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Old 07-28-2019, 12:17 PM   #1
Prince Charon
 
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Default [Psionics] The Spice Must Flow... from Skylab

(This is not a crossover with Dune, nor an AU of it, just a setting which includes a substance with similar properties to the Spice melange, in a world where the first two Dune books have already been published.)

In 1973, on Skylab, an experiment that was not performed in our timeline took place. This produced a powder of tiny organic crystals, which had a very strange effect on any vaguely-intelligent lifeform (at least as smart as most lizards and many fish) that consumed them: The creature would exhibit psychic powers of some description, though which power varies from user to user, and not all are particularly obvious. While under the influence of this substance, users often have difficulty focusing on anything not related to psionics or abstract reasoning, though they consistently focus better on those. When the effect fades, the users lose any drug-induced absent-mindedness, and tend to retain a faint echo of the power gained, which can be strengthened by subsequent doses, until the full ability becomes available without the use of this substance. How long this takes is highly variable, but it generally takes months unless the user is being highly incautious and/or the ability is a fairly weak one. This is also hampered by the fact that a user will not necessarily gain the same ability or abilities every time, though the abilities they do gain tend to be related (the scientists conclude that different people and creatures are talented in different areas of psionics). The substance is also highly addictive, and the addiction is marked by a change in the appearance of the eyes: medium-blue irises with sky-blue sclera. This makes the onset of addiction easy to spot, as the change in colour is gradual, but also makes secrecy somewhat tricky to maintain. Due to these factors, it was almost inevitable that the well-read (and nerdy) scientists working on it would name this substance 'the Spice Melange,' or PROJECT MELANGE in official reports.

The military, CIA, and others who became aware of the Spice took great interest in it, and more batches were ordered to be produced on the second Skylab expedition, once it was determined that the Spice could not be produced in Earth's gravity. Before the third Skylab mission went up, two unusual satellites were launched (and a third while the astronauts were on the station), which were intended to produce the Spice in orbit, without the cost of manned missions. Both failed, which presented a serious problem: no more Apollo capsules were being built (they were too expensive for the job of ferrying people and things around in Earth orbit), and getting Congress to authorize the funds would require telling them why, and the more people who knew the secret, the greater the chance of a leak. Worse, the Space Shuttle would not be available for years yet, and while the military could transfer some of their budgets to NASA in the name of National Security, there were limits to how much they could get away with.

After much debate (and careful examination of several influential senators and representative by CIA telepaths and ESPers using some of the small quantities of Spice they already had), it was decided to reactivate the Gemini program as a placeholder between Apollo and the Shuttle, and to include an order for some version of the planned Big Gemini spacecraft, as well as other variants. The budget would be shared primarily between NASA and the US Air Force, though the US Army, and US Navy would also contribute. No matter what, the Spice Must Flow.

<The Spice is a psi drug that must be produced in microgravity, by sapient beings. It serves as a cross between Mind Hype (Psi-Tech p34) and a variant form of Catalyst Drug (pp33-34). After each use, the user may spend one unused character point (if available) on an ability gained during that use, or the skill or techniques thereof. The Spice is very expensive, highly addictive, and tightly controlled, so an addiction to it costs [-25], on top of the Unnatural Feature [-2] of blue-on-blue eyes. Any creature with IQ 3 or higher gains psi abilities from using the Spice. Creatures in-setting generally have either Psi Talents (often balanced by psi-related disadvantages), Psi Perks (generally from only one or two powers), and/or Features that could be described as 'level 0 Psi Talents.' Full-on psi abilities without any form of catalyst appear to be very rare.>
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Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.
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Old 07-28-2019, 12:27 PM   #2
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Default Re: [Psionics] The Spice Must Flow... from Skylab

Work in Progress, Not Final

Skylab-2, 1993?

Current Affairs
To Be Added

Divergence Point
In 1973, the experiments for the first mission to Skylab are altered, allowing the creation of a psi-drug called 'the Spice Melange.'

Major Civilizations
Western (empire with rivals); Orthodox (empire with rivals); Islamic (multipolar); Chinese (empire); Japanese (unitary); Indic (empire)

Great Powers
United States of America (representative democracy, CR3); United Kingdom (representative democracy, CR3); China (oligarchy, CR5); France (representative democracy, CR4); Germany (representative democracy, CR3); Japan (representative democracy, CR4); Soviet Union (dictatorship, CR5 <unless it's fallen by this point>); Brazil (representative democracy, CR3), India (representative democracy, CR4)

Worldline Data
TL: 7+2; Mana level: None
Quantum: 5; Infinity Class: Z3; Centrum Zone: Inaccesible
__________________
Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life.

"The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates."
-- Tacitus

Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.
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Old 07-28-2019, 12:30 PM   #3
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Default Re: [Psionics] The Spice Must Flow... from Skylab

Timeline

1973

June 15: Skylab I/II mission accidentally produces a light brown, slightly orangish organic powder, that will be codenamed 'the Spice Melange.'

June 22: Skylab I/II expedition undocks from Skylab and returns to Earth.

July 2: The Spice is tested on three female rats. One (Rickie) appears to be unaffected beyond intoxicated behavior, but the second (Suzy) is seen to levitate, escape her cage, and playfully fly around the lab for several minutes at a speed of about one yard per second. The third (Toni) becomes blurry and translucent for a similar duration. A second test later the same day is recorded on film, to be sure that the scientists are not hallucinating; similar results are recorded. Tests on male rats likewise result in the appearance of psychic powers in some of them, and the possibility of unrecognized abilities in others.

July 5: A report on the Spice reaches the desk of President Nixon. After determining to his surprise that it is not a hoax or prank, he orders that more of this substance is to be made, and that human testing is to begin 'as soon as sufficient volunteers of appropriate security clearance are available.' He further orders that the head of the CIA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff be read in on the reports.

July 9: A test on Rickie Rat shows that she can, under the influence of the Spice, easily solve unfamiliar mazes of complexity that would have been beyond her when sober.

July 13: NASA scientists note that the rats which have been exposed to the Spice most often have blue eyes, and demonstrate symptoms of addiction.

July 15: The production of and experimentation with the Spice is officially designated PROJECT MELANGE.

July 17: Scientists at both NASA and the US Naval Research Laboratory determine that the Spice cannot be made in Earth's gravity. Nixon orders that 'scientific manufacturing satellites' be produced with all possible speed, as maintaining Skylab would be too expensive.

July 23: Human testing of the Spice begins, over the protests of several NASA scientists and medical doctors.

July 30: Skylab II/III expedition docks with Skylab. Mission has been modified to include attempts to replicate the Spice created during the previous Skylab mission.

August 10: CIA telepaths determine that Frank Herbert has no idea about the Spice being real.

September 14: CIA warns President Nixon that it is too late to 'fix' the Watergate investigation, and indeed, it was already too late by the time the Spice was discovered. Nixon offers special prosecutor Archibald Cox what will later be called the 'Colby Compromise' - Nixon would hand a number of taped conversations over to Director of Central Intelligence William Colby (he does not inform Cox that he has already done this for all tapes from July 5 to July 18, 1973, to preserve the secret of the Spice), who can review and summarize the tapes without risk to national security. This compromise is rejected.

September 20: First Spice factory satellite launched.

September 25: First Spice factory satellite re-enters and is retrieved. However, the material created is clearly not Spice, and has no effect on psi abilities, nor does it relieve the withdrawal symptoms of Spice addiction.

September 28: Skylab II/III expedition undocks from Skylab, and splashes down safely in the North Pacific.

October 30: Second Spice factory satellite launched.

November 5: Second Spice factory satellite is retrieved. Again, the result is useless. Nixon reluctantly orders NASA to begin working on ways to extend the use of Skylab, or otherwise to maintain manned spaceflight capabilities with sufficient room to produce the Spice, and perform scientific duties to disguise Spice production, in the event that automated production attempts continue to fail. CIA telepaths begin examinations of the minds of influential senators and representatives. Engineers at NASA and various aerospace companies (primarily McDonnell Douglas, Rockwell, and Grumman) begin reviewing and refining existing capsule designs.

November 12: Skylab 3/4 expedition docks with the space station.

December 6: Gerald Ford is confirmed as Vice President by Congress.

December 10: Richard Nixon resigns as President, and is pardoned by incoming President Gerald Ford. Ford is read in on PROJECT MELANGE, and convinced that it is not a prank.

December 11: Third Spice factory satellite launched.

December 17: Third Spice factory satellite is retrieved. The substance produced is once again useless. Manufacture of the Spice cannot be automated at this time.


Thoughts?
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Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life.

"The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates."
-- Tacitus

Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.
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Old 07-29-2019, 12:57 PM   #4
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Default Re: [Psionics] The Spice Must Flow... from Skylab

I don't know how likely ending up in with Big Gemini is, especially if it ends up a stopgap. By my estimation, a more probable stopgap is going to be Gemini Ferry, possibly with a cut hatch in the bottom. Given that historically Gemini craft were reused, you might see them actually try it again but manned this time.

If killing the shuttle is the goal, you wouldn't have difficulty finding an excuse. Simply blaming delays and difficulties with shielding could be used. Of course, the difficulty would lie in getting the money to restart Gemini or what have you. Almaz had been running at the time, and you have two (perhaps cobbled together) satellites that were failures crashing down. You could have the CIA or the Air Force lie to Congress and say that their new sophisticated spy satellite can't function for some reason and they need bodies in space to operate it (I'm sure this could be kept relatively secret).

If things get real desperate, you could have them use the Skylab Rescue Apollo (perhaps to boost Skylab into a higher orbit if it comes to it).
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Old 07-29-2019, 02:32 PM   #5
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Default Re: [Psionics] The Spice Must Flow... from Skylab

Quote:
Originally Posted by TGLS View Post
I don't know how likely ending up in with Big Gemini is, especially if it ends up a stopgap. By my estimation, a more probable stopgap is going to be Gemini Ferry, possibly with a cut hatch in the bottom. Given that historically Gemini craft were reused, you might see them actually try it again but manned this time.
Big Gemini is something they're researching, which will be scaled down (though scaling it down is not currently the plan for either NASA or McDonnell Douglas; reality still bites, even in a world where psychic powers are real). Think of it as a compromise between Big G and G-Ferry.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TGLS View Post
If killing the shuttle is the goal,
It isn't, they just really need to continue manned spaceflight, preferably with something cheaper than Apollo (because discovering the Spice and then not having access to it for several years, during which the Soviets might discover it and do have an ongoing space station program, is completely unacceptable to the people in charge in the USA). This will delay the shuttle and alter the design, though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TGLS View Post
Of course, the difficulty would lie in getting the money to restart Gemini or what have you. Almaz had been running at the time, and you have two (perhaps cobbled together) satellites that were failures crashing down. You could have the CIA or the Air Force lie to Congress and say that their new sophisticated spy satellite can't function for some reason and they need bodies in space to operate it (I'm sure this could be kept relatively secret).
The current plan is that a few sufficiently-important Congresscritters are read in on the Spice, once the CIA has found enough that they think can be trusted not to blab, and to agree that it's needed (see November 5, above). These Congresscritters will use their influence to convince enough other senators and representatives to get the budget passed. The Congresscritters who don't get read in might be given that as an excuse, though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TGLS View Post
If things get real desperate, you could have them use the Skylab Rescue Apollo (perhaps to boost Skylab into a higher orbit if it comes to it).
The re-entry capsule for Skylab Rescue Apollo might be added to the station as an escape pod. It's something I've been considering since I found out it existed while reading up on Skylab for this worldline.
__________________
Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life.

"The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates."
-- Tacitus

Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.
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Old 07-30-2019, 08:32 AM   #6
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Default Re: [Psionics] The Spice Must Flow... from Skylab

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
Big Gemini is something they're researching, which will be scaled down (though scaling it down is not currently the plan for either NASA or McDonnell Douglas; reality still bites, even in a world where psychic powers are real). Think of it as a compromise between Big G and G-Ferry.
The way I'm understand it, Titan rockets were the cheapest rockets available to the Americans at the time, and the Gemini capsule just fit inside the Titan II. A minor (and by minor I mean millions of dollars) revision to Gemini to make it usable as a ferry would probably please accountants and those who want the soonest option. NASA would probably have to get over the "Not Invented Here" issues they have with Titan (like they did in the 80s in our timeline.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
It isn't, they just really need to continue manned spaceflight, preferably with something cheaper than Apollo (because discovering the Spice and then not having access to it for several years, during which the Soviets might discover it and do have an ongoing space station program, is completely unacceptable to the people in charge in the USA). This will delay the shuttle and alter the design, though.
Well, the way I see it, any big revisions to another kind of spacecraft (in other words, Big Gemini), is going to push the Shuttle way back, possibly beyond your 1993. The people behind the shuttle at NASA are still going to press for the shuttle for the same reasons they did on our timeline, namely the overoptimistic launch costs. If a long delay occurs for the shuttle program, an expendable manned program may very well become so cheap that even the most optimistic of the shuttle backers give in.

If a Big Gemini type plan is pursued, a new rocket will need to be man-rated. I'm sure there would be some people in the Air Force who will want to revive the Titan IIIM, but if it were pursued I'd figure they would end up man-rating an existing Titan III rocket instead. Either way, the Big Gemini spec as planned could fit within SRB boosted Titans.

Building a capsule big enough to work in is probably going to be a major goal; repeating the experiment outside of Skylab will be something everyone involved will be interested in, to determine how much concern the Russians pose and whether the Skylab needs to be protected at all costs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
The re-entry capsule for Skylab Rescue Apollo might be added to the station as an escape pod. It's something I've been considering since I found out it existed while reading up on Skylab for this worldline.
Thinking about additional Apollo missions, I'd bet the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project would end up being canned in favour of a Skylab 4/5 mission, though this may be politically imprudent.

Last edited by TGLS; 07-30-2019 at 08:39 AM. Reason: Spelling. Thought.
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