*NOTE: fictional alternate history
As the Apollo program drew to a close in the late 1980s, plans were being laid for a permanent presence off-world. Both an orbital space station and an operational lunar base were in the works, as well as the first manned mission to Mars. A requirement for any of these projects was a heavy-lift capability that didn't exist at the time.
In 1986, NASA issued a request for proposals for a heavy-lift launch vehicle, using off-the-shelf technology where possible, and developing re-usable systems where possible. Thiokol and Martin Marietta updated components that they had developed for the aborted space shuttle program, and Rockwell International weighed in with an uprated Saturn S-II second stage. The first all-up test launch was on April 11, 1988, and the Ares-1B was declared operational on September 4, 1990.
Both Space Station I and Clavius Base largely owe their existence to the Ares-1B's lift capabilities. The Ares HLLV was also instrumental in delivering habitation modules and MAVs (Mars Ascent Vehicles) for the early manned Mars missions.
Presented in the first picture is an exploded view of the Ares-1B launch system. In the second picture is a depiction of the fully assembled stack, with a Saturn V shown for scale.
High-resolution versions, suitable for wallpaper are available on our Facebook page.
What if, instead of taking our marbles and coming back home after Apollo 17, we had kept on pushing outward to Mars, the asteroids, and beyond? What if the Alcubierre warp drive system was finally perfected, opening the gates to manned exploration of the outer Solar system? What if we kept pushing outward…to the stars?
Imagine that you are a historian, four centuries into our future, whose job it is to tell the stories of humanity's expansion into the galaxy. Imagine the stories, the spacecraft, the people, adventures he would be able to share. From the turn of the 21st century to the United Interstellar Alliance in which he lives, the possibilities are endless.
That universe has a history full of adventure, bursting with people, planets, spacecraft of all kinds, and stories just waiting to be told.
We intend to bring you those spacecraft, beginning with the CF-104A Liberty class Interstellar Freighter and the CF-130 NX Experimental Transport, both from the early 21st century. We also plan on telling the stories of the people who pushed back the frontier. There are other projects bubbling as well, but you'll hear more about them when their time has come.
So bookmark this page, and visit us regularly here or on our Facebook page to discover the latest news.
Welcome to the universe of ...
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