This Althistory starting in the ending days of WWII is based on simple facts from the real history, with one major PoD.
OTL Facts[]
In wartime Slovakia, there has been huge support for scientific and educational institutions, newly based or reformed to attracting Slovak and other scientists from Nazi-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Among others physicist as Dionýz Ilkovič has been returned to Slovakia. In 1941 Catholic priest-chemist as František Valentin, dean of Chemistry at Slovak Polytechnic, with Ilkovič as dean of new formed Chapter of physics found Physical-Chemical Seminars, where for example Werner Heisenberg in 1943 taught lecture.
Great part of such scientists were active supporters of national-conservative government of Slovakia, among them physicist and chemist of cellulose Fridrich Zavarský, famous specialist in gynecology prof. Emil Filo, prof. Anton Bugan, dean of Construction school of Slovak Polytechnic, and many others. Substantive part of this people joined political emigrees in one huge flow of refugees at the end of the war (of course also with human scientists, lawyers, writers and so on).
Slovakia have abundant resources of uranium and some gold, silver and REE deposits. Mining of uranium deposits in OTL starts only in 1950´s. Anyway during the WWII there were active mining of petroleum, gold and coal, and active experiments with wide range of materials, and also little private civil airship aircraft company in western Slovakia Trenčín, one of last places conquered by Red Army.
From 1940 there were commonly known basic data about huge amounts of methane gases in Titan atmosphere, and also there were in OTL known conclusion on near pure ice on Enceladus (connected with its unusually high albedo)
Point of difference - Great Escape[]
April 4th 1945 as in OTL capital of Slovakia, Bratislava fell under Red Army attack. At the same day in the northern Slovakia, Liptovský Mikuláš was reconquered by Soviets after one and only successful counterattack of German Wehrmacht and Slovak Hlinka Guard and Domobrana (Home Guard) combined forces. End was unavoidable. Most of government administration was in frontier town of Holíč at that times.
But part of low level officials and former members of radical-wing of ruling Hlinka's Slovak People Party, centered around by physicist and lawyer Juloslav Janek, and his corporation LET considered other direction to escape.
Group of 2800 men and women with almost no experience with outer Space, found itself on board of first and huge spacecraft Archa. Command of Archa managed' al the Great Escape, and successful orbiting and landing at Enceladus, after three months of journey.'
Establishing the first human settlement in Outer Space that way was Point of Difference of manifold outcomes:
- Event was announced by radiotransmission from Enceladus at September 15th 1945, that means after ending WW II at Earth.
- Victorious Allies has been adopted space programs with high priority.
- Cold War was postponed and was moderate.
- Community on the Enceladus and Titan was effectively isolated from science and cultural environment on the Earth for next years in framework of UN isolation policy.
- Community has to managed really unprecedented challenges of alien environment of new home.
Free Slovak Commonwealth[]
Founded at September 15th, 1945, Free Slovak Commonwealth (Slobodné slovenské spoločenstvo) has been first sovereign state with territory on outer Space bodies. Commonwealth was declared after people voting (plebiscite) which confirmed Constitutional Treaty between ETOS (Enceladus and Titan Settlement Society, in slovak " Enceládsko-titánska osadnícka spoločnosť) and Catholic church as established Church of Commonwealth