SAITE TIMELINE, 1970 TO 1990
SAITE TIMELINE, 1970-1990 AD
1922 AD onward--Ever since shortly after the introduction of the first practical telephone
by Alexandros Kousouni in the early 1700s, various inventors have been trying to
produce a truly practical mobile telephone. Indeed, the first of these, a battery operated
telephone which could be hooked up to any available telegraph or telephone line by
means of electrodes attached to long poles, was patented only five years after Kousouni’s
invention. But these early, non-wireless systems were not really practical. In the
mid-1800s, the first crude, bulky, vacuum-tube filled mobile telephones operating via
radio signals were introduced. These early models were limited by their short range and
never were commercially successful, and they mainly were used as car phones by wealthy
businessmen or government officials. With the advent of inexpensive microprocessors
and digital switching systems, a truly practical wireless telephone network is finally
possible, and in 1922, the first cellular phone systems are opened for business almost
simultaneously in Egypt, Rome, and China. The new cellular phones become wildly
popular, but will never replace the old, reliable land-line phone, which has none of the
cell-phone’s problems (concerns over security due to the ability of criminals and
government agencies to intercept cell-phone signals from the air, as well as poor sound
quality and dropped calls due to poor signal strength in many areas).
THE WORLD IN 1970 AD...A SNAPSHOT. In the following paragraphs, the political,
economic, and religious structure of the various nations of the world will be discussed,
giving some idea of how society has developed in the preceding centuries.
--Politics. Egypt’s constitutional monarchy has seen quite a bit of development since the
last formal amendment of the constitution several centuries ago. The enfranchised
segment of the population, which once consisted only of the nemhu (property owners),
has been gradually expanded over the centuries, and now encompasses nearly everyone in
the Egyptian Empire. The power and influence of the Council of the 400 Elders has also
increased, to the point where Pharaohs...who under the Egyptian Constitution have the
power to spend state revenues as they see fit...now customarily seek the approval of the
Council before making large expenditures out of the treasury. China, Russia, the Inca
Empire, and the Norse Kingdom have very similar political systems (indeed, those of
China and the Inca Empire are modeled on Egypt’s, with Constitutions adapted, almost
word for word, from that of Egypt). Rome, on the other hand, serves as the model for the
other major political system in the world...the Republic. Rome’s system, like Egypt’s,
has seen much development over the centuries. The franchise, which originally only
extended to property owners and soldiers, has been expanded, and like in Egypt, now
includes nearly everyone in the country. Other countries whose political systems are
based on that of Rome (although most have a single President instead of Rome’s system
of two Consuls) are the Creek and Mandan Confederacies, Teysas and Arizonac, Kongo
and Lunda. Ghana is the world’s only remaining absolute monarchy, with a Soninke
royal house which has ruled continuously since c. 750 AD (although in exile in Vinlandia
for part of that period). However, the Ghanaese King is advised by a council of the kings
of the various subject tribes which make up the empire (Mandinke, Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba,
Bini, Songhay, and many others). This council, although it holds no formal power, exerts
a powerful restraining influence on the actions of the Ghanaese King...who realizes that if
he upsets enough of the subject kings, his empire will quickly fall apart. And finally there
is the United Islamic Republic, which is an authoritarian military dictatorship.
--Economics. The world of this ATL is much more integrated, economically, even than
the modern world of OTL. All countries are industrialized, and international trade,
facilitated by low tariffs, is the lifeblood of the world economy. This economic
integration has accelerated since the founding of ISEP (the International Space
Exploration Project), which has linked all of the major nations of the world in a joint
effort requiring huge levels of economic cooperation and mutual support. One area where
cooperation on this project has had a major impact is on the currency systems in use by
ISEP nations. In order to facilitate economic exchange between them the various nations
have standardized their currency systems...they all still have their own separate national
currencies (the Egyptian Deben, the Roman Denarius, the Norse Kroner, the Russian
Ruble, the Ghanaese Cedi, the U.I.R. Dinar; so on and so forth), but they are traded at the
same value...and indeed, there is some talk about establishing a new international
currency which would replace the various national currencies in the ISEP countries.
--Religion: Egypt, of course, continues to practice it’s old polytheistic religion. The great
temple at Karnak has been continually expanded by Pharaohs over the centuries, and has
grown into a virtual religious city in and of itself, the holiest place in Egypt. The cults of
Osiris and Isis have emerged, over many centuries, as supreme, but most of the old gods
are still worshipped in some form. There are also communities of Christians (although
Egyptian Christians are generally considered heretics by the main church because of their
unusual interpretation of the Holy Trinity...which they identify with Osiris, Isis, and
Horus...and other unusual doctrines) and Manicheans (the last such community in
existence anywhere in the world). China also is a polytheistic state, where a mixture of
Taoism, Buddhism, and (in the Indonesian Archipelago especially) Hinduism is practiced.
The Romans, Norse, Armenians, Russians and Ghanaese are all "Christian." Basically
this is the Catholic Church, although not exactly the same as OTL, as the church has not
been influenced by conflict between the main church and the proponents of various
Eastern heresies (Nestorianism, Arianism, etc.) which never arose in this world (most of
these arose in lands which are under the control of Egypt, and they thus do not arise in
this TL). There was never a "Great Schism" (i.e. the split between Rome and the Eastern
church which created the Orthodox Church in the OTL) in this world, as the Great
Schism arose in great part because of a conflict for power between the Byzantine
Emperor and the independent Pope at Rome. Since there was never a Byzantine Emperor
or an independent Pope at Rome in the ATL, this never occurred, and the church
remained united. And, since the Bishop of Rome has never been in a position to contend
for temporal authority, and has been, to a large degree, regulated by the Emperor/Senate
of Rome, the abuses which finally lead to the Reformation never occurred. There is no
Martin Luther or John Calvin or equivalent figure in this world as a result. Kongo and
Lunda practice a mixture of Christianity, native animism, and Egyptian polytheism. The
Incas, Creeks, and Mandans all practice their own native religions, although of course
missionaries from Rome and the Norse have made many converts in those lands, and the
native religions themselves have been very modified by contact with the faiths espoused
by the major powers (for instance, the Inca no longer practice human sacrifice). Islam is
practiced in the United Islamic Republic...where it is the only religion allowed to be
practiced...and has adherents in Egypt’s Syrian provinces, Rome’s Asia Minor
possessions, Armenia, southern Russia, and China as well.
1970-1980 AD--For several decades now, intensive research has been conducted by the
major powers into the possibility of an anti-missile defense system. A number of
different proposals have been tried, but the one which seems to have the most potential is
a system based on high-powered laser beams. Lasers have been known for a long time,
and low-powered lasers have been used for weapons guidance, in computers, and in
medicine for nearly a century. But there have been several problems which have
prevented deployment of such systems. First, to be useful as a weapons system, the
beams must be generated with much more power than has, up until recently, been
possible. Second, the most powerful lasers developed so far, which derive their energy
from interactions within large vats of dangerous chemicals, have been not suitable for
deployment because of the problems of size, weight, and the hazardous nature of the
chemicals needed to power the laser. And third, they suffer from the problem of limited
range (laser beams are absorbed and dissipated as they pass through the atmosphere). But
an alternative technology has been developed, the free-electron laser. This laser has a
high power level and excellent optical quality (which enhances it’s range) but uses only
water and electricity...no dangerous chemicals...to produce it’s laser beam. Furthermore,
the laser itself is much smaller than comparable chemical lasers, making it much more
suitable for large-scale deployment. By 1970 both the Egyptians and the Romans have a
working model of a free-electron laser that can shoot down ballistic missiles, unguided
artillery rockets, aircraft and even artillery shells. Both powers realize that such a weapon
has the potential to dramatically shift the balance of power by making the nuclear arsenals
of the world’s nations virtually obsolete (by removing any practical means of delivering
them to their targets). Pharaoh Seti XIV realizes this, and therefore, in May 1970, calls a
meeting of the Council for International Peace. At this meeting the Pharaoh makes a
startling proposal...he offers the Egyptian laser system to the C.I.P., for use in establishing
a space-based and ground-based system which will end the threat of nuclear weapons
permanently. Roman Consul Claudius Mucius Crispus, upon hearing the announcement
of Egyptian possession of a viable laser weapons system, announces that Rome also
possesses this technology, and also places the Roman system at the disposal of the C.I.P.
After much debate, the C.I.P. votes to adopt Pharaoh Seti’s proposal. All nations of the
world are presented with an offer to have ground-based C.I.P. laser installations based
within their borders which will protect them from nuclear strikes by short range missiles,
aircraft, or cruise missiles, to be paid for by the nation in which the weapons are to be
based. Most nations accept this offer without delay (the exceptions are Kongo and
Lunda, which decline on economic grounds). Meanwhile, the C.I.P. deploys, in a process
that will consume the rest of the decade, a space-based system which will intercept
medium-range and long-range missiles. The completion of this system in mid-1980 will
be hailed as a major victory for the cause of peace worldwide, and all of the major
countries will begin dramatically cutting the size of their nuclear arsenals (but not totally
eliminating them) shortly thereafter.
1971 AD--ISEP’s Spacecraft Design Bureau has been considering a radical new engine
design...a Nuclear Fusion Rocket. The general idea of the fusion drive is to sustain an
onboard fusion reaction of Deuterium and Helium 3 and fire some of the energy
created...in the form of plasma...out the back of the spacecraft to generate thrust. The
system would have a very high specific impulse (Specific impulse, or Isp, is a measure of
how many seconds one pound of propellant could produce one pound of thrust. The
higher the specific impulse, the longer the engines can continuously accelerate the
spacecraft before running out of fuel). The proposed nuclear fusion rocket has a
theoretical maximum Isp of 100,000...compared to about 450 for a chemical rocket and
about 1,000 for the nuclear thermal rockets which make up the backbone of ISEP’s space
fleet. It is conceded that the theoretical upper limit is unlikely to be reached in the
foreseeable future, but, given the experience mankind has acquired with fusion reactors
over the preceding decades, it should easily be possible to design a fusion rocket with an
Isp of 2,000...twice that of the existing nuclear thermal rockets. This would allow the
Earth-Mars journey time to be slashed to less than six weeks...half the time it would take
with the nuclear thermal rockets currently in use, and 1/4 of the time necessary with a
chemical rocket. Moreover, it would enable missions to depart at any time without
waiting for "shortest journey" launch windows. The experience gained worldwide with
creating sustainable nuclear fusion reactions worldwide for generation of electric power
has amply demonstrated the basic feasibility of this engine, but some technical issues
remain to be resolved. The concept is promising enough, however, that ISEP decides to
focus it’s research on this proposal.
1972 AD--ISEP has decided to use the moon as the construction and supply base for the
spacecraft which will make the journey to Mars...launch of these craft from weak lunar
gravity will be much easier and more cost effective. Construction begins on a Lunar
Shipyard which will build the vessels, which will be launched into lunar orbit by
chemical rockets. Once in orbit, the vessels will be married to their propulsion units
(which will be built on earth and will already be in lunar orbit). Crew and cargo for the
journey will then be loaded using chemically fueled lunar shuttles.
1973 AD--ISEP begins sending cargo containers (full of hydrogen and oxygen,
Deuterium and Helium 3, construction equipment, pre-pressurized habitat modules, the
parts for a fusion reactor, food, water, and other supplies necessary for the establishment
of a Mars colony) to Mars. Like those of the lunar colonization expedition, they are
designed to be placed in orbit around Mars, where they will be docked together and await
the arrival of the colonists who will use them. They are conveyed to Mars by nuclear
thermal rockets. The initial containers contain non-perishable items and hydrogen,
primarily...food and other perishable items will be sent as the actual date for the manned
expedition grows nearer.
1974 AD--On September 11, 1974...a day which will be remembered for years to come as
a day of infamy...a bomb is detonated in the casino of the Lunar Palace Hotel. The bomb
shatters one of the large, reinforced glass picture windows and exposes the casino to the
vacuum of space. Over 800 people are sucked out of the building and are instantly killed
as the atmosphere rushes out through the jagged opening. Fortunately, the emergency
airtight doors separating the casino from the rest of the hotel work as designed, and
catastrophic loss of pressure in the rest of the hotel is prevented. Later that day, a
video-taped announcement is dropped off at major news organizations in several
countries. In it, Suleyman Ismail, the leader of the Pan-Islamist terrorist organization,
“The Sword of Allah,†claims responsibility for the attack. “This attack shows that the
Sword of Allah can slay the infidel wherever he may be. Beware the wrath of
Allah....God is Great!†Later that same week soldiers, sent by ISEP to provide security,
arrive on the moon. They will be a permanent presence hereafter...a stark reminder that
human conflict has not remained confined to the surface of the earth.
1975 AD--Construction of the lunar shipyard is completed. It begins to build
pre-fabricated sections for the Mars spacecraft, which will be stored until the time comes
to assemble and launch them into lunar orbit. The yard also builds the chemically
powered shuttles that will be required to ferry cargo from Mars orbit to the planet’s
surface. Also in this year, a memorial to those killed in the Lunar Palace attack is
dedicated on the moon. Leaders from all of the ISEP nations, including Pharaoh Seti
XIV, attend the ceremony (Seti is only the second Egyptian ruler to visit the moon). In
the aftermath of this ceremony, an international conference on terrorism is held at
Moscow, attended by leaders of most of the world’s nations (Kongo, Lunda, and Teysas
do not attend). A treaty of cooperation against international terrorism, called the Moscow
Accord, is signed, which pledges the various nations to cooperate to root out terrorist
organizations, wherever they exist.
1976 AD--Teysas and Lunda sign the Moscow Accord. Also in this year, the first
holographic television is introduced. Instead of viewing the picture on a screen, a
three-dimensional image is projected inside an open box. The new sets are extremely
expensive and do not immediately become popular. But the technology will be further
developed with time.
1977 AD--ISEP tests a nuclear fusion rocket, but the test fails. It is clear that more design
work is needed. Also in this year, General Ahmed Rasfanjani, President of the United
Islamic Republic, dies. In his will, he has directed that his Vice President, General
Mohammed al-Sadr, will succeed him. General Al-Sadr takes power, peacefully, on
November 5, 1977.
1978 AD--Kongo signs the Moscow Accord. President Al-Sadr of the U.I.R. announces
that the U.I.R. is to have a constitution, and that free elections will be held. He calls on
leaders from the various ethnic groups within the U.I.R. to meet with him to draw up a
constitution, which they do. After several months of negotiations, the constitution is
agreed upon, and elections are scheduled to be held the next year.
1979 AD--Anti-terrorism efforts under the Moscow Accord have been very successful.
The police computer files of the various signatory nations have been linked, making it
much easier to track terrorists across international borders. A multi-national joint
commando force has been created to fight terrorists on their own terms, and joint
commando operations against terrorist training camps, police infiltration of terrorist cells
(made possible by large-scale cooperation by the security forces of the United Islamic
Republic), and crackdowns on “charitable organizations†which are really only a means
of funneling money to “The Sword of Allah†have all had their effect. These efforts are
crowned in July 1979 by the capture of none other than Suleyman Ismail himself during a
commando raid on his hideout in the jungles of south India. By the end of 1979, The
Sword of Allah is effectively broken, and, except for a few isolated and minor incidents,
terrorism ceases around the world. Also in this year, free elections are held in the United
Islamic Republic for the first time. President Al-Sadr is elected by a wide margin to serve
as the country’s first democratically elected President. His inauguration ceremony is
attended by dignitaries from around the world, including Pharaoh Seti XIV of Egypt,
King Harald XI of the Norse Kingdom, Tsar Alexander IV of Russia, and Emperor
Wayna Capac VI of the Inca Empire.
1980 AD--Tsar Alexander IV of Russia dies, and is succeeded by his son, Feyodor V.
1981 AD--In April of this year, ISEP tests a re-designed version of the nuclear fusion
rocket. This time the test is successful. After several other successful tests are conducted
later this year, the concept is considered proven, and ISEP orders it into production. Like
their nuclear thermal predecessors, the fusion rockets will be built on earth and launched
into orbit by chemical rockets. It is planned to establish a fueling station in orbit around
the moon, where the rockets will “tank up†on Deuterium and Helium 3. The fusion
rockets will be ferried to the moon by ISEP’s nuclear thermal rockets and deposited in
orbit around the moon. They will then dock with the proposed fueling station and take on
fuel for the journey to Mars. Also in this year, with the completion of the C.I.P. Missile
Defense System, both Teysas and Arizonac formally announce the abandonment of their
nuclear research programs and invite inspectors from the C.I.P. to verify the dismantling
of their facilities. This is accomplished by the end of the year. There will be no further
proliferation of nuclear weapons. Also in this year, hydrogen-powered vehicles
outnumber those fueled by petroleum products for the first time worldwide. In the more
advanced countries (Egypt, China, and Rome, particularly), hydrogen vehicles have
almost completely replaced older, petroleum-fueled models.
1982 AD--The lunar orbital fueling station for the nuclear fusion rockets is constructed.
It is made of sections built on the moon, which are launched into orbit and then docked
together (similar to the orbiting cargo containers used in the original lunar colonization
expedition). The station will be stocked with fuel produced and stored on the lunar
surface by the same type of craft which have been used to keep full the orbiting hydrogen
containers used to fuel the nuclear thermal rockets. Later that year, the first nuclear
fusion rockets arrive and are fueled at the station. They are used initially to transport
cargo containers from lunar orbit to Mars, greatly speeding up the process of building up
the required stockpiles.
1983 AD--The Mars Colony Ship is assembled in lunar orbit from the pre-fabricated
sections made at the Lunar Shipyard. It is a huge vessel, capable of carrying 1,000
colonists to Mars, along with all the supplies necessary to sustain them during the
month-and-a-half journey. The crew section of the ship is designed to rotate, thus
simulating gravity, which will reduce the deleterious effects of space travel and allow the
colonists to arrive at Mars in good physical condition. The speed of the rotation will
gradually decrease during the journey, thus acclimating the crew to Mars gravity before
their arrival on said planet. The vessel will be propelled by four nuclear fusion rockets.
1984 AD--The Mars Colony Ship is launched from lunar orbit on March 13, 1984. It
arrives in Mars orbit and docks with the waiting supply containers approximately six
weeks later, on May 3, 1984. The first Mars landing takes place on May 11,
1984...exactly 101 years to the day after the first human foot touched the surface of the
moon. Televised pictures of this event are broadcast to captivated audiences around the
world. The first priority of the colonists, of course, is to establish the basics for living on
Mars. Living quarters are brought down from orbit and assembled on the surface. The
nuclear fusion reactor is assembled and activated to provide power for the base. Food,
oxygen, water, and other supplies are brought down from orbit to supply the base.
Construction begins on a facility for extracting water from the Martian permafrost layer,
as well as on an Agriculture Dome where food will be grown. All of this work is well
advanced by the end of the year.
1985 AD--The water extraction facility and the Agriculture Dome on Mars are both
completed by the end of this year. Also in this year the governments of Kongo and
Lunda, which have been negotiating in secret for some time, announce a treaty of
unification between their two countries. The devastation wrought by the disastrous
nuclear war between the two nations early in the century has caused massive cross-border
migration of population, and by now the two are virtually identical culturally and very
interdependent economically. So a union makes good sense. Elections for a government
for the new nation...which will be called Zaire...are scheduled to be held next year.
1986 AD--The Martian colonists begin to supplement their food supplies brought from
earth with crops grown in their newly completed Agriculture Dome. Construction begins
on a facility to split water into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis. Solar-electric arrays
are constructed to supplement the power produced by the fusion reactor. Also in this
year, Pharaoh Seti XIV announces that, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the
founding of ISEP, Egypt will return the island of Cyprus to Rome next year. The forced
cession of Cyprus to Egypt following The World War has long been a sore point between
the two powers, and Seti’s announcement is applauded in Rome and elsewhere. Elections
are held in Zaire. The new government takes power in August, 1986.
1987 AD--Water production is now sufficient to supply the needs of the Martian
colonists, meaning no further imports will need to be made from Earth. The facility for
splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is completed and goes into production. Also in
this year, Egypt withdraws from Cypress, and the island is returned to Roman rule.
1988 AD--The production of food on Mars has reached the point where the colony is
self-sufficient in that item for the first time. Oxygen production is increasing, but
imports of this item are still needed. Also in this year, buoyed by the feelings of
international amity which have resulted from the Egyptian cession of Cyprus to Rome last
year, the governments of Egypt, Rome and Ghana agree on a division of the Sahara
Desert Region. The Council for International Peace removes it’s peacekeeping forces
from the region shortly thereafter, and another potential flashpoint between the powers is
removed.
1989 AD--Oxygen production is now sufficient to supply the needs of the Martian
colony, which is now basically self-sufficient of re-supply of the basic elements of life
from earth. Construction of additional living quarters, using Martian materials, has
begun, in anticipation of an eagerly awaited new shipment of colonists....
1990 AD--In February 1990, the first female colonists arrive on Mars. Their arrival is
greeted with great enthusiasm by the long-deprived male colonists, and several of the
women quickly conceive. The first human baby born on Mars, an Egyptian boy-child
named Ramose, is born on December 11, 1990.
