This is an atomicpunk/jetpunk/rocketpunk setting idea, which also has some cyberpunk elements. It has some similarities to Fallout, but it is intended to be more realistic. Premise The setting is 1990, give or take a decade. Compared to our timeline there is far more use and acceptance of nuclear technology and peaceful applications of Our Friend the Atom (nuclear energy was once Disney material). The politically caused energy crises of the 1970s never occur and the decade becomes known as the Surging Seventies. Rotary engine commuter cars prowl the roads alongside massive Cadillac Sixteen luxury cars, while supersonic airliners streak overhead. Cheap atomic energy provides plentiful power for new consumer appliances such as laserdisc players, color televisions, and microwave ovens. A small number of people even commute to their job by rocket - they work on one of the many space stations orbiting Earth or one of the handful of scientific outposts on the Moon. However, by the 1980s the dream is on the verge of becoming a nightmare. Fossil fuels and other resources become increasingly scarce, resulting in steadily rising energy prices and outright shortages in many nations. Petroleum reserves are expected to become depleted around the year 2000. Agriculture suffers from increasingly severe weather and a general decline in production due to acid rain, leading world grain reserves to their lowest levels in decades. While scientists issue reassuring public statements about the impeding commercialization of fission breeder reactors and battery powered cars and claim that fusion power is only twenty years away, internal estimates are far more dire given mounting evidence of severe damage to the ozone layer and global climate. Organizations and Countries The world superpowers are the United States, Soviet Union, European Community, and the People’s Republic of China. The Middle Eastern Confederation, Japan, India, and Imperial Iran are major regional powers.
Nucleon Timeline The Korean War In January 1950, USS Missouri, the last commissioned battleship of the United State Navy, runs hard aground near Norfolk, Virginia. It takes months free the ship and repair it, leaving the United Nations without any heavy gunfire support when the Korean War breaks out in June. The war drags on until August 1955, when the new Soviet leadership decides to enter into a ceasefire following the death of Joseph Stalin. The ceasefire is done over the objections of Mao Zedong, representing the start of what will evolve into a major split between the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China. Relations between the two countries remain close enough for Soviet development aid to continue, however, leading to a rapid growth in the capabilities of the People’s Republic of China. In addition to industrial and agricultural aid, the Soviets also provide military and even nuclear technology, with Communist Chinese submarines and missiles showing a distinct Soviet design lineage. The United States counters the Soviets in Asia with economic and military aid of its own to the Republic of China, Philippines, and other allied countries while encouraging Japan to reconsider Article 9 and remilitarize. Atoms for Peace The United States continues to spend significant resources on the military following the Korean War, especially on nuclear and aerospace technologies. Several nuclear powered submarines, aircraft carriers, and guided missile cruisers are ordered by the United States Navy. The Iowa class battleships are modernized and reactivated as well to counter the Soviet Stalingrad class battlecruisers and provide support to amphibious assault task forces. The Army expands its Nike air defense system and its capabilities, while the Air Force begins placing orders for Mach 3+ bombers, strike-reconnaissance planes, and interceptors. The Air Force also starts on the Dyna-Soar spaceplane as a highly survivable strike-reconnaissance platform for the 1960s. While the United States focuses on countering the communist threat in Asia, the French and British decide to cooperate to defend against the Soviet threat in Europe and remain relevant in the Atomic Age. They help establish the European Defense Community in August 1954, moving Europe away from reliance on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization due to the United States’ pivot towards Asia. The next major change comes in 1956, when France and the United Kingdom join together with Israel to achieve victory in the Suez Crisis, restoring their national prestige and bolstering their Middle Eastern allies. The disruption of petroleum supplies due to the closure of the Suez Canal - combined with an embargo by some Middle Eastern countries - leads the United Kingdom and France to decide to expand their nuclear power programs. While the British and French follow the superpowers in acquiring nuclear weapons, they are swifter to adopt nuclear energy technology. Noticing developments in Europe, in 1956 the United States launches the Atoms for Peace initiative. The National Security Council warns that if foreign countries are able to master atomic energy before the United States, “the political and economic ramifications could potentially be even greater than our nation’s loss of its monopoly on nuclear weapons.” The goal of the program is to promote the peaceful use of atomic energy and develop the nuclear infrastructure of the United States and foreign nations. Dozens of research and training reactors are built under Atoms for Peace, in addition to a handful of commercial nuclear reactors of various designs. Many of the designs use low enriched uranium to help conserve highly enriched uranium for military and government purposes. The rollout of nuclear power in the United States supported by a slick industry sponsored campaign, including Disney films such as Our Friend the Atom and electric industry materials featuring mascot Reddy Kilowatt. Regulatory authorities adopt the threshold model of radiation exposure after considering it and the linear no threshold model. This helps reduce the cost and weight of radiation shielding, improving the competiveness of the technology. Some scientists promote the radiation hormesis model, arguing that small of radiation have health benefits. Nuclear power gains a major endorsement in the United States when the Sierra Club decides to support the technology as an alternative to hydroelectric power stations, citing its high energy density and competitive costs. In 1957 the French and British launch a major nuclear power initiative of their own, joining together with several other European states to establish the European Atomic Energy Community. Within a few years it overtakes the European Coal and Steel Community in importance. French and British gas cooled nuclear reactors begin to accumulate significant orders in Europe due to their high degree of inherent safety, their ability to use natural uranium fuel instead of enriched material, and their use of concrete pressure vessels instead of forged steel ones. The gas cooled reactors generate significant quantities of spent fuel. Soon vast quantities of plutonium are stored across Europe, suitable for use as fuel in nuclear power plants or as fissile material for the core of a nuclear weapon. The Space Race Begins On September 14, 1957, the world enters the Space Age with the successful launch of Vanguard 1 by a United States Navy rocket. Later that month, the United States Air Force conducts a successful test of Atlas, the world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile. The Soviet Union follows up with a successful launch of its R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile and uses it in a separate launch to put up the Sputnik 1 satellite, marking the start of the Space Race. The surprising speed with which the Soviets caught up to American achievements in space leads to increased consolidation and funding for both programs and years of an increasingly shifting “lead” in the Space Race, as seen below. November 1957: First animal in orbit, Laika (Soviet Union, Sputnik 2) January 1958: Discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts (United States, Explorer 1) January 1959: First satellite to escape Earth orbit, first satellite to orbit the Moon (Soviet Union, Luna 1) October 1959: First photograph of the far side of the Moon (United States, Pioneer P-3) August 1960: First animals to return from orbit, spacedogs Belka and Strelka (Soviet Union, Sputnik 5) January 1961: First hominidae to return from orbit, Ham the Space Chimp (United States, Mercury-Atlas 3) The constantly shifting lead continues until February 1961, when United States astronaut Alan Shepard becomes the first person to successfully complete an orbital spaceflight on Mercury-Atlas 4. Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin follows on Vostok 1 in April. After these successful flights the two space programs begin to increasingly diverge. The United States focuses more heavily on manned spaceflight missions around Earth while the Soviets focus more on unmanned missions to the Moon, Mars, and Venus, among other locations. Both maintain a manned lunar program. The Nuclear Arms Race Escalates As the Space Race gets its start, the nuclear arms race begins to escalate. In 1961 the Soviet Union detonates a massive 50 megaton device, twice as powerful as the largest American device. The Soviets also unveil plans for a new super heavy intercontinental ballistic missile to carry the warhead, which is also capable of placing a smaller warhead into orbit as a fractional orbital bombardment system. The United States decides to escalate development and fielding of its anti-ballistic missile systems to counter the growing threat. Experimental sites are built in California and Florida to test the system, followed by operational sites in 1964. Many of the more remote sites have Army Nuclear Power Program or civilian nuclear power plants built to meet the electric and heat demands of the systems and their garrisons. The successful detonation of an atomic bomb by the People’s Republic of China in 1963 triggers a major push for civil defense in the United States, including the construction of an extensive system of fallout shelters by the Civil Defense Administration. Following the Communist Chinese nuclear test, many more nations acquire nuclear weapons. India tests its first nuclear device in 1968 with Western material aid, if not theoretical. Sweden and Switzerland go ahead with plans for their own independent nuclear forces to help secure their neutrality, while at the same time developing two of the world’s most sophisticated civil defense programs, to include public blast shelters. Race for the Moon and Beyond The United States space program includes two efforts, a military one led by the United States Space Command and a civilian one led by the United States Space Administration. The military program focuses on near Earth orbit and uses launch vehicles derived from military missiles, most prominently the Titan. The manned military program uses spaceplanes such as the Dynasoar due to their ability to retrieve objects from orbit and execute precision landings on runways, with the military astronaut corps consisting of highly experienced pilots. After 1967 the military begins the Extended Duration Orbiter program, launching enlarged Dynasoar orbiters attached to space stations, providing a flight duration of up to 40 days. The United States Space Administration uses more highly automated manned spacecraft more amenable for use by scientists and others with less extensive flight experience. Progress is somewhat slow due to the higher priority of the military program, although the Space Administration is able to put the first man in space following its acquisition of the military Mercury-Atlas program. Later flights use Mercury Mark II/Gemini series capsules and Saturn series rockets developed for the USAA, including the lunar and space station programs. The Soviet space program is divided among several agencies, although it is more centrally directed and both the military and civilian programs use similar launch vehicles and manned space vehicles, particularly the Soyuz and Proton series rockets and Soyuz/Zond series capsules. The Soviet Air Force also tests the PKA spaceplane as a counter to the Dynasoar and Nike-Zeus anti-ballistic missile systems before deciding to procure unmanned fractional orbital bombardment missiles instead. Although the Soviet Zond 2 mission is the first manned flight to orbit the Moon in August 1967, the United States achieves the first successful manned lunar landing in October 1968 with Gemini 17. Throughout the 1970s both nations establish lunar outposts to further explore the surface of the Moon and develop techniques for manned Mars exploration planned for the upcoming decade, as well as continue funding their nuclear thermal rocket programs. The 1970s also sees the People’s Republic of China launch a manned space program using Gemini derived designs, as well as the start of more advanced unmanned spaceflight activities by the European and Japanese space agencies. Nuclear Reaches Critical Mass A combination of increased environmental regulations and lower prices for nuclear power and petroleum helps the two build market share throughout the 1960s and 1970s, leading to a decline in coal industry fortunes. Hundreds of energy complexes siting multiple fossil fuel and nuclear plants are built across the world for applications as diverse as electricity and heat production all the way to desalinization and the production of heavy crude petroleum. The second generation of power reactors are largely similar to those of the first generation, using the same general technologies but with improved safety, economics, and power output. The demand for nuclear power proves so great that artificial islands and power barges are built off the coast of the United States as sites and water supplies suitable for cooling purposes run out for land based plants. The growing demand for fissile material to fuel nuclear power stations and build nuclear weapons leads to skyrocketing uranium prices and increasing tensions over fuel reserves. Australia, Canada, and the Soviet Union benefit greatly from the uranium boom, while the embargo against South Africa and occupied South West Africa starts to loosen. The industry also begins to move towards more advanced third generation reactor designs featuring higher performance and greater efficiency, including helium cooled designs. While having relatively small uranium reserves relative to its demand, the United States does have a competitive advantage in gas cooled reactor technology due to its massive helium reserves, although large fields have also been found in the Persian Gulf and East Africa. Fourth generation breeder reactor designs are under development by many nations, with commercialization expected sometime around 1990. The Resource Bomb By the 1980s world resource consumption is increasingly unsustainable. Petroleum consumption reaches nearly 100 million barrels per day, with 20 million barrels per day consumed by the United States. At current rates of consumption and reserve discovery, resources are expected to be depleted run out by the year 2000. Petroleum is used to power everything from Wankel engine compact cars and massive Cadillac Sixteen luxury cars to supersonic Boeing 2707 airliners. Petroleum is even used for electric power generation, with millions of barrels per day being used to provide peak demand periods for a world power system increasingly reliant on baseload atomic power plants. Both petroleum producing and petroleum exporting countries become increasingly destabilized. In 1980 the government of Venezuela is overthrown in a popular uprising, shocking the United States and leading to calls for increased development of domestic reserves, especially in Alaska. Tensions between the Soviet Union and Imperial Iran escalate over control of the vast untapped petroleum and natural gas fields in the Caspian Sea, naval skirmishes and allegations of Iranian involvement in destabilizing Afghanistan. As fossil fuels and other resources become increasingly scarce, energy prices begin a steady rise and there are outright shortages in some nations. Agriculture suffers from increasingly severe weather and a general decline in production due to acid rain, leading world grain reserves to their lowest levels in decades. While scientists issue reassuring public statements about the impeding commercialization of fission breeder reactors and battery powered cars and claim that fusion power is only twenty years away, internal estimates are far more dire. Scientists working with the United States Atomic Energy Commission give a classified report to the President citing growing evidence of “severe and permanent damage to the ozone layer and global climate.” A related National Security Council report estimates the onset of international conflicts over a variety of resources over the coming years.
World Situation The world superpowers are the United States, Soviet Union, People’s Republic of China, and the European Community. Japan, India, Imperial Iran, and the Middle Eastern Confederation are major regional powers. United States The United States is still the leading superpower, but its reliance on foreign petroleum poses a major threat to the country’s economy. Out of a total demand for 30 million barrels per day, only 3 million barrels are produced domestically, about enough to meet the petroleum demand of the electric industry. Natural gas reserves have become severely depleted, furthering the country’s reliance on petroleum for everything from heating to electric power generation. Rising energy prices have caused Congress to consider reviving a suspended program that used nuclear explosions to boost output at petroleum and natural gas fields. There have been some recent moves towards economization, such as Cadillac’s replacement of its V16 model with a V12, but the vast majority of cars on the road are powered by V8 engines and few corporations have moved those flying long distance for business away from supersonic airliners. Some new airlines have begun offering a business experience approaching first class on passenger versions of aircraft such as the Boeing 747 cargo aircraft, only time will tell if this proves popular. The United States has one of the worlds most advanced and extensive nuclear power programs, with nuclear power accounting for almost half of the country’s electricity requirements. Although the industry has been in decline for years, coal still accounts for almost a quarter of electricity consumption. Many of the nuclear reactors built in the last decade have been high temperature gas cooled designs similar to those pioneered by General Atomics at Fort St. Vrain. The helium cooled designs are among the most efficient reactor types in operation today and benefit greatly from the United States government’s prioritization of domestic projects for helium sales. The limited amount of helium available for export has slowed adoption of the technology elsewhere, although large helium deposits have recently been found in the Persian Gulf and East Africa. Several breeder reactors are undergoing construction across the country to help meet future uranium needs, and fusion power is an active area of research. The United States military also has a robust nuclear program. Nuclear power has been used on all submarines, aircraft carriers, cruisers built since the 1960s and many of the destroyers and frigates built since the 1970s. Sentinel nuclear armed anti-ballistic missile sites have been built across the country to defend against limited missile attacks, and the Civil Defense Administration and state National Guard units have collaborated to provide a robust civil defense system for defense against both nuclear attack and natural disasters. Soviet Union The Soviet Union has undergone a rapid but uneven modernization since the end of World War II. The country’s development of the All-State Automated System from the 1960s has given the country one of the most advanced telecommunication systems in the world and has significantly improved the logistical situation of the country, especially for commodity goods. While there have been attempts to increase production of consumer goods, the vast majority of the country’s resources are still dedicated to heavy industry and energy due to large global demand. The Soviet Union’s largest export categories remain petroleum, natural gas, metals, and uranium, providing large foreign currency reserves. Nuclear energy is another growth area in the Soviet economy. Although the country did not make major use of the technology until the 1970s, the newly completed Atommash facilities at Volgodonsk are thought to be the largest of their type in the world, capable of producing nearly a dozen VVER series nuclear reactors every year. Other facilities across the Soviet Union produce nuclear power barges and nuclear powered icebreakers. People’s Republic of China More to come later. European Community The European Community is a loose international organization of several European states based primarily around economic and military cooperation. The four most prominent members are the United Kingdom, France, Federal Republic of Germany, and Italy. Although the European Coal and Steel Community was the first of the European treaties to be adopted, it was soon surpassed in importance by the European Atomic Energy Community that followed just a few years later. By pooling resources the countries of the European Community were able to establish a leading civilian nuclear program, although there have been some tensions around issues such as the importation of South African uranium. Petroleum production from the North Sea has begun to peak, increasing reliance on foreign imports. There have also been escalating tensions over reduced natural gas exports from the Netherlands. Officially, production are being reduced due to induced seismic activity, although some allege that the Dutch are reducing output to maintain more of the resource for themselves or are attempting to cover up a long term decline in the Groningen natural gas field. Middle Eastern Confederation More to come later. Japan Following the end of World War II, Japan began a massive effort to rebuild its national infrastructure. These efforts are helped by the Korean conflicts of the 1950s and 1960s, which sees Japanese industry supply United States military forces in the region while reducing competition for Japanese exports. In addition to a focus on heavy industry, the nation’s new leadership were determined, together with the support of the United States government, to maximize Japan’s peaceful use of atomic energy for political and economic reasons. These two areas of strength have contributed to Japan’s development of an increasingly nuclear powered merchant marine capable of transporting a massive quantities of raw materials and manufactured goods, including nearly 8 million barrels petroleum and thousands of cars and high tech goods every day. The Japanese military has undergone a similar expansion since the end of World War II. Most major equipment is produced domestically and the Japanese Naval Self Defense Force is one of the largest fleets in the world, including several ships that are essentially light aircraft carriers in all but name. With robust civilian nuclear and space programs the country could become a nuclear power in a fairly short period of time if required, although there is a strong pacifist and especially anti-nuclear movement in the country. India More to come later. Imperial Iran More to come later.