Man's Hope

by Zellmann, William

  "The deal I'm being offered involves investing a hundred million in the Kliper/Parom project, and letting them use that fact to get other investors."

  David whistled. "A hundred million? Could you even do it if you wanted?"

  David smiled. "Yes. I'll have to switch some investments around, but I could do it. Actually, my first offer was fifty million in cash. No, it isn't the price that concerns me. It's the fact that my name will be used to sell it. I want to know that the damned thing has at least a reasonable chance of succeeding if they find the money."

  David shook his head. "A hundred million dollars. You know, I hadn't really been thinking about how much this was all going to cost. A hundred million, and we won't even have a spacecraft." He gave Frank a hard look. "This little adventure is going to break you, isn't it?"

  Frank shrugged. "Very likely. But broke doesn't scare me. I've been broke before. And if it works . . . if it works, I could end up even richer than I am right now. Don't let money scare you. It's just the way you keep score. My fortune long ago reached the takeoff point. It would be almost impossible for me to spend my money faster than it comes in, unless I do something stupid, like spend two or three billion dollars as though I were a government. My estimated budget for this project is three billion dollars. Since I'm only worth a little over four billion, that doesn't leave much room for error. A hundred million is close to what I estimated to get the Burans and the data. But I included the boosters in that figure, and I expect they are going to end up costing a few million more. And, of course, this is just the first step. If this works out, I'll be heading for Brazil and India. We need a launch site.

  David grimaced. "Okay, India has a space program, of sorts. But Brazil?"

  Frank shrugged. "I'll explain it later."

  "Anyway," he continued, "You forget about the big numbers. You're the guys I'm counting on for the science, not the finance. Right now I need to know whether this is a fiasco that will ruin my reputation."

  David hesitated. "Uh, Frank, I'm just a pilot with a yen for space. I'm not qualified to judge an entire program."

  Paul finally spoke. "To be honest, I've always been interested in the Kliper/Parom project. I like the idea of a two – or more – section craft. The idea's been kicking around since the '60's." His enthusiasm began to show. "Let's say you do it in four sections," he explained. "You send up two unmanned cargo shipments in canisters designed to mate with the Kliper and extend the hull. You follow that with an unmanned fuel and booster shipment, and then finally launch the Kliper itself. Once in Low Earth Orbit, the crew docks with each of the cargo canisters and attaches it, making it part of the Kliper. Then they do the same with the final, booster/fuel stage, and presto! You've got a spacecraft over a hundred meters long with tons of supplies and six astronauts already aboard. Can you say 'Mars'? When you get back, you just unhook from the train and leave it in orbit for the next mission. Only the basic Kliper returns to Earth to be launched again. Basically, it's a reusable ship that can even grow. You could end up with a ship kilometers long, if you wanted."

  "Seems to me you'd use up a lot of boosters," remarked David.

  Frank frowned. "I hadn't thought about that. I was distracted by the 'space tug' thing they planned to use to supply the International Space Station, which I already consider junk." He paused, thinking. "I like it," he decided. "But unless you see something similar in all that paper, I want you to write it up as a proposal and put it on a flash drive. I may be able to use it.

  "At any rate, you seem to feel that there's more to it than the usual Russian space fiction. But I still want you to check out those papers; you may find something the newspapers missed."

  They reconvened the next morning in Frank's room. "Okay, I don't have a problem with the money," he said. "I've already contacted my brokers about shifting some money around to free up the cash. But I won't have my name used to defraud a lot of others. So, I want opinions from each of you. Are the Russians going to follow through this time, or is it going to be another in their long string of cancellations?"

  David started off. "I'd say it'll be another failure. It's Energia's pet project, but that's because they specialize in heavy lift launchers, and this would take a big one. The Russians have been through several projects since Kliper, and all of them were cancelled. Hell, they never even completed the basic feasibility studies."

  Paul was looking thoughtful. "I don't know that I agree, David. The maths in this stuff look solid to me, and as I said, I like the concept. If you're really interested in something besides up and down and tin can 'space stations', Kliper could be a big step up. And as far as real, reusable space ships are concerned, it's the only real game in town. I am concerned about the lifting body design, though. Most everyone studied them, and then rejected them. I'd like to know why, but it will take more research than I've been able to do. Some of these drawings look like they've rejected it too, but I can't be sure.

  "Overall," he continued, "I'd say it's a serious effort. It may fail, but there's a risk in any space effort. If they can put together enough money to build it, your investment may turn out to be a good one. If not, your money is truly gone. A hundred million should translate into a pretty sizeable share."

  They talked on through the morning, and then Frank called Dr. Ternayev at Energia. He told the engineer that according to his information, one of the remaining Burans, OK-KS, was at the Energia factory. He asked if they could examine it.

  Dr. Ternayev was enthusiastic, and offered to send a car for them. He welcomed the idea of having them tour the Buran, and the existing Energia Booster, and the Energia museum.

  When the car delivered them to the plant in a suburb of Moscow, Dr. Ternayev was waiting for them. He greeted Frank and David effusively, and Paul with polite courtesy.

  Ternayev explained that the Energia Buran was a test model that had been sent to Energia to work out the relationship between the orbiter and the booster. There were, he explained, very few differences between the flight Buran and this test model. "In fact," he bragged, "it could be ready to launch in a month." He leaned over close to Frank and murmured, "We can throw this into the deal." He also explained that he knew of the other three Burans in the Moscow area, but this one was 'the best one', adding that the one at Ramenskoye Airport, OK-2K1, had been partially disassembled, and of course, the one in Gorky Park, OK-TVA, was no longer a spaceship, but just a hull, an attraction for tourists.

  Paul was obviously impressed by the Buran. He crawled over, around and through the vessel until Frank quietly reminded him it was time to move on. David's only quiet comment to Frank was to note that there was no airlock/docking collar. This Buran was an early one.

  The Buran was fascinating; the Energia booster was overwhelming. Lying on its side in a huge building, the tank was nearly 60 meters long, and dwarfed the Soyuz boosters nearby. The nozzles on the main engines looked huge to the three, and they had little doubt of its capability to launch the Buran. David quietly noted that if there was a booster here, and the good possibility of one at Baikonur, it was possible that two of the huge boosters still existed.

  Dr. Ternayev apologized for not taking them to the Energia Space Museum downstairs, but instead invited them to his office to discuss the project. Once there, he introduced them to a thin, middle-aged, elegantly dressed man that had apparently been waiting for them. "Vasily Karpov, a friend," Ternayev said, and an engineer at Khrunichev, the big boy on the block in the Russian space industry. Khrunichev's success had been based on the Proton-M launch vehicle. Someone with foresight there had had the good sense to create partnerships with American space industries. The loss of the Saturn V and then the Shuttles had reduced America's ability to lift heavy loads. The Proton-M was a dependable, powerful, heavy lift vehicle, and updates had made it one of the most successful launch vehicles in the world. Energia, on the other hand, was mostly surviving by building Soyuz capsules to send to the International Space Station, and supporting the Ukrainian Z
enit boosters. When the space station project ended, Energia would be in trouble. Frank wondered if he should try to pick up some stock.

  Karpov was interested in their project, and could discuss it knowledgeably, but Ternayev was a true convert. Though forgotten in the west, Buran was remembered with pride in Russia, and it was generally accepted that had the Soviet Union not fallen when it did, Burans would have been flying more often than American Shuttles. The possibility that the Buran might fly again had Ternayev as excited as a child.

  They discussed the project until Frank had to protest that the talk had become so technical he could no longer follow it. Then Paul turned the talk to the Kliper/Parom program, and was inundated by facts and figures. Karpov showed little interest. It was, after all, competition for Khrunichev's own TKS proposal. But It seemed that Dr. Ternayev had been deeply involved in that program, and it was still something of a pet for him.

  In all, it was an exciting and informative afternoon.

  The three of them spent the next day preparing for Frank's meeting. Frank got his attorneys started on incorporating "Man's Hope International," a corporation formed in Geneva that would actually sign the contract. Paul had, in fact, written up his idea for the 'spaceship train' as he called it, and Frank would carry it on a flash drive in his pocket. The three had also collaborated on a summary of a proposed contract that would be Frank's answer to the Russian proposal. In all, Frank was fairly satisfied with the counteroffer he was about to make; he had tried to be as fair as possible. He was a ready as he could be.

  A day later, Frank, Gorneliev, Stoltznitz, and Ternayev were once again ensconced in the conference room. This time, though, it was Frank's show.

  "All right, gentlemen. One hundred million U.S. dollars is one hell of a lot of money. I am prepared to invest it in the Kliper/Parom project in exchange for the following:

  "First and foremost, from the Russian Federation, I want three Buran orbiters of my choice, two complete, and one that may be cannibalized for parts. I also want all associated hardware and equipment, to specifically include the special crane used to lift the Burans onto the Antonov AN-225 transport aircraft, but to also include any similar special equipment used for handling or working on the Burans. I would consider it an act of courtesy and a favor if you could allow an independent examiner to inspect the two VM-T Atlant aircraft, to see if one may be flightworthy or repairable. I believe one of them is here, at Zhukovsky. Unless both are beyond repair, I want one of them and any parts or repairs needed to make it flyable. I reserve the right to name or rename the Burans as I choose, though out of respect for your country, I agree not to use names including or referring to America.

  "From Molniya, I want copies of all of the design specs, engineering specs, documented modifications that occurred over time, and all engineering drawings, whether on paper or computer tape. I want the technical assistance of company personnel to assist my computer experts in adapting the 1980's computer documents to documents usable on modern computers. You will not be required to translate the documents from the Russian. Molniya will also make a qualified engineer available for telephone consultation as our liaison, in case any questions arise concerning the space frame, etc.

  "From Energia, I want at least one complete Energia Booster, capable of launching a Buran into orbit. If possible, any improvements developed over the last twenty years should be included. For example, I'm told the original booster used Soyuz-2 engines for the strap-ons. But time has marched on, and it may be advisable to use the Zenit 3SLB rockets, or the Proton-M. Yes, I know the Zenits are not produced in Russia; but this is something open to negotiation. I also want an engineer assigned as liaison to my program, to assist us in getting the Buran into space. If we should decide to launch the second Buran, additional payment would be negotiated for the necessary launcher, as I know the Energia Booster is considered 'retired', and only the one may exist.

  "Finally, In exchange for all this, I agree to invest the sum of one hundred million U.S. dollars, at today's official exchange rate, in the Energia-led project to develop the Kliper/Parom space tug. I also agree that the project may use my name in an effort to attract additional investors."

  After only a few desultory questions, all parties signed the tentative contracts. The Russian's legal staff would write up the formal contracts for everyone's signature, but it was clearly understood that no changes would be made without the consent of all parties. Gorneliev volunteered the information that a partially disassembled Buran, OK-2K1, was housed at Ramenskoye Airport near Moscow, and that he would immediately draft directives authorizing its release to Frank, together with any removed parts available.

  A smiling group left the conference room. It seemed that everyone had gotten what he wanted from the deal.

  Frank sent Paul and David back to Baikonur to start scouring the cosmodrome for Buran-related materials. They carried authorizations signed by Gorneliev, and expected no trouble from the local authorities.

  Meanwhile, he decided to spend a day with Dr. Ternayev at Energia. He had gotten the impression that the engineer had an idea about how to obtain the "inside" Buran at Baikonur, the one belonging to Kazakhstan, and he wanted to hear about it. Given Energia's pervasive presence at Baikonur, Frank was sure that Ternayev was familiar with the way to get things done in Kazakhstan.

  "In a place like Kazakhstan, corruption is a tradition, and these things can always be arranged," Ternayev said in a confidential tone. "The Minister of Economic Development and Trade is also the Minister for Space. For a modest bribe, it is possible that the clerk in that office could, uh, 'correct' the numbers on the paper in his files transferring ownership. Your people will of course be working in the same hangar with the Kazakh Buran. And of course, they will need to bring in the 'outside' Buran for inspection and possible repair. With two identical Burans in the hangar, why, mistakes are bound to happen. But the Buran whose numbers agree with the records in Astana must be the Kazakh Buran!"

  Frank was reluctant. "I'm no virgin. I've done business in places like the Philippines, where corruption is a way of life. But I still hate to promote it."

  Ternayev shrugged. "The Kazakh Buran, OK-1K2, is the last intact 'flight' Buran. It was intended to fly the first manned mission. All the others, including our fine example here, were assembled for testing purposes. I can tell you there is no difference between them; but was there a difference to the worker assembling them? Might he not have been a little more careful in his work if he knew that carelessness might cause the ship to crash in front of the world with cosmonauts aboard? I can understand your scruples. But the success of your program and the lives of your crew might depend on that slight difference."

  With great misgivings, Frank agreed to let Ternayev get the numbers 'corrected', and asked how much the bribe would be. But Ternayev waved him off. "It would be my honor to take care of this small matter."

  Aside from that, Frank and Ternayev found that they were kindred spirits, both "space freaks." By the end of the day, they were the best of friends. Frank gave him the flash drive containing Paul's 'spaceship train' idea, and briefly summarized it. Ternayev smiled and nodded. "We had considered this also. All it would take would be to have the cargo canisters identical on both ends, and an attachment system that would be quick and airtight. But this is only among the engineers. It is far too radical to mention to the politicians before the Kliper is actually flying. But I am glad your man likes our design. It is always nice to have one's work appreciated by another professional."

  Frank mentioned Paul's doubts about the lifting body concept. Ternayev grinned. "I, too have my doubts. But the lifting body makes dramatic drawings and models to show investors, no? I am sure that the final design will have some sort of wing, unless they decide to just go back to parachutes."

  Finally it was nearly time for Frank to return to his hotel. "Will you be returning to Baikonur?" Ternayev asked.

  Frank told him he would be going on to Brazil, and possibly Ind
ia. Ternayev gave him the name of a contact at the Alcântara Launch Center. He also promised to help Paul find dependable local help. By the time he left, Frank was confident he had found a friend.

  Before he left Moscow, though, he had more business. He had included the possibility of renovating a VM-T Atlant aircraft mainly to insure he got maximum bang for his bucks. The VM-T was a modification of an already old, 1960's M-3 bomber. The tail section was modified to permit it to carry oversized loads, specifically the Buran and its booster tank, before the Antonov 225 had been completed. They were much smaller than the AN-225, and had much less load capacity, but they had completed 150 Buran-related flights, and had proved to be dependable, capable aircraft. Only three were converted, and two still existed. Frank held out little hope that one of them would be economically repairable, but if one was, it might save millions over having to charter the AN-225 several times.

  The problem was that everything Frank was buying was located in landlocked countries. He had connections and investments in shipping companies, but unless he could get everything to a seaport, he would have to depend on ground transportation and airlift; and Frank was under no illusions that chartering the AN-225 would be cheap. Owning his own transportation for the cost of the renovation could be a real money-saver.

  One of the two VM-T's was at Ramenskoya, sometimes called Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, and the other at the Dyagilevo Air Force training base at Ryazan, about a hundred miles southeast of Moscow. Since both were actually military bases, Frank had to obtain special permission to gain access. Gorneliev proved efficient at getting the passes and making arrangements. Frank decided to examine both the Ramenskoya Buran and the VM-T first. The Buran was stored indoors in an otherwise empty hangar. From the outside, it appeared virtually complete, and he found little corrosion. The interior had been gutted; the lifting arm and everything else in the cargo bay was missing. There was even a hole in the top of the fuselage where the airlock/docking collar had been removed. But the pilot's cabin and instruments seemed intact. Frank was pleased. This Buran was originally a 'flight' Buran, one of the latest, and appeared to be ready to be updated and restored to flight status. He was especially pleased that every one of the thousands of heat tiles remained in place. He decided to accept the Buran as the incomplete version noted in the contract. He already had Gorneliev's promise that base personnel would try to locate any of the missing parts.