Quote:
Originally Posted by nick012000
I think they'd be more likely to be named "Spaceman", actually. "Astronaut" traditionally indicates an Officer, or someone with a similar level of training to Officers.
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Maybe. Have to think about that. I chose 'Astronaut' because it's gender-neutral, like the uniforms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcarson
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Well, about that, yes. The bits leading up to it that I'm going to post below, not so much. Also, the remainder of the US
AF isn't exactly overjoyed about this, even if they did get to keep the cyberwarfare units.
Now, the additions to the timeline (including the one above, for completeness):
Date Uncertain (suggestions, please), but probably in January 2013, if not December 2012: Israel and Nazi Germany declare war on each other, and on any nation allied with the other.
February 2: Three multi-stage rockets are launched from Peenemünde, on Dp-Earth. The upper stages mate in orbit, and then seem to vanish.
Feb. 5: The domed cities on the Moon of Dp-Earth begin flashing their lights in morse code, and specifically in English. The messages request that men be sent from OTL-Earth to help them repair their cities, and for social and reproductive purposes. It seems that about fifteen-sixteen years ago, they lost a war with the She-Devils of Venus, who killed all the adults, and killed or kidnapped all the boys. They also smashed all the 'infomats' they could find, and left the remaining girls to die a very slow death. They've managed to learn enough by trial and error, with the help of the remaining infomats and servo-bots, that they're not dead
yet, but they fear they don't have much longer. They also request that we don't transmit their existence where the Dp-Earth humans will hear it, as they're still at the stage of oppressing women, whereas 'the cultures on your world that use this language' mostly aren't - or at least, are the least barbaric of many barbarians.
Feb. 8: British Experimental Rocket Group, Incorporated chartered in the UK, along with the subsidiary War Rocket Ltd.
Feb. 14: The 'Valentine's Gift' (only called that by OTL-Earth, due to time differences), a rocket containing Victorian scientists, engineers, military personnel, and ambassadors, along with various supplies, plans, and books, is launched from British Guiana, on Stp-Earth, and enters a course for Dp-Earth. The journey will take three months, and the vessel will need to be rebuilt, to return.
Feb. 17: An odd collection of British and other Commonwealth aviation and space enthusiasts and investors who didn't buy into BERG Inc. purchase the rights to revive Handley Page, Ltd., as an air- and space-craft manufacturer. Corporate headquarters are in New Zealand, though factories are purchased or planned throughout the Commonwealth.
Feb. 19: The members of the Commonwealth of Nations begin ratifying the Treaty of New Delhi, the founding document of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, or 'UNIT', a military group dedicated to the defense of the Commonwealth and it's members and peoples from threats of an extraterrestrial, paranormal, or otherwise extraordinary nature.
Feb. 20: A particle spray comparable to that of the Dieselpunk probe occurs, but no object is seen. Triangulation of the particles suggests that whatever caused it, came from DP-Earth.
Feb. 23: Around 50 miles up, three large, teardrop-shaped objects, along with what appears to be a small booster and a missile bus, become visible. From 14:21 to 15:03 GMT, the teardrop-shapes objects, apparently kinetic kill vehicles, impact the cities of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel; London, England; and Washington DC, USA. Shortly thereafter, Hitler announces his ability to strike the 'untermenchen' anywhere, at any time, invisibly (though the fact that the Nazis
aren't using their cloaking device inside Dp-Earth's atmosphere may indicate a weakness -
OOC, the faint atmospheric pressure at 50 miles above sea level is enough to disrupt the cloaking field, especially at that speed).
Radii of serious damage (the actual craters are rather smaller):
http://i.imgur.com/1TKS0.png
Tel Aviv-Yafo
http://i.imgur.com/sKIzM.png
London
http://i.imgur.com/x9F7k.png
Washington (not to scale with the other two, due to metric/Imperial measurement issues)
Later analysis of astronomical photos recorded along the course the missile must have taken (astronomer, amateur or otherwise, take pictures of the night sky all the time, and a few were looking in the right places at the right times) show blurry patches at approximately where and when the missile must ave been. Likewise, precise analysis of satellite orbits shows gravitic anomalies consistent with it's estimated mass. Radar stations aimed at space did note small anomalies along that course, as well, though at the time, not enough to confirm its presence. Now that they know what to look for, the next ones probably won't slip through quite as easily.
February 27, 2013: After over two months of bitching, whining, and screaming in numerous parts of the US government (which got quite a bit louder when the probe from Dp-Earth arrived, and much quieter and more focused since the 23rd), and zillions of threads on many forums, the space assets of the United States Air Force (and other parts of the US military) are transferred to a new service: the United States Space Force. While the new service contains personnel from all branches, the ranks and much of the insignia (along with, in theory, the traditions) are those of the USAF, with minor modifications, such as the 'Airman' ranks being renamed 'Astronaut'. The Class A uniforms are based on a style that was considered for the USAF, but ultimately rejected:
http://i.imgur.com/iNKW3.jpg
The budget of the new service cuts significantly into the budgets of the other military services (hence much of the screaming). NASA's facilities and personnel are mostly absorbed into the USSF, as well. The remainder of the agency is reduced almost to the space equivalent of the Federal Aviation Administration.