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PresidentMarcos
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Anyway, being the kind of guy I am, I am going to make a sequel.
"Five...four...three...two...one...zero!" the mission control officers at Houston counted down toghether. All at once, the six huge engines on the massive Zeus booster activated. A great gout of flame poured down from the exhaust nozzles, creating a massive cloud of smoky steam that temporarily concealed the launcpad. Just a second later, the cloud began to expand upwards...
A cheer arose as the massive booster cleared the cloud and accelerated skyward. It broke the sound barrier with a colossal boom that could be heard for miles.
Soon, the rocket became nothing more than an inifitessemaly bright point climbing skywards, leaving a massive greyish exhaust trail behind it.
Around 64 seconds into the flight, the third stage seperated. The second stage, essentialy a massive liquid fuel tank with two of the biggest liquid rocket engines ever made by Man, activated. 104 seconds into the flight, that too was discarded, later to be recovered and refueled for another mission. Finally, the upper stage fired for an additional 27 seconds until the payload was in Low Earth Orbit, at which point Payload Seperation was achieved.
The nose of the upper stage began to unfold like the petals of a blooming flower, revealing what was inside. That thing was relatively unassuming--a long, somewhat stubby cylinder, pipes and antennae running all around, an exhaust nozzle on it's end. But this thing was going to be part of one of the world's first true space combat platforms...
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PresidentMarcos
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(bonus material, bits of it before each chapter)
TO: PRESIDENT HOWARD DEAN (speculation)
FROM: GENERAL ANDREW N. QUEMBLEY
BC: n/a
CC: n/a
TOPIC: MASSIVE SOVIET SPACE BUILDUP, HVY. RCKT ACTIVTY
Recently, our KH-11 reconnasaince satellites have begun picking up suspicious activities at the Soviet space launch locations in Plesetsk, Sary ****an, and Tyuratam. KH-11 photos 1600 through 1748 indicate massive buildup of launching facilities. We have detected a full eleven new launchpads at Plesetsk alone, along with fifteen at Sary ****an, and seventeen at Tyuratam, totalling forty-three new launchpads. In addition, Soviet launch activity has been increasing in tempo at an alarming rate. Furthermore, SIGINT has confirmed that the unusual structures under construction at Sary ****an (not the rocket launchpads) are indeed the beginnings of a Laser Launcher facility. All this data, when taken in context, is somewhat alarming. Our only conclusion is that the Soviets are initiating a massive military space buildup. As such, I recommend moving the SLP-I launch date. It could be easily done by the eleventh of this month.
TO: GENERAL ANDREW N. QUEMBLEY
FROM: PRESIDENT HOWARD DEAM
BC: n/a
CC: n/a
TOPIC: MASSIVE SOVIET SPACE BUILDUP, HVY. RCKT ACTIVTY
I have received the memo. I would like to say that this indeed very alarming. The SLP-I launch will be moved up to the eleventh, at which point the engine module will be launched.
TYURATAM
KAZAKH RSFSR
EARLY MORNING
12/12/2010
The early morning peace was disturbed too early, as the massive tracked launch transporter moved down the wide trench toward the launchpad. On top of the transporter, there sat a Soviet Proton rocket. From the outside, the Proton looked normal enough. The one thing that distinguished this Proton from all the others was the payload. It was big. Really big. And it was rather fiercely decorated, with a sharkmouth, eyes, and traditional Soviet slogans. Presently, the launch transporter came to a halt over the launchpad, at which point the transporter's massive cranes lifted the behemoth and placed it on top of the colossal structure. The launchpad itself looked rather ridiculous. It was shaped like a massive table, perforated at the top, and sitting in a colossal pit. It was connected to the road by a massive earthen causeway, capable of supporting thousands of tons of weight. After the technicians and other personnel had all fled to the safety of the launch control blockhouse, the chief controller began a countdown.
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PresidentMarcos
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Ugh. The filter is just...ugh. The **** part is S-H-A-G. Sary S-H-A-Gan is a major launch complex in the USSR.
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PresidentMarcos
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If you are wondering, the Zeus is the first of a new generation of BDRs, or Big Dumb Rockets, otherwise known as Saturns on Crack. The Zeus is SO big, and SO simple, that launch costs for it are about $60 a kilogram of payload.
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PresidentMarcos
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LOW EARTH ORBIT
LATE MORNING
12/12/10
The Zeus was not man-rated. Plain and simple. Currently, the guys at Applied Astronautics Corporation were working on an equipment suite that would allow an astronaut to survive without being spun to jelly, but that was still barely even on the horizon. For manned launches, the USAF, NASA, and all the others used the venerable Space Shuttle, updated to the point that it was more or less 'unb-l-o-wuppable.'
Atlantis had discarded it's SRBs and was now in Low Earth Orbit. To most outsiders, this was just a routine mission. But in reality, it was much more than that...
The Shuttle's rear cargo bay doors swung open, revealing a squat, bullet shaped capsule, that looked like the orphaned bastard stepchild of the Apollo of bygone days. This was the Capricorn--designed to transport astronauts from the shuttle to space stations, and such. Today, the Capricorn was to take it's crewmen to the SLP-1 space laser platform. Already, the other modules of the SLP-1 had been launched. They were in scynchronized orbit, following each other at 8 kilometers a second. After a command from Mission Control at Vandenberg AFB, the small retrothrusters on each fired, bringing the modules toward each other. A moment later, the modules all connected...
Capricorn 4 approached SLP-1 carefully. The two had syncronized speeds, and now, Capricorn 4 was drifting slowly upward. Capricorn 4 and SLP-1 were perfectly aligned. As the two drifted slowly toghether, the astronauts on Capricorn 4 sprang into action.
"Capricorn 4, this is Vandenberg. Do you read us?"
"Alpha, we copy," they replied.
"We recommend you secure cabin O2 pressurization."
"Alpha. Securing pressurization."
"Prepare for docking in 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0..."
Capricorn 4 and SLP-1 came together flawlessly. In the vacuum of space, the impact produced no noise at all. Capricorn 4's commander looked up from his high tech LCD display dashboard and pulled the lever on the docking hatch. A series of bangs were heard inside Capricorn 4, as both airlocks equalized pressure. Finally, the airlock doors were opened, and crew transfer between Capricorn 4 and SLP-1 began.
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PresidentMarcos
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12/13/10
EARLY MORNING (GMT)
SOMEWHERE OVER CENTRAL KAZAKHSTAN
The huge Proton II climbed above the golden steppes, it's engine roaring with power, the exhaust glistening like a golden speck, then stretching out to become a long exhaust trail of smoke and steam. After the Proton II had exited the atmosphere, the second stage seperated, and the first stage fired until the Proton II's payload bay--more than a million kilograms worth of cargo--was in orbit...
Aboad the Proton, there sat a Soyuz capsule. Inside were two courageous cosmonauts.
"Zarya 1, to Almaz, this is Zarya 1," Soviet Mission Control radioed to the cosmonauts.
"Acknowleged...this is Almaz 1. We have orbit. Operation Red Storm will proceed as planned."
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PresidentMarcos
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Ever since the X Prize five years earlier, space tourism had really picked up. Now, travel through space was as common and cheap as airline travel, and a few companies had switched completely to space service...
An Aries 2 spaceplane was on a flight, in a suborbital ballistic arc. Aboard, there was a single passenger, the captain, a waitress, a pilot, and a copilot.
Colonel Greenglass was somewhat annoyed. He had planned to spend the week with his family, as it was his week off. However, the Air Force had summoned him becase of "important matters."
Thinking to himself, Greenglass thought it might have something to do with the sudden Soviet space buildup...
No matter. For the time being, he would enjoy his ride.
Greenglass sat in a plush, dark green finished cloth seat, speckled with spots of light green. It was like a normal airline seat, except designed to tilt back on re-entry. The waitress walked by, held to the floor by velcro slippers. She was holding a white tray and a bundle of squeeze bottles. Handing the tray over to Greenglass, she walked back toward the rear of the craft.
Greenglass opened the tray, to reveal the usual: four compartments, filled with the usual low residue meals. A very convincing plankton-protein based filet mignon, ground into pate. Some mashed potatoes, stuffed into their tray...Some green salad, similarly treated...And finally, chocolate mousse in the fourth tray. Greenwater opened one of the squeeze bottles, the one labelled WINE. Taking a sip, Greenwater was revolted. But despite the cheap wine, Greenwater ate. Removing a plastic fork from the provided plastic capsulet, he began to feast on his filet mignon. About fifteen minutes later, he was finished, at which point he took a G-sickness pill so that he wouldn't hurl on re-entry. A few minutes later, the seats tilted back, the spaceplane retrofired, and in it came for re-entry and landing at Vandenberg AFB.
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PresidentMarcos
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Vandenberg AFB
The massive display screen which was used to show orbits of objects over Earth was being used. Several rows of consoles were lined up in front of it, with a mission controller in front of every one. On the screen, a long yellow line traced out the orbit of the SLP-1. The head mission controller, Colonel Greenglass, had just arrived, and was directing operations.
"SLP-1, this is Vandenberg..."
"Vanenberg, we read you..." SLP-1 replied.
"Good. Anyway, we're having a small test of the laser for you..."
"Alpha."
"SLP-1, a traget sat is incoming. It will be heading for you at normal orbital velocity. Deflection to your path at time of intercept will be 15 deg horizontal, to your left, and 3.5 deg vertical, above you. Time of interception will be 1213 hours. Prepare to train laser..."
It was 1210 hours. Three minutes to target the laser...
The gunner, an Air Force lieutenant, punched the numbers into the targeting computer, then pressed the Enter key. A second later, the computer chimed. Everything was nominal.
"Okay then," the commander said. "Initiate charging sequence."
"Alpha, initiating..." the gunner replied as he flipped a switch, then began operating a console.
"Change course for target intercept."
"Okay..." said the pilot, adjusting the joystick.
The pilot looked at his watch.
"And we have intercept!"
Surely enough, the laser cannon aimed, and fired as planned.
A bright yellow beam arced through the vacuum of space, completely noiselessly. Just a fraction of a second later, it struck home, vaporizing a large portion of the satellite. The force was enough to set the satellite tumbling wildly.
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vovan
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Star Wars made real. Very nice, Marcos. I hope to see more of this.
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PresidentMarcos
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"...my God...it's full of stars!"
The Star Gate opened, and in tumbled the space pod...
Greenglass sat back and continued to watch the screen. He was sitting in his room at a barracks near Vandenberg...
Tonight 2001 was on.
Greenglass was interrupted by a phone call.
Annoyed, he picked up the handle.
"Yes?"
"Greenglass, this is Quembley. Get your ass to Vandenberg ASAP."
When Quembley was even minorly profane, the matter was going to be very important.
Greenglass ran down to his car, started it, and backed out of the driveway. A few minutes later, he had arrived at Mission Control.
He was greeted by General Quembley, who escorted him into the main control room.
"Now look here, Greenglass..." Quembley fumed. "Those damned Sovs are up to something..."
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PresidentMarcos
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Quembley, by his appearance, looked somewhere between angry and confused. It was obvious that he had not been getting enough sleep over the previous week. His eyes were red and there were deep rings under his eyes. When he spoke, he fumed...
"What is it?" Greenglass asked.
"This," said Quembley.
At that point, footage of a football game began playing on the main screen.
"Not THAT, you morons!" Quembley yelled. The other thing!
The screen changed. It was a view of space. At the bottom there was a blue curved sliver--the Earth's horizon. At the bottom-right hand corner of the screen there was text reading: KH-11 LIVE VIDEO FEED.
"So?" Greenglass asked.
"Look..." said Quembley. "We picked this thing up on radar...now we're getting a visual feed..."
A few seconds later, a long, cylindrical shape hoved into view over the horizon. It was chrome plated and it tapered to a truncated cone. It was straddling a thick, cylindrical pod, on which read "CCCP." As more and more came into view, a large complex of thrusters became visible at the rear.
"What the hell is that?" Quembley asked.
"SLP-1ski, if you ask me..." said Greenglass.
The thing passed the KH-11's field of view.
"We'd better get a Dyna-Soar up there to get a good look..." said Greenglass.
"You're right. We'll be sending a two-seater."
"Why?"
"You'll be coming along for the ride."
Greenglass turned pale.
"Why?"
"We'll need someone qualified to check the thing out."
"Okay then..."
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PresidentMarcos
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About fifteen minutes later, Greenglass had gotten into his spacesuit and was in the cockpit of a Dyna-Soar. The Dyna-Soar was strapped to a Zeus and pointed upwards. In front of Greenglass sat the pilot of the Dyna-Soar, a Lieutenant Johnson...
The countdown got into the single digit numbers. Greenglass's stomach tightened. He hated space launches...
"...3...2...1...0...IGNITION!"
A dull thud arose from the rear of the Titan as the engines were lit, followed by a steadily increasing roar and a sickening vibration...
The hold down arms were released.
The Titan lurched upward, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. About 30 seconds into the flight, Greenglass heard an incredible boom as the Titan broke the sound barrier.
His face had by now turned green. Greenglass was swearing and muttering to himself.
"Why in the hell did I take this job!? Why!? Why!?...oh yeah, the salary..."
He smiled at that note.
A few moments later, the Titan had fired for the last time. Greenglass, strapped into the rear seat of a fully armed Dyna-Soar, was in orbit. He stared down at Earth below, whizzing past them at eight kilometers a second.
"Ughh...I hate this job..."
He began to hate it even more as the Dyna-Soar fired it's rocket motors, realigning it's orbit. Soon, it was scheduled for a rendezvous for SLP-1ski. All Greenglass could do was wait.
And wait he did. After a few minutes, SLP-1ski hoved into view above the horizon.
"Better get ready for a spacewalk, sir..." the pilot said, ominously.
Greenglass moaned.
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PresidentMarcos
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Greenglass took a deep breath as he got out of his seat and floated upwards. The airlock opened. Clambering into the chamber, Greenglass waited...
A green light lit up, illuminating the chamber. The outside door slid open.
Greenglass grabbed on to one of the handholds and pulled himself out of the Dyna-Soar. He was now in orbit, around the Earth, at 28,800 kilometers an hour...
In front of him, there was the gleaming chrome cylinder of SLP-1ski. Greenglass aimed himself, and fired his MMU...
The reaction gases pushed Greenglass forward. Floating, he tumbled slowly through space...He began to fumble round with the controls until he was aligned properly...
Greenglass felt a shudder as he touched down on the SLP-1ski. His adhesive boots locked, and he began to walk around...
****
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
Thump...
"That."
"Oh, THAT. I don't know, Aleksei..."
The cosmonaut turned to his instrument panel, staring at the radar.
"We're being buzzed."
"Americans."
[Thump...[/]
****
Greenglass, as clumsy as he was, made a misstep. His adhesive boots unlocked, and he began to drift, tumbling over and over, until he occulted the porthole of the Soyuz, into plain sight of the two cosmonauts...
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PresidentMarcos
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As Greenglass drifted in front of the porthole, Alexei the cosmonaut followed procedures. Jumping out of the Soyuz, he drifted out towards Greenglass with a lust for death in his heart. As he drifted, he punched...
The punch missed. Greenglass weaved and bobbed around, kicking Alexei square in the groin. Alexei bent over in pain. Greenglass got in another punch. And then another. But his opponent was not easily defeated. Alexei got up and began kicking wildly. He hit Greenglass in the shin, breaking his leg with the force. Greenglass punched Alexei in the chest, destroying his life support pack. Alexei, with only a few minutes air, drifted back into the Soyuz. Greenglass summoned the Dyna-Soar for help.
As he climbed into the lock, Greenglass mumbled.
"Damm. I'm getting too old for this kind of thing."
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All times are GMT. The time now is 05:32.
Apolyton Time is 00:32. |
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12-12-2003 06:01
Its great work PM so keep the goods flowing 
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