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Old 05-27-2023, 11:18 PM   #6251
malloyd
 
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Default Re: New Reality Seeds

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Big Boom-1: In this timeline, by the time it was ready Earth discovered space was too highly radioactive to allow humans into (due to a supernova that had exploded just close enough).
This doesn't even require a supernova. Early on in the space program there was considerable fear that this was actually the case, and there is decent evidence the sun has gone through centuries long periods when flares and solar wind were [much] more (or conversely less) intense. If the sun were in such a more active phase, space flight of more than a few hours above the van Allen belts would be obviously lethal without shielding we couldn't possibly lift to orbit, ruling out manned flight from the start, which would have killed most of the public interest. And to be realistic about it we haven't really solved the radiation problem for even regular lunar flights in our friendlier radiation environment all that well. The Apollo missions radiation safety plan basically amounted to "if we detect a flare, we scrub the launch, in the unlikely event it happens in flight, you get a hero's funeral", and it remains one of the harder to solve issues for any proposed Mars missions.
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Old 05-28-2023, 12:27 AM   #6252
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The Apollo missions radiation safety plan basically amounted to "if we detect a flare, we scrub the launch, in the unlikely event it happens in flight, you get a hero's funeral", and it remains one of the harder to solve issues for any proposed Mars missions.
Yeah. The most effective option is using lots of mass for radiation shielding, on a mission where every gram adds thousands of dollars to the cost of the trip. The idea that I think they're likely to go with (but I could certainly be wrong) is using the water that they need to take along anyway as shielding material, but that does have design issues.
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Old 05-28-2023, 01:20 PM   #6253
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This doesn't even require a supernova.
I'd just watched a Youtube on what would happen if a supernova exploded at various distances. I used what I had.
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...and it remains one of the harder to solve issues for any proposed Mars missions.
I am still continuously amazed anyone wants to put people in space, given how much of a horror show I've heard about it.
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Old 05-28-2023, 02:27 PM   #6254
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I am still continuously amazed anyone wants to put people in space, given how much of a horror show I've heard about it.
Space is very big, and Earth keeps getting relatively smaller. Also, the desire not to keep all of our eggs in one basket, combined with the desire to explore.
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Old 05-28-2023, 02:39 PM   #6255
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Space is very big, and Earth keeps getting relatively smaller. Also, the desire not to keep all of our eggs in one basket, combined with the desire to explore.
I know. That doesn't stop me from thinking it sounds like a hellish experience. Knowing reasons is not the same as being able to understand them.
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Old 05-28-2023, 03:47 PM   #6256
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I know. That doesn't stop me from thinking it sounds like a hellish experience. Knowing reasons is not the same as being able to understand them.
OK, that makes sense, and is actually kind of profound. I had a similar though for a setting idea involving telepathic gestalts (not yet ready for posting), but it was more like 'knowing an enemy's motivations and internal logic does not make you agree with them.'
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Old 06-01-2023, 06:11 AM   #6257
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Krypton-12

This Q6 Low Mana parallel has supers like most Krypton parallels. However, this parallel has just been through a disaster. A monster supervillian on the level of a Thanos or a Darkseid has recently attacked the Earth. The entity was killed in the fighting and a powerful super died enclosing the monster's homeworld/base of operations in a time loop. Still, more than two thirds of Earth's population was killed. Most of Earth's cities and industrial base have been trashed. Further a powerful artifact, shattered in the struggle, is slowly destroying Earth's magnetic fields. This will make the planet Mars like in a few decades. Homeline is working to evacuate the survivors to other parallels.

Homeline had its attention directed to this parallel by the Cabal. The Cabal is being quite generous and helpful. They make no bones about wanting to recruit from the local population and invite Homeline to do the same. At the same time that Homeline and the Cabal are evacuating the survivors and having a friendly rivalry cherry picking the talent, Centrum is trying to recruit as well. Centrum has extremely paranoid ideas about the whole operation. The sense of humor that allows both Homeline and the Cabal to switch gears and act generously is largely alien to Centrum. If Centrum could see itself differently, they could ally with the others for this project (neither Homeline nor the Cabal having any illusions about this being a permanent alliance). However, Centrum suffers from narrow mindedness and a lack of a sense of humor.

Basically, espionage and counter espionage in a post-apocalyptic world with superheroes and supervillians. Plus all the lovely weirdness of a comic book universe.

The local year is 1999.
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Old 06-02-2023, 09:07 PM   #6258
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Hannibal had sworn from childhood to bring an end to Rome. On the worldlines that bear his name, he saw this dream come true.
The Poul Anderson Time Patrol short story "Delenda Est" has a twentieth century Earth where Hannibal won the Second Punic War.

Has a cool Celtic-Carthaginian civilization, instead of the Roman-Germanic mix of our West. Kind of like Celtic-Hellenistic Iskander-5 of GURPS Infinite Worlds: Lost Worlds.
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Old 06-04-2023, 06:02 PM   #6259
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Utopia Limited

This Q6 Low Mana parallel is sarcastically named. One of the first explorers came to this world just after the news broke that both Hitler and Stalin were dead in 1942. He declared it was Utopia. However, the USSR is having a leadership struggle while Goering simply inherited Hitler's office. Unlike Hitler, Goering is sane, if deeply corrupt. German military affairs become more disciplined and rational. Meanwhile, Russia is struggling.

The USA and Britain are facing a shrewder more focused Axis while Russia is on the brink of civil war.

Basically, this is a more dangerous WWII with all the threats and options that implies.
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Old 06-07-2023, 12:57 PM   #6260
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Australus

In this Q6 Low Mana parallel the continent called Australia on Homeline is somewhat larger and has a different shape extending further north and south. The increased vulcanism that caused this has changed the soils of Australia creating two bands of extraordinarily rich soils. Northern Australia was settled by Javanese merchants in the 14th century. The founders were followers of the Hindu-Buddhist synthetic faith typical of Bali.

They formed an unstable republic that embraced the British as protectors against both the Dutch and the local sultans.

Later, in a weird burst of historical inertia, the settlement of Australia played out as in Homeline history.

The local year is 1875. The settlers from both the North and the South are meeting in the Outback.

Basically, this is like an Old West/Arabian Nights crossover. However, both Australian and Javanese cultures are distinctive and make this an even more exotic background. As in the Old West this is a game of culture clash and exploration.
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