Space program in ‘The Last War’

[Lordroel]

So i salvaged this from the old board.

Manned Space programmed in ‘The Last War’.

The United States of America.

Civilian (NASA).

Space Transportation System (STS).

Fleet: Enterprise (OV-101) Used for approach and landing tests, not suitable for spaceflight.
Columbia (OV-102) First orbiter to be launched, on 12th April 1981; was the oldest member of the STS fleet. Tragically lost with all crewmembers on re-entry on 1st February 2003.
Challenger (OV-999) First launched on 4th April 1983, was named after HMS Challenger, a Royal Navy corvette of the 19th Century. OV-999 exploded and broke up, killing her entire crew on 28th January 1986; was the first shuttle to be lost.
Discovery (OV-103) First launched on 30th August 1984. Has perhaps the dubious honour of being NASA’s Return to Flight vehicle following both the loss of Challenger and Columbia.
Atlantis (OV-104) First launched 3rd October 1985, would have been the final member of the STS fleet but for the Challenger disaster.
Endeavour (OV-105) First launched 7th May 1992; replacement for Challenger, constructed using structural spares from Discovery and Atlantis. Was a cheaper option than refitting Enterprise for space flight.

Notes: The Space Transportation System, better known as the Space Shuttle has been the backbone of NASA manned spaceflight since the early 1980s. Developed as part of an effort to reduce costs and allow launches to be more frequent than in the Apollo period.
Attempts to incorporate both civilian and military needs into the design have resulted in compromises which may have contributed to the loss of two orbiters. This is possibly why the USAF has gone its own way in developing a military replacement for the STS when the vehicles are retired in 2010.

X-33.

Fleet: XV-01. First launched on sub-orbital flight from Edwards AFB to Dugway Proving Ground 16th September 2002. Was lost in landing accident at Malmstrom AFB 2nd March 2004.
XV-02. First launched 2nd January 2003, continues to be used by Lockheed Martin and NASA as part of the VentureStar (q.v) programme.
XV-03. First launched 26th May 2005, built as a replacement for the lost XV-01, still in service.

Notes: While not a manned system the X-33 is an important part of the STS replacement programme and has helped to prove technologies that will be used on STS(R), such as the Linear Aerospike engine and the metallic thermal protection system.
It has been suggested that the rapidity in which LM designed and built the X-33 and later the STS(R) meant that it had perhaps been based on technology developed by the Skunk Works for ‘Black’ projects.

Space Transportation System (Replacement).

Fleet: None yet completed, though the first vehicle, OV-106, is under construction. It is believed that four to five STS(R) vehicles will be built to replace the current STS fleet on a one-for-one basis.

Notes: Better known as the VentureStar the STS(R) is planned by NASA to be the future of civilian orbital space flight. VentureStar will carry out many of the same roles as the Shuttle, but is planned to be cheaper to operate and should be able to be turned around much faster.
The STS(R) project was initially beset by technical problems, which brought the project perilously close to cancellation; thankfully these were solved by Lockheed Martin engineers. However these problems have delayed the entry into service of STS(R) to 2012 at the earliest which, unless some STS vehicles are run on, will result in a capability gap for NASA.

Project Ares.

Fleet: None, but in the process of being defined.

Notes: Project Ares is NASA’s bold mission for putting humans on Mars by 2020. As far as possible the project will use proven STS and Apollo technology. It is also planned to use Ares derived vehicles for an eventual return to the Moon early in the 2020s.
With the STS(R) project soaking up so much of NASA’s manned spaceflight development budget it is debateable as to whether the goal of landing an astronaut on Mars by 2020 will be met. Due to the immense cost of the project and technical challenges NASA has welcomed the participation of ESA, Canada and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in the project.

Military (USAF).

McDonnell Douglas DC-Y.

Fleet: Unknown, but it is believed that one or two vehicles may be in service with the USAF.

Notes: After its experience using the Shuttle the USAF decided not to join the STS(R) programme. Instead it decided to look for a dedicated military manned space vehicle, the experimental unmanned DC-X, the only VTOL SSTO design to have actually been flown, seemed to fit the bill.
The DC-X was briefly offered to NASA as a contender to for the STS(R) programme, though NASA ultimately preferred the gliding re-entry of the VentureStar, but as soon as the USAF took interest the test vehicles and the larger manned ‘Delta Clipper’ design disappeared into the ‘Grey’, if not the ‘Black’ world of military spaceflight development.
Persistent rumours on the Internet suggest that the USAF have been operating two DC-Y vehicles since 2004, though the veracity of such claims is impossible to verify.

The European Union.

Notes: The European Space Agency (ESA) does not have a very successful records when it comes to developing an indigenous European manned space vehicle, though it has participated in STS flight, will presumably do in STS(R) missions and will contribute crew members to Project Ares.
ESA did attempt to build a small space-plane, known as Hermes, which would have been similar to the US X-20 design. However cost overruns in the project resulted in the continual paring back of the planned capabilities of Hermes until it would have been of little use. A final proposal to use the vehicle as a crew ferry to the International Space Station was rejected when ESA astronauts were given guaranteed places on the Space Shuttle and its successor.
ESA is now working on a less ambitious project, the Crew Space Transportation System, which will be similar to the Project Ares capsules. While it is initially intended to operate the CSTS in Earth Orbit, it is intended in the future to send missions to orbit, and potentially land on the Moon.

The USSR.

Note: Due to the nature of Soviet space flight no distinction will be made in this section between civilian and military projects.

Soyuz.
Notes: Originally developed as part of the abortive Soviet Moon landing project of the 1960s Soyuz still serves as the backbone of the Soviet manned space programme, despite the development of the Buran (q.v) Space Shuttle, and is still the vehicle of choice for missions to the Mir Space Station. As the Soyuz vehicle is expended in the performance of its mission it would be inappropriate to give a list of the active fleet.

Buran.
Fleet: OK-GLI (Buran Analog BST-02) An aerodynamic test vehicle used for similar purposes to Enterprise (OV-101), as with the American test vehicle it too was not suitable for space flight.
Buran (Shuttle 1.01) First launched 15th November 1988 on an unmanned test flight. First manned flight on 3rd March 1993; Buran was lost in a similar accident to that of Columbia on 25th July 2004.
Ptichka (Shuttle 1.02) First unmanned flight on 18th February 1991, with the first manned mission taking place on 1st January 1994. Was used on final Soviet manned flight before the outbreak of war in April 2005.
Baikal (Shuttle 2.01) An upgraded version of the Buran shuttle incorporating many lessons learned during the testing of the first two vehicles. Made its first unmanned flight on 23rd July 1993, with the first manned mission being launched on 25th October 1994.
Shuttle 2.02 and 2.03; little is known about these two vehicles, though it is believed that 2.02 has flown and that 2.03 is intended to act as a replacement for 1.01, though it is believed to be still under construction.

Notes: The Soviet shuttle programme was initiated in the erroneous belief that the US STS was in fact a weapons platform. The Soviet leadership of the time felt that in order to compete it had to have a similar system.
While understandably very similar to the American STS, the Buran is emphatically not a slavish copy of the Shuttle, being superior in some respects. While the original plan was to employ the Buran in purely military role, carrying nuclear warheads in a similar tasking to an SSBN, it has in fact been used in a similar role to the STS. Noteably Ptichka rendezvoused in orbit with the ill-fated Columbia on New Years Eve, 1999, to celebrate the arrival of the year 2000.
Some sources put the cost of the Buran project as upwards of 20 billion rubles. [1]

Kliper.
Fleet: None yet, though it is believed that a prototype is under construction.

Notes: A small space place design intended as a replacement for Soyuz and as a supplement to Buran. It is believed that Kliper would be used as a personnel ferry and supply vehicle for the Mir Space Station and its eventual replacement Mir 2.

***

[1] Figure taken from Rose, Bill ‘Secret Projects – Military Space Technology’ (Hersham 2008), p.159.

[Lordroel]

So without the collapse of the Soviet Union would we see the Soviet keep going on with their Phobos program (maybe Phosbos 3 and 4), Mars Prope program (Soviet version of Mars 96) ore the Vega program.

[jemhouston]

I think so, landing on the Moon and Mars is something major power do, so the USSR would.

[Lordroel]

I think so, landing on the Moon and Mars is something major power do, so the USSR would.

So the space race would be interesting from the 1990 period up to the outbreak of World War III in 2005 with both the United States and the Soviets trying to outdo each other.

[jemhouston]

I think so, landing on the Moon and Mars is something major power do, so the USSR would.

So the space race would be interesting from the 1990 period up to the outbreak of World War III in 2005 with both the United States and the Soviets trying to outdo each other.

Probably. I'm wondering who else would try for a Mars landing, ESA, China or India?

[Lordroel]

I think so, landing on the Moon and Mars is something major power do, so the USSR would.

So the space race would be interesting from the 1990 period up to the outbreak of World War III in 2005 with both the United States and the Soviets trying to outdo each other.

Probably. I'm wondering who else would try for a Mars landing, ESA, China or India?

Could Chuna not do joint Soviet projects.

[James1978]

I'm pretty sure this version was superseded by another, more detailed version, written by a contributor.

[Bernard Woolley]

Yup, this version isn't canon any more. The person who created the more detailed and accurate version left the board and did not want their work to be on it. However, I regard what they wrote as canon and have a copy of it.

[Lordroel]

Yup, this version isn't canon any more. The person who created the more detailed and accurate version left the board and did not want their work to be on it. However, I regard what they wrote as canon and have a copy of it.

A okay then, seem we have several former members who are either not active that work cannot be posted as we do not have contact with them ore do not want things to be posted.

Thus discussing and creating a new list based on what you have is the best solution.