Icons of the Sky: An Alternate History of the Space Transport System & Apollo Spacecraft

[Wasaspacegeek]

Chapter 10.5: Rollout to the Future

September 17, 1976
Palmdale, California
Rollout of Space Shuttle Enterprise
​

The hangar doors opened as a crowd of politicians and members of the media await the next generation of spacecraft to be unveiled.

A towing vehicle decked in patriotic red, white and blue first came into view and then, a pitot, a needle like structure that limits aircraft to slow speeds. An aircraft nose loomed into view, this was no ordinary spacecraft. Slowly, each part of the spacecraft would be shown, the crew compartment, the cargo bay and wings, the tail and finally, two small engines on the rear of the vehicle. The next generation was set to be a unique and special kind of spacecraft and it all started here, with this brick like craft dubbed, Enterprise.

From 1974 to 1976, NASA and North American Rockwell started construction of the Space Shuttle with Enterprise being the first to be constructed. The test article would be designated as OV-101, the first in it's class. Originally, it was planned for the vehicle to be named Constitution but fans of the TV show Star Trek asked president RFK to change the name to the USS Enterprise to which he obliged. Although, there were still some people who wanted the name Constitution but, there's no telling on if it will happen. [1]

Enterprise rolled out of the Rockwell plant on September 17, 1976. With the recognition of it's fictional name the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry and most of the principal cast would show up to the rollout. The next era was in full swing.

Gene Roddenberry and the Star Trek cast (Minus Shatner) attending the rollout ceremony, September 17, 1976 [2]

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Ever since the mid 1960s, Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center always had two main launch pads, 39A and 39B. These two launchpads did their job well but, these two were supposed to be a part of a trio of launchpads for LC-39. When originally conceived, 39 would've had 3 launchpads from A, B and C with D proposed for future expansion. Unfortunately, LC-39C was never constructed and it seemed that Launch Complex 39 would be left with two of what was supposed to be four.

However, with the increased budget (2.4% of the Federal Budget), frequent missions to the moon and a new launch vehicle that was planned to launch almost monthly, a new pad would be necessary for the crowded KSC. So on July 10, 1974, NASA was given approval for the construction of LC-39C and the option of future expansion if needed. Construction would begin on August 18, 1976 and would be completed at least by early 1979.

Another part of LC-39, the launch tower would also need some needed upgrades. As the Shuttle is significantly shorter than the Saturn V, it would need it's own crew access arm and so, it was decided that two new arms would be added to the Launch Umbilical Tower, the Shuttle main access arm and the GOX vent arm. MLP 3 would be the first to have these arms installed in October, 1976 with MLP 2 and 1 planned for installation in April 1977 and May 1978 respectively. America's Moonport is expanding.

Construction of LC-39C, Mid 1977 [3]

End of Chapter 10.5

 

[Wasaspacegeek]

Hey, hope you don't mind these new .5 chapters. These are short vignettes that I couldn't fit into large chapters. I also hope that you like the new notes much like SSGL, these will be a part of future chapters but now, let's check out the notes for 10.5!

[1] The name of the first shuttle is much the same ITTL but spoiler alert, Constitution is going to be a real shuttle!

[2] As you can see, I poorly edited out the OMS Pods on Enterprise. If you didn't know yet, the shuttle, specifically the aft section is more like Buran meaning that the shuttle doesn't have the 3 large main engines, the EXT or the Booster ITTL has them and they are similarly in an angle for stability.

[3] The photo is just LC-39A in early 1964

Goodbye

spacegeek

 

[Wasaspacegeek]

Chapter 11: No Vacancy

November 17, 1976
Apollo 21 Day 4​

"Okay Houston, we got everything prepared and we're about to leave Independence now"

Commander Rusty Schweickart said. He and LMP Deke Slayton were ready to descend to Yorktown but one more thing or should I say one more person awaits them.

"Hey, don't leave me hanging here!"

CMP Joseph Kerwin jokingly said to the crew. He is about to do something no CMP has done ever. Kerwin enters the LM and is greeted by the crew.

"Welcome to Galileo, Joe"

Slayton said as Kerwin was finding his footing in the small Lunar Module Taxi.

"Thanks Deke, it's just incredible that I get to walk with you guys"

"It's incredible for us as well, Joe"

Schweickart said. All three of them closed the hatch to the CSM and undocked, landing near Yorktown a few hours later.

---

For the entirety of Phase 1, each and every Command Module Pilot of a landing mission stayed in lunar orbit in the CSM while the CDR and LMP landed and walked on the surface in their LM. The CMP never landed on the surface.

Collins, Gordon, Roosa, Mattingly, Worden, Swigert, Evans, Brand, Lind and Crippen of Apollos 11 to 20 never walked on the moon as the CMPs of those missions. To the normal person, it seems like the worst position in an Apollo mission, to stay in lunar orbit, never walking on the moon and on top of all that, constantly loosing contact with mission control when the CSM was in the far side, it seems like it would be the most loneliest job ever.

But to the CMPs, it was no biggie. They were content with their positions and were even fine with the constant communication loss. They surveyed the surface from afar, conducted experiments and were the astronaut's way home. The CMP was the most important job in any mission even though they didn't walk on the moon. Many of them expressed their contentment with the position, with Collins famously saying that he would go "99 percent of the way there" and was fine with that. It seemed like the CMP would stay in lunar orbit.

But, that would all change with Phase 2 of the Apollo Program. With the increased budget, NASA could upgrade the Lunar Module, so much so that a third person can join the CDR and LMP. The Command Module Pilot.

Apollo 20 would be the last mission of the Block II, an iteration of the CSM that has been used since 1968. The new Block III could fly unmanned for up to 6 months, allowing the CMP to go with the rest of the crew to the surface. Apollo 21 would be the first mission to test the fully upgraded Apollo Spacecraft as well as the first 30 day endurance and would be crewed by veterans Rusty Schweickart of Apollo 9 and Joseph Kerwin of Skylab 2 as well as rookie and Mercury 7 astronaut Deke Slayton [1]. Apollo 21 launched on November 13, 1976 to Yorktown and on November 17, they powered down the CSM Independence to journey to the surface in the LM Galileo.

The Launch of Apollo 21, November 13, 1976 [2]

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Upon landing on the moon, the crew brought out equipment, food and an extra bed for the CMP. Slayton and Schweickart brought out the LRV in one of Galileo's storage compartments which housed an extra seat for the CMP. One notable part of the CMP EVA suit was it's blue stripes much like the commander's stripes used since Apollo 13 [3].

Apollo 21 CMP Joseph Kerwin adjusting his camera during EVA 1, November 17, 1976 [4]

The LM Shelter was a small area for a crew. Two floors yet so little room for everyone. The bottom floor housed an inner airlock, the wardrobe, experiment racks and a shower and a small galley. The second floor housed the three beds for the crew as well as extra storage, Schweickart said in an interview that the Shelter had so little space that one person had to stay upstairs, reading a book or writing a log.

EVAs usually consisted of either the entire crew or just two of them while one stayed in the shelter. The crew explored the site and visited several points of interests. The most notable part was when the crew visited Liberty's descent stage and took several equipment including the T.V camera near the ladder.

LM 15 Liberty taken by the LRV Camera, November 20, 1976 [5]

Life in the LM Shelter was much the same with 20, experiments, housekeeping and the occasional EVA. The crew spends 12 hours of working a day with lunch breaks and several much smaller breaks throughout the day. They conducted experiments and brought rock samples to study. Experiments included the study of bacteria, plants and the sun, solar observations, medical studies, studies of lunar samples and much more.

Their stay was nearly overcome by one problem after another. On Day 7, Slayton accidentally depressurized the waste collection system but was quickly stopped by Kerwin [6]. Day 8 saw the crew catch a cold, scrubbing any planned EVAs for the day. Day 15 saw the near shutdown of the shelter's computer and on Day 27, Schweickart nearly vomited in an EVA, forcing an early end for his moonwalk [7].

Overall, each crew member acomplished the goals of the mission and they held the record for the most time spent on the lunar surface when their stay was over.

At the end of their stay, Slayton placed their mission patch near Yorktown, starting a long tradition for Apollo missions. Another first was achieved when they conducted the first relight of the Descent Stage engine, a key part of the LM Taxi design. The engine fired until it was out of fuel and was jettisoned about 3 miles downrange from Yorktown.

Apollo 21 returned to Earth on December 20, 1976, ending the mission with complete success. With multiple problems and issues with Yorktown, NASA concluded that they should abandon the base as it became too problematic for the crew and mission control. The improved LMS-3 Saratoga was planned to launch in early 1977 to Mare Frigoris in the Lunar North Pole and could house the crew up to 6 months. SA-518 rolled out on January 7, 1977 with Apollo 22 not far behind. Lunar exploration is now at a turning point.

End of Chapter 11

 

[Wasaspacegeek]

This was hard for me to write as I'm not a story writer at all. Here we have 7 notes to talk about.

[1] I like the idea of Deke walking on the moon. For all Mankind and SSGL helped influence me, I like badass old people ok?

[2] I like to imagine if the Saturn V was still in use, it would use the worm logo, it looks awsome yet I'm torn bc of alt history forum's file size limit causing my edits to look like crumpled paper.

[3] The Idea of a blue striped space suit especially for the Apollo era seems like the right way for me u know? Make everyone distinguishable!

[4] This used a photo of John Young on Apollo 16 and it was also a pain to get the colors right, the leg stripes were purple, pink and THEN blue.

[5] I used footage from the LRV on Apollo 15 for this one.

[6] This actually happened IOTL, STS 33 Shuttle Discovery in November '89 experienced the same depressurization with their toilet.

[7] This happened with Schweickart on Apollo 9 and he was actually moved from Apollo to Skylab IOTL.

Goodbye!

spacegeek

 

[BigVic]

Great read of a continuation of the Apollo program

 

[Wasaspacegeek]

Here's a poorly drawn diagram of a LM Shelter

spacegeek

 

[ajm8888]

I think you did a great job.

 

[Wasaspacegeek]

Chapter 12: Lunar Outpost and the Flight of Enterprise
​

By 1977, Lunar Exploration was no longer about staying for mere days, planting flags and saying historic words. It was now about stretching the limits of 70s technology and human endurance. Phase 2 would be responsible for the shift to scientific goals. Astronauts were now staying longer and longer on the lunar surface and brought complex experiments with each stay. Each mission became more advanced and more complex. With each passing mission, Project Apollo would push the boundaries of human exploration.

---

Apollo 22, crewed by Al Worden, Gerald Carr and Bill Pogue would land next to the LM Shelter Saratoga in Mare Frigoris. After the harrowing malfunctions the crew of Apollo 21 endured, NASA decided to abandon Yorktown all together. They would also decide that each mission would have it's own lunar shelter in different locations. Apollo 22 brought the LRV, experiments, extra life support and an oversupply of food while the CSM Edmond Halley in polar oribt would survey the surface remotely. Another aspect of Phase 2 would be the vehicles. Back in 1974, NASA contracted Northrop to build the MOLAB, a design concept dating back to 1968 ressurected for this new phase of lunar exploration. It could house 3 people in a pressurized vehicle for 14 days worth of exploration [1].

Northrop would build a test article in June, 1974, testing the capabilities of it then, building about 8 MOLABs for Apollo. MOLAB would be housed on top of the LM Descent Stage and would be unfolded by the crew once on the surface, it would be housed in a standard Saturn V and would also use the Service Module for the descent. When launched, MOLAB was the most advanced car at that point with many moving parts all built by different companies, the tires by Boeing, the wagon by Chrysler and many others.

An Illustration of MOLAB

MOLAB 1 rolled out to LC-39B a day after Lunar Shelter 2 and launched a week after Apollo 22. The crew rendezvoused with the LM Truck carrying MOLAB 1 and unfolded the vehicle and brought it down to the surface.

Apollo 22 LMP Bill Pogue inspects the LM Polaris March, 1977 [2]

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Apollo 23 was a repeat of 22 in many ways. The crew, Commander Tom Stafford, CMP Don Eisele and LMP Bruce McCandless stayed in LMS-4 Endurance in Tsiolkovskiy Crater. One part the crew found challenging was the lunar night, previous missions just stayed inside their shelters for the entire 14 day night cycle but NASA wanted to see how the astronauts would fair in the dark and cold environment. And so on Day 12, November 6 the crew went out on EVA 6, Eisele would later say that it was hard for him to see anything even with a flashlight. EVA 6 roughly lasted an hour before the crew and NASA called it quits and returned to the shelter. The crew would spend the time conducting experiments, tracking the stars and general housekeeping procedures. Once dawn broke, the crew were eager to walk out of the tin can that was Endurance and see the sun again, NASA would bring extra lights on future missions.

Tsiolkovskiy approaching sunset as seen by cameras on the CSM S.S. Gus Grissiom, Endurance and the LM Vanguard is located roughly north of the crater November, 1977 [3]

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In January 1978, Apollo 24, crewed by Michael Collins, Henry Hartsfield and Gordon Cooper [4] would land in Schroter's Valley, rendezvousing with the LMS-5 Trenton. Hartsfield would later say that it was his favorite mission in his career. Some of the notable aspects of the mission was the first use of "Lunar Hopping" a technique where you use the lander to transport personnel or supplies from one location to another all with using minimal fuel, they used the LM Voyager to rendezvous with the MOLAB 3 and transferred the fuel from the LM Truck to Voyager before returning to Trenton. Collins would later say that piloting the LM back to the shelter was one of the most stressful moments of his career and said that he nearly slipped when descending down. Nonetheless, the lunar hops were a success and it would be further improved with future missions. The MOLAB would go on to be in every mission in Phase 2.

MOLAB 3 next to Trenton, January 1978 [5]

Once again, Project Apollo would push the boundaries of human exploration and understanding. Each lesson learned in each subsequent mission would be used in NASA, Apollo and even to the public, Apollo was and always will be an important chapter in human exploration. But in 1977, space exploration would never be the same again.

---

August 12, 1977

23,000 ft above California

Approach Landing Test 12

In the blue skies of California, a 747 aircraft flies above but, it carries an unusual payload on it's back, another aircraft.

"Enterprise, you are go for sep" Mission Control said to the two man crew.

In the controls is Fred Haise, LMP of Apollo 11 and Commander of Apollo during ASTP. Joining him was rookie Gordon Fullerton who would be flanking his right. With nervous hands, Haise flips a switch on the world's first space shuttle and after a jolt and a thunk, Enterprise was free of the jet, The shuttle was now free.

Enterprise, the world's first space shuttle flies for the first time over California, August 12, 1977 [6]

"Houston, we have separation"

"Roger, Enterprise that's great news"

Enterprise for a lack of a better word was a flying brick. It had short wings, a big nose and shoddy aerodynamics, the crew had difficulty with the controls but through skill, Haise and Fullerton managed to pilot a flying brick. Houston could hear the excitement in the crew's voice as the shuttle turned and glided through the California sky.

"Houston I'll tell ya, this is the greatest ride I've ever seen!"

"Roger" CAPCOM said, chuckling at Haise's remarks.

Haise piloted the craft until he saw a line in the endless California desert, Edwards Airforce Base about several hundred kilometers away. Accompanied by jets trying to survey the craft, Enterprise entered a dive to the runway. Haise and Fullerton's piloting helped stabilize the shuttle and brought it on a steady glide.

With gentle controls, Enterprise landed safely on the runway, ending ALT 12. Though, more tests and hurdles await the personell, Haise, Fullerton, Engle and Truly, all collectively known as the Approach and Landing crew. These men would help guide future astronauts in landings and flying a brick. These men would be some of the most important people for the Shuttle Program.

The Approach and Landing crew L-R Fullerton, Haise, Engle and Truly

End of Chapter 12

 

[Wasaspacegeek]

[1] MOLAB is a very interesting concept and with many concepts ressurected, it makes sense for me to include it.

[2] It's just Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11.

[3] This was a mosaic image from Apollo 17.

[4] I Like to think that if space exploration wasn't limited in the 70s, many people such as Collins and Cooper would stay in NASA though they would have a long absence with many crews already assigned by the early 1970s.

[5] This is one of my proudest images I've made. I like how it looks in general. I really hope that you like these images, I know it's not as good as KSP but it's the best I can do with a limited budget.

[6] Once again, I shoddily edited out the OMS Pods, this time it's less apparent.

 

[Kloka]

If there aren’t OMS pods,how does the Shuttle deorbit?

 

[Wasaspacegeek]

If there aren’t OMS pods,how does the Shuttle deorbit?

The shuttle acts like Buran, meaning that the smaller engines are at the rear where the RS-25s are supposed to be

 

[Kloka]

The shuttle acts like Buran, meaning that the smaller engines are at the back instead of on the roof of the orbiter

Cool idea!

 

[Sasza]

I'd rather see a DC-3 plus Saturn line than another Saturn-Shuttle. Especially since NASA still needs over 12 J-2 engines and over 10 F-1 engines, so you can easily start production line and use the Saturn V to launch a new space station from time to time.

 

[Wasaspacegeek]

Chapter 12.5: The Three Voyagers

August 20, 1977
Kennedy Space Center
Launch of Voyager 3
​

Ever since the conception of NASA, people have been proposing ambitious missions manned and unmanned. Though some haven't past the drawing board, that never dismayed the people who were willing to do anything to see their ideas come to fruition. In 1964, Gary Flandro of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory noted that a rare alignment of the outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune was about to occur sometime in the late 1970s. NASA, seeing the rare opportunity to send spacecraft to all four planets in a single launch, went to work on planning out what will happen and what will the spacecraft need. Eventually, this ambitious proposal would turn into the Voyager Program.

The plans for the program were simple, one probe would be shot out of Earth, pass by Jupiter and with the help of a gravity assist, shoot towards the outer planets and beyond the solar system but overtime, the scope of the program would change. Instead of one, there would be multiple in case of an inflight failure in one, the other can take over. By 1972, the final plan was decided, using three probes, the first probe would explore Jupiter and Saturn in extensive detail before leaving the solar system, the second would do the same but would also travel to the Pluto system before going beyond the solar system and the third would explore all four gas giants, taking pictures of Uranus and Neptune for the first time before leaving.

The Voyager probes would be built for several years until completion in 1977. The design of the probe consisted of a hexagonal body with hydrazine thrusts to orient the spacecraft, several instruments that could study the composition of planets and take pictures, gyroscopes so that the spacecraft can stabilize itself and a high gain antenna so that the spacecraft can always contact Earth.

Diagram of the Voyager Probe

The most famous part of the Voyager spacecraft was the golden record attached to the side of the body. The team, led by Carl Sagan took several photos and music of what Earth was, hoping that extra terrestrial life could see what the planet was like. The LP contained greetings in several languages, photos of Earth and human life and music, ranging from Beethoven, to Chuck Berry and many more from many cultures.

The three probes, Voyagers 1 to 3 would have unique missions which would put them in separate courses.

Voyager 1, September 10, 1977 - Explore the Jupiter and Saturn Systems before being ejected from the Solar System.

Voyager 2, September 4, 1977 - Explore the Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto systems before venturing out on it's own.

Voyager 3, August 20, 1977 - Explore all four gas giants before leaving.

After their planetary missions, all three probes will slowly drift away from the solar system, eventually going to interstellar space and would be untouched for who knows how long.

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Voyager 3 launched on August 20, 1977 on a Titan IIIE rocket at the KSC, two weeks later, Voyager 2 and 1 would launch, out of all three of them, Voyager 1 was the fastest, overtaking Voyager 3 in just a few months as 1 had a shorter trajectory than 2 or 3.

The Launch of Voyager 3, August 20, 1977

By 1979, Voyager 1 had passed by Jupiter, taking images and studying the planet.

Jupiter in True Color as seen by Voyager 1, March, 1979

Voyager 2 followed a week later, similarly studying the gas giant and taking photos. Voyager 3 arrived a bit later on July 9, 1979. All three probes are now planned to head to the Saturn system in 1980 and 1981.

The Voyager missions are planned to be the most daring and ambitious of the 20th century, planning to visit every outer planet of the solar system and shedding light for scientists and astronomers back home. These little probes, wandering endlessly in space, carrying one of the only proofs of humanity's existence outside Earth are destined to wander further towards interstellar space and beyond the solar system forever. Hopefully, when so many probes have passed, staying in our planetary neighborhood, the Voyagers will still communicate with Earth with so many new discoveries to tell us.

End of Chapter 12.5