For All Mankind

[rdale]

Make sure you watch past the credits...

[hektor]

I'm afraid it really jumped the shark in the finale.

[spoiler]
I don't understand how Ed got home. Weren't the CSM tanks empty? There was no way those small tanks that Ed threw over to Ellen were large enough to do the LOI burn, let alone return to Earth afterwards. That made no sense.

The plan should have been to dock the LSAM to the CSM, then transfer Deke and Ellen to the LSAM, ditch the CSM, and return to Jamestown to wait for the next ship.
[/spoiler]

It was established that the docking of the LSAM with CSM was impossible due to wobbly movement of a CSM whose RCS tanks are depleted. My take on this is that the two small tanks were used to brake the CSM (only 30 fps were missing if I remember well) and replenish the RCS of the CSM. Then the LSAM was able to dock with a stabilized CSM and we have to assume that the LSAM can refuel the CSM...

[hektor]

Well I hope that they have not decided to kill Ellen and Deke ; they have introduced the LSAM in Episode 8 so I hope they can use it for something. Given the situation help from Soviet Union does not seem in the cards.

Any idea what LSAM stands for by the way ?

For what it is worth, Altair was known as the LSAM or Lunar Surface Access Module.

This was the right one.

[Nibb31]

It was established that the docking of the LSAM with CSM was impossible due to wobbly movement of a CSM whose RCS tanks are depleted. My take on this is that the two small tanks were used to brake the CSM (only 30 fps were missing if I remember well) and replenish the RCS of the CSM. Then the LSAM was able to dock with a stabilized CSM and we have to assume that the LSAM can refuel the CSM...

It still doesn't make sense. Instead of throwing the fuel canisters over to refuel the CSM (which really wouldn't have been possible in real life) they could have thrown a tether and EVA'd Ellen and Deke (nobody except Ellen knew he was wounded at this point) over to the LSAM since they were abandoning the expended CSM anyway. An EVA transfer was the actual contingency plan if the LM failed to dock with the CSM in the real time line and the real Apollo astronauts were trained for it.

[hektor]

Fun fact : I just realized that Ted Kennedy would be the youngest president in US history in this timeline. At the time of taking the oath of office he would have been younger than Teddy Roosevelt.

[loekf]

Make sure you watch past the credits...

Yeah, that was awesome... and carrying plutionium ?? Nuclear engines ?

[sanman]

Yeah, that was awesome... and carrying plutionium ?? Nuclear engines ?

[spoiler]
The launch vehicle shown at the end seemed to be the Sea Dragon concept, which was meant to be powered by hydrolox, which was supposed to be generated by shipboard nuclear reactor, such as the aircraft carrier shown in the distance.

The announcer specifically stated that the mission was being launched for an expanded lunar base, and Karen did refer to the plutonium as a payload, which made it sound like it was meant for a space-based reactor. . So I assume the reactor would be used for powering a bigger installation - like a McMurdo on the Moon?

So this is happening in 1983, and presumably there was no US Space Shuttle program. So the United States has not tarried in Low Earth Orbit, and is deepening its presence on the Moon. Perhaps this is being done specifically for greater exploitation of lunar ice water?

And what are the Soviets doing? They were already said to be expanding their Svezda base during the previous decade, doing significant digging. Have they now also upgraded their launch hardware to Sea Dragon levels? Are there now 2 big bases at the Shackleton rim, courtesy of both the superpowers?

This episode was called "City on a Hill", a biblical reference which connotes a beacon of hope. Would a large permanent lunar base be such a beacon? The hill in this case could be the Moon itself.

[/spoiler]

[Oli]

The show truly ramped up the sillyness in those last 2 episodes. Not only is Ed crazy, he also managed to capture the most annoying Russian ever. Etc.

[mme]

Make sure you watch past the credits...

It's almost embarrassing how happy that last scene after the credits made me.

[mme]

The show truly ramped up the sillyness in those last 2 episodes. Not only is Ed crazy, he also managed to capture the most annoying Russian ever. Etc.

The man's been through a lot, I don't think his mental state is out of the realm of possibility. I liked the Russian, other than the messing with the US site. But again I think given the tensions and secrecy of the USSR it seemed plausible to me.

[su27k]

Make sure you watch past the credits...

It's almost embarrassing how happy that last scene after the credits made me.

Yep, it's a great scene. Although I'd be a bit sad if they jump 9 years, I like the current set of characters. Also I wonder how they'll handle the breakup of the Soviet Union if they jump ahead so fast in timeline every season.

[ncb1397]

Make sure you watch past the credits...

It's almost embarrassing how happy that last scene after the credits made me.

Yep, it's a great scene. Although I'd be a bit sad if they jump 9 years, I like the current set of characters. Also I wonder how they'll handle the breakup of the Soviet Union if they jump ahead so fast in timeline every season.

What breakup of the Soviet Union? 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

What breakup of the Soviet Union? 

Quite. Reagan may be President but I don’t see SDI happening on the show’s timeline. Maybe not the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan either so some factors that ended the Soviet Union may well not be present. (Although colonising the moon isn’t exactly cheap ...)

I suspect they’ll want to keep USSR intact to continue to provide tension/conflict in the story arc. It would be braver to branch out in a different direction (e.g. US & Soviet cooperation), but not sure how that would work from an interesting story pov.

Any way, I’ve enjoyed season 1 and looking forward to season 2.

[MATTBLAK]

It was established that the docking of the LSAM with CSM was impossible due to wobbly movement of a CSM whose RCS tanks are depleted. My take on this is that the two small tanks were used to brake the CSM (only 30 fps were missing if I remember well) and replenish the RCS of the CSM. Then the LSAM was able to dock with a stabilized CSM and we have to assume that the LSAM can refuel the CSM...

It still doesn't make sense. Instead of throwing the fuel canisters over to refuel the CSM (which really wouldn't have been possible in real life) they could have thrown a tether and EVA'd Ellen and Deke (nobody except Ellen knew he was wounded at this point) over to the LSAM since they were abandoning the expended CSM anyway. An EVA transfer was the actual contingency plan if the LM failed to dock with the CSM in the real time line and the real Apollo astronauts were trained for it.

Yeah; they refueled the 'Osprey' CSM with... What?! The LSAM main engines used cryogenics made from the lunar ice. The CSM propulsion systems were hypergolic! From where and what did they refuel the CSM?! I wasn't aware the LSAM was also a hypergolic tanker craft. Also: if they wanted to have a new, refuellable CSM; couldn't the writers do some 'hand-waving' and call it a 'Block V' reusable ship or something? Not even the Constellation program was going to have these capabilities.

[Jarnis]

CSM refueling was bit of an error, but I'll live with it by pretending that this was a new version of the service module that used cryogenic propellants and was able to be refueled. Even if that requires ignoring the fact that the tanks would then need to be larger and I'm sure it would've otherwise not been identical.

It is still better than 99% of TV shows or movies about spaceflight...

[Orbiter]

Some suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy this show. It's not an alternative-reality "From the Earth to the Moon" (although the actor that portrays Frank Borman briefly cameos in this show).


*Spoilers*

I'm glad that Baldwin didn't  murder that cosmonaut and ultimately worked with him to get off the Moon. That was a horrible thought. Sea Dragon is awesome. Overall, I enjoyed this episode a lot more than the last few.

[hektor]

In a meeting at JSC with the crew of Apollo 24 it is said that the LSAM has a payload of 24,000 pounds of cargo (food and gas) to the surface.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/rocketrundown/status/1208726517741707264

A stunning take on the imagined successor of the Saturn V, the Sea Dragon from the @AppleTV series #ForAllMankind . Credit: Apple TV/Sony Pictures Television/Tall Ship Productions

[Hog]

https://twitter.com/rocketrundown/status/1208726517741707264

A stunning take on the imagined successor of the Saturn V, the Sea Dragon from the @AppleTV series #ForAllMankind . Credit: Apple TV/Sony Pictures Television/Tall Ship Productions

WOW!  That was cool.  While watching that and the first bit of rocket was emerging from the water, I was thinking "Hmm, that's going to be a sizable rocket."
Then the next, much wider stage emerges to fill the entire screen and all that water displacing it gave me similar reactions that I had when first viewing the US  Baker underwater test at Bikini Atoll.

[LM13]

CSM refueling was bit of an error, but I'll live with it by pretending that this was a new version of the service module that used cryogenic propellants and was able to be refueled. Even if that requires ignoring the fact that the tanks would then need to be larger and I'm sure it would've otherwise not been identical.

It is still better than 99% of TV shows or movies about spaceflight...

Even that leaves the big question of why they were siphoning residual propellant from the Apollo 15 LM Descent Stage.  My understanding was that LSAM was a cryogenic stage (with 4 RL-10 engines). 

The best explanation I have is that the siphoned hypergols were used to refuel the RCS and CM propellant, which allowed the LSAM to dock with the CSM and use its own cryogens to brake the whole stack into LLO and then land the LSAM (without any cargo--I guess without that 12 tonnes it might be possible?  Barely?).  Then, after refueling on the Moon again, it could refuel the CSM with cryogens.  Maybe?  I would need a spreadsheet to see if any of this makes sense. 

As a side note, NASA must have gotten spectacularly good at both refueling and long-duration cryogen storage in this scenario (or else A24 could not have been repaired before its TLI burn--the LH2 would be depleted). 

Despite these questionable technical matters, the show ends on a decently high note.  It didn't quite live up to its full potential, but it leaves me, personally, eager for the next season and to see where they go with it.  With the Tracy-and-Gordo subplot essentially resolved through their reconciliation, they have room to add another plot thread next season--I'd like either a look at the internals of the Soviet program or (much more likely, but still unlikely) a plot line about the engineers on Earth building the great ships.  With Deke dead and Ed probably having taken his lifetime fill of spaceflight (probably his lifetime radiation dose, anyway), Ed might become new head of the astronaut office.  I expect next season will see strains in his marriage to Karen because of his long absence and blaming himself for not being there for his son. 

Ellen and Larry...well, it would be ignoring the elephant in the room for Larry not to contract HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, so I expect that to be a plot line. 

Since the next season will take place in the 1980s, I do anticipate that the tension between Jamestown and Zvezda will escalate with an SDI-related arms buildup on the Moon and finally dissipate with the fall of the Soviet Union at the end of the season.