the Reich’s space complex in Crimea and returned to Earth 2 hours later in the Atlantic. Crowds have gathered in the streets of Berlin, Hamburg, and dozens of other cities in celebration of this victory. The führer made a statement shortly after Jähn’s safe return, proclaiming the flight as a triumph of national socialism. He then stated that the Reich would not stop there. The prestige of the German people would continue to soar unending, Hitler asserted, and the Moon was to be the next step. In Peenamünde, Reich Minister of Space Dornberger echoed Hitler’s statements. In an anxious press conference, President Kefauver admitted that the US was months behind Germany and that it was no surprise that they had been outpaced. However, he announced that NASA is up to the challenge and that the Reich’s early victories will soon be a faint memory in the wake of new progress. Kefauver also urged the incoming Nixon administration to continue supporting the space program. News of Project Mercury has been scarce in the past several months, but NASA has recently announced that a full test flight would be completed by March. In an interview last week, Atlas rocket designer Karel Bossart expressed his optimism for a man in orbit by the end of next year. Cape Canaveral Under mounting pressure from the public, the first orbital test of Project Mercury was completed on February 27, 1961. The uncrewed Mercury spacecraft passed all system checks during its 6 orbits. During the retrograde burn, however, a reaction thruster failure caused the capsule to land less than 5 miles off the coast of Colombia, resulting in minor diplomatic grumbling. Nonetheless, the test was declared a success, and Project Mercury moved on to its next phase. On July 26, 1961, Mercury-Atlas 2 launched with chimpanzee Enos on board. After spending a full 24 hours in orbit, Enos survived reentry and was recovered in the Pacific. Several health complications emerged post-flight, attributed to excessive g-forces experienced during reentry. These findings concerned NASA and caused a month-long delay as engineers revised the reentry trajectory. Five months later, Mercury-Atlas 3 was finally ready to launch. On board, John Glenn awaited calmly as the countdown reached zero. Then, the roar of the Atlas booster pushed him against his seat and rattled the tiny Mercury capsule around him. Five minutes later, Glenn felt the push of the Atlas stop. Posigrade boosters separated Friendship 7 from the booster. Launch control confirmed that he was now in orbit. “Zero-G and I feel fine!” 24 hours and 10 orbits later, Glenn safely returned to the surface, marking the free world’s first crewed orbital flight. At home, however, the situation was uncertain. President Richard Nixon and the nation’s first female vice president, Margaret Chase Smith, would soon take the reigns of the US. Although he was generally known to be a moderate, many were concerned that the Conservative-Republican Coalition would push Nixon to hold back the civil rights movement as well as reduce social spending. After all, it was the support of nationalists and segregationists that had carried them to a narrow victory against the incumbent Kefauver and Thomas Dewey. A question lingered on the minds of millions of Americans: Was this the beginning of a new era of conservatism, or the last surge of a soon-to-be-obsolete political party?

Chapter 5: The Satellite Age The late 1950s were a period of significant change. Technology was rapidly advancing. Japan conducted its first atomic test, joining the US, Germany, and the UK as a nuclear power. Revolutions and proxy wars were being fought across the world. In Cuba, a US-supported communist government came into power. While American businesses were unhappy with the nationalization of industries, it had become clear that Batista was developing German ties behind the US’s back. With arms shipments and airstrikes also authorized in Malaysia, the Philippines, and French West Africa, interventionism was confirmed as a keystone of Democrat foreign policy. An F-104 Starfighter returns from a sortie over Cuba, 1959. In 1954, not long after the Great Depression had subsided, the post-war recession hit the United States. Germany also experienced a massive recession in 1957, dragging much of the Europa Pact with it. In the US, President Kefauver spearheaded economic reforms and strengthened the nation’s welfare system, taking action where Earl Warren had not. While Henry Wallace managed to get the Economic Bill of Rights (originally proposed by FDR) ratified in 1949, most of its goals were only partially fulfilled. The Democrats under Kefauver sought to rectify this through increased public works projects, education funding, anti-trust legislation, and healthcare reform. As the nation pulled out of the recession, the “Third New Deal” became widely popular among the American public. Racial tensions, however, continued to grow unaddressed during Kefauver’s term. Although initially wary of pushing for a civil rights act due to pressure from Southern Democrats and conservative voters, Democratic leadership was facing another issue: the rise of the Progressive Labor Party. In 1959, Kefauver realized that there was nowhere to run. If his administration outlawed segregation and discrimination, there would be major backlash from the party’s right, and reactionary voters would flock to the currently tenuous Conservative-Republican Coalition (which had formed in the wake of the 1958 midterm election). But if his administration refused to act, the Progressive Labor Party was poised to take the civil rights mantle, and many progressive Democrats with it. At this juncture, Kefauver opted for the former option and signed the Civil Rights Act of 1959 into law — prohibiting segregation in public facilities and employment discrimination based on race, sex, or religion. The Civil Rights Act faced swift backlash from both sides of the spectrum. The Conservative-Republicans used it as a rallying cry for the 1960 election campaigns. The Progressive Labor Party criticized the Act for not going far enough, especially in addressing discrimination in private businesses and racial-economic inequality. Ultimately, it cost Kefauver his re-election. Meanwhile, NASA had become a poster child for integration. Its facilities were already desegregated as of 1957, and it soon employed a significant number of Black mathematicians and engineers. Although the G.I. Bill did not benefit veterans of color proportionately, expanded programs under Wallace enabled more educational opportunities, even if many schools remained segregated. Thousands of Black men received formal training and college degrees, many finding themselves at NASA. Thus, the rise of the Satellite Age was due in no small part to the contributions of the minority workers. 1960 saw a new host of satellites used for different purposes. First, NASA initiated the Explorer Program to oversee science missions in Earth orbit. On January 2, Explorer 1 was launched into a highly elliptical orbit. It was followed by Explorer 2 on July 27. Both satellites investigated the magnetosphere, cosmic radiation, and returned photographs of the Earth from afar. Explorer 2 at its apogee, over 100 Mm away from home. Other science applications continued outside of the Explorer Program. The weather satellite Demeter 2, launched on November 3, 1960, featured many improvements over its rudimentary predecessor. Equipped with improved cameras and sensors, it returned thousands of photos usable for tracking storms from orbit. Concurrently, the Navy had been funding the development of a radio navigational system. On April 17, the first successful Transit/NAVSAT satellite reached orbit. It was followed by dozens of other NAVSATs over the years, providing navigation for Navy submarines and surface vessels. Companies also began to consider operating their own commercial satellites. On November 30, 1960, Telstar 1 became the first communications satellite. Its first task was to transmit a live phone call between President Estes Kefauver and Prime Minister Hugh Gaitskell. Unlike the many other fledgling programs being developed by the US, the Migrant Program was intended to leave Earth orbit, exploring the Moon and interplanetary space. The Migrant Program, a continuation of the earlier Pioneer program which had been nearly terminated after numerous failures, had considerable pressure placed upon it. Germany had already achieved the first Lunar flyby in 1958 and the first probe to reach escape velocity from Earth. With little margin for error, NASA devised a new, 1.5m AJ-10 powered stage to perform the TLI burn. Based on the Baker upper stage, it was launched atop an Atlas-Agena A. Unlike prior solid-rocket based attempts, Baker-T was guided, liquid-fueled, and equipped with maneuvering thrusters. This allowed it to precisely shut down and perform fine-tuned adjustments to ensure a close lunar flyby. On June 22, 1960, the Migrant Program proved itself to America and the world. Passing by within 400 KM of the Moon, Migrant 1 returned the first photographs of the far side. Then, days later, it began to transmit data about the interplanetary magnetic field from heliocentric orbit. The horizons were expanding. Whether navigation, exploration, military, or communications, the US and Germany both saw the possibilities, and threats, of a new era. Thanks to advancing rocketry, electronics, materials science, and government support, satellites were entering space faster and faster. So too would humans, soon enough.

Chapter 4: Twilight and Dawn Washington DC, 1985 “Directly following your graduation, you were hired by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is that correct?” “Yes, sir, that is correct. I began work in the summer of 1956,” said Isaac. “What were you working on there?” “Control systems for early satellites. Avionics research. And—” “And re-entry guidance for nuclear warheads,” Senator Hollings interrupted. “Is that right? And this required stringent security protocol, no?” Isaac nodded carefully. “Yes. I encountered no issues during the screening process, nor did any issues arise in the following years. I will also add that my involvement with weapons testing ceased immediately after JPL was transferred to NASA.” Hollings looked down at his files and flipped to another document. “From 1956 to 1969, you had sporadic contact with a Japanese national by the name of H. Kawaguchi,” he stated, looking back at Isaac. “Did this not raise any concerns?” Isaac winced internally. He had known that they would bring up his childhood friend. But he was not really prepared to discuss it. “Kawaguchi was just a friend and a businessman. Our coffee shop talks did not involve advanced spaceflight systems if that's what you're asking.” A few senators chuckled. I'm sure the conversations were taped anyway, he thought. On September 15, 1957, President Kefauver signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, establishing a civilian space agency. Former NACA director Hugh Dryden was appointed as the first NASA administrator, and operations began three months later on November 1, 1957. While headquartered in Washington DC, the nascent agency absorbed facilities nationwide. These initially included the Lewis, Ames, and Langley centers. The Army Space Projects Agency (ASPA), formerly known as the Army Ballistic Missile Agency before its role was subsumed by the Air Force, was later transferred to NASA in October 1958. ASPA’s facility in Edgewood, Maryland would become NASA’s premier rocketry development site – Eisenhower Space Flight Center (ESFC). Its proximity to both Langley Research Center and the soon-to-be-established Goddard Space Flight Center led to its rapid growth. JPL was also placed under NASA and was assigned to develop the Deep Space Network. Wernher von Braun, who had been largely sidelined by ASPA due to his security risks, was transferred to EFSC and began work on a medium-lift launch vehicle alongside Konrad Dannenberg (and under close American supervision). NASA’s first launch would be the 8th and final Vanguard launch attempt. In December 1957, Vanguard 4 entered orbit with more scientific instruments than its predecessors, including a micrometeorite detector and magnetometer. After just over a month of data transmissions, its operations ceased, and with it, Project Vanguard. Until the end of the decade, Thor served as the United State’s primary launch vehicle. The versatile rocket placed many scientific satellites into Earth orbit, as well as the Department of War’s first military satellites. On February 13, 1958, Thor-Baker launched the first animal to be recovered safely from orbit: a small squirrel monkey named Sandy. The monkey spent 24 hours in space accompanied by a variety of insects and several mice. Sandy returned with symptoms of hypotension but was otherwise healthy. Her flight would provide important data for human spaceflight, including the biological effects of re-entry. Soon, the Department of War began building their operations in space. Discoverer 1, part of the KH-1 series, became the United States’ first spy satellite in April 1959. Equipped with a large panoramic camera and a film return capsule, Discoverer 1 was also the first payload of the Agena-A upper stage. Discoverer 1 departs from California. Surveillance over the Baltic Sea. Despite its successful launch, the Discoverer program did not have a smooth start. The first spy satellite operated for less than 10 days before ground control received warnings of battery failure. The film return capsule was hastily deorbited before the satellite lost power. Mid-air recovery attempts failed, however, and the capsule was later recovered from the Pacific. Saltwater had infiltrated the capsule and damaged the film, rendering it useless. In June 1959, another defense program experienced similarly rough beginnings. SMLD 1 (Space-borne Missile Launch Detector 1) was the Air Force’s first attempt at creating an early-warning system for German ICBM launches. The goal was to provide a notice of at least 30 minutes before impact, thus allowing strategic bombers to take off and avoid a first strike. SMLD 1 was one of the first Atlas launches intended for orbit, heralding a new lineage of highly capable rockets. Like Discoverer, SMLD encountered a series of battery failures that cut its lifespan short. In addition, attitude control issues cropped up on the Agena-A, making it difficult for the satellite to maintain the correct orientation. Yet despite these early failures, the Department of War continued to pour millions into its space research. Future satellites proved to be valuable intelligence assets, once the teething issues had been worked out. Though not robust enough to replace the Lockheed U-2, Discoverer soon provided improved estimates of German nuclear capabilities as well as information that aided US operatives and Cuban rebels in their fight against Fulgencio Batista. With 1960 around the corner, the Space Race was now at the forefront of the public imagination. NASA’s goals of scientific exploration and technological innovation were overshadowed by one, singular mission: to keep up with the Reich Ministry of Space. Because, to many, defeat “up there” meant defeat “on the ground” – and that was an unthinkable future.

Chapter 3: Fear Itself Nevada, 1956 Captain Bernard Taylor flexed his leg muscles and forced air through his lungs as the X-2 roared past Mach 2. The airframe groaned and shook as the XLR-25 rocket pushed him through the stratosphere. The g-forces began to fade after he broke Mach 3. Outside the cockpit, Taylor could see the sky darkening. He was well past 40 km in altitude. Space felt within his reach. After reaching the peak, Taylor prepared the aircraft for a glide back toward Muroc. During the descent, however, the X-2 began to behave erratically. Taylor fought the stick, but the plane decided that it was time to spin at 30,000 feet. The corners of his vision darkened. He felt for the ejection lever but paused just before pulling it. Not yet, he thought. He pushed the stick as hard as he could. The skies belonged to him. The machine belonged to him. His fate belonged to him. “How's that for pushing the envelope,” he thought. Twenty seconds later, the X-2 stabilized into a steep dive. Captain Taylor eased the nose up and adjusted his course for landing, having tamed the supersonic beast. Cape Canaveral The Navy intended to follow up on its success with another satellite. Launch attempts in July and August both ended in failure. In October 1956, a Vanguard finally completed its flight, placing Vanguard 2 into an elliptical orbit. Momentum kept the Vanguard program moving forward. With the German launch of Befreiung 2, there was no shortage of support for continued launches. The Navy placed Vanguard 3 into orbit in December using an identical, spare satellite. This time, its photocell scanner worked as intended, transmitting the first image of Earth from orbit - barely more than a blur of white pixels. By the end of the year, the Air Force had finally completed the development of Thor-Baker, converting the inter-regional ballistic missile into an interim space launch vehicle. While its payload capacity would be far exceeded by the planned Atlas launcher, Thor-Baker was still leagues ahead of the Vanguard. In the evening of July 1957, Thor-Baker thundered off the pad at LC-17A, carrying a 120-kilogram payload - a prototype weather satellite known as Demeter 1. The Rocketdyne S-3D performed beyond expectations. Three minutes later, the Baker second stage ignites and pushes the satellite toward medium Earth orbit. Soon, Demeter 1 began to transmit basic scans of the planet’s cloud cover. Powered by much larger solar cells than Vanguard, the satellite would also prove the reliability of solar power in space. With the resounding success of its first orbital launch attempt, Thor ushered in the next stage of space exploration and expanded American capability beyond grapefruit-sized probes. The tail end of 1956 was an eventful time. The American election was nothing but chaotic. The Republican Party, though ostensibly backing Earl Warren for re-election, was hopelessly splintered. Although Warren appealed to moderate Republicans on paper, his weak foreign policy, isolationist views, and the economic downturn of the 1950s lost him much of his mainstream support. The launches of Vanguard 1 and 2 were both quickly overshadowed by news of Republican infighting. A sizable faction of Republican leaders clamored for a stronger candidate, one who was more conservative than Warren domestically, but more interventionist on the global stage. This faction eventually broke off to form the American Conservative Party, which also attracted many southern Democrats who supported segregation. On the other hand, there was a rising, perhaps revisionist sentiment that Democrat misguidance had led to the fascist victory. In the few years after the war, Roosevelt was credited with repelling the German invasion of England and preserving countless American lives by withdrawing from Africa. Henry A. Wallace, who had become president after Roosevelt's death, was initially lauded for making peace and putting an end to the bloodiest conflict in human history - enough to narrowly win another term in 1948. As the reality of a German-dominated world dawned upon the nation, however, critics were quick to point out his weaknesses. Opinions of the Amsterdam Treaty that ended WW2 also quickly soured. The public agreed that the agreement offered too many concessions to the Axis, especially regarding the handover of overseas colonies and the inclusion of trade guarantees. Thus, competition for the Democratic nomination was fierce, with many candidates vying to turn the party around and shift its image. Major contenders included Missouri Senator Harry S. Truman, New York Governor Thomas Dewey, and Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver. Ultimately, the party nominated Kefauver. He campaigned on reviving Roosevelt and Wallace's New Deal, anti-German diplomacy, and military reform. His silence on the matter of the Civil Rights Movement further appealed to swing voters. Finally, the Farmer-Labor Party, which had steadily gained popularity since the early 1930s, became even more important on the national stage. It rebranded itself as the Progressive Labor Party, landing 6 seats in the Senate and over a dozen seats in the House. The social democratic PLP strongly supported integration, unionization, relaxed immigration restrictions, and interventionism. After an even closer election than that of 1948, Estes Kefauver was elected as the 36th President of the United States. Taking charge of an uneasy nation in an unforgiving world, the years ahead would be difficult. Meanwhile, the other side of the Atlantic continued to suffer under the darkness of the Europa Pact. The atrocities of the Holocaust were being repeated a hundred-fold throughout Europe and Africa. The Reich was not even trying to hide it anymore. Some people had wishfully believed that Germany's 1957 market crash would slow the Pact down, but the economic conditions seemed to only heighten the regime's cruelty. For most, the iron grip of the fascist hegemony appeared unbreakable. In Cuba, Southeast Asia, and West Africa, however, the fires of revolution were lit — their survival hinged upon the wars to come.

Thank you! Indeed, things will be different without von Braun's hand in the early space race. Due to his fascist affiliation and the lack of the Jupiter rockets, he will not have the influence that he did in our timeline. In the coming decade, however, this may change

Chapter 2: Full Throttle Palo Alto, November 1955 Isaac rubbed his eyes, flicked on the radio, and poured himself a cup of coffee. He sipped and stared blankly at the overcast sky, still recovering from a long night of study. Fourier transforms had haunted his sleep. The familiar Wednesday news dragged on as Isaac's eyelids grew heavy. The radio dissolved into a soothing background hum. “… first artificial satellite into orbit around the Earth. ” Isaac jolted awake. In a flash, he reached out to raise the volume and waited for what felt like an eternity. “Befreiung 1 is now circling the world as we speak. The Germans call it Liberation. But the United Nations will know it as Despair. We will now share a recording of transmissions from the satellite, sent from over five-hundred kilometers above the Earth's surface.” A few seconds of silence followed. Then, a beep. And another. Each four seconds apart. Beep. Static. Beep. Static. The United States had its wake-up call. President Earl Warren addressed the nation a week later, attempting to reassure the public that the Befreiung satellite was not representative of Germany’s technological advantage over the free world. He emphasized that the satellite was merely a scientific goal that the US had not seriously pushed toward and that it did not reflect the military capabilities of either nation. Behind closed doors, however, Warren and his military advisors knew that achieving parity with German space development was vital to national security. Project Vanguard must proceed faster. Cape Canaveral, March 1956 Four months later, the Navy was ready to launch the first American satellite. All suborbital tests were successful, and the engineers were confident, despite the rush, that Project Vanguard was ready. The rocket comprised of a Viking-derived first stage and the Baker second stage, an Able-derived stage with the new AJ-10 engine. A solid rocket third stage would provide the final kick to get into orbit. By noon on February 16, the rocket was fully fueled and the satellite was on internal power. Milton Rosen held his breath as the countdown reached zero. As the flight proceeded, Vanguard began to experience pitch oscillations. These oscillations grew until just over a minute into the flight, when aerodynamic stresses finally tore the rocket apart. Later investigation revealed that the control system was overcompensating in attempts to stabilize the rocket, leading to a positive feedback loop. President Warren was furious. His poll numbers were plummeting and he desperately needed a win before re-election. The public would not know about Vanguard until it succeeded. Cape Canaveral, June 1956 The Navy tried again. The oscillation issue had been mitigated, and the first stage performed as expected. All that was left to do was wait. Minutes after the third stage completed its burn, a ship-based satellite tracking station in the Atlantic confirmed the successful orbital insertion of Vanguard 1. The launch controllers remained silent for a few seconds until a second tracking station verified that Vanguard 1 was in a stable orbit. Then, cheers overtook the Cape. The United States was now a contender in the Space Race. The sun sets on a new world.

Hi everyone, welcome to my alternate history space race told through the medium of KSP 1. This is on an RSS/RO/RP-1-ish playthrough with many additional mods on top of the RP-1 express install (and some "cheating" for storyline purposes). A Brief Primer on the Timeline In summary, the US and Soviet Union are much weaker by the outbreak of WW2. The US was faced with a much harder Great Depression and experienced significant social unrest, including massive labor riots and the rise of the Farmer-Labor Party as a strong third contender. It does not join the war until 1943. Likewise, the Soviet Union's leadership was fractured, with a power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky extending well into the 30s. With the failure of the Dunkirk evacuation, loss of North Africa, and lack of American lend-lease, Germany fought the Allies to a stalemate. It achieved a qualified victory in WW2, signing a peace deal with the Soviet Union in 1945 (annexing territories as far as Leningrad, Moscow, and the Caucasus) and later with the Western Allies in 1947. Japan engaged in a limited war with the US, but focused its ambitions on Siberia and East Asia, ultimately breaking ties with Germany and exiting the war earlier. The US does not develop atomic weapons until 1949. After the war, the Soviet Union collapses and the Succession Wars continue until 1953 when the Russian Socialist Republic emerges from the ruins. Without the threat of a global socialist superpower, the US leans more left and becomes more accepting of social democracy. The result is a tri-polar world shared between the United Nations (US, UK, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and various governments in exile), the Europa Pact (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Nordic nations, and African colonies), and Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere (Japan, Korea, a balkanized China, and Southeast Asia). As you can tell, this timeline is inspired by works such as Fatherland, the New Order, and Thousand Week Reich. However, the focus will be almost entirely on the space race, with only hints of geopolitics. I do not claim to be a history expert, nor will I make any promises of adhering to realism. Finally and most importantly, I want to make it abundantly clear that this work is in no way an endorsement of fascism or a fascist victory, and is only meant to create a new setting in which space exploration emerges.

Chapter 1: From Dust to Sky Washington DC, 1985 Isaac Suzuki shifted in his seat and looked around the room. Some people looked down at their papers. Some looked at each other. Some looked at nothing. And some tensely stared back at him. “Dr. Suzuki?” “Sorry, Senator. Can you repeat your question?” Suzuki asked. He had heard it clearly the first time. But he did not quite understand it. “Did your Japanese origins negatively affect the efficacy and security of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during your term as administrator or during any prior roles that you have held?” “Senator, I was born in California, as was my father. I have not set foot on Japanese soil in my entire life.” “You have family over there, no?” replied the Senator. “Had family. Any connections that I had across the Pacific have since been long severed. Why are we discussing my ancestry at all? There are a hundred reasons that we have found ourselves neck and neck with their space program, but I can assure you that my personal affiliation with Japan is not one of them.” Another Senator leaned forward. “Why don't you tell us about the start of your career, Doctor.” Suzuki scratched his head. This was going to be a long hearing. But fine. “Well, in 1947 the war was over and I thought I'd be coming home. But then they sent the division to Arkhangelsk to stave off the Russian collapse. After two years of fighting and advisement, I was transferred to the White Sands Proving Ground. This would be my first exposure to the aerospace effort. I was there until 1951 when I left the Army and entered university … “ White Sands America’s rocketry program had humble beginnings in the deserts of New Mexico. Throughout the war, the Army and Navy had conducted numerous trials of various early sounding rockets, including WAC Corporal and the later Aerobee. By the end of the war, tests of a “homegrown” V-2 derivative were being conducted. An Aerobee-Hi awaiting the launch command. In early 1945, a resistance group leaked intelligence about the V-2 to the Soviet Union. Glushko and Korolev incorporated this research into the Soviet program, however, they knew that the war was not going in their favor. Thus, the Soviets decide to send a significant amount of their findings to the West, which would later be crucial for American engine development. At the same time, Wernher von Braun was on the verge of being ousted from Germany’s rocketry program. Having already been arrested once by the Gestapo for his drunken remarks, Wernher was steadily losing the trust of the regime. Fearing for his career and his life, he and a handful of engineers secretly contacted the Allies to discuss defection. In March 1946, officers received the order to remove Wernher from Peenamunde and place him under house arrest pending further investigation of his loyalty. By the time they arrived, however, he had been extracted by an OSS team working in conjunction with Operation Archimedes, a larger series of raids along the North German coast. Wernher and his team were eventually transferred to Fort Bliss to assist the Army Ordnance Corps. Thus, the Zephyr series of ballistic missiles was born. An MX-800 soars off the pad. MX-900 begins trials in the skies of New Mexico. The first Zephyr model, the MX-800, featured a detachable nosecone for payload return, a slimmer 1.5-meter airframe compared to the V-2, and a Russian-inspired XLR-41A engine. Later variants saw a larger 1.8-meter airframe, engine thrust improvements, and much higher mass overall. The Zephyr not only served as a precursor for missile weaponry, but it, like other sounding rockets of the time, provided valuable data about the upper atmosphere and space. Biological experimentation with insects and mice also laid the foundation for future manned spaceflight. Soon enough, these rocket launches would outgrow White Sands. Cape Canaveral Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the establishment of the Joint Long Range Proving Ground in 1947, shortly before the end of the Second World War and his death. By 1951, Cape Canaveral was operational and ready for launches over the Atlantic. The last MX-830 has been rolled out to Launch Complex 3. An Aerobee payload containing meteorological data is recovered off the shore of Florida. Early launches were not too different from those at White Sands. A plethora of sounding rockets and Zephyr variants were tested. Notably, however, the Aerobee was combined with the Zephyr to create a two-stage rocket capable of reaching upwards of 3000 km downrange. Aerobee reaches new heights as a spin-stabilized upper stage. Following the success of the Aerobee as an upper stage, Aerojet developed the Able, a fatter, guided stage with rudimentary reaction jets and more volume for instrumentation. This was combined with what would be the largest and last iteration of the Zephyr, the MX-900. Zephyr-Able performed a record-breaking 5000 km downrange flight in 1953. By this time, the MX-900 had entered mass production and was deployed in large numbers to England, where it was within striking distance of most of the Greater Germanic Reich and its fascist allies. Zephyr-Able begins its historic flight. Able uses its helium gas thrusters to orient itself. Unfortunately, Germany had a head start in rocketry, a fact that was not lost on the public of the United States. In December 1953, Adolf Hitler announced that Germany will place an artificial satellite in orbit before the end of 1955. Panic erupted within the US government. Just months prior, Germany conducted its first nuclear test in East Africa, less than four years after Trinity. The fascists were advancing rapidly, and America could not afford to be left in the dust. Several solutions were presented to the Department of War. The Navy presented Project Vanguard, while the Air Force proposed both Thor and Atlas as potential space launch vehicles. The Army had a proposal to up-rate the Zephyr, but its bid was never seriously considered. Vanguard was chosen as its small size convinced officials that it could be completed the fastest. The Air Force continued developing its designs nevertheless, however, the Army would soon step away from space efforts entirely to focus on rocket artillery development. The world waited tensely as the last light of democracy faced off against the new tyrants of Europe. The race for orbit had begun.