Interesting stuff, Valles - have you been developing an alt-history elsewhere?

I think Gran Colombia's work would evolve out of ballistic missle tests to launching military hardware like early recce and communications satellites.  After that, maybe space tourism for rich Colombian businessmen...

I blame Rocket Girls. ^_^

http://www.animesuki.com/series.php/1002.html

VERY interesting...

Thought I have doubts about the viability of some of the craft mentioned.

The NS program would probably be military lead and oriented, not one pound for science...There would probably also be another civilian lead program, this one for pure profit.

Assuming NS, France, and the Middle Kingdom haven't nuked each other by then...

Very true, for the MK at least. Swiss plans where to turn all major Chinese cities into radioactive slag, populated with plague bearing cockroaches, and the countryside covered with salt and anthrax. Mountain areas would get a dose of Nerve Gas. Perhaps in a few hundered years the Great Asian Desert could be opened as a tourist attraction.

That's funny, the MK has the same plans for New Swiss, but added a bit of torture for a personal note.

But alas Desertfox, when you "left" the MK dissappeared too.

Not to put it too fine, but schizophrenia is a multi personal problem.

For pure humor value at some point an Iberian engineer will design the following.

http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/satnv24l.htm

The picture here is an idea what it might look like...  http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/satnv23l.htm

This rocke uses instead of the F-1 engines of the Saturn V with their 6.7 million newtons of thurst per engine the uprated F-1A's which can achieve 9.1 million newtons of thurst.  For a total of 118.3 million newtons of thrust at lift off from the 13 engines (5 on the central core and 8 on the 4 strap on liquide fueled boosters).  Able to lift nearly well over 750,000 lbs into Low Earth Orbit.  These will be used to lift parts of a spacecraft for assemby in LEO for a direct manned mission to Mars.

Michael