← Back to Concept Indexgeopolitical-competition
The narrative reflects anxieties about American and Russian advancements in rocketry and space exploration, emphasizing national rivalry.
Written by the Tronix Library
2 chapters across 2 books
Chapter 12This chapter traces Stern's transition from youthful excess to a focused pursuit of space conquest, particularly the moon, driven by a blend of imagination and practical reasoning. It details his academic struggles, mentorship under Professor Roth, his rivalry and cooperation with international scientists, and the formation of the Society for Space Travel with Nadia and other enthusiasts. The chapter also explores the tension between theoretical knowledge and practical application, as well as the geopolitical anxieties surrounding space exploration.
CHAPTER 1 October 21, 2001 Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev dropped the thick docu- ment to his desk, riffled through it once more, and sank back into the leather of the most comfortable chair in the USSR. His gaze traveled, as it often did, to a portrait of Lenin, in an exhorting posture, on the far wall. Vladimir Ilyich wouldn't recognize his fatherland any more. He'd died so soon, only seven years after the Revolution. Before all the horro* and ignorance; before Dzhugashvili and his pernicious evil. Before mankind invented the means to wipe itself from the planet. And now I've been in the hot seat seventeen years! It hardly seemed more than an instant. Where will it end for me? he mused. Nothing had gone according to plan. After his selection as general secretary, he'd instituted the reforms he and his friends dreamed of, established a powerful presidency, and taken it on. He had brought the Soviet Union back from beyond the brink, but there had been so many compromises. . . . Ten years should have been enough! Maybe no mortal span of time was enough, propped before the implacable bulldozer that was human perversity. Now Yeltsin, of all people, was pres- ident, making him general secretary again, of a Communist party that had been stripped down, barely allowed to func- tion in domestic matters. Even though the successes of the party had stopped the erosion of respect, and even restored many of the ideas and goals of the country to their former prestige, things were very different than he had hoped for. Trying to stem the floodtide of bullshit with such a little shovel. Academician Derzhavin was a madman, of course. The whole thing was a fantasy, nothing more. And yet . . . 8Mikhail Gorbachev reflects on the complexities and compromises of his political reforms amid the Soviet Union's ambitious but troubled space program, including a lunar orbit mission that is abruptly cancelled. The chapter details the technical and human aspects of the Soviet lunar mission, the proposal for a daring asteroid retrieval using nuclear weapons, and the emotional and political tensions surrounding these endeavors. It also contrasts Soviet space ambitions with American efforts, highlighting geopolitical competition, technological innovation, and the personal sacrifices of cosmonauts.