kokubokan25
Posts: 1252
Joined: 7/19/2004 From: Iliaca, Spain Status: offline
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Thanks Blind Sniper. Spring 1958 USA get more budget for this season thanks to a Private funds. It's time to recruit the Group I of Astronauts; Grissom, Shepard, Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra, Cooper and Slayton. Mercury capsule was initiated and scrub the Explorer II to save money. By your side, the soviets get another german smart man and also recruit seven cosmonauts; Nelyubov, Gagarin, Titov, Nikolayev, Popovich, Bykovsky and Komarov. The Vostok capsule start R&D. -May 1958: Launching of the Sputnik II the first soviet satellite. The R-7 push the ship into the air but suddenly the second stage fails and a huge explosion rip the rocket during ascent. Fall 1958 USA get another 13 millions to the budget. They are very welcome. Money was spent in more R&D of Mercury capsule and Atlas rocket. The soviets use their money similary, Vostok capsule and R-7. -November 1958: Unmaned launching of the Mercury I to improve R&D. As usual in first launches, the heat shield fails and the ship desintegrates during descent. -December 1958: The russians launch the Sputnik III but again, the R-7 rocket's second stage AGAIN fails miserably and the ship is destroyed.
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