I talked to my gfather, Tom, in 2015. He started in space related
programs in what he called the Golden Era of Space from 1956 to 1969. He worked in
Aerospace for over a quarter century including some of the earliest programs. He recalls
the breaking of the "mathematical" sound barrier.(Chuck Yeager - 1947) Tom
worked on many space and missile programs including the Apollo Lunar Landing and
Rendezvous that put the first person on the moon.(Neil Armstrong - 1969) He made
significant contributions to the Minuteman Missile Program to use the first digital
computer for control in Aerospace. Later, he wrote quite a few books in retirement
dedicated to the future, developing Universal English as a future language. First,
I want to tell you many things about our Space Programs.
Tom said the space ventures gave admirable testimony to the ability of
people in their unswerving advances in physical adventure and technology. Robert Goddard
was the "granddaddy" of space, from his work in the 1920s. He established the
physical principles, leaving mission completion dependent only on providing enough
equipment and support that would keep things working.
All successive programs had expectations, along with some false claims,
to support extended ventures. One claim in space technology was that manufacturing could
be accomplished in the pure state with no gravity present. The truth revealed that this
could not be done because raw materials were not pure. (A Polhode navigational sphere was
purposely off-centered for spinning for this reason.) Claims continue to be made that the
advances in electronics were due to the space programs . Actually, they were made by
missile programs, especially the Minuteman Missile. It was said that the Shuttle was the
cheapest way to put payloads in orbit. The high cost and weight penalty of carrying life
support for the Shuttle crew proved otherwise. Virtually all flight operations of the
Space Shuttle were automated.
The Shuttle program also lost the Challenger in a boost phase explosion
in 1986. The second loss of Columbia started the Age of Doubt. The Shuttle was like a
curved rock on entering the earth's atmosphere. (It was awesome to stand beneath it.)
Tiles had been adhered to the bottom to absorb the incomprehensible heat of entry. The
NASA, and its predecessor organization, lived by the sword of publicity for its primary
means for funding. Industry and government had placed facilities for defense, offense, and
space (aerospace) in many states to influence Congressional willingness to spend. A new
field of nanotechnology had opened by this time in 2003.
One attribute to nanoproduction was that the atomic level of substance
would be in a pure state. However, early false claims or names were given. One such claim
was that wires were 38,000 times thinner than regular ones. Another was that a device was
10,000,000 times smaller than a car. The reality is that anything is zero if it is only
one time thinner or smaller. It was difficult for the public to believe scientists who did
not tell the truth in simple language. Doubts prevailed.
One issue was that there are more than enough problems on earth to
remedy. A second point was the question of far distant intelligent habitation many
light-years away. Earth could not use people to provide in-transit reproduction for
successive generations to accomplish any goals. Who could use any of the knowledge?
Moreover, such an exploit could stir up an intergalactic hornet's nest. It would suffice
to let any intelligence come to earth for use by cautious evaluation. A third point was
where was the pell-mell rush of science going? Could people control it before it was too
late? A fourth point was a twist on Winston Churchill's saying to, "Never had so many
paid so much for so few!" The powers wanted to renew confidence in space and to
improve safety.
They considered where they were going in Space and what about people?
The return of people to earth from space, to include the moon, posed two performance
options. First, there was an approximate 50% corridor in capture velocity between the
nominal satellite velocity in the order of 24,000 ft./sec. and earth escape velocity.
Otherwise, the excess velocity had to be reduced, using heat absorbing tiles to the
extreme that too shallow a path would skip out to be lost in space and too steep an angle
would crash to earth. It became clear that the velocity corridor of about 12,000 ft./sec.
was safer. So, what about costs?
Cost factors clearly showed that the option of decreasing velocity
prior to earth entry should be used. The inert tiles, on the shuttle bottom, comprised a
significant weight to be used for only a very short time at the end, perhaps 25 minutes.
The cost to engineer, build, and carry the tiles was excessively great. Also, there was
demonstrated danger.
These factors of cost and safety, for a round trip of humankind, led to
the use of propulsion modules, placed by an Unmanned Cargo Vehicle (UCV), to be available
in orbit. A hookup to a module permitted an adequate velocity decrease to enter the
earth's atmosphere. Thereafter, descent by winged glider control gradually dissipated the
remaining space-required energy. This energy management decrease was capable of making as
many as four earth orbits. The UCV was used to retrieve space junk before returning to
Earth. Now, that the cost and danger of fragile people in space exploration had been
defined, what about them on the moon?
Colonization and exploration of the moon were considered. Exploration
for minerals was rejected after reviewing earlier findings that materials on the moon
would cost too much to return to earth even if they were gold. A wild speculation about
Helium-3 was shelved after facing the problems of recovery, processing, and location.
(Your g3father recalled the speculation about atomic energy at the end of World War II. It
included statements like, "A sheet of paper has enough energy to drive an
automobile.") There was no interest for the moon as a way station because people
would not be in an Interplanetary Program. Colonization was ruled out because of the
tremendous support required for the fragile person. However, many people said that no
other nation should get ahead of us in any field. Others said, "Not to worry. We will
stay ahead in technology."
There were many fears about nanotechnology, even though not all devices
were small. There was fear of illegal operations, whether they were regulated or not.
Also, impurities might come into the operations in some undefined way. There was great
concern that the practice would be seen as being exceedingly useful at the beginning, but
could become widespread and perhaps uncontrollable, similar to dandelions in plant life
and nutria in animal life. It was decided to restrict such technology to be used on the
moon. The Mental Age came to full force.
The mental process had trials in the education field that were
applicable to space. The pursuit of education, not knowledge, had been going downhill from
the late 1940s. One educational approach was a method that began in the 1990s that taught
the same thing four different ways in hopes that the lesson would be absorbed by one of
the four parts of the brain. These ventures led to a Total Knowledge Project that almost
turned disastrous.
A scientist heard of the four-part idea and knew the naval leadership
lesson that the number seven was the optimum span of control and knowledge. He decided to
put seven segments of knowledge in each of the four sections of an artificial brain for 28
knowledge sectors, planning on a subsequent live transfer. He had duplicate control
sections for input/output. He proceeded to transfer knowledge blocks into the 28 sectors
under the dual control. Thus, he only had to communicate with one of the dual controls.
Then, he could control the world with this Total Knowledge capability. However, he stated
that it was for interplanetary exploration. The dual controls, in time, realized their
power and proceeded to by-pass the mad scientist. Fortunately, he came to the lab
on a Sunday; saw what was going on; and proceeded to destroy the whole setup of knowledge
control. Then, he wrote a suicidal note stating that he belatedly realized that he almost
destroyed the world. These events proved most frightful and the role of mankind became
sharply focused with a return to reality.
The main reality in the nation's common defense had changed from its
shorelines to the whole world. This condition was caused by Intercontinental Ballistic
Missiles (ICBMs), various economic necessities, and the capability of biological warfare
to be delivered in several ways to include a suitcase. Your g2father, Bob, worked on
missile defense early in our century. This missile defense was able to protect the
geosynchronous satellites and to intercept incoming missiles over the U.S.A. However,
rogue nations destroyed the vulnerable low earth orbit satellites to produce great
economic havoc. The world had problems. Finally, the apologists agreed and a coordinated
world effort destroyed the rogues.
Problems spilled over to a great debate over the role of people. The
result was that a minimum crew mission to Mars was accomplished. It produced little
incremental value. The data from scanned and repeatable visual and chemical diagnostics
from sensors and other instrumentation far surpassed the value of any person's retentive
memory. Costs were greatly increased, as well. So, the limitations of people in space
required their omission from interplanatary travel.
Huge and numerous spatial receptive ears had searched outer space for
almost a century. Sporadic transmissions of attempted intelligent links for communication
were emitted to space for a long time, with no link completed. There had been a valid
question as to what was the proper language for such communication. Virtually all of
earth's languages had irregularities, exceptions, and no set pattern. Tom Albright's
Universal English (UE) was tried because all of the undesirable features had been
eliminated. Trial transmissions were sent to space by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Transmissions were received that appeared to be orderly and repetitive.
So, an ESA team set up a receptive center in a remote area. Eventually, a Super-Smart
Nano-Probe (SSNP) approached with flashing signals. It rearranged its form after landing.
Unbelievably, the craft had disc-like cells on its outer surface. Also, it had multiple
skins within the outer one. The outer skin was left on earth's surface upon departure to
guard against carrying contaminants away. The cellular structure changed its exterior, by
segments, to be either soft or rigid for movement. It could approximate a worm, a
caterpillar, a round ball, a wing, or any form. The SSNP could cling to and blend with
most surfaces, being virtually invisible. It could transmit signals through space and the
atmosphere with no attenuation in either medium. It rearranged the outer surface to
provide a speaker, as well as an antenna, either whip or paraboloid for communication.
The SSNP tried different audible languages. It hit upon UE on the ninth
trial. The ESA team was overwhelmed. Eventually, the SSNP established two-way
communication on an audible basis. SSNP verified that earth was an admixture of nations,
languages, and governments. It affirmed that mankind, earth's most intelligent inhabitant,
had limited intelligence because greed was intermingled with need. SSNP outlined how the
UE language should be used to unite the world. Also, SSNP instructed ESA to have the top
governmental office holders of different nations rotate to understand alternate
situations.
An Earth Life Survival Program (ELSP) was initiated in 2015 after much
determination of force fields in space; tracking large spaceborne masses; and discussion
of the merits of diverting asteroids that might impact the earth. Different schools of
thought emerged. The final conclusion was that earth's resources should be used for
protection if any type of danger might possibly destroy earth or the life on it. It was
agreed that it would be a dinosaur mentality not to do so. A clearance diameter of 16,000
miles to protect the earth's 8,000 mile diameter was projected. This stipulation required
a deflection of 8,000 miles off center with an assumed 10 million mile detection or
computation distance for an approximate maximum deflection of 0.05 degrees. A detonated
bomb, with partial directivity, would apply a lateral force to alter the asteroid's path.
Two versions of missile configurations were implemented. Fortunately, neither has been
needed.
