If, like me, you noticed Tracy's headstone noting she'd received the "Medal of Honor" and thought that was odd since she wasn't in the military, I just learned that was just because of the framing of the shot, and she likely actually received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, which is awarded to any astronaut, military or civilian, who performs an extraordinary feat on a NASA mission.
I noticed that as well but figured that was probably the case.If, like me, you noticed Tracy's headstone noting she'd received the "Medal of Honor" and thought that was odd since she wasn't in the military, I just learned that was just because of the framing of the shot, and she likely actually received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, which is awarded to any astronaut, military or civilian, who performs an extraordinary feat on a NASA mission.
Predictions for the finale:
1. The goodwill that Danielle and Margo have built up with their Soviet counterparts will save the day.
2. The Marine that fired first will commit suicide, or otherwise sacrifice herself in defending the base.
3. We will lose one main character.
It will be interesting to see if Dani's disobeying orders is swept under the rug or if there will be consequences.
I'm not sure I really like them using a real person like Sally Ride to pull a gun like that though. It would have been better to use a fictional person created just for the show IMO. Also Ed risked the whole thing failing by not explaining what he was doing just for the sake of dramatic effect(for the show).
As alternate history, rather than a straight up historical drama, I think they can have a pass here. Though the changes are not drastic, the wiggle room for deviations from reality is there. Moreover, while the fictional Ride did pull a weapon, it was ultimately to try to prevent a military action (consistent with her character in the show) and clearly she was, in the end, not fully prepared to use it. Moreover, the situation was one of extreme duress, and such times often inspire behaviour that goes outside one’s norms. Lastly, of the two subordinates on Pathfinder, Ride was far more likely to “buck the chain of command” on principle and while I know very little about the real life Sally Ride, what little I recall suggests she was the type to stand her ground on principle (unlikely she would have advanced to her position if lacking such fortitude).I'm not sure I really like them using a real person like Sally Ride to pull a gun like that though. It would have been better to use a fictional person created just for the show IMO
I think they're setting up Ellen Wilson (née Waverly) to be the first US woman president and she's the one who has pushed for manned US Mars missions. In our timeline, there was an expectation that manned missions could take place in the mid 80s using NERVA but, of course, there wasn't the money or political will for that. I don't know if Ellen's sexual orientation will be made public after she is in the White House. I think it's very unlikely that she could have become a presidential candidate, never mind be elected, back in the 90s if she had come out.
How did Ed get off the hook for destroying the Sea Dragon cargo? For a loss of that significance, I would have thought he'd end up in front of another congressional committee, at the least. Two missiles were fired and the computer records would have recorded his deliberate targeting choice. But instead apparently there was a malfunction. War was averted so perhaps the US government thought best to hush it up. However, that wouldn't have kept the Soviets quiet. "Look we threatened the Americans and they were so frightened, they blew up their military nuclear cargo themselves." I would imagine they would have their own records and video to use in propaganda. If it were Gorbachev at the top, I might believe he'd cooperate in hushing things up but not the paranoid Andropov.
ETA: When our timeframe rolls around on the show, I think we'll see a space elevator and at least one space habitat such as an O'Neill cylinder or similar. Maybe we'll also see the deployment of solar power satellites and a solar shade to counteract global warming. The final season will perhaps show the first steps to probe the nearby stars for suitable planets for colonisation.
Also would be really cool if we a Space Elevator at some point.
How did Ed get off the hook for destroying the Sea Dragon cargo? For a loss of that significance, I would have thought he'd end up in front of another congressional committee, at the least. Two missiles were fired and the computer records would have recorded his deliberate targeting choice. But instead apparently there was a malfunction. War was averted so perhaps the US government thought best to hush it up. However, that wouldn't have kept the Soviets quiet. "Look we threatened the Americans and they were so frightened, they blew up their military nuclear cargo themselves." I would imagine they would have their own records and video to use in propaganda. If it were Gorbachev at the top, I might believe he'd cooperate in hushing things up but not the paranoid Andropov.
ETA: When our timeframe rolls around on the show, I think we'll see a space elevator and at least one space habitat such as an O'Neill cylinder or similar. Maybe we'll also see the deployment of solar power satellites and a solar shade to counteract global warming. The final season will perhaps show the first steps to probe the nearby stars for suitable planets for colonisation.
Able Archer 83 was as close a call as Cuban missile--none of those missiles were operational save the Luna and Kometa tacticnukes--and torps...The Russians in our timeline have sensibly never used them for manned missions.
I'm wondering when Andropov kicks the bucket in the FAM timeline and if the show goes straight to his reformist protege Gorbachev, skipping over Chernenko.
I said the same thing after the season 1 finale aired (and mostly got shouted down for it), but fingers still crossed for season 3!Maybe we'll eventually see a craft like the one proposed under Project Orion, it could theoretically get up 1/4th the speed of light.
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