Looking Glass Land

ISA SECURE DATABASE

"LOOKING GLASS LAND" — SUMMARY

TOP SECRET//LG/SAR-HG//ORCON/NOFORN

Timeline

1850s

Year	Date	Event
1859	1 September	Austria cedes Lombardy from Lombardy-Venetia to France (Treaty of Zürich)
		France immediately cedes Lombardy to Sardinia-Piedmont (Treaty of Zürich)

1980s

Year	Date	Event
1986	28 January	The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes during launch of STS-51-L, killing all 7 on board, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe.
		The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes on the launchpad during launch of STS-51-L, killing all 7 on board, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe.
1986	9 June	The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident releases its report and submits it to President Ronald Reagan. The cause of the disaster is found to be a failure of the O-rings in the right Solid Rocket Booster due to the cold conditions at launch, which led to the escape of super heated gasses and the subsequent breakup of the vehicle 73 seconds after launch. The report also notes a number of contributing causes to the accident and criticizes NASA management decisions that led to the accident.
		The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident releases its report and submits it to President Ronald Reagan. The cause of the disaster is found to be the unauthorized activation of the range safety system onboard the Shuttle at the moment of booster ignition, destroying the Shuttle, the launch pad and killing several ground personnel and spectators. The report concludes that a valid command was sent to the system to arm and activate it at liftoff, but records from Patrick Air Force Base and testimony from the Range Safety Officers indicate conclusively that no command was sent from them. The failure is attributed to a serious fault or outside tampering, but the exact cause is never determined with certainty. The report includes testimony from Roger Boisjoly, noting the possibility of a failure of the Solid Rocket Booster O-rings during launches on days with very low temperatures. Initially seen as a possible cause for the accident, investigators cannot conclusively find evidence for this as a cause for the disaster and the subsequent discovery of the range safety system activation leads to a lack of further investigation into this possibility. It is included as a mere footnote in the report.
1989	24 March	The New York Times publishes classified documents obtained by CIA analyst Jack Thornwell which contain numerous details on projects involving the Hoomiku performed by both the United States and Soviet Union. The story becomes a media sensation overnight and Thornwell is arrested within hours of publication.
		The New York Times publishes classified documents obtained by CIA analyst Jack Thornwell which contain numerous details on projects involving the Hoomiku performed by both the United States and Soviet Union. The story becomes a media sensation overnight and Thornwell is arrested within hours of publication.

1990s

Year	Date	Event
1990	24 April	Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-31, carrying the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.
		Space Shuttle Discovery is destroyed shortly after liftoff, killing the 7 astronauts onboard and destroying the Hubble Space Telescope. An investigation is immediately launched and all future Space Shuttle missions are grounded indefinitely.
1990	15 November	The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Discovery Accident releases its report and submits it to President George H. W. Bush. The cause of the accident cannot be conclusively identified, but it is most likely believed to be a major manufacturing defect in the vehicle's External Tank which caused a catastrophic failure and in-flight breakup of the vehicle. Despite safety modifications introduced after the Challenger accident, the report concludes that a reevaluation of the entire Space Transportation System is required before America can again launch astronauts into space.
1991	29 January	At the 1991 State of the Union Address, President George H. W. Bush announces the cancellation of America's manned space program and shifts NASA's priorities to the cause of robotic exploration of the Solar System. The three remaining Space Shuttles are decommissioned and placed on display in museums, with Space Shuttle Columbia placed on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C..