For All Mankind (AH Tv series at Apple TV)

[SouthernWind]

Spoiler: I must admit my mistake

I have been very vocal against Martian Independence happening in this season but then we see that Miles' group has a French woman amongst its ranks. Their chances of success have just jumped by 60%

Spoiler: considerations

A bit more worried about the growing resentment within the Helios workers. At least the smugglers opened the North Korean Market for now.
Also, the whole 'take Martian rocks to sell' open new opportunities: wasn't the idea to dig Mars for rare metals pursued? I agree that to sell them with the smuggling operations is too dangerous, but maybe... why not make a bit with the smuggling and THEN try to establish it as a legitimate business? But I fear Helios would claim all the profits.

 

[Zor]

Spoiler: Scheme stuff

Miles' scheme of selling those Mars Rocks for a profit is not a sustainable business model. If those Mars Rocks are worth a lot to jewellers now, it's because of their scarcity and the novelty of the stone's story. If 20 tonnes of them get sent back to Earth, the market will be saturated and the price will go down.

Zor

 

[juanml82]

Spoiler: Scheme stuff

Miles' scheme of selling those Mars Rocks for a profit is not a sustainable business model. If those Mars Rocks are worth a lot to jewellers now, it's because of their scarcity and the novelty of the stone's story. If 20 tonnes of them get sent back to Earth, the market will be saturated and the price will go down.

Zor

Spoiler

It would draw attention to the smuggling operation. Keep in mind that while they don't quite have free shipping, they are piggybacking on someone else to pay for interplanetary shipping. But it may be a Chekov's gun to the asteroid capture program. "Oh, the blue collar guy wants to get rich with a bunch of stones, the superpowers and Ayesa on a hole asteroid!"

 

[Tuskin38]

The first mention of Roscosmos in the show was in 1987. I assume that was a mistake, but they just kept it.
The Logo is slightly different from real life, probably for legal/alternate history reasons. The NASA logo in the show is also different from the real one.

Edit: I just noticed, looking at the M-7 logo, they used the real ESA logo, instead of the fictional one they used in previous seasons.

 

[Risenemperor7]

Spoiler: Scheme stuff

Miles' scheme of selling those Mars Rocks for a profit is not a sustainable business model. If those Mars Rocks are worth a lot to jewellers now, it's because of their scarcity and the novelty of the stone's story. If 20 tonnes of them get sent back to Earth, the market will be saturated and the price will go down.

Zor

Spoiler: Even more scheme stuff

I don't think that he is looking to be sustainable, just make a quick buck but even so it would be quite a while before they manage to get 20 tons back to earth. The rocks we've seen are rather small and by factoring in travel times, etc. it would take definetely more than two years. However I don't think its the right move in general due to the increased scrutiny. Ultimately Ilya is correct, the system works because it is simple and efficient (although then again, he is seemingly going along with getting Lee's wife so there might be some amount of irony in there)

 

[Risenemperor7]

Spoiler: considerations

A bit more worried about the growing resentment within the Helios workers. At least the smugglers opened the North Korean Market for now.
Also, the whole 'take Martian rocks to sell' open new opportunities: wasn't the idea to dig Mars for rare metals pursued? I agree that to sell them with the smuggling operations is too dangerous, but maybe... why not make a bit with the smuggling and THEN try to establish it as a legitimate business? But I fear Helios would claim all the profits.

Spoiler

I was joking with that, I am still on the "not gonna happen this Season" camp, however it is true that things are getting more heated. However I don't think that there will be truly destructive riots and such. Life is fragile on Mars and everybody on the base must work for all the people in Happy Valley to merely survive. Plus we haven't seen any dedicated security forces or personnel and the Astronauts/Cosmonauts/assorted Space Travellers don't seem particularly eager or able (remember that the program now has people that don't come from a military background) to put physically beat down other folks. I suspect it will be more of a situation where Danielle and the actual people on the ground will want to find a solution while the powers on Earth will not be as cooperative. Maybe the Moonmarines become Marsmarines? Certainly possible with travel times of 30 days and ships large enough to carry significantly more people and equipment.

 

[ajm8888]

Spoiler

I was joking with that, I am still on the "not gonna happen this Season" camp, however it is true that things are getting more heated. However I don't think that there will be truly destructive riots and such. Life is fragile on Mars and everybody on the base must work for all the people in Happy Valley to merely survive. Plus we haven't seen any dedicated security forces or personnel and the Astronauts/Cosmonauts/assorted Space Travellers don't seem particularly eager or able (remember that the program now has people that don't come from a military background) to put physically beat down other folks. I suspect it will be more of a situation where Danielle and the actual people on the ground will want to find a solution while the powers on Earth will not be as cooperative. Maybe the Moonmarines become Marsmarines? Certainly possible with travel times of 30 days and ships large enough to carry significantly more people and equipment.

So I been thinking

Spoiler

Do they have larger transports to the moon? They gotta right, we never really saw them which I think is a shame. No way they are still doing sea dragon. And it would make sense of Moonmarines, Moon Spetsnaz, and maybe even federal marshals and commissars on the moon. I wish we saw more moon stuff this season.

Also why do I feel this season will have Gore as a one term president?

 

[Zor]

Spoiler: Even more scheme stuff

I don't think that he is looking to be sustainable, just make a quick buck but even so it would be quite a while before they manage to get 20 tons back to earth. The rocks we've seen are rather small and by factoring in travel times, etc. it would take definetely more than two years. However I don't think its the right move in general due to the increased scrutiny. Ultimately Ilya is correct, the system works because it is simple and efficient (although then again, he is seemingly going along with getting Lee's wife so there might be some amount of irony in there)

Spoiler: Even So...

I don't have much faith in Miles' business acumen.

Zor

 

[Interdimensional Nomad]

Spoiler: The Coup

So looks like Gorbachev is indeed out. With the coup orchestrated by the KGB, I was kinda lowkey hoping that a certain Vladimir Putin would be in charge of the KGB (in this world having stayed in it long enough to become the head) and rise to the top spot through the coup, but maybe that would have been a little too on the nose. But damn, the coup has more supporters on Mars than I expected. Any break probably won't be clean after all.

Also, I can't help but love the irony of Irina complaining that everyone at Roscosmos besides Margot are too scared to do a proper job, while also sending the KGB to grab someone out of the office in front of everyone.

Spoiler: Helios

With Helios, it definitely feels like they've gone all-in on focusing on profit and ROI since Dev left, with the much more conventional-looking company structure that Dev, Kelly, and Aleida walked in on (compared to its very Silicon Valley startup feel last season), the poor treatment of their personnel on Mars, and this episode it feels like they're heavily implying the suits they make have been getting cheaper and shittier, with Miles surviving his fall in the toughly built old Helios suit and Vasily nearly dying of a breach just from falling from a standing position in the newer suit. Whether or not Dev wants to get involved in the politics of Mars, they may have to confront what the company has become since he left.

Regarding the smuggling, I get the sense that Helios is somewhat aware of the operation (how could they not be with that volume of stuff and the way spacecraft weight is accounted for) but turns a blind eye because it's pretty harmless and helps morale, but Miles sending back Mars rocks to be sold at a profit on Earth will be more than a few steps too far for them.

 

[Zor]

Spoiler: Minor Point

The Soviets have a big hand in a lot of the Computing systems in Happy Valley given how they could switch the OS of a lot of computers to cyrillic. This is indicative of having a well developed Soviet computer industry.

Zor

 

[Interdimensional Nomad]

Spoiler: Minor Point

The Soviets have a big hand in a lot of the Computing systems in Happy Valley given how they could switch the OS of a lot of computers to cyrillic. This is indicative of having a well developed Soviet computer industry.

Zor

I bet Pravetz is still going pretty strong in this world. I feel like there would be a danger of them getting outcompeted by the Western computer industry when the Soviets opened themselves up to the global economy. Then again OTL China has a strong computer industry with Lenovo, Xiaomi, and the like, so I dunno.

Not that it's isn't realistic, but I can't help but notice that the OS language problem only exists because the Soviet crew can all speak good English while most of the American crew can't be bothered to learn Russian.

 

[Tresckow]

One thing I’ve really been wanting to see is where they launch these spaceships from on Earth? Since it seems like there are pretty routine flights to the Moon and Mars by 2003. Spaceplanes?

 

[Dannyboy]

One thing I’ve really been wanting to see is where they launch these spaceships from on Earth? Since it seems like there are pretty routine flights to the Moon and Mars by 2003. Spaceplanes?

The intro newsreel mentions a Concorde-like plane that can reach low earth orbit.

1.47 mark of this video.

Plus 1.03 for a shuttle like craft.

 

[Risenemperor7]

The intro newsreel mentions a Concorde-like plane that can reach low earth orbit.

1.47 mark of this video.

Plus 1.03 for a shuttle like craft.

There are also mentions of an "International Spaceport" which sounds like a transfer station between space craft that can't land on Earth.

I am thinking... Ships like Unity were surely built in orbit. Considering that ships like Pathfinder would lower costs even more and Sojourner 1 was built on the Moon I am sure that there are many things flying (or perhaps cruising is more accurate) in the FAMverse that have never gone down the Well. All of this is making me wish for spin-off shows, there are so many things to explore.

 

[ajm8888]

There are also mentions of an "International Spaceport" which sounds like a transfer station between space craft that can't land on Earth.

I am thinking... Ships like Unity were surely built in orbit. Considering that ships like Pathfinder would lower costs even more and Sojourner 1 was built on the Moon I am sure that there are many things flying (or perhaps cruising is more accurate) in the FAMverse that have never gone down the Well. All of this is making me wish for spin-off shows, there are so many things to explore.

I want shows that explore in universe politics, media, and more,

 

[Interdimensional Nomad]

There are also mentions of an "International Spaceport" which sounds like a transfer station between space craft that can't land on Earth.

I am thinking... Ships like Unity were surely built in orbit. Considering that ships like Pathfinder would lower costs even more and Sojourner 1 was built on the Moon I am sure that there are many things flying (or perhaps cruising is more accurate) in the FAMverse that have never gone down the Well. All of this is making me wish for spin-off shows, there are so many things to explore.

The Polaris shuttles from last season (or newer similar vehicles) are probably what people take from Earth to orbit and back. We saw them bring guests and employees to the hotel and back, and later the construction crew (and Dev, Karen, and Ed) to the Phoenix when it was being built. So travel to orbit seems pretty routine by the 90s.

 

[loneranger]

Is it just me or does the technological jump to reduce the Mars transfer window seem too fast? Do we even know how to do that IOTL?

otherwise pretty good season so far. I agree Gore will be a one termer. Democrats seem to be pretty screwed ITTL which is ironic considering the political bent of the creator.

 

[Tuskin38]

Spoiler: New Episode

Well I think Margo will be found out soon..

 

[juanml82]

Is it just me or does the technological jump to reduce the Mars transfer window seem too fast? Do we even know how to do that IOTL?

A torch drive. Essentially, an engine that has both high thrust and high isp (efficiency). Based on what they said in this season first episode and my knowledge of Kerbal Space Program, it looks like a Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster (which in KSP only exists in a mod and it's a bit of a cheat engine) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoplasmadynamic_thruster
The Ranger uses argon powered hall thrusters, which have lower thrust than the interplanetary engine they are using. Which means they should send a replacement ship for it when they can allocate the funds for that, as the interplanetary ships they use are better than the Ranger.

OTOH, considering they have fusion reactors, I'd be surprised they aren't using or at least developing fusion engines. I guess that's for next season.

 

[cloistered scholar]

Kinda black comedy, but I pointed out to a friend I was watching the last episode with, that Ed won't even be the first person to die on Mars.

We both had a chuckle at that.