The following saying by Wernher Von Braun comes to mind: “Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” The timeline of a little more than two years for a crewed suborbital flight, even with theoretically unlimited spending (which in the austere British postwar economic environment appears highly improbable) seems extremely optimistic and not to contain any contingency reserves. But it's your story, man :)!
well, considering that the Soviet Union is seen as less of a threat (thanks to commissar Litvinov advocating for openness with the west and acceptance of Marshall plan aid), this means that more budget can be allocated elsewhere, this is why the Miles M.52 flys in the timeline, and why Megaroc can go ahead. Its not too hard to believe such a thing is possible when, in our own timeline, the british government spent some £12,000,000 (about £568,000,000 in today's money) on the Bristol Brabazon, which was canned only 5 years later, meaning it was a total loss for the taxpayer. At least megaroc could promise some return on investment, that could lead to better and higher flying fighter planes, for example.

Admittedly, the timeframe is a little unrealistic, but to get man to the moon by 1955-56, this is what I got to work with :)
 
So what's driving that particular deadline?
upstaging the US and USSR, since Britain is a declining world superpower (they do still retain most of the empire by the mid 50s, but the writing is on the wall, and Malaysia leaves before the Malayan emergency can occur), so they opt for outdoing the other two in scientific gain
 
I love it, except how might a natural spacesuit evolve? I'm confused
also, what exactly do you mean that water pours in when the caves collapse?
Some comets hit Earth and Moon…lots of water splashing about flows into lunar caves with the entrance collapsing to keep water inside in a liquid state perhaps.

Over time, water bears toughen up…burrowing to other caves with some leaks so pressure drops—repeat.

Over generations, their hides get toughened into de facto pressure suits.

These tardigrades are like low intelligence shoggoths that may not need as much oxygen.

Another strain of Earth’s tardigrades goes in the opposite direction…going deeper in where more water and higher atmospheric pressure can be had.

They—like creatures on islands—stay smaller…although they grow too in the lunar gravity.

These are the selenites.

Everything is a water bear.
 
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Ummm. Water doesn't "splash about" in a vacuum. It either sublimates or freezes. Low or no atmospheric pressure causes water loss by these processes.

How do the water bears grow to a size that accommodates enough neural development?
 
Some comets hit Earth and Moon…lots of water splashing about flows into lunar caves with the entrance collapsing to keep water inside in a liquid state perhaps.

Over time, water bears toughen up…burrowing to other caves with some leaks so pressure drops—repeat.

Over generations, their hides get toughened into de facto pressure suits.

These tardigrades are like low intelligence shoggoths that may not need as much oxygen.

Another strain of Earth’s tardigrades goes in the opposite direction…going deeper in where more water and higher atmospheric pressure can be had.

They—like creatures on islands—stay smaller…although they grow too in the lunar gravity.

These are the selenites.

Everything is a water bear.
personally, given that Wells described them as "ant-like beings", I personally thought that the moon-calves and the selenites evolved from insects or a similar progenitor species, with the selenites gaining sapience. As for the moon-calves, I personally was considering something more akin to a trilobite? It would make more sense for them to have evolved in a less-oxygen rich environment. Either that or something like a horseshoe crab
 
There are theories
That interior of Moon contain water allot water
Since lunar mantel has much lower temperature as on earth, It could contain liquid.
Only issue to confirm that Theories is to drill 60 km down true the Moon crust…

Stephen Baxter play with this theories in his novels

In this case the Wells Selenites, could have drill down into lunar mantel to get water.

 
There are theories
That interior of Moon contain water allot water
Since lunar mantel has much lower temperature as on earth, It could contain liquid.
Only issue to confirm that Theories is to drill 60 km down true the Moon crust…

Stephen Baxter play with this theories in his novels

In this case the Wells Selenites, could have drill down into lunar mantel to get water.

Actually, my original idea of the subsurface ocean could work well with the drilling and ice fishing: Deep-bore ice fishing lol

Maybe not 60km but still a fairly substantial distance to drill.

Good thinking Batman!
 
So what's driving that particular deadline?
upstaging the US and USSR, since Britain is a declining world superpower (they do still retain most of the empire by the mid 50s, but the writing is on the wall, and Malaysia leaves before the Malayan emergency can occur), so they opt for outdoing the other two in scientific gain
 
any further queries about the megaroc timeline?
Not so far :). The technical leap to orbital missions will be most interesting. I'm aware that the Megaroc maximum terminal altitude was estimated at over 1,000,000 ft, but you could quibble whether only that would really constitute the (first suborbital) formal human entry into space, or whether that threshold might actually already have been crossed on one of the preceding test flights during gradual envelope expansion, e.g. when reaching the Kármán Line (although it was only postulated in 1959) or another similar limit, see alternatives at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kármán_line.
 
I'm aware that the Megaroc maximum terminal altitude was estimated at over 1,000,000 ft, but you could quibble whether only that would really constitute the (first suborbital) formal human entry into space, or whether that threshold might actually already have been crossed on one of the preceding test flights during gradual envelope expansion
true, although I do think that the BIC would probably set an arbitrary figure to go by, perhaps preceded by a series of sounding rocket flights, to see where the air is thinnest and then say "ah, yes, space starts.... hmmm... there", probably closer to the American air force boundary of space at about 80km, if I recall.
The megaroc test flights, in my mind, would have been made up to the arbitrary boundary, then "the big one" would go the whole hog and do the 1,000,000ft
 
Not so far :). The technical leap to orbital missions will be most interesting. I'm aware that the Megaroc maximum terminal altitude was estimated at over 1,000,000 ft, but you could quibble whether only that would really constitute the (first suborbital) formal human entry into space, or whether that threshold might actually already have been crossed on one of the preceding test flights during gradual envelope expansion, e.g. when reaching the Kármán Line (although it was only postulated in 1959) or another similar limit, see alternatives at
okay, we got the TRL series for the BIC Winged Orbital Rocket:

mid-1948: The Ministry of supply issues the BIC with Specification X.9/48 - An orbital glider capable of Orbital Photo-recon and scientific payloads and experiments (TRL1)

Late 1948: A rough design for the glider and booster is completed by the BIC design board, with a design brief held with Bristol Aviation for the Glider itself, Normalair for the glider's air conditioning systems, and Avro for the construction of the booster. (TRL2)

March 1949: The design for the glider itself is finalised, and delivered to Bristol Aviation works, after thorough investigation of the proof-of-concept design. The BIC expects a mock-up of the design to be completed by the end of the year, and delivered to the RRE for crew-training and evaluation. (TRL3)

Summer 1949: Avro reports difficulties in the design of the booster, and so the design is altered to a 5-stage to orbit design that can be manufactured in time for the launch deadline of Summer 1951 (TRL3)

August 1949: a 1/3 scale model of the Glider is delivered by Bristol to the RRE for evaluation in wind tunnel and heating tests. It performs admirably in the Wind Tunnel Tests, however it underperforms in the Heating tests, and so a contract is issued to Turner And Newall for steel-lined asbestos lined tiles to increase the Glider's heating performance (TRL4)

November 1949: Bristol delivers a full-size prototype of the glider for vacuum tests and fuelling tests, which it excels at. The glider is now given the Winged Orbital Rocket designation by the BIC, with Bristol designating it as the Bristol type 244 Polestar, of which was to become its unofficial name (TRL5)

December 1949 - April 1950: Avro delivers each rocket stage it has completed for evaluation over a period 5 months, with the first stage being delivered on 10th December, and the 5th stage being delivered on April 4th. All are tested and test-fired as soon as was possible after their arrival. (TRL6)

February 1950: The glider, manned by Eric Winkle Brown and Ben Gunn, is towed by the BIC's lancaster to an altitude of 10 miles, and is released to fly as a rocket plane, climbing to an altitude of some 60 miles above the earth, setting a new world speed record at mach 4 as it did so. (TRL7)

November 1950: once the rocket booster stages have been test-fired and the glider approved by the Air Ministry for manned flight, a tele-controlled orbital flight is made on the 1st of november, after weather delays postponed the flight from its target date of the 25th of october. The flight is near flawless, but in the last leg of reentry, radio contact is lost, however the craft survives. It was not decided whether this was a natural phenomena, or an equipment failure, so the flight is repeated the following month, to the same results.

May 1951: After extensive training, two astronauts fly the craft up to a 200km by a 189km orbit, for a period of 16 hours, and then they return to earth. (TRL10)
 

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