"Unwavering Ambitions" | A KSP Alternate History

[rito]

 

"Unwavering Ambitions"

Intro:

For about a month or two now, I've been researching and planning an alternate history of my own, and I've got to the point that I'm happy to start sharing it. It will focus on many space programmes of the world, but the most radically changed one will be Britain's. I also want to make the disclaimer that I'm mostly doing this for fun, so please don't take anything of this too seriously as it won't be the most realistic at times.

Thanks to:

@TalverdFor inspiration with Chasing Dreams

@TruthfulGnomeFor inspiration with NSoD and giving me some very useful information on some of my stupid ideas

@AmateurAstronaut1969 and Aaron for helping provide information on British spaceflight

The many members of KC for providing plenty of helpful documents and encouragement

Mercury-Atlas 6, on it's final orbit of the Earth.

Mission List:

Spoiler

This list will only include missions with posts dedicated to them.

Green = Success

Yellow  = Partial Failure

Red = Failure

 

1966

BSSLV 3 - WH-1

1970

Zond 10 - Vladimir Shatalov + Anatoly Filipchenko

1973

Apollo 18 - Pete Conrad + Paul Weitz + Don Lind

Saturn V - Skylab

Saturn 1B - Skylab Programme

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lore

Spoiler

Maps

Europe - 1980

 

Edited February 14 by rito

[rito]

BSSLV 3 - March 18th, 1966

The existence of BSSLV is seen by many as a miracle- after the near cancellation of Blue Streak in 1959, some thought the missile would go nowhere- but these skeptics were proved wrong when it first flew in 1961, propped up by Commonwealth funding.  Four years later, and Blue Streak had been adapted into a satellite launch vehicle. The successful first flight guaranteed the Commonwealth's place as a spacefaring power- but after the catastrophic failure (Tank rupture on stage 2) of BSSLV 2, the vehicle barely managed to avoid cancellation and slowly limped on to its third flight, BSSLV 3. The flight will carry the Air Force's WH-1 Reconnaisance satellite from Woomera to an 85°, ~300km orbit.

 

BSSLV prepares to launch from Woomera. T-minus 1:00:00.  BSSLV is go to begin fuel loading.

T-minus 00:04:40. Liquid oxygen load complete.

T-minus 5,4,3 Ignition! 2, 1-

Liftoff!

Stage one performing nominally!

Stage separation, Gamma 2 ignition! This is where the mission failed last time. Mission control is very tense.

Fairing separation!

BSSLV soaring over the Outback.

Stage 2 separation! Mission control cheers, passing all previous points of failure.

All P.38 motors firing!

P.38 shutdown!

Payload separation confirmed! Good job everyone!

The BAF's WH-1 "Wreath" Satellite, fully deployed on orbit.

 

BSSLV has now done what it was built to do: deliver a military reconnaissance satellite to orbit. Following this launch, BSSLV was declared fully operational, and is now open to launch a variety of different payloads.

Edited September 6, 2023 by rito

[rito]

Zond 10 - December 28th ,1970 (Part 1/2)

Despite the Americans landing on the moon in 1969, the Soyuz 7k-L1 "Zond" has miraculously remained flying. It is currently the only functional part of the Soviet lunar programme, as the N1 SHLV has yet to fly without failure. That's not to say that Zond is free from problems-  this spacecraft was supposed to fly years ago, but due to several failures with the unreliable Proton rocket, the first crewed mission of the program (Zond 9) ended up launching 3 years behind schedule. The success of this mission allowed Zond to narrowly dodge cancellation, and now is ready to fly Vladimir Shatalov and Anatoly Filipchenko around the moon and back home.

Crew access and support tower fully retracted!

5,4,3,2,1- Liftoff!

Proton leaving the Baikonur Cosmodrome

RD-0210 Ignition, RD-275 Shutdown and Stage separation!

Stage 2, moments after stage sep.

SAS Jettison!

Stage 2 shutdown, Stage 3 ignition!

Stage 3, propelling Zond 10 to orbit.

Stage 3 shutdown, fairing separation, Blok D release!

With a successful launch, Zond 10 is now well on it's way to the moon. Over the next few orbits, systems will be checked before the spacecraft performs trans-lunar injection.

(Part 2 should be out soon, sorry for any inconvenience!)

 

 

 

[rito]

Zond 10, Part 2

After a series of tests and preparations, Zond 10 is ready for TLI.

5,4,3,2,1 TLI start!

Soyuz 7k-L1 separation confirmed!

4 Days Later

Zond 10 nears the moon.

The spacecraft isn't capable of capturing into lunar orbit, so Vladimir and Anatoly have to work hard to gather as much data as possible in the short timefrime of the flyby.

Soyuz 7k-L1 gliding 40km above the lunar surface.

Goodbye Luna

2 Hours Later

During what should have been an uneventful manouver to re-oriantate the spacecraft to face the sun, 2 orientation thrusters massivley overfired and sent Zond 10 into a spin. The crew managed to cancel most of the rotation, but the damage was done- the spacecraft was massively off course, with not enough fuel to correct for it.

1 Hour Later

 Mission control informs Vladimir and Anatoly of their fate. They'll run out of supplies before they reenter the atmosphere.

Zond 10, drifting in the darkness.

Many warned that rushing to the launch was a bad idea, but in the heat of the space race, horrific mistakes were made. Days after the disaster, the Zond program would be cancelled, leaving the Soviet's lunar ambitions in the arms of the unreliable N1 rocket.

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by rito

[Just Jim]

Nice!    

[rito]

Would people mind if I move from KSRSS to the stock system for performance reasons?

[rito]

Apollo 18 - March 30th, 1973 (Part 1/2)

Apollo 18 is the last- but also first -of its kind. The ultimate Apollo mission will not be a landing but instead a test of long duration habitation in deep space. The crew of 3 will spend 14 days in lunar orbit, performing a host of scientific experiments in the modified LM. This mission might sound great, but it was intended to pave the way for further use of the LM lab, which may never happen- almost all contracted Saturn launch vehicles have been assigned to AAP (Apollo Applications Program) missions, leaving this as the only planned flight of the craft.

The Saturn V sits on pad 39A as crew members Pete Conrad, Paul Weitz and Don Lind board the CSM.

Crew access arm retract.

12, 11, 10, 9, 8, We have ignition sequence! 6, 5, 4 ,3, 2, 1..

And liftoff, we have a liftoff of Apollo 18!

Saturn V, speeding away from the cape.

Apollo 18, flying above the Atlantic Ocean.

Inboard cut off, staging

And ignition!

Skirt SEP, Tower is gone!

Five J2 engines pushing Apollo 18 into orbit.

S-II Shutdown.

S-IVB separation.

S-IVB providing the final kick into orbit.

As expected, the launch was successful. The crew begin to prepare for TLI, and settle in for the long mission ahead of them.

(I'm sorry if this launch wasn't of the highest quality- i've had some real performance issues lately, and have had to switch from KSRSS back to stock. I'm also sorry for the delay this caused, but much more should be coming soon!)

[TwoCalories]

When is Part 2 of Apollo 18 coming out?

Edited November 5, 2023 by TwoCalories

[rito]

hopefully soon!

[rito]

Apollo 18 - Part 2

Apollo 18's S-IVB providing its final push to send the crew to the moon.

Burning nominally.

A successful TLI!

Opening of the SLA, revealing the LM lab.

The CSM will now flip around and dock with the LM.

Capture probe extension.

The CSM thrusting forwards to dock with the LM.

Coming in close for docking.

Capture probe retract. Bye S-IVB!

Apollo 18, on it's way to the moon.The trajectory was spot on, and Apollo 18 should be able to reach it's targete

Getting closer.

Capture burn in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ignition!

Apollo 18, moments after orbital insertion. You may notice the lack of a science pallete on the CSM- this was removed to add a radiator for redundancy, as all experiments could be moved into the LM lab.

 

The crew will now spend the next 2 weeks studying the moon from orbit, before performing an EVA to gather some of the more crucial data for the mission.

 

Pete Conrad is elected to perform the EVA for the mission,  as he is the most experienced out of the three crew members.

Paul Conrad steps out of the CSM.

He gathers all the neccasary data before heading back to the CSM to prepare for the Journey home.Apollo 18's last day in Lunar orbit.Final orbit with both vehicles docked together.

CSM "Carrack" undocks from LM "Heron" Goodbye Friend!

Burning for home.

Capsule release.

Nearing the atmosphere.

Getting toasty.

Drogue chute deploy.

Apollo 18 before splashdown, captured from a Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King assisting in recovery operations.

Back home safely.

 

With that, the Apollo program is over, and so is Chapter 1 of Unwavering Ambitions! I hope you've enjoyed so far, and I'm sorry about the slow rate that i've been putting these out at. There are some exciting things on the way though, so stay tuned!

[rito]

Chapter 2 - Coming Soon(ish)!

[Royalswissarmyknife]

15 hours ago, rito said:

Chapter 2 - Coming Soon(ish)!

LETS GOOOOOO!!!!

[rito]

 

Skylab - America's First Space Station, 14th May 1973

The enormous Saturn-V launched station has finally made it to flight after starting development in 1968. If successful, it will pioneer the way for long-term habitation in Earth orbit and maybe beyond- being the penultimate launch of the Saturn V launch vehicle, many have gathered to witness the spectacle of America's SHLLV.

T-minus one minute!

We have ignition sequence! 6... 5... 4... 3... 2.. 1..

We have a liftoff!

Skylab has cleared the tower!

Pitch and roll program started!

Saturn V speeding away from the Cape

Roll Programe Complete! ???

Skylab with its thermal cover ripped off.

Nearing S-II sep.

S-II Separation!

Skylab Sep. ???

Part 2 hopefully out tommorow! Sorry for any innacuracies- (more performance issues, of course...)

Edited February 14 by rito

[rito]

Skylab - Part 2

Skylab rotating to 90° to align ATM solar arrays.

ATM deployment.

Unfurling the solars.

View from the tip of one of the ATM's solar arrays.Fully deployed.Rotating to a 45° angle for better thermal conditions.

Properly aligned.Skylab drifting into its first night.

Due to the disastrous launch, Skylab must stay in its 45° positioning until something can be done by Skylab 2 to solve the station's issues.

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by rito

[rito]

 

LORE POST

just so you have an idea of what the world looks like in this TL- might do some for other regions of Earth.

I might also change the format in which I do some missions, not sure yet though.

Edited February 11 by rito

[rito]

The Skylab Programme: A Summary

SKYLAB 2 - 25th May 1973

"This is Skylab 2, We fix Anything."

Skylab 2 is the first crewed mission to skylab, carrying three astronauts: Charles Conrad (Commander), Paul Weitz (Pilot) and Joseph Kerwin (Science Pilot). After a launch with a potentially mission ending electronic glitch, the crew were successfully placed into orbit and rendevouzed with the station. Upon reaching it, Conrad performed a fly around of the station to assess damage. After this initial assesment, Weitz and Kerwin tried to unlatch the undeployed solar wing by tugging on it but this was largely unsuccessful. After hard docking with the station (with some difficulty) the crew deployed a parasol-like sunshade to keep the station at comfortable temperatures.

After two weeks, another EVA was performed by Conrad and Kerwin, this time managing to free the solar array, securing Skylab's future. The next month on the station was spent conducting experiments and reparing more issues on the station, after which the crew departed and splashed down on the 22nd of June 1973.

Skylab 2, on approach.

SKYLAB 3 - 28th July 1973

Skylab 3 is the penultimate crewed mission to Skylab, carrying another crew of 3: Alan Bean (Commander),  Jack Lousma (Pilot) and Owen Garriot (Science Pilot). After a successful launch, the CSM docked to the station with no issue. However, following a scare with 2 manouvering thruster leaks, a Saturn 1B rocket was prepared at the cape in case a rescue was needed. Fortunatley, the mission was recovered and the crew managed to remain on the station. After recovering from their space sickness, the crew managed to perform a large medical research programme and install further thermal protection over the workshop. After 2 months of science, the crew returned home on the 25th September. Overall, the mission was a massive success- the longest duration in-space mission ever flown at it's time.

Skylab 3, drifting into the night.

 

SKYLAB 4 - 16th November 1973

"You see how diminuitive your life and concerns are compared to other things in the universe. The result is that you enjoy your life that is before you. It allows you to have inner peace"

Skylab 4 is the final mission of the programme, carrying an all rookie crew of Gerald Carr (Commander), William Pogue (Pilot) and Edward Gibson (Science Pilot). After a successful launch and docking, the crew struggled with the workload given to them and they quickly became tired and frustrated with mission control. For the next few weeks, many scientific experiments were performed. On the 13th of December, the crew spotted comet Kohoutek on an EVA and managed to capture it in ultraviolet. Shortly after this, the crew, still discontented by their heavy workload, refused many of their tasks and cut off communications with mission control, demanding a more fair schedule. NASA reluctantly agreed to this, which ended up being a great decision, as Skylab 4 managed to be even more productive than planned. The mission ended on the 8th of February 1974 after 84 days in space.

An Apollo CSM departing Skylab for the last time.

 

going to be trying some new formats like this for more missions in the future!