"Terras Irradient" | NASA Returns To The Moon and Beyond

[AdrianDogmeat]

 

 

 

Terras Irradient

 

Introduction:

Hello everyone and welcome back to my latest Alt-history series focusing on a "What if" scenario in which NASA pursues a program similar to Apollo. That might sound similar because I've done one in the past where you can find it here, but in all honesty it wasn't that great and I was limited to a completely different solar system/modset - not to mention my interest in KSP dropping to an all-time-low.

All things considered this will be a remake of the previous timeline but with better rocket designs that aren't just blatant copies of Eyes Turned Skywards concepts. I also have better visuals now and started making posters just to make it even more believable and somewhat plausible. I hope you will enjoy this reimagination/revitalization

 

Inspiration/Special Thanks:

@TruthfulGnome and their amazing No Shortage of Dreams Thread

@AmateurAstronaut1969/@Jacktical's Artemis Timeline

@Beccab's Integrated Program Plan

@Talverd's Chasing Dreams Redux:

@Jay The Amazing Toaster's  Kānāwai: Ares to Mars

And finally @PhazzeeYeehaw on Twitter for their extensive knowledge on the Chinese Space program (see latest post)

(In all seriousness you should check them out, all of them have awesome posts and builds)

 

Timeline of Events (subject to change):

Spoiler

1986: Grounding of the entire shuttle fleet following Challenger Disaster

1988: Space Shuttle flies again after 32 months of hiatus

1989: NASA Starts Looking for alternatives to replace Thiokol's RSRM

1990: Rockwell International is selected to provide new replacements for RSRMs, simply called RSRMUs

1991: China performs the first uncrewed circumlunar flight using a crew-rated spacecraft 21 years after Apollo 17

1992: Congress passes the Morrison Act, granting NASA a 13% raise in funding to build a competing lunar program by the end of the decade

1993: First drafts of the program including designs are made

1994: Conversion of CCAFS LC-13 for Engine Testing of Flight Hardware

1994-1997: Further Development and Finalization

1998: Flight hardware sent to Kennedy Space Center for final integration

Feb 1998: CFT-1 Launch

Dec 1998: CFT-2 Launch

2000-2002: Lander Development and Selection

2003-2006: Circumlunar Flights

2007-onwards: TBD

 

Edited Tuesday at 06:35 PM by AdrianDogmeat
Timeline Change

[AdrianDogmeat]

Background & Development

 

NASA was hit hard after the Challenger disaster, requiring a presidential commission known as the Rogers Commission Report, following this several steps were made to ensure that similar incidents won't happen again in the Shuttle's operational lifespan, these include:

- Cancellation of shuttle-flown LH2/LOX stages including Centaur G'/G Prime

- Addition of a new Shuttle "Endeavour"

- New contract to build replacements/upgrades for the faulty Thiokol RSRMs

By March 1989 NASA starts looking for contractors looking to replace the faulty boosters and by May 1990 Rockwell International is selected and awarded an $80 Million Contract under the name of "Reusable Shuttle Rocket Motor Upgrade [RSRMU]" to replace/revitalize booster production/technology

 

1991 Shenzhou 2 Uncrewed Lunar Orbit and the subsequent Aftermath:

The world was taken by surprise after news of China becoming the third nation to enter the circumlunar space and return safely using an uprated version of Shenzhou. This spread panic among U.S. Politicians fearing that the United States might lose its lead in spaceflight technology to China - Therefore a congress act was reviewed and passed the next year "The Morrison Act" signed in February 1992 which grants NASA a 13% increase in budget to build a competing Lunar Program to land humans on the moon for the second time since Apollo 17, aiming for an end goal of No Later Than December 1999

 

Development Starts For America's Return To The Moon

Shortly after the congress act, NASA began the development of new hardware for a Saturn/Shuttle Hybrid Super-Heavy lifter under the [Selene Program] with engine testing beginning as soon as 1994

In addition, new construction works began in Cape Canaveral Air Force Station shortly after the congress act was passed to convert the aging LC-14 into new testing grounds for flight engines, called the Cape Canaveral Testing Grounds [CCTG]. Starting from May 1992 to December 1993, with testing starting shortly after

 

Space Transportation Main Engine (STME)

Chart

 

Space Transportation Main Engine [STME] was selected for use on future NASA Heavy-Lift and Super-Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles due to its reliability and proven design, carried over from the cancelled National Launch System, this engine will fulfill a better role in helping NASA return to the moon since Apollo 17

I - Engine Testing

Testing began shortly after CCTG was set in place with engines delivered to Port Canaveral on 1994 New Year's Eve, with Testing starting NET February 25th 1994

 

Space Transportation Main Engine (STME)

Full Duration Test on Cape Canaveral Testing Grounds - February 18th 1994

 

 

II- Design Iterations and Finalization

To say there was a lot of iterations would be an understatement, from 1994 until 1996 NASA engineering teams went through countless concepts and iterations ranging from using shuttle-derived hardware intended for use on NLS to using smaller commercial launchers to assemble everything in LEO

However a final design was settled on called the Saturn III - A successor to Saturn I and V, using Rockwell International's RSRMUs and a Saturn-Derived Core Stage but using lighter materials similar to Shuttle External Tank Lightweight Aluminum Structure, with 5 STME engines on the first stage and a brand-new Upper Stage called Earth Departure Stage [EDS] or S-III (Internal designation) using 2 J-2B engines with extendable nozzles - something that was considered to be used as an upgrade on the venerable RL-10 engine

 

Saturn III Final Rocket Schematic Document - September 17, 1997

 

With Everything coming together, The First Inaurgual flight of Saturn III better known as Certification Flight Test-1 [CFT-1] is scheduled to be launched no later than Q3 1998, with Wet-Dress-Rehearsal commencing on Jan 1998

 

 

NEXT MISSION: SATURN III CERTIFICATION FLIGHT TEST-1

Edited February 29 by AdrianDogmeat
Changing Image Links

[AdrianDogmeat]

SATURN III | CFT-1

 

After almost half a decade of design iterations, manufacturing and extensive testing of flight hardware, Saturn III is finally rolled out of the VAB and onto Launch Complex 39A ready to test flight hardware and collect the necessary telemetry data from both stages and Solid Rocket Boosters as part of the Certification Flight Test-1 [CFT-1]

Mission Profile:

        CFT-1 will verify all systems and flight hardware. As part of the flight plan, Saturn III will follow regular launch procedures and inserting into a low insertion orbit (108x179km) carrying a 60-ton mass simulator. Then 32 minutes after orbital insertion S-III [EDS] will test engine relighting capability by inserting into the intended orbit of 180km with an inclination of 28.5 degrees

 

"We have a go to proceed with terminal count

and launch of CFT-1"

[...]

"TLS Mainline has been initiated, T-minus 10 minutes and Counting"

 

 

"..twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven.. We have a go for Main Engine Start..

four, three, two, one, zero"

 

 

"Booster Ignition and Liftoff! Liftoff of Saturn III, Pushing

Humanity's Reach Beyond the Stars"

 

 

"Tower Clear"

 

 

"50 seconds into the flight Saturn III is already downrange from the launch site

at a range of two-and-a-half miles at an altitude now of 5 miles"

 

 

[...]

"Approaching two minutes twenty seconds, The next event is burnout and separation

of the twin Solid Rocket Boosters which consume about

nine tons of propellant every second"

 

 

"SRB Separation Confirmed two minutes fourty seconds into the flight

Saturn III travelling one thousand eight hundred miles per hour 

at an altitude of 15 miles downrange from the launch site thirty miles"

 

 

"And we have Main Engine Cut Off on the first stage 8 minutes into the flight

Awaiting Stage Separation Confirmation"

 

 

[...]

"And we have Stage Separation eight minutes and 10 seconds into the flight

 We have reports of a minor anomaly on the first stage but it won't

impact mission performance and the second stage has separated successfully"

 

 

"Second stage ignition confirmed 8 minutes and 40 seconds into the flight

S-III travelling at five thousand miles per hour downrange sixty four miles"

 

 

"Nine minutes twenty seconds into the flight and Mission Control

Confirms successful fairing separation on the second stage"

 

 

"T-plus eleven minutes into the flight and we have

the first Second Engine Cut Off. The vehicle will soon start

cruising to its designated target of 111 miles above Earth standing by

for Second Engine Start Two"

 

 

[...]

"Thirty minutes into the flight Mission control is now tracking the

Second Stage waiting for Second Engine Start that will insert it into the required orbit"

 

 

"We have a confirmation on a successful engine restart, Telemetry now confirms

that S-III is now within the target orbit parameters travelling at eight thousand 

miles per hour"

 

 

"Mission Control will continue to monitor the flight path looking for any discrepancies

in telemetry and altitude"

 

 

Post-Flight Analysis:

     CFT-1 proved to be a successful test that validates most of the flight hardware for future Selene Program missions. The team will also look into the anomaly that happened on separation occuring at T+ 8 minutes and 10 seconds, this will be rectified on CFT-2 by adding a new separation system on the first stage

This flight also demonstrated the in-orbit relighting capabilities required for Trans-Lunar Injection on future lunar missions later on in the program's lifespan

Public Reaction:

Hundreds of amateur and professional photographers and even locals outside their homes lined up across Cape Canaveral on Eastern Florida to witness the first Super-Heavy Lift Launch vehicle since Skylab 1 on May 1973

Here's some pictures from the event:

 

Video Frame from a VHS camera near Ocean Front, FL

 

Picture Taken on a Nikon F3 near Port Canaveral, FL

 

 

 

NEXT LAUNCH: SATURN III CERTIFICATION FLIGHT TEST-2

Edited February 29 by AdrianDogmeat
Changing Image Links

[AdrianDogmeat]

CHANGE OF PLANS FOR CFT-2

 

While collecting telemetry and flight data from CFT-1 and ongoing preparations for CFT-2, A change to the flight plan was announced on a Press Conference held on June 29th, 1998 turning it from a standard Certification Test to a dual-payload Launch carrying the NASA-ESA "Euclid" Lunar Lander to the moon as part of the revised flight plan

It will sit atop a 20-ton mass simulator on the way to the moon, separating 2.5 hours after Trans-Lunar Injection, arriving on the moon 

Note that the flight of CFT-2 will be delayed by two months to implement the changes to the separation system on S-IIC, targeting a launch window of NET Jan 1999

And as part of the NASA Press Conference, new schematics of Euclid were released to the public

 

NASA-ESA "Euclid" Lunar Lander Schematic - June 28, 1998

 

Edited February 29 by AdrianDogmeat
Changing Image Links

[AdrianDogmeat]

SATURN III | CFT-2

 

Following the (almost) successful maiden flight of Saturn III, engineering teams at both NASA and Rockwell International have both collected valuable data from the test flight including (but not limited to) Engine Performance, First and Second Stage telemetry data. Following this, works on getting the necessary flight hardware up and ready for Certification Flight Test-2 [CFT-2] have already started with a set launch date of NET Nov 1998

On top of this, some changes were implemented to the launch vehicle, these include:

- Completely redone stage separation system

- Changes to the Guidance System from using Saturn IB/V Instument Unit to a more modern Inertial Measurement Unit  used on the Space Shuttle

- Transitioning from using Lightweight Tank [LT] to Super Lightweight Tank [SLT]

Mission Profile:

     CFT-2 will follow the same flight plan as its predecessor, lifting off from Launch Complex 39A. Inserting into a low orbit of 135x160km around Earth, But instead of a simple phasing burn at T+30 minutes, S-III [EDS] will perform for the first time since Apollo 17 a Trans-Lunar Injection on T+52 minutes sending another 20-ton mass simulator to the moon and then to a heliocentric orbit

As part of the new flight plan change implemented on June 28, 1998, CFT-2 will be delayed to Dec 1998, and it will carry an additional payload being the Joint NASA-ESA "Euclid" Lander, intending to study the lunar geology and how the solar radiation affects the moon on higher latitudes

 

 Aerial View of Saturn III, Dec 16. 1998, T-minus 2 days

 

 

"T-minus 10 minutes and counting, TLS auto-sequence

has been initiated"

 

 

"..eleven, ten, nine, eight.. We have a go for Main Engine Start.."

 

 

"..six, five, four, three, two, one..."

 

 

"Booster Ignition and Liftoff of The Second Flight of Saturn III Rocket

Carrying NASA and ESA's Joint Lander To The Moon"

 

 

"Houston Now Controlling the Flight of Saturn III"

 

 

"One minute thirty-two seconds into the flight Saturn III already two miles

from the Kennedy Space Center all systems reported

in great shape"

 

 

"Three minutes into the flight [...] Saturn III twenty-four miles in altitude 

eighteen miles downrange, good telemetry data from both stages"

 

 

"Booster Officer here in Mission Control reports a good 

Solid Rocket Booster separation [...] Saturn III

fourty-one miles in altitude fifty miles downrange"

 

 

"Flight Controllers here in Mission Control standing by for

Main Engine Cutoff"

 

 

"Booster Officer reports Main Engine Cutoff right on time"

 

 

"Mission Control now has data confirming a successful Stage Separation event"

 

 

"Mission Control now picking up telemetry from the Second Stage

five minutes fifty seconds into the flight"

 

 

"And we now have reports of a successful fairing separation event

six minutes into the flight"

 

 

"Second Stage still following the flight plan six minutes

fourty seconds into the flight"

 

 

"Mission Control now confirms Second Engine Cutoff nine minutes into the flight

S-III will now enter a coast phase"

 

 

"Thirty minutes into the flight Mission control now tracking S-III

as it coasts in Low Earth Orbit in preparation

for Trans-Lunar Injection"

 

 

"Mission Control now has confirmation on a successful engine restart 

fifty minutes into the flight on the way to the moon"

 

 

"Fifty-five minutes into the flight and we now have a confirmation on a

successful engine shutdown putting Euclid on its way

to the moon"

 

 

[Switchover from NASA Narrator to Mission Control]

[......]

"Euclid Separation Confirmed"

 

 

Post-Flight Analysis  

     CFT-2 once again proved to be a successful mission and another accomplishment for the teams involved, not only that it exceeded everyone's expectations, but it proved the lunar launch capability required for the 21st century rocket NASA envisioned all the way back in 1994

As for the new separation system, reports indicate that it worked flawlessly, a far cry from the days of faulty first stage separations on CFT-1 way back in February of the same year

Now Mission Control at Houston will continue to monitor Euclid's path on the way to the moon in the coming days, with Lunar Orbit Insertion [LOI] occuring on December 20, 1998

 

 

 

NEXT POST: EUCLID LUNAR ARRIVAL AND LANDING

Edited February 29 by AdrianDogmeat
Changing Image Links

[AdrianDogmeat]

EUCLID | TRANSIT & LANDING

 

Following the successful flight of CFT-2, Euclid is now separated from S-III flying on a pre-planned trajectory to the moon, with lunar arrival occuring on Dec 21, 1998

In addition, Mission Control at Houston, TX is now tracking the spacecraft, monitoring systems and telemetry data downlink via the Deep Space Network

 

DAY ONE: SEPARATION

"All systems in good status, 13000km above Earth"

 

 

DAY TWO: TRANSIT

"Mission Control reports nominal trajectory, Euclid 36000km away from Earth"

 

 

DAY THREE: LUNAR ARRIVAL

"Engine Ignition on Euclid, LOI in progress on the lunar far side"

 

 

[Moving away from Mission Control]

[......]

Earthrise

 

 

Deorbit

 

 

"Engine Shutdown #1"

 

 

"Fine-Tuning Landing Spot"

 

 

"Approaching the Landing Spot, 150m above the moon"

 

 

[Switching now to Mission Control]

[......]

"Euclid Landing Confirmed"

 

Edited February 29 by AdrianDogmeat
Changing Image Links (again)

[AdrianDogmeat]

LUNAR EXPLORATION PLANS MOVING FORWARD

 

Now with a reliable launcher that can lift heavy payloads to the moon exceeding Saturn V's payload capacity, the next logical step was to source out a lander for near-future use on Selene crewed lunar expeditions, returning America and by extension Humanity to the moon after nearly 40 years of hiatus

Immediately after CFT-2 post-flight analysis, NASA started looking for competitors to build a two-stage lander similar in vein to Apollo Lunar Module as part of two contracts:

- Lunar Crew Access Vehicle [LCAV]

- Cargo Lunar Delivery System [CLDS]

As part of the contract, three teams sent over their proposals:

- National Team (Aerojet, Rocketdyne, Rockwell International, Lockheed Martin)

-Northrop Grumman

- Boeing

 

After further review of all three proposals, National Team was selected to provide crew and cargo capability for both LCAV and CLDS and was awarded $4.3 Billion for both contracts, with development immediately starting on lander design as early as 1999 with a projected finishing date of NLT Nov 2002

NASA however realized that crewed landings will start later than expected due to some budget problems, the delay caused by CFT-1's stage separation anomaly. Due to this Lunar Landing was delayed to NET 2004. While this might sound bad on NASA's end, it will allow the National Team to have more time to test different systems required for future lunar landings including:

- Flight Computers

- Descent and Ascent Engines

A press conference was held between July 24, 2002 and July 25, 2002, revealing certain key elements of the lunar program, the highlight of the show however was the release of National Team Human Landing System [NTHLS] design schematics, including both cargo and crew landers

National Team Cargo Lander Schematic, July 24, 2002

 

National Team Crew Lander Schematic, July 25, 2002

 

 

 

 

NEXT LAUNCH: SELENE-1 UNCREWED FLIGHT TEST

Edited March 9 by AdrianDogmeat
Retconning

[AstroWolfie]

Looks great, how did you make the blueprints?

[AdrianDogmeat]

1 hour ago, AstroWolfie said:

Looks great, how did you make the blueprints?

I made them using gimp

[AstroWolfie]

Alright, did you just take screenshots?

[AdrianDogmeat]

48 minutes ago, AstroWolfie said:

Alright, did you just take screenshots?

For the posters? I used Kronal Vessel Viewer, then removed the background and edited them in gimp

[AstroWolfie]

Alright. Thanks!

[AdrianDogmeat]

UPDATE: Thread isn't dead (yet), I'm just taking a break from KSP for the time being

[AdrianDogmeat]

Prequel posts which will view the events from the Chinese side starting from 1955 until 1991 coming soon

Spoiler

[CLASSIFIED] Shenzhou 1 [CLASSIFIED] lunar orbit [CLASSIFIED] 1991

                                                            [CLASSIFIED] 

红龙苏醒 - THE RED DRAGON AWAKENS

Edited February 29 by AdrianDogmeat

[Kaleta]

On 1/20/2024 at 6:53 AM, AdrianDogmeat said:

CHANGE OF PLANS FOR CFT-2

 

While collecting telemetry and flight data from CFT-1 and ongoing preparations for CFT-2, A change to the flight plan was announced on a Press Conference held on June 29th, 1998 turning it from a standard Certification Test to a dual-payload Launch carrying the NASA-ESA "Euclid" Lunar Lander to the moon as part of the revised flight plan

It will sit atop a 20-ton mass simulator on the way to the moon, separating 2.5 hours after Trans-Lunar Injection, arriving on the moon 

Note that the flight of CFT-2 will be delayed by two months to implement the changes to the separation system on S-IIC, targeting a launch window of NET Jan 1999

And as part of the NASA Press Conference, new schematics of Euclid were released to the public

 

NASA-ESA "Euclid" Lunar Lander Schematic - June 28, 1998

 

oh my that is the most beautiful moon lander design I have ever seen for KSP, not to mention your manned lander design aswell!. I assume it's a kitbash from the BDB LM legs so even more respect to you good sir. BTW, loving your timeline! I'm also working on my own timeline, although I haven't posted it yet (and likely won't for a while haha). I've always been fascinated by alt history timelines with a return to the moon sometime in the 1990s, like ETS.

Also, is there any modlist for these? or even craft files? Been waiting for a lovely set of crafts or even mods for NASA Project Constellation or derivatives!

Edited February 11 by Kaleta
just wanted to add some things :)

[AdrianDogmeat]

On 2/11/2024 at 2:20 AM, Kaleta said:

oh my that is the most beautiful moon lander design I have ever seen for KSP, not to mention your manned lander design aswell!. I assume it's a kitbash from the BDB LM legs so even more respect to you good sir. BTW, loving your timeline! I'm also working on my own timeline, although I haven't posted it yet (and likely won't for a while haha). I've always been fascinated by alt history timelines with a return to the moon sometime in the 1990s, like ETS.

Also, is there any modlist for these? or even craft files? Been waiting for a lovely set of crafts or even mods for NASA Project Constellation or derivatives!

Thanks!

Also I do have the gamedata folder right here

Spoiler

[kspbutitscursed]

WOW cannot wait to see the rest Adrian

[AdrianDogmeat]

 

 

 

Terras Irradient:

 红龙苏醒 - The Red Dragon Awakens

Introduction:

Welcome back to a new sub-series/spinoff viewing in-universe events from the Chinese side, which will offer a unique point of view of how the Chinese Space Program came into fruition leading up to Circumlunar Development ending up with China becoming the third nation ever to have a dedicated crewed lunar program, hence starting the events of the Main Timeline

I made the decision to create a separate timeline since everyone follows a linear timeline focusing on only one side of the story (Mostly being 1960s-1990s NASA/Soviet Space Program), and also I felt like some events in the main timeline weren't fleshed out apart from some vague mentions from an off-universe perspective

The Timeline will be split across 4 posts, being:

1- Extensive History & Development of the Chinese Space Program, including Long March 1 Maiden Launch

2/3- Launch and Assembly of Lunar Transfer Vehicle

4- Earth Departure, Including Lunar Orbit and Return

Posts will come out when they're ready

Edited February 29 by AdrianDogmeat
Changing Image Links

[AdrianDogmeat]

Terras Irradient:

红龙苏醒 - The Red Dragon Awakens - Part I

HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT OF THE

CHINESE SPACE PROGRAM

 

I- Geopolitical Landscape

It's no surprise that the geopolitical landscape in East and Southeast Asia was affected significantly following World War 2, some of which led to the rise of new governments in multiple countries though not always by peaceful means. And that's where China comes into play after the successful Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949 resulting in two separate entities existing at the same time, being:

- People's Republic of China (PRC) formally proclaimed by Chairman Mao Zedong 

- Republic of China (ROC) better known as Taiwan 

This combined with the continual rise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leads us to the next segment:

II- Timeline of China's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program:

Following the somewhat recent Soviet RDS-1 Nuclear Test in 1949, and the looming Nuclear Threat against China by the United States after the Taiwan Strait Crisis, alongside the continued research of means to deliver said-nuclear bombs to their destinations using Short-Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBM) all the way to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) using the knowledge carried over from Operation Paperclip following WW2, China (and by extension the CCP) was in desperate need of a nuclear program of its own to allow deterrence against foerign threats.

And on January 15, 1955 - Chairman Mao speaks at the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to announce the commencing of the Chinese Nuclear Program. Kickstarting the first Ballistic Missile development Program in China.

While the announcement was public to the residents of Communist China, some details were hidden from the general public most notably being "Project 581" development spearheaded by hundreds of rocket scientists coming from both China and the Soviet Union on March 1, 1956, emphasizing ICBM Development over Aircraft Development

IIA- Changes to Soviet Leadership:

Nikita Khrushchev's rise of power was remarkable after a successful Coup d'État in 1953 with him becoming a leader in 1954. But his popularity quickly eroded following his more "liberal" approach and his several PR failures including the failed capture of a U.S U-2 spyplane pilot after being shot down over Armenia in 1957, and the mishandling of the situation in East Germany in the same year. He became so unpopular amongst Kremlin members he was outright replaced by Brezhnev in 1958 in an undercover coup under the guise of "....Accepting his request to retire from offices for health problems". Compared to his predecessor, Brezhnev had better ties with China meaning there is no Sino-Soviet Split due to Chariman Mao becoming dissatisfied with post-stalin liberal approach. Due to this, The Chinese Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program development was sped up significantly.

(Continuation of Part II)

As development moved forward with the assistance of Soviet scientists and engineers, there was a need for a more organized entity to monitor R&D. The first Chinese institute of missile and rocket research gott opened on October 8, 1956.

After 2 years of non-stop development on China's first-ever Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Program (and secretly, Project 581), Construction works immediately started on January 1958 to build the necesarry facilities to house, develop and launch rockets to support the ongoing efforts to build the nation's first nuclear deterrence program.

After 3 months, a new launch site was erected near Jiuquan located 1370km Northwest of Beijing in Inner Mongolia, with ground being broken on April 1958

III- Shift from a Nuclear Deterrence Porgram to a Dedicated Space Program:

For a very long time, Everyone just knew there was a dedicated Nuclear Program being developed since 1955, that changed however on May 17, 1958 after Chairman Mao Zedong announced that China will become the Third nation ever to send a satellite in orbit after the United States and Soviet Union in a statement in which he said:

"我们也要搞人造卫星" - "We too need satellites"

And subsequently revealing the adoption of Project 581, a once secret project from all the way back in 1955 now revealed to the general public with the goal of placing an artificial satellite in orbit by 1959, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of the PRC's founding. This goal however was quickly proven to be unrealistic due to time limits.

Two years later on January 1960, The first Chinese Medium Range-Ballistic Missile (MRBM) was developed, being essentially a direct descendant of the Soviet R-5 Pobeda, partially due to the help of Soviet engineers and scientists working alongside their Chinese counterparts simultaneously. 

 

Dongfeng-2  (DF-2) Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM)

 

 

From 1960 till 1964 there were multiple suborbital launches on sounding rockets carrying biological experiments, scientific payloads, and data collection, but there was something to be revealed soon that would totally change the landscape of Chinese Aerospace Industry.

On August 1965, the CPC Central Committee approved the “development of China’s satellite workers.”, kickstarting the development of Dongfeng 5 (DF-5) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, capable of delivering a single warhead at a maximum range of 12000km, and can also be repurposed into a Small-Lift Launch Vehicle.

After 3 years of rigorous development, Dongfeng 5, FengBao-1 and Long March 1 series of rockets were both completed, with the latter planned to send the nation's first artificial satellite in 1969 - coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the PRC's founding.

IV- Rise of the Red Dragon:

The development of the Chinese Space Program went through many stages, from mere Short-Range Ballistic Missiles all the way to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles like Dongfeng 5 and FengBao-1. The stakes were high considering the launch will take place during a national event attended by Chairman Mao Zedong himself

With a launch on the horizon, Ground teams at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center were working relentlessly to ensure all facilities were in working order anticipating the launch of Long March 1 carrying Dong Fang Hong 1 scheduled on May 10, 1969

 

长征1号 - Long March 1 Awaiting Launch

May 9, 1969

 

 

发射日 - Launch Day

May 10, 1969

 

 

发动机点火 - Engine Ignition

 

 

升空! - Liftoff!

 

 

车辆向下俯仰 - Vehicle Pitching Downrange

 

 

最大动压 - Maximum Dynamic Pressure

 

 

发动机节流 - Engines Throttling Up

 

 

第一阶段接近倦怠 - First Stage Approaching Burnout

 

 

热阶段 - Hot-Staging

 

 

分离 - Separation

 

 

整流罩分离揭示东方红1号 - Fairing Separation Revealing Dong Fang Hong I

 

 

第二阶段接近倦怠 - Second Stage Nearing Burnout

 

 

第三级分离和点火 - Third Stage Separation & Ignition

 

 

第三阶段接近倦怠 - Third Stage Nearing Burnout

 

 

第三阶段截止 - Third Stage Cutoff

 

 

东方红1分离 - Dong Fang Hong I Separation

 

 

东方红一号在地球轨道上广播“
东方红” - Dong Fang Hong I in orbit above Earth broadcasting “The 
East is Red” 

 

 

V- Post-Launch Recap:

After more than a decade of continuous development and testing, China became the fifth country to launch an artificial satellite into orbit independently after the United States, Soviet Union, France and Japan. Not only was it a technical success, but also a massive propaganda win for the Chinese Communist Party by demonstrating the capabilities of combined Chinese and Soviet engineering

Shortly after on May 12, 1969, Leonid Brezhnev, The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union personally congratulated Chairman Mao Zedong, The Chairman of the Chinese Central People's Government on the achievement carried out by both contributing nations, granting China a foothold in the world of Spaceflight

Under all the news though, another secret project was already in the works since 1966 under the codename "Project 716" to start a crewed program to put Two Chinese Taikonauts into Space by 1971, not wanting to be left behind in the Space Race the project was quickly adopted after both Mao and Zhou Enlai's approval on October 2nd, 1969, with astronaut/taikonaut selection starting on January 1970

 

 

NEXT POST: PART II - CHANGE OF PLANS FOR CHINA'S CREWED SPACE PROGRAM

On 2/23/2024 at 3:38 PM, AdrianDogmeat said:

Terras Irradient:

红龙苏醒 - The Red Dragon Awakens - Part I

HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT OF THE

CHINESE SPACE PROGRAM

 

I- Geopolitical Landscape

It's no surprise that the geopolitical landscape in East and Southeast Asia was affected significantly following World War 2, some of which led to the rise of new governments in multiple countries though not always by peaceful means. And that's where China comes into play after the successful Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949 resulting in two separate entities existing at the same time, being:

- People's Republic of China (PRC) formally proclaimed by Chairman Mao Zedong 

- Republic of China (ROC) better known as Taiwan 

This combined with the continual rise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leads us to the next segment:

II- Timeline of China's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program:

Following the somewhat recent Soviet RDS-1 Nuclear Test in 1949, and the looming Nuclear Threat against China by the United States after the Taiwan Strait Crisis, alongside the continued research of means to deliver said-nuclear bombs to their destinations using Short-Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBM) all the way to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) using the knowledge carried over from Operation Paperclip following WW2, China (and by extension the CCP) was in desperate need of a nuclear program of its own to allow deterrence against foerign threats.

And on January 15, 1955 - Chairman Mao speaks at the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to announce the commencing of the Chinese Nuclear Program. Kickstarting the first Ballistic Missile development Program in China.

While the announcement was public to the residents of Communist China, some details were hidden from the general public most notably being "Project 581" development spearheaded by hundreds of rocket scientists coming from both China and the Soviet Union on March 1, 1956, emphasizing ICBM Development over Aircraft Development

IIA- Changes to Soviet Leadership:

Nikita Khrushchev's rise of power was remarkable after a successful Coup d'État in 1953 with him becoming a leader in 1954. But his popularity quickly eroded following his more "liberal" approach and several PR failures including the failed capture of a U.S U-2 spyplane pilot after being shot down over Armenia in 1957, and the mishandling of the situation in East Germany in the same year. He became so unpopular amongst Kremlin members he was outright replaced by Brezhnev in 1958 in an undercover coup under the guise of "....Accepting his request to retire from offices for health problems". Compared to his predecessor, Brezhnev had better ties with China meaning there is no Sino-Soviet Split due to Chariman Mao becoming dissatisfied with post-stalin liberal approach. Due to this, The Chinese Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program development was sped up significantly.

(Continuation of Part II)

As development moved forward with the assistance of Soviet scientists and engineers, there was a need for a more organized entity to monitor R&D. The first Chinese institute of missile and rocket research gott opened on October 8, 1956.

After 2 years of non-stop development on China's first-ever Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Program (and secretly, Project 581), Construction works immediately started on January 1958 to build the necesarry facilities to house, develop and launch rockets to support the ongoing efforts to build the nation's first nuclear deterrence program.

After 3 months, a new launch site was erected near Jiuquan located 1370km Northwest of Beijing in Inner Mongolia, with ground being broken on April 1958

III- Shift from a Nuclear Deterrence Porgram to a Dedicated Space Program:

For a very long time, Everyone just knew there was a dedicated Nuclear Program being developed since 1955, that changed however on May 17, 1958 after Chairman Mao Zedong announced that China will become the Third nation ever to send a satellite in orbit after the United States and Soviet Union in a statement in which he said:

"我们也要搞人造卫星" - "We too need satellites"

And subsequently revealing the adoption of Project 581, a once secret project from all the way back in 1955 now revealed to the general public with the goal of placing an artificial satellite in orbit by 1959, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of the PRC's founding. This goal however was quickly proven to be unrealistic due to time limits.

Two years later on January 1960, The first Chinese Medium Range-Ballistic Missile (MRBM) was developed, being essentially a direct descendant of the Soviet R-5 Pobeda, partially due to the help of Soviet engineers and scientists working alongside their Chinese counterparts simultaneously. 

 

Dongfeng-2  (DF-2) Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM)

 

 

From 1960 till 1964 there were multiple suborbital launches on sounding rockets carrying biological experiments, scientific payloads, and data collection, but there was something to be revealed soon that would totally change the landscape of Chinese Aerospace Industry.

On August 1965, the CPC Central Committee approved the “development of China’s satellite workers.”, kickstarting the development of Dongfeng 5 (DF-5) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, capable of delivering a single warhead at a maximum range of 12000km, and can also be repurposed into a Small-Lift Launch Vehicle.

After 3 years of rigorous development, Dongfeng 5, FengBao-1 and Long March 1 series of rockets were both completed, with the latter planned to send the nation's first artificial satellite in 1969 - coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the PRC's founding.

IV- Rise of the Red Dragon:

The development of the Chinese Space Program went through many stages, from mere Short-Range Ballistic Missiles all the way to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles like Dongfeng 5 and FengBao-1. The stakes were high considering the launch will take place during a national event attended by Chairman Mao Zedong himself

With a launch on the horizon, Ground teams at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center were working relentlessly to ensure all facilities were in working order anticipating the launch of Long March 1 carrying Dong Fang Hong 1 scheduled on May 10, 1969

 

长征1号 - Long March 1 Awaiting Launch

May 9, 1969

 

 

发射日 - Launch Day

May 10, 1969

 

 

发动机点火 - Engine Ignition

 

 

升空! - Liftoff!

 

 

车辆向下俯仰 - Vehicle Pitching Downrange

 

 

最大动压 - Maximum Dynamic Pressure

 

 

发动机节流 - Engines Throttling Up

 

 

第一阶段接近倦怠 - First Stage Approaching Burnout

 

 

热阶段 - Hot-Staging

 

 

分离 - Separation

 

 

整流罩分离揭示东方红1号 - Fairing Separation Revealing Dong Fang Hong I

 

 

第二阶段接近倦怠 - Second Stage Nearing Burnout

 

 

第三级分离和点火 - Third Stage Separation & Ignition

 

 

第三阶段接近倦怠 - Third Stage Nearing Burnout

 

 

第三阶段截止 - Third Stage Cutoff

 

 

东方红1分离 - Dong Fang Hong I Separation

 

 

东方红一号在地球轨道上广播“
东方红” - Dong Fang Hong I in orbit above Earth broadcasting “The 
East is Red” 

 

 

V- Post-Launch Recap:

After more than a decade of continuous development and testing, China became the fifth country to launch an artificial satellite into orbit independently after the United States, Soviet Union, France and Japan. Not only was it a technical success, but also a massive propaganda win for the Chinese Communist Party by demonstrating the capabilities of combined Chinese and Soviet engineering

Shortly after on May 12, 1969, Leonid Brezhnev, The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union personally congratulated Chairman Mao Zedong, The Chairman of the Chinese Central People's Government on the achievement carried out by both contributing nations, granting China a foothold in the world of Spaceflight

Under all the news though, another secret project was already in the works since 1966 under the codename "Project 716" to start a crewed program to put Two Chinese Taikonauts into Space by 1971, not wanting to be left behind in the Space Race the project was quickly adopted after both Mao and Zhou Enlai's approval on October 2nd, 1969, with astronaut/taikonaut selection starting on January 1970

 

 

NEXT POST: PART II - CHANGE OF PLANS FOR CHINA'S CREWED SPACE PROGRAM

This post took me the longest to make - from finding sources on China's Space Program to sometimes losing motivation and almost giving up on this forum thread

I really hope you all would enjoy reading this post

As for upload schedule, I can't say for certain as for when the next post gets released

Edited February 29 by AdrianDogmeat
Changing Image Links (final)

[AdrianDogmeat]

Is that an early teaser for Part II??

Spoiler

[AdrianDogmeat]

Decision on Upcoming Posts:

Instead of posting events from the chinese side chronologically, I'm gonna post on an alternating -basis which allows me to explore new concepts and advancing the main timeline, which means:

- Three to Four Standard Terras Irradient posts (NASA) followed by One or Two Chinese Terras Irradient Counterpart post

- Next Post will pick up after the latest Main Timeline Post (Lander Selection)

 

Edited March 8 by AdrianDogmeat

[AdrianDogmeat]

(NASA Side Contination)

CREWED LUNAR EXPLORATION VENTURES

 

The next logical step after Lunar Lander Selection was finalized in 1999 would be the Development of a crewed lunar-capable spacecraft with the ability to stay in orbit for a minimum of 29 days under the Crewed Exploration Vehicle (CEV) program. Similar to the previous Lunar Lander Selection Process, Contractors came up with their own proposals for use under the CEV program. The contractors are:

- National Team - Lockheed CEV "Odysseus"

- Boeing Space - Starchaser

- DLR/Dassault Aviation X-38L

 

After careful consideration and design review, National Team under Lockheed Martin won the second contract for NASA's Crewed Exploration Program (CEV) citing the already existing hardware built by Lockheed and flight data from earlier testing in 1997, shortly after being awarded $6.7 Billion contract to build the necessary flight hardware for Lockheed CEV

Shortly after selection, works immediately began on building flight hardware as early as Dec 1999 in order to meet NASA's deadline for Lunar Demonstration Mission (LDM) better known as Selene-1, which involves testing spacecraft systems and flight hardware such as the new RL-10EX engines intended for Circumlunar Operations. With a projected completion date of NET 2003, and a flight date of NLT 2004

 

Lockheed Martin CEV "Odysseus" Design Document - 2001

 

 

 

NEXT POST: LUNAR DEMONSTRATION MISSION-1

Edited March 16 by AdrianDogmeat

[AdrianDogmeat]

SATURN III | LDM-1 - PART I

 

Following a five-year hiatus after the last flight, new upgrades to Saturn III will be implemented following LDM-1 under a new Saturn III+ variant, these upgrades include:

- New software-based guidance system serving as an addition to the current Inertial Guidance System

- Improved engines on EDS

- Extended First Stage Tanks

Alongside the selection and finalization of both NASA's Crewed Exploration Vehicle (CEV), and the Human Landing System (HLS) programs, Saturn III will once again demononstrate a new capability turning it from a standard Heavy Lifter into a Crew-Rated Launcher able to send a 5 man crew to the Moon and beyond using the brand-new National Team/Lockheed CEV "Odysseus".

With everything coming together Saturn III will be scheduled to launch on March 27, 2004 carrying Odysseus to the Moon and back. Marking this flight as the last standard Saturn III flight, all launches moving forward will be carried on the new and improved Saturn III+

 

Mission Profile:

    LDM-1 will follow a similar flight path to its earlier predecessor (CFT-2) all the way to Low Earth Orbit, but instead of taking a single orbit to execute a Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) maneuver, the Saturn III second stage stack will coast for about two-and-a-half orbits around Earth, executing TLI at T+2 hours and six minutes sending Odysseus on a six-day journey to the Moon

Upon reaching the Moon, Odysseus will perform a Lunar Orbit Insertion Maneuver entering a stable low orbit around the moon of 75x96km and will remain there for 45 days simulating a future crewed lunar mission. Odysseus will perform a Trans-Earth Injection (TEI) maneuver with a projected landing spot 400 miles east of the Australian Coast

 

 Aerial View of Saturn III, March 25. 2004, T-minus 2 days

 

 

"T-Minus nine minutes and counting"

[...]

 "TLS Autosequence has been initiated"

 

 

"twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight.. We have a go for Main Engine Start.."

 

 

"five, four, three, two, one..."

 

 

"We Have Booster Ignition and Liftoff of The Third Flight of the Saturn III Rocket

Carrying Odysseus To The Moon As We Continue to build

Our Future in Space"

 

 

"Houston Now Controlling the Flight of Saturn III"

 

 

"One Minute into the flight the main engines beginning to rev up

to full throttle 104% of rated performance"

 

 

"Two Minutes Thirty-eight seconds into the flight  [...] Saturn III 

ten miles in altitude eleven miles downrange"

 

 

"Standing by for Solid Rocket Booster separation coming up in

about [...] nine seconds"

 

 

"Booster Officer here in Mission Control reports a good 

Solid Rocket Booster separation [...] Saturn III

thirty-eight miles in altitude fifty miles downrange"

 

 

"Seven minutes into the flight Mission Officer reports a good

Launch Abort System Separation"

 

 

"Saturn III travelling at a speed of more than three miles per second at the moment"

[...]

"less than a minute away from Main Engine Cut off Saturn III

seven hundred-fifty miles downrange"

 

 

"Flight Controllers here in Mission Control confirms Main Engine Cutoff and

Separation of The Second Stage"

 

 

"Mission control now has confirmation of a successful engine ignition on the

Second Stage nine minutes ten seconds into the flight"

 

 

"Odysseus now eighty miles in altitude nine hundred miles downrange"

 

 

"Flight Controllers here in Mission Control confirms a successful service module 

fairing separation ten minutes twenty seconds into the flight"

 

 

"And we have the first Second Engine Cutoff eleven minutes into the flight

Odysseus travelling at eight thousand seven hundred miles per hour" 

 

 

[Switchover from NASA Narrator to Mission Control]

"Verifying flight systems one hour fifty minutes before TLI"

 

 

"All flight systems good thirty-five minutes before TLI"

 

 

[Switchover from Mission Control to NASA Narrator]

"Flight Teams here at Houston standing by for Second Engine Start propelling

Odysseus to the moon two hours five minutes into the flight"

 

 

"And we have confirmation of a successful Second Engine Start two hours 

six minutes into the flight"

 

 

"Flight Teams here at Mission Control confirms a successful Engine Cutoff

two hours ten minutes into the flight"

 

 

[Switchover from NASA Narrator to Mission Control]

"Odysseus Separation Confirmed"

 

Edited Tuesday at 05:14 PM by AdrianDogmeat

[AdrianDogmeat]

ANNOUNCEMENT

This forum thread will be put on hold for the time being, since I'm starting to get a little bit burnt out from writing and stuff.

This doesn't mean it will die like the other threads I've made

[AdrianDogmeat]

On 2/23/2024 at 3:38 PM, AdrianDogmeat said:

Terras Irradient:

红龙苏醒 - The Red Dragon Awakens - Part I

HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT OF THE

CHINESE SPACE PROGRAM

 

I- Geopolitical Landscape

It's no surprise that the geopolitical landscape in East and Southeast Asia was affected significantly following World War 2, some of which led to the rise of new governments in multiple countries though not always by peaceful means. And that's where China comes into play after the successful Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949 resulting in two separate entities existing at the same time, being:

- People's Republic of China (PRC) formally proclaimed by Chairman Mao Zedong 

- Republic of China (ROC) better known as Taiwan 

This combined with the continual rise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leads us to the next segment:

II- Timeline of China's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program:

Following the somewhat recent Soviet RDS-1 Nuclear Test in 1949, and the looming Nuclear Threat against China by the United States after the Taiwan Strait Crisis, alongside the continued research of means to deliver said-nuclear bombs to their destinations using Short-Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBM) all the way to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) using the knowledge carried over from Operation Paperclip following WW2, China (and by extension the CCP) was in desperate need of a nuclear program of its own to allow deterrence against foerign threats.

And on January 15, 1955 - Chairman Mao speaks at the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to announce the commencing of the Chinese Nuclear Program. Kickstarting the first Ballistic Missile development Program in China.

While the announcement was public to the residents of Communist China, some details were hidden from the general public most notably being "Project 581" development spearheaded by hundreds of rocket scientists coming from both China and the Soviet Union on March 1, 1956, emphasizing ICBM Development over Aircraft Development

IIA- Changes to Soviet Leadership:

Nikita Khrushchev's rise of power was remarkable after a successful Coup d'État in 1953 with him becoming a leader in 1954. But his popularity quickly eroded following his more "liberal" approach and his several PR failures including the failed capture of a U.S U-2 spyplane pilot after being shot down over Armenia in 1957, and the mishandling of the situation in East Germany in the same year. He became so unpopular amongst Kremlin members he was outright replaced by Brezhnev in 1958 in an undercover coup under the guise of "....Accepting his request to retire from offices for health problems". Compared to his predecessor, Brezhnev had better ties with China meaning there is no Sino-Soviet Split due to Chariman Mao becoming dissatisfied with post-stalin liberal approach. Due to this, The Chinese Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Program development was sped up significantly.

(Continuation of Part II)

As development moved forward with the assistance of Soviet scientists and engineers, there was a need for a more organized entity to monitor R&D. The first Chinese institute of missile and rocket research gott opened on October 8, 1956.

After 2 years of non-stop development on China's first-ever Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Program (and secretly, Project 581), Construction works immediately started on January 1958 to build the necesarry facilities to house, develop and launch rockets to support the ongoing efforts to build the nation's first nuclear deterrence program.

After 3 months, a new launch site was erected near Jiuquan located 1370km Northwest of Beijing in Inner Mongolia, with ground being broken on April 1958

III- Shift from a Nuclear Deterrence Porgram to a Dedicated Space Program:

For a very long time, Everyone just knew there was a dedicated Nuclear Program being developed since 1955, that changed however on May 17, 1958 after Chairman Mao Zedong announced that China will become the Third nation ever to send a satellite in orbit after the United States and Soviet Union in a statement in which he said:

"我们也要搞人造卫星" - "We too need satellites"

And subsequently revealing the adoption of Project 581, a once secret project from all the way back in 1955 now revealed to the general public with the goal of placing an artificial satellite in orbit by 1959, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of the PRC's founding. This goal however was quickly proven to be unrealistic due to time limits.

Two years later on January 1960, The first Chinese Medium Range-Ballistic Missile (MRBM) was developed, being essentially a direct descendant of the Soviet R-5 Pobeda, partially due to the help of Soviet engineers and scientists working alongside their Chinese counterparts simultaneously. 

 

Dongfeng-2  (DF-2) Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM)

 

 

From 1960 till 1964 there were multiple suborbital launches on sounding rockets carrying biological experiments, scientific payloads, and data collection, but there was something to be revealed soon that would totally change the landscape of Chinese Aerospace Industry.

On August 1965, the CPC Central Committee approved the “development of China’s satellite workers.”, kickstarting the development of Dongfeng 5 (DF-5) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, capable of delivering a single warhead at a maximum range of 12000km, and can also be repurposed into a Small-Lift Launch Vehicle.

After 3 years of rigorous development, Dongfeng 5, FengBao-1 and Long March 1 series of rockets were both completed, with the latter planned to send the nation's first artificial satellite in 1969 - coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the PRC's founding.

IV- Rise of the Red Dragon:

The development of the Chinese Space Program went through many stages, from mere Short-Range Ballistic Missiles all the way to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles like Dongfeng 5 and FengBao-1. The stakes were high considering the launch will take place during a national event attended by Chairman Mao Zedong himself

With a launch on the horizon, Ground teams at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center were working relentlessly to ensure all facilities were in working order anticipating the launch of Long March 1 carrying Dong Fang Hong 1 scheduled on May 10, 1969

 

长征1号 - Long March 1 Awaiting Launch

May 9, 1969

 

 

发射日 - Launch Day

May 10, 1969

 

 

发动机点火 - Engine Ignition

 

 

升空! - Liftoff!

 

 

车辆向下俯仰 - Vehicle Pitching Downrange

 

 

最大动压 - Maximum Dynamic Pressure

 

 

发动机节流 - Engines Throttling Up

 

 

第一阶段接近倦怠 - First Stage Approaching Burnout

 

 

热阶段 - Hot-Staging

 

 

分离 - Separation

 

 

整流罩分离揭示东方红1号 - Fairing Separation Revealing Dong Fang Hong I

 

 

第二阶段接近倦怠 - Second Stage Nearing Burnout

 

 

第三级分离和点火 - Third Stage Separation & Ignition

 

 

第三阶段接近倦怠 - Third Stage Nearing Burnout

 

 

第三阶段截止 - Third Stage Cutoff

 

 

东方红1分离 - Dong Fang Hong I Separation

 

 

东方红一号在地球轨道上广播“
东方红” - Dong Fang Hong I in orbit above Earth broadcasting “The 
East is Red” 

 

 

V- Post-Launch Recap:

After more than a decade of continuous development and testing, China became the fifth country to launch an artificial satellite into orbit independently after the United States, Soviet Union, France and Japan. Not only was it a technical success, but also a massive propaganda win for the Chinese Communist Party by demonstrating the capabilities of combined Chinese and Soviet engineering

Shortly after on May 12, 1969, Leonid Brezhnev, The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union personally congratulated Chairman Mao Zedong, The Chairman of the Chinese Central People's Government on the achievement carried out by both contributing nations, granting China a foothold in the world of Spaceflight

Under all the news though, another secret project was already in the works since 1966 under the codename "Project 716" to start a crewed program to put Two Chinese Taikonauts into Space by 1971, not wanting to be left behind in the Space Race the project was quickly adopted after both Mao and Zhou Enlai's approval on October 2nd, 1969, with astronaut/taikonaut selection starting on January 1970

 

 

NEXT POST: PART II - CHANGE OF PLANS FOR CHINA'S CREWED SPACE PROGRAM

This post took me the longest to make - from finding sources on China's Space Program to sometimes losing motivation and almost giving up on this forum thread

I really hope you all would enjoy reading this post

As for upload schedule, I can't say for certain as for when the next post gets released

Hmm yeah I think I'm abandoning this spinoff/sub-serie(s) since it's way too much to work on 2 separate timelines

Post will be resuming soon-ish? I'll see what I can do

Edited Tuesday at 04:43 PM by AdrianDogmeat