New Frontier
book one
by
Cliff Ball
Smashwords Edition
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Books and short stories by Cliff Ball
Shattered Earth – a science fiction/alternate history novel
Don’t Mess With Earth – a science fiction/alternate history novel
Out of Time – a time travel novella
The Usurper – a political thriller
Dust Storm – a western short story
Voyager & The Aliens – a short sci-fi story
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PUBLISHED BY:
Cliff Ball
New Frontier
a speculative fiction novel
Copyright © 2012 by Cliff Ball
cliffball_2000@yahoo.com
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Smashwords License Notes
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New Frontier
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Prologue
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency…”
President Kennedy stepped off of the stage after his “New Frontier” speech at Rice University, when he was asked by Texas Governor Daniel, “What did you mean about doing those other things after you said we would go to the moon?”
“That was a mistake. I was going to fill that in by saying that we would eventually explore the rest of our solar system after we take our first steps on the moon, but I forgot about it. Anyway, in the grand scheme of things, who’s going to remember one little paragraph in a speech? All that matters is that I have a vision of what our future holds. The American voters will eat that up.”
“That’s why you’re the President, and not that yahoo, Richard Nixon.”
“I’m sure the American people are grateful for that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to Washington.”
As Kennedy stepped off of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, he was met by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who was never eager to converse with any of the Kennedy family, but this time he had to. “Mr. President, I need to speak with you in private.”
“What do you want?”
“Like I said, in private.”
“Oh, all right. Follow me to my car, we can speak there.” When they were situated in the back seat of the Presidential limo, Kennedy asked, “Ok, so what’s so important that this has to be in private?”
“I’m sure you’re aware of the death of Marilyn Monroe last month…”
“What’s your point?” interrupted an impatient Kennedy.
“The point is that we have her killer in custody.”
“Didn’t the coroner rule it a suicide?”
“Well, someone told him to rule it that, but it really wasn’t…”
“Would you please get to the point already?” interrupted the President again.
“Fine. The FBI was informed that your brother, Bobby, was seen leaving Monroe’s house the day she died. After an exhaustively thorough investigation, it was concluded that Bobby was indeed the person responsible for the death of Marilyn Monroe. He’s now in custody, where he will be put on trial very soon.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Why? Because he’s a Kennedy? Your father may have gotten away with many a thing years ago, but he also had many friends in high places. With him retired, you and your brothers don’t have that luxury, since you are the people in high places. I’ve got so much stuff on you Kennedy’s, all I would have to do is go to the Press and give them everything available. You would be finished in no time. So, yes, I can have your brother put on trial for murder.”
“What can I offer you to withdraw the murder charge?”
“Bribery, eh? Are you sure you really want to try that with me?”
“What do you want from me?”
“Simple, really. You and your family stay out of my way, and I won’t air all of your dirty laundry. When it’s publicly announced that Bobby killed Marilyn, you will be shocked to hear it, and you’ll reluctantly announce that he will no longer be Attorney General of the United States. If you or your family sends your mob goons after me to silence me by killing me, my will has a provision in it that all the documents I have that are related to your family will be released to the Press. Either way, you’ll be ruined. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Good.” Hoover stepped out of the car, leaving the President to his thoughts.
A year later, on a campaign stop in Dallas, with President Kennedy’s motorcade on its way to Dallas Trade Mart for a luncheon, gunshots rang out while passing through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy heard the bullets whiz by him, but then he heard a sickening sound next to him. His wife had been shot in the head. In the front seat, Governor John Connally, who had just been elected Texas Governor, appeared to have also been shot by the assassin’s bullets. Kennedy started to panic, but really had nowhere to run if an assassin was still trying to shoot at him. The Secret Service rushed in to protect Kennedy, surrounded the car, and the motorcade rushed away to Parkland Hospital. Both Jacqueline Kennedy and John Connally were pronounced dead within an hour of arriving at the hospital. The FBI announced they would begin their investigation.
After the funeral, Kennedy summoned Hoover to his office. “Did you have anything to do with what happened in Dallas, Mr. Hoover?”
“No, but if I did, you can bet that you would be dead, not your wife or the Governor. Unfortunately, we have no suspects. Too many of the witnesses claim that they heard gunshots from one of the buildings or from the grassy knoll that the motorcade was passing, but no one saw a shooter. Whoever may have tried to assassinate you was professional enough to cover their tracks. The FBI and I have run into a brick wall, and have decided to close the investigation. I’m truly sorry for your loss.”
“I’m sure you are. Thank you for coming.” Kennedy summarily dismissed the FBI Director from his office.
Five years later, after John F. Kennedy was no longer eligible to run for President again. He and the rest of the nation learned that Barry Goldwater won the Presidency of the United States in his second try after trying in 1964. Hubert Humphrey, the Democratic challenger since Lyndon Johnson decided to retire, had been assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan six months before the election, so the Democrats ran George McGovern, who was the Vice Presidential candidate, as the replacement. Goldwater soundly defeated McGovern.
While the world was waiting for Apollo 11 to land on the moon, John and Ted Kennedy were having a party on Chappaquiddick Island with their girlfriends the day before the scheduled moon landing to celebrate the fact that John had helped push NASA in that direction. Ted, and his girlfriend, Mary Jo Kopechne, decided to leave because Mary Jo needed to get home. “Teddy, you should stay here, you’re too drunk to be driving.” protested John.
“I know what I’m doing. Just because you’re my older brother doesn’t give you the right to act like dad.” slurred the drunken younger Kennedy.
“Ok, fine, but if you get into a car wreck, don’t blame me. I tried to warn you, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Bye, bye Jack.” slurred the drunk Mary Joe, as she waved at him.
John waved goodbye to them as the two drunkenly got into Ted’s Oldsmobile and drove away. The next morning, Edgartown Police Chief James Arena knocked on the door of the house, John answered the door, and asked the Chief, “Can I help you?”
“Mr. Kennedy, I regret to inform you that your brother and his escort were found dead inside the Oldsmobile at Poucha Pond. It appears they didn’t see the end of the bridge and the car kept going. Due to how the car settled in the water, the two died from drowning. A pair of fisherman on a fishing boat noticed the car earlier this morning, informed us, and we managed to bring the car back up an hour ago. Unfortunately, I need you to come down the Station to ID them so we can officially record that the family knows about it. Can you come with me?”
“Yeah, I’ll come with you. I knew he shouldn’t have left while he was drunk. I knew something would happen, but he refused to listen to me. Now look where it’s gotten him…”
Even though John was hung-over, he was in shock at the news of his brothers’ death, and he was increasingly getting depressed over it. Of the four boys in his family, he was the only one that was left, and he wasn’t sure how his father, Joseph, would handle having yet another son not on Earth. Joseph had ambitious dreams for all of his children, yet of the nine children, four were no longer living. John was beginning to wonder if his family was cursed.
He went with the Police Chief, identified the bodies, and spent the rest of the week organizing a funeral. John wondered why all of this tragedy was happening around him, but not to him. He decided he needed to focus his energies now on his two children, before anything else happened to anyone else in his family. So, he decided to withdraw from public life, because it seemed to him that his immediate family would live longer that way. Four months later, Joseph died at the age of 81 of natural causes.
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Chapter 1
Barry Goldwater came to the end of his second term as President of the United States. Goldwater’s Vice President, Spiro Agnew, wouldn’t be seeking the nomination to be the next President of the United States; he had wanted to retire. The Republican who had won the primaries was Governor Ronald Reagan of California. Governor Reagan seemed successful at everything he put his mind to: from acting to being in politics.
Because Goldwater had a successful eight years, he thought Reagan would have campaigned just on the premise that Republicans would continue the trend of growing the economy, a world mostly at peace thanks to the destruction of the communists in Vietnam and winning there, and the success NASA was having with the moon landings. No, Reagan didn’t rest on those laurels, nor did he just campaign on those ideas; he wanted the United States to have even bigger ambitions.
At the Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, Reagan was introduced after the delegates had nominated him to be the next Republican candidate for President, he went to the podium, and began his speech, “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for nominating me as the next President of the United States, and I humbly accept your nomination. I want to thank everyone who has helped me on this amazing journey. My wife, Nancy, for believing in me, the voters of California for entrusting me with the governorship of that State, and everyone who helped me with my acting career after I was no longer able to pursue a career in football. I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for all of that help, so I thank you and I thank God in Heaven for all of your and His help.
“It has been an amazing year, campaigning across this great land of ours. From Maine to California, up north to Alaska, and across the Pacific to Hawaii, the people of this country prove to me that America is still that shining city on the hill. We have, and we will continue to do, great things with God’s help. As long as we look to Him for guidance, and remember to thank Him for the abundance we have here in this great land we call America. I am optimistic that we, the people of the United States of America, will continue to be the land the rest of the world looks to when they want freedom and the chance to showcase their talents.
“On that note, let me say to those being oppressed in those parts of the world by the evil forces of communism, we support your desire for freedom, and will support you when the time comes to unshackle yourselves from that evil empire known as the Soviet Union. The Communists in the Soviet Union must know they can’t suppress the desire for freedom for very long, for people who desire such freedom, as we have here in the United States, will cast off communism to join the liberty loving peoples of the world. Remember, the United States will continue to fight communism wherever it shows its ugly head. We did it in Vietnam and we can do it again.
“One of my platforms includes expanding space exploration. Currently, all we are doing is visiting the moon, playing a little round of golf (the audience laughs), taking some nice home movies, and leaving three days later. I believe we should do more than that, and I believe we are more than capable of doing more than that. Once I am elected and in the office of the President, I propose that we build a moon base, and it be operational by the end of 1980. NASA is in the process of building space shuttles for just this purpose, so they can transport to the moon tons of equipment to eventually build a moon base, and quite possibly a space station in Earth orbit. However, I propose that we don’t end there. I want us to send a manned mission to Mars, and have a base built there before the end of 1989. After we achieve all of this, the possibilities are endless as to what we can achieve. America, thank you for your time, and God Bless America!”
The crowd cheered the nominee, music started blaring throughout the convention center, and balloons came down from the ceiling. Reagan’s wife, Nancy, along with the nominee for Vice President, Bob Dole, with his wife Elizabeth, came on stage to celebrate with Governor Reagan. They waved to the crowd, enjoying the moment. The three television networks cut to their anchors, who analyzed the speech, until the Democrat nominee for President, Jimmy Carter, came on TV to issue his statement.
“Good evening my fellow Americans. I am Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, the Democrat nominee running for the President of the United States. I am here tonight to respond to my opponent’s speech, and what national Democrats as a whole think of this speech by Governor Reagan.
“First off, I’m sure Reagan is a nice enough fellow, but is there any need to antagonize the Soviet Union? I want to apologize to them because we don’t need another warmonger in office. We need someone, like me, who understands the plight of communists around the world. The United States President shouldn’t be bullying a fellow nation just because we don’t like their government. It is, after all, our duty to follow the will of the people; that is what we’re supposed to stand for, is it not? If the will of the people is to have communism, then who are we to stand in their way and tell them no? I still contend that it was wrong for the United States to win in Vietnam by completely wiping out the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army. Whatever happened to peacefully negotiating a settlement and letting everyone live how they want?
“Finally, I also have an issue with this silly notion of space exploration. What good comes out of building a moon base, or risking young American lives by traveling all the way to Mars to build a base there? What a tremendous waste of money and resources. Name me one thing space exploration has done to make our lives better. If you vote for me, my fellow Americans, we will put a stop to such silly nonsense, and I will not be such a head in the clouds fool as to think space exploration is worth the time and money to invest in it. I will also work with nations, such as the Soviet Union, for the good of all mankind. We must work together, not tear each other apart. Thank you and good night.”
One of the network anchors came back on, and said, “Well, that was depressing. Our polling numbers currently have Governor Reagan over Governor Carter by thirty points, making it about 70% of the adult voting population who sat they would vote for Reagan as President, but we will see if we have that many actual voters come to the polls. Stay tuned to this network as we host the first debate between the two in three weeks. Thank you for tuning in. Good night America.”
At the Convention Center, Reagan was given the tape of what Carter said. He watched it, and then commented, “What is with this guy? Does he really plan on basically surrendering our position as a world power to the Soviet Union, so the Soviet Union can feel better about itself? That’s nuts.”
“Yes sir, he really does believe we’re wrong. All you have to do, sir, is let him sink his own campaign for President by letting him sound like the fool that he is. All that malaise coming from him should get you elected in a landslide.” stated John Hogan, Reagan’s campaign manager.
“Well, we have to go through the debates first, and then we can decide if I’m going to win in a landslide. Since the first debate is in three weeks, we should start preparing.”
Three weeks later, the first debate was held in Philadelphia. When the time came for Reagan and Carter to walk on stage, they greeted each other, shook hands, and walked to their individual podiums they were to stand behind. A number of questions about their political philosophies were asked, and when the question came up about NASA and space exploration, Carter was the first to speak, “Like I have said since Reagan became the Republican candidate for President, I think we should use our money for more constructive purposes, like creating a Department of Energy, for example. Seems to me that the common people can’t share in space exploration, and I have yet to see any good come out of it. I think we should focus on more earthly concerns.”
“Mr. Reagan, do you have a response for Mr. Carter?” asked the moderator.
“You know, there he goes again, being all gloomy. Space exploration has done many things since we first started. Our medical technology has advanced quite a bit in the last 20 years. People are living longer lives due to the side research done by NASA and its associates. Computers have also gone from room sized to desk sized. Just the other day, I met with a young man who is working on bringing computers into our homes, he calls them personal computers. Another inventor is also trying to construct a home movie unit, where you can watch movies or record movies on television from your home, which he calls a video cassette recorder. There’s even a group of researchers at universities who are exploring the possibility of eventually connecting all of these computers to a nationwide network so everyone can share information in real time. Space exploration has helped us to understand our Earth and our galaxy better, especially with all of those space probes going through our solar system taking those wonderful pictures of the planets. I believe a society should continue to expand its horizons, otherwise, it will become stagnant and cease to exist.”
“So, you’re willing to risk lives for such a wasteful venture?” asked Carter, in his usual Georgia accent.
“In order to explore the world around us, lives are sometimes sacrificed. Explorers such as Columbus, Magellan, the lost colony at Roanoke, the colonists at Jamestown, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, have all lost people on such grand adventures to explore the world around them. We must not shrink away from such dangers, but face them with boldness. Life itself is dangerous, but, I think if we’re careful and do this right, we will not lose anyone. The United States of America must keep moving forward. I am confident that God will continue to bless us and keep us safe. Unlike Mr. Carter here, I believe America is exceptional, and I believe the American people will continue this grand experiment we call a Republic.”
Carter rolled his eyes, and they continued with other issues. Once the debate was over, the pundits on television said that Reagan dominated and won this debate, while Carter was just too gloomy. Apparently, the American people agreed with the sentiment, because polling the next day showed Reagan would get 75% of the possible votes if the election were held that week. The next two debates made Carter look worse and worse as a candidate. Election Day finally arrived, and Reagan won all but one state, which was Minnesota. Reagan pledged he would do what he said he would do, and hoped the American people were completely behind him.
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Chapter 2
Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev had been advised on what President Reagan wanted. The Premier himself had been watching the debates between the two candidates, and was keeping up on the newspaper articles about the candidates. Brezhnev was hoping Carter would win, since he would be easy to manipulate, but since Reagan was now President of the United States, he was not one to be fooled with, in spite of what the American media said about him. The minister of the Space Program, Yuri Rominesku, had been summoned, and he finally arrived thirty minutes later.
Brezhnev skipped the pleasantries, and asked, “Can we do anything to counteract this mission of the Americans to build bases on the moon and Mars?”
“Not directly, Comrade Premier,”
“Do you have any ideas or suggestion?”
“Yes. I propose we build an interplanetary starship to send our cosmonauts to another solar system. We can easily outdo the Americans this way, but, we must focus all of our national energy to accomplish this scheme.”
“That’s a very bold idea. How long, do you suppose, will it take to build this starship of yours?”
“The estimates are that it will take three to five years, Comrade Premier.”
“Why three to five years? Please explain this.”
Sensing that the Premier was getting impatient already, Rominesku took a deep breath, and said, “I can easily explain, Comrade Premier. The ship itself can be built in a year, but our scientists want to build an experimental propulsion system, I believe involving ion power. They must make it from scratch, since it’ll be nothing like anything ever built before in the history of mankind. The Americans are reluctant to pursue a propulsion device that blasts off into space that is completely experimental and unproven, so we have a great advantage already. While they spend a decade trying to build a base on Mars, we’ll have a ship that will be on its way to the nearest star system. Do you like this plan, sir?”
“I would like to visit Star City first to see for myself, then I can judge whether I like this plan or not. You do have my interest in this, however, so do not be too discouraged.”
Three days later, Brezhnev and his staff arrived at Star City, which was only twenty miles to the northeast of Moscow. Star City is the training center for all Russian cosmonauts, and was similar to what Houston and Cape Canaveral were for the Americans. Brezhnev considered this for a moment, and thought having everything spread out, like the Americans did, seemed to be wasteful; a waste of time and money. Although, Brezhnev didn’t think the Soviet Union was all that efficient either, but kept this particular thought to himself, since he didn’t want to be replaced through such means as a bullet to the head. Rominesku took the Premier to meet with the engineers and scientists who were working on this project. They were patiently waiting in the main lab for their leader to show up and give his seal of approval.
Brezhnev was greeted by the head scientist, Yosif Palivksin, and the head engineer, Yakov Gorinchev. They introduced themselves to him, he shook hands with both men, noticed they looked like the typical scientist and engineer, and then he said, “Good morning, gentlemen. How is the project proceeding?”
“We are coming along nicely, Comrade Premier. With the full support of the government behind us, we can move this along much faster. In the meantime, our small scale test on our experimental propulsion system is coming along very well, and if you give your approval, we can finally test a full-sized version.” stated Palivskin.
“Yes, yes, once all of you have shown me this can be accomplished, then I will approve it. Now, Gorinchev, what are your engineers working on?”
“Well, Comrade Premier, part of my team has been working on the design for our starship. We have some preliminary models that were constructed so you can look over our ideas on what the ship should look like. Once you see those, you can give us an idea of which direction we should go with the design. Also, the other part of my team is constructing a large rocket sled so we can launch the starship into space once we’re ready to launch.”
“What is the purpose of a rocket sled to launch the ship? Is using what we have now to launch the ship not good enough?”
“To be blunt about it Comrade Premier, no. What we use now would not be powerful enough to launch a ship the size of our starship. A rocket sled will launch the ship from the ground, with a rising angle, and once it attains enough speed while in the air, the nuclear powered engines would takeover, and the ship would be flown into space. Once in space, we estimate that when the ion propulsion system is activated, the starship could achieve anywhere from sub-light to light speed, but this is only a theory.”
“I see. Is sub-light a good speed to be at?” asked Brezhnev.
“We’re not sure, Comrade Premier,” answered Palivksin, “sub-light speed means that time on Earth will be moving faster, but the starship, and everyone on it, will be moving at half, or even slower than our speed, from our point of view. If there is some way to break the light speed barrier, or if they could find a wormhole to another part of the galaxy, the crew would know that everyone they knew on Earth would still be alive once the crew reached the destination. Again, this is all theory and we won’t know until this is all done in the real world. Ideally, the starship could reach the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, in four years, real-time, instead of centuries.”
“Do what you can Palivksin. I would like to see what you have done so far in regards to ship designs, the rocket sled, and the engine design. Lead the way, gentlemen.”
Brezhnev was taken to see the mock-ups of the preliminary ship designs. The mock-ups were the size of model naval ships that hobbyists and children built, and the Premier could tell that the engineers had put a lot of time and effort into the designs. Even though he didn’t say it, he was impressed, and hoped this would really embarrass the Americans and their efforts at base building on the moon and Mars. Brezhnev studied each and every one of the eight model designs. He saw that one of the models looked like a similar version to the one in that American science fiction series, with that over-the-top swashbuckling captain and that ridiculously logical alien. As tempting as it was to pick this one, just to irritate the Americans, Brezhnev went to the next model. He studied this one for a few minutes longer than any of the others. It looked like a modified, and much larger, version of the B-52 the Americans used as their primary aircraft for delivering nuclear weapons.
He was pleased with this design, so he said, “I think this design will work. I have one question though, how will you overcome the lack of gravity on this starship?”
“Well, the ship will slowly get to its top speed, and while it’s doing that, it will rotate so there will be some gravity. At top speed, the cosmonauts will not notice the ship rotating, and they will have a comfortable journey, Comrade Premier. At least, that’s the theory anyway.” answered Gorinchev.
“I’m satisfied with that answer. Gorinchev, your engineers will be given a year to get this ship built; you will be efficient, and you will not make mistakes. Understand?”
“I understand perfectly, Comrade Premier. If my staff and I do not accomplish this goal in time, it is Siberia for us, is it not?”
“Correct.”
“Then, we will do better than that. I boldly declare we will have it built in eight months. Thank you, Comrade Premier, for being so understanding. Now, my staff and I must get to work!” Gorinchev rushed off to start the assignment.
Brezhnev’s next stop was where the scientists were testing whether or not the nuclear engine would work. Palivksin was talking the whole time, and when he said something to Brezhnev, the Premier made sure to pay attention, “Comrade Premier, we are also testing something called fusion power, which is the next technological step after hydrogen based nuclear weapons. I’d like permission to build a super collider to test our theories concerning fusion energy. It will not make us deviate from this current assignment, but can be seen as the next technological step in our search for better energy. This could lead, possibly, to our next generation of starships getting to the next solar system in almost two years, instead of 50 or more years.”
Brezhnev knew this discussion was above his head, so all he said was, “Excellent, do whatever you need to do to accomplish our goals. Thank you for taking the time to explain to me what you’re doing. Can you have the engine finished and attached to the ship within three years?”
“Of course, Comrade Premier. I can state with confidence that this will come together perfectly and we’ll be sending our starship to the stars before the Americans finish their moon base.” declared the scientist.
“Palivksin, you better hope you and your team backs up that declaration you just made, otherwise, you’ll have to pay the consequences. Well, gentlemen, I believe we’re done here, so I will be expecting results. Good day.” Brezhnev and staff left the facility and went back to Moscow.
The next day, Brezhnev called for a press conference, which would be aired world-wide. Once everything was setup for the television broadcast, and he was told that he was on the air, Brezhnev began to speak, “Good afternoon, I am Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev. I am on television today to make an announcement that should be of interest around the world. The Soviet Space Program is announcing that they will be launching a starship to travel the stars within the next four years. This starship will be leaving the solar system, unlike the Americans, who are going to be playing around in this solar system for a while. Our ship will be ion-powered and equipped with all the latest technology currently available to mankind. This is the announcement, and that is all. Good afternoon.” seconds later, television programs around the world resumed regular programming.
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Chapter 3
In Washington, D.C., President Reagan was sitting in front of the television at the White House watching the announcement just made by Premier Brezhnev. To no one in particular, Reagan commented, “Now that is one bold announcement. I declare that we’re going to build a base on the Moon, and build one on Mars, and what happens next, the Soviets up the ante by declaring that they’re building a ship to travel the stars. Does anyone think they can achieve that lofty goal?
“I think they’ll certainly try, Mr. President. Whether it’ll work or not, is another story altogether,” responded the Secretary of Defense, John McAlister.
“Would our national security be threatened, Mr. Stimson?”
Andrew Stimson, who was the National Security Advisor, thought about the question, and responded a few moments later, “Not that I’m aware of, Mr. President. Appears to me they mean to do exactly as they say, and unless they plan on sabotaging our efforts, I don’t think we should worry too much about the Soviets. I think we should watch their efforts, however, but act as if we’re not worried, concerned, or look like we even feel the least bit threatened.”
“I will take that into consideration, Mr. Stimson. How goes the construction of the space shuttles, Mr. Armstrong?”
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, had been selected by Reagan to be in charge of the shuttle and moon base programs. He started talking, “The shuttle project is coming along nicely, sir. The first shuttle is scheduled for completion by the end of next month, and the next five in the queue are to be completed in the next six months. Once they’re completed, we can have two go up in one week, with their cargo bays filled with supplies and construction materials. Right now, using the Apollo ships, we have astronauts on the moon right now preparing for construction of the base. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for not scaling back the moon landings, because there were numerous rumors that the budget for it would be massively reduced, and we’d be staying in near Earth orbits. I think that would be a shame and a complete waste of American ingenuity and natural talent.”
“It was my pleasure, Neil. I think it’s important the United States continue moving forward. I felt the Space Program is one of the keys to a bright future that we have ahead of us. If you don’t mind, I’d like to attend the christening of the first shuttle next month to encourage our engineers, astronauts, and support staff, and to show them that I’m behind them 100%.”
“I’m sure they would like that, Mr. President.” responded Armstrong.
“I’ll have my Chief of Staff contact NASA to make sure everything will be ready for my arrival. I look forward to it.”
Five weeks later, on a sunny, clear day, the President, his staff, and his Secret Service agents arrived at the Rockwell Automation plant in Palmdale, California, for the very first roll-out of the first space shuttle. There were quite a few dignitaries there, including the cast from the television series, Star Trek. There had been a major write-in campaign by the American public to name the first shuttle, Enterprise, which Rockwell and NASA had no problem with. Originally, the shuttle was going to be named Constitution, but it was decided to crown the second shuttle with that moniker. The other four in line were going to be nicknamed Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. There was a rumor going around in space circles that the ship that would be built for the future trip to Mars would be named Kennedy, after President John F. Kennedy, since he had inspired the nation to land on the moon.
Reagan interacted with the crowd, along with greeting Gene Roddenberry and the Star Trek cast. He knew Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, having been an actor himself, and also having been the President of the Screen Actors Guild, so he visited with them for a bit. A little while later, the theme song from Star Trek began to play, as the doors to the hangar that housed the Enterprise began to open. Everyone oohed and aahed as the shuttle rolled out of the hangar. It was gleaming white, looked like a sleek looking aircraft, appeared to be covered in tiles of some sort, had large afterburners at the back of the shuttle, and what appeared to be a cargo bay in the middle of the spacecraft. Other than those features, the Enterprise looked like a passenger aircraft.
The President of Rockwell walked onto the stage that was set up, went to the podium, and started speaking, “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. As you can see, the space shuttle Enterprise is our next, bold step in our journey to the stars. These shuttles will transport supplies and materials to the moon, where we will be building a base. Once the base is built, the shuttles will be used to build a space station, and beyond that, who knows what the future holds. Now, I would like to welcome the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.”
Reagan approached the podium from where he had been seated on the stage, shook hands with Rockwell’s President, and Reagan began to speak, “Thank you, Matthew, I’m honored to be here, witnessing our next step to the stars. Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to be here today to help introduce this newest technological advance by our scientists and engineers. To loosely quote Neil Armstrong when he first stepped onto the moon, this is just one small step for man, and will be a great leap forward for all mankind. I suspect that once we begin accomplishing this goal, that our technology will start advancing by leaps and bounds. Now, if you would permit me, I’d like to christen the new ship,”
Reagan stepped off of the stage, and then was suddenly flanked by Secret Service; he motioned for them to back off. He walked over to the shuttle, with everyone following him, and picked up a Champaign bottle that was sitting on a nearby table. Reagan climbed the temporary stairs to the nose of the shuttle, turned around, faced the crowd, and said, “By the power invested in me by the citizens of the United States of America, I, President Ronald Wilson Reagan, christen thee the United States Starship Enterprise,” he swung the bottle, breaking it on the nose of the shuttle, and then he said, “may the Enterprise have a long service life and prosper, to steal a line from Mr. Spock. Now, everyone, please enjoy the tour our hosts have planned for us. Thank you.”
The tour went through the Rockwell plant led by Neil Armstrong as they went pass other shuttles in various stages of development. While the tour stopped at the skeleton of the Columbia, Armstrong explained a few things to the group, “Many of you have questions about how the shuttles will land on the moon. The engineers were thinking about including some sort of lunar lander, but that would have been a problem when trying to transport supplies at once, so they went another direction with the design of the shuttle,
“The engineers decided to incorporate thrusters into the underside, so that the shuttles can land vertically on the moon. Near lack of gravity will permit this, since the shuttles are too heavy to land that way here on Earth. These shuttles will hold enough fuel to do this, because we designed the shuttles’ fuel capacity to be about 20% larger than was originally planned.”
“How are these shuttles getting into orbit?” asked someone Armstrong didn’t see.
“The shuttles will be launched the same way as the Apollo spacecraft, expect it will be attached to the side of the rocket instead of at the top. Early designs had the shuttle attached to two rocket boosters and an external fuel tank, but simulations indicated that this would be more dangerous than using the Apollo rockets.”
“How come we aren’t doing like the Russians and using nuclear technology to launch the ship?” asked someone else.
“Actually, they aren’t using nuclear technology to launch the ship; it is only used to power the ship. However to answer your question, everything they’re doing is experimental and starting from scratch, while we’re using tested technology that works. We prefer to err on the side of caution, while the Russians have no such qualms.” responded Armstrong.
“Is there going to be a live demonstration of how the shuttle will be launched?” asked William Shatner, in his typical style of talking.
“The next live demonstration of the shuttle being launched will be when it’s launched on its first mission. However, if you’d like to witness the testing of the rocket engines, and how we attach the shuttle to the Saturn V, it can be arranged.”
“Well, I was just wondering, Mr. Armstrong, not a big deal.”
“Speaking of live demonstrations, the first scheduled launch of Enterprise is four months from now. It’ll be broadcast live on all three networks.”
“Will it be possible for all of us to meet the astronauts who are going to be the first crew?” asked Reagan of Armstrong.
“They’re currently in training, Mr. President, but we have them scheduled to meet with you shortly before they’re put on board the shuttle.”
“Excellent, I’m sure my Chief of Staff will have the details, I’ll have to speak with him. Also, when are we going to start the mission to Mars?”
“Well, Mr. President, you want us to be on Mars and have a fully functional base by 1989. We have decided on the timelime to start by possibly sending a modified Apollo spacecraft to Mars to explore, while we begin building the starship to Mars in orbit after the new space station is built. I’d say probably within a year of finishing the moon base, sir.”
“Good, good. I see that the space program is in good hands. Please continue with your tour, I have to return to Washington. Good day, everyone.”
At the White House three weeks later, Neil Armstrong and the flight crew for the Enterprise arrived to meet with President Reagan. The President greeted the four men, and each shook his hand, and introduced themselves, “Mr. President, I am Fred Haise, the Commander of this mission. I’m honored to meet you, sir.”
“The honor is mine, Mr. Haise. Like everyone else on Earth, I held my breath when the Apollo 13 was damaged, and your crew wasn’t able to land on the moon, and I was glad the three of you came back safe and sound. I bet you’re excited about the opportunity to land on the moon this time with a whole new kind of spacecraft,”
“Thank you, sir. I am very excited to have this opportunity to command the new shuttle. Originally, I was supposed to command the Apollo 19, but when this opportunity came up, I asked to be the commander. Hopefully this time around I will actually get to land on the moon.”
“Isn’t Deke Slayton commanding the Apollo 19 mission right now?” asked Reagan.
“Yes sir. He and John Young are preparing the site we’re landing at. They have some initial structures up, which the last crew dropped off, and we’re bringing the equipment to build a small dome, along with machines to pump up the nitrogen-oxygen mix in the dome. This way our astronauts don’t have to constantly suit up to go out and do some work. When we go up, the last Apollo mission, the 20, will have finished the living quarters at the location, so the shuttle missions will be building the bigger projects. It’ll be faster, Mr. President, when all the ships are built. The next mission will have three men who will begin living on the moon full time, and they’ll have the base working properly once everything is sent up there,”
“Excellent, Mr. Haise,” then Reagan went to the man standing next to Haise, and asked, “who are you, and what’s your role?”
“Greetings, Mr. President, I’m Charles Fullerton, the pilot for the shuttle. I get to pilot the shuttle in for its first landing on the moon, and then I get to see how well it handles taking off again. Haise and I have flight tested the shuttle, and it flies well on Earth, so when we return I know I won’t have a problem flying it.”
“I’m optimistic, Mr. Fullerton, that you won’t have any problems,” then Reagan went to the next two men, shook their hands, and asked the first one, “What do you do on this mission?”
“Nice to meet you, sir. I am John Simpson, and this is Ted Gray, we’re the mission specialists. Ted and I are engineers, so we’re going to install the nitrogen-oxygen pumps, and then attempt to construct the dome ourselves. We’re supposed to be stationed there until the next shuttle arrives with replacements, and then we will return to Earth with that shuttle.”
“I have a question about the dome, gentlemen. What kind of materials is it going to be made out of, and how big of an area will it be encompassing?” the President inquired.
“Most of the dome will be constructed out of a titanium alloy, and it will also have a combination of plastic and fiberglass as glass, with protection from the sun’s radiation and any ultraviolet light. For now, the dome will be more like a square type structure, which will be 100 yards wide and long, and roughly three stories high. Part of the structure will be supported by the buildings that are already there, with load bearing beams connected to pivotal points in the dome. We hope that this is actually workable, but, we won’t know until we try.” answered Specialist Gray.
“Sounds like all of you have a lot work ahead of you. Now, if we’re done talking shop, how about I give you all a grand tour of the White House?” Everyone agreed to it, and President Reagan took the astronauts on a tour of the White House.
******
Chapter 4
At Cape Canaveral, on a bright, warm, and sunny morning, the Enterprise was on the launch pad waiting to be launched into space. The four astronauts were already strapped in, and doing their pre-flight checklist. The three television networks were carrying this live across the world for the first time in over six years, and everyone was on pins and needles waiting for the shuttle to launch. President Reagan, and his wife Nancy, were sitting in the bleachers with all the other VIP’s waiting for this launch of the shuttle.
“This is Enterprise, we are ready for launch, Houston.” stated Fred Haise, with some eagerness in his voice.
“Roger that, Enterprise. The shuttle is a go for launch in T-minus ten minutes and counting. Everything looks good from here, how about on your end?”
“All systems check out as green, Houston. We’re just eager to get started with our new mission. I’m just hoping that this isn’t a disaster like Apollo 13 was, and once the entire mission is a total success, I will feel better. Over,”
“Understandable, Commander. You have no need to worry; the engineers have gone through the shuttle with a fine tooth comb at least five times in the last two months. Just stay focused on the task at hand, and, before you know it, you’ll be on the moon. Copy that?”
“Copy, Houston.”
Neil Armstrong reached the bleachers where President Reagan was sitting, and said, “Everything looks to be a go for green. The shuttle will be launching in about ten minutes,”
“That’s exciting news, and very good to hear, Neil. I was wondering though, would it be possible for some music to be playing while the shuttle blasts off?”
“Yes sir. What would you like to hear?”
“Well, for some reason or another, the theme music from 2001: A Space Odyssey keeps popping into my head. It seems like it would be a great way to have the shuttle blast off, adds to our memories to this event. If you can manage to do that, feed it into the television broadcast too. There are times when everyone gets tired of hearing Cronkite or Brinkley rambling on and on. Do you think you could arrange that?”
“Yes sir, no problem. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Neil hurried off to fulfill the President’s request.
Neil found a phone booth, and placed a call to Space Command in Houston. When he finally was transferred to the control center, he said, “Brad, this is Armstrong. The President wants the theme song from 2001 played over the loud speakers where the crowd is sitting in Florida to watch the takeoff, which should be synched up with the launch. He also wants it playing on the air, hopefully over the TV anchors on the networks. Can we do that?”
“Sure, no problem Neil. We have a recording of it here, so it’ll be broadcast as soon as the shuttle begins lift-off. Need anything else?”
“No, that’s it. Thanks.” Neil hung up the phone, and hurried back to where the President was sitting. On his way back, he kept thinking about how much work it was trying to keep a President of the United States happy.
Neil returned to where the President and his wife were sitting, and he said, “Mr. President, it’s arranged. Do you need anything else?”
“No, no, Neil, you’ve done enough. Thank you. Now, sit down and enjoy yourself.”
“Uh, yes sir.” Armstrong sat down, and was nervously waiting for the launch, since he was hoping it would go off without a hitch.
“5….4….3….2….1…. we now have lift-off of the space shuttle Enterprise, on its way to building a colony on the moon. Good luck and Godspeed, Enterprise.” Houston Command radioed.
As the shuttle was lifting off, with billows of smoke and fire underneath it, the music from 2001 began playing at the same time over the television and radio broadcast, and everyone watching in person was able to hear it. Armstrong realized that the music was giving the lift-off a much more dramatic effect, and he thought Reagan was right about being something he would remember for the rest of his life. He watched, along with everyone else around him, as the shuttle raced into the sky above him, with a contrail behind it, and saw it get smaller and smaller as it was going higher into the atmosphere. Five minutes later, Houston announced that the shuttle had made it safely into orbit.
On the shuttle, Haise radioed Houston, “Houston, this is Enterprise. We still show everything green across the board, and we are now preparing to leave Earth orbit to head to the moon. Over,”
“Copy, Enterprise. How was the trip up, Haise?”
“It was exhilarating. I don’t remember having so many g-forces though, otherwise, we’re all in tip-top shape here. Over,”
“The increased g-forces were expected by some of the engineers, but they had no data to go on at the time. I’m told it was an increase in power to the Saturn V that caused the high g-forces. It is very welcome news that none of you suffered any ill effects. We’ll let you guys get to work now. Houston out.”
As President Reagan was escorting Nancy to their car, and being flanked by Secret Service, one of the White House staff members who came with them on Air Force One, walked up to the President, and said, “Mr. President, the Soviet Union just announced that they’d like all of the world news organizations to come to Star City for a major announcement they have planned.”
“Did they say when this will occur?”
“Yes they did, sir. The news conference is scheduled to take place two days from now.”
“Two days from now? The shuttle will be landing on the moon two days from now. Just like the Soviets to try to act like a spoil-sport. If possible, find out what the news conference will be about when I get back to Air Force One, because I still have some appointments to keep. Thanks for the heads-up.” Reagan got into the presidential limo, and was driven away to his next appointment. The aide couldn’t find out what the Soviets were up to, so the President decided he would find out what was up when everyone else would find out in two days.
Three hours before the scheduled landing of the Enterprise on the moon, Soviet Premier Brezhnev was eagerly waiting to tell the world the announcement his country was about to make. Hundreds of reporters were in Star City, and he was glad that even the American reporters managed to get here on such short notice. If this announcement didn’t make the shuttle landing on the moon seem over-rated by comparison, he didn’t know what would.
When the time came to speak, Brezhnev approached the podium that was set up in the room used for the press conference, and then he began to speak, “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, welcome to Russia and Star City. I’m sure all of you would like to know what’s so important that we Soviets just had to have this press conference mere hours before that so-called accomplishment by the Americans of landing a space shuttle on the moon. Well, I will tell you.
“As you all know, we Soviets like to dream big. We were the first to be in space, with Sputnik, and now we are the first to announce that we will have a starship leaving the solar system within the next few years. We all saw how launching the Sputnik spurred the Americans into landing on the moon, so it is hoped that the Soviet Union building an interstellar starship will spur the Americans to build many interstellar starships and leave Earth entirely,”
The press corps laughed, nervously.
“Since we would like to have no interference with the spreading of communism, but it is what it is. Anyway, I could go on for hours on just this subject alone, but it is time I get straight to the point. We have finished building the starship, which was in record time. Work is still being done to perfect the engine design, and from what I’ve been told, that too should be completed in record time, about six months from now. I would like to take all of you to our launch site, which is a starship size rocket sled. This particular trek will take an hour or so, so all of you can broadcast from there for your countries’ nightly news. Now, if all of you will follow me.” Brezhnev left the room, and all of the reporters followed him, even though they had no idea where they were going. The live TV feed ended there.
In the United States, President Reagan blew through his cheeks, ran his fingers through his hair, and asked, “Well, that was surprising. What do we know about this new development?”
“We don’t really know anything, Mr. President. Everyone thought this was not threatening to us, so we didn’t put many resources on this. We didn’t have satellites in orbit passing over their launch site, nor did we have spies in the area, and we didn’t use any of our contacts within the Soviet Union. I’m sorry to say that we didn’t think they would get their starship built so quickly. I’m sorry, sir,” answered the CIA chief, Greg Prescott.
“Don’t blame yourself, Greg. I’m the Commander in Chief, and I should’ve ordered the Soviet space program to be watched. You have permission to re-direct some satellites, and some personnel, so we don’t have another surprise like this from the Soviets. You needed to talk to me about something else before this announcement. What was it?” asked Reagan as he popped some jelly beans into his mouth.
“Yes, I did, Mr. President. There have been some low level rumblings about a possible coup in Iran, which is being stoked by a radical Islamic cleric by the name of Ayatollah Khomeini. We don’t have all the details, and we don’t know when it’s supposed to take place, we just know that Iran is going to boil over soon.”
“Keep an eye on that, Greg. However, as much as I think the Shah needs to be out of power, I don’t think replacing him with radical Islamists is a good idea either. However, I do not want to see this Khomeini guy suddenly die from food poisoning, or from other, more subtle means. As long as he is no threat to us, as of right now, there is no need to take him out. Got that?” ordered Reagan.
“Yes sir,”
“Good, because the last thing we need is for his followers to come after us if we make him a martyr. I also don’t need Congress to start screeching about us assassinating a world leader. I think it would be best to avoid butting heads with those political hacks. Is there anything else on the intelligence front that I need to know about?”