News and Opinions

[snafu]

5 hours ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

Boeing FINALLY launched the manned mission with their Starliner capsule.  The US government is SO damned slow with spacecraft development that SpaceX is just drinking their milkshake.

 

I'm watching the launch live right now, and I swear NASA stole the graphics straight from Kerbal Space Program. 

 

NASA would never have rounded the Cape of Good Hope. 

Buncha chickenshits.

 

 

 

[snafu]

31 minutes ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

The epidemiological community is warranted in their fear of H5N1...but panicking the general population is irresponsible.  

 

 

It is an election year.

Someone should write a book comparing Presidential years where the President is up for re-election to other election years.

 

 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

16 minutes ago, snafu said:

 

NASA would never have rounded the Cape of Good Hope. 

Buncha chickenshits.

 

 

 

 

"We got as far as False Bay, but had to turn back after we found a slightly frayed rope in the standing rigging."

[Deranged Rhino]

 

[Pete]

I had no idea about this? Anyone know this?

 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

I had no idea about this? Anyone know this?

 

 

Wouldn't guarantee it.  There were more than a few instances of families losing sons and having surviving children pulled from combat.

 

Best to say it was inspired by several true stories.  Including, in part, the Sullivans.

Edited June 6 by Crap Throwing Clavin

[Ann]

Bird flu death update:

[Ann]

[Nanker]

17 hours ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

 

 

 

The epidemiological community is warranted in their fear of H5N1...but panicking the general population is irresponsible.  

But, but, but… That’s their job! [/CDC]

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

44 minutes ago, Nanker said:

But, but, but… That’s their job! [/CDC]

 

I checked the CDC's publications about bird flu yesterday, and they all basically say "Hey, this isn't that big a deal right now."  

 

Science on its own is rational.  It's when it gets politicized that it turns in to bullshit.

[IDBillzFan]

Just when you think shit can't get any more disgusting in this country, a city in CT refuses to fly the blue line police flag to honor an officer who was recently killed in the line of duty (because it represents racism and hate), so they flew the tranny flag at half-staff instead. 

 

 

[RochesterRob]

19 hours ago, snafu said:

 

NASA would never have rounded the Cape of Good Hope. 

Buncha chickenshits.

 

 

 

  The NASA of today is nothing like the NASA of those who grew up during the 1960's and 1970's knew.  It had the support of everybody including the President of the United States on down.  Democrat or Republican.  

[Taro T]

8 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  The NASA of today is nothing like the NASA of those who grew up during the 1960's and 1970's knew.  It had the support of everybody including the President of the United States on down.  Democrat or Republican.  

 

Not exactly true.  Nixon wasn't a fan and under Reagan a lot of NASA $'s ended up going towards SDI so unless it was SDI or the Shuttle related, it fell off the plate.  And curtesy of the politicians overruling the engineers that latter item literally blew up in their faces.

 

(Realizing Reagan was 80's and your post was strictly 60's & 70's; but Nixon absolutely hated NASA because it was Kennedy's baby.)

[RochesterRob]

2 minutes ago, Taro T said:

 

Not exactly true.  Nixon wasn't a fan and under Reagan a lot of NASA $'s ended up going towards SDI so unless it was SDI or the Shuttle related, it fell off the plate.  And curtesy of the politicians overruling the engineers that latter item literally blew up in their faces.

  Not everybody was a fan but my point was nobody that I recall actively undermined NASA during the 1960's and 1970's.  Yes, the 1980's were different and more politicians had their own agenda against NASA.  Senator William Proxmire from Wisconsin being a notable example.

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, RochesterRob said:

  Not everybody was a fan but my point was nobody that I recall actively undermined NASA during the 1960's and 1970's.  Yes, the 1980's were different and more politicians had their own agenda against NASA.  Senator William Proxmire from Wisconsin being a notable example.

 

Umm, pretty sure Nixon significantly scaled back the scope of the manned missions and was also a big part of why the shuttle itself ended up a glorified glider unlike the Soviet version which came later.

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

12 minutes ago, Taro T said:

 

Not exactly true.  Nixon wasn't a fan and under Reagan a lot of NASA $'s ended up going towards SDI so unless it was SDI or the Shuttle related, it fell off the plate.  And curtesy of the politicians overruling the engineers that latter item literally blew up in their faces.

 

(Realizing Reagan was 80's and your post was strictly 60's & 70's; but Nixon absolutely hated NASA because it was Kennedy's baby.)

 

Reagan even cut the Shuttle program's budget.  I remember - I subscribe to a kids' astronomy magazine then, and the White House wrote a letter to the magazine to explain to ten year olds why the Shuttle program was being cut back.

 

I probably still have all those magazine issues, in fact.  Was a pretty cool magazine, as kids' magazines go.

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

7 minutes ago, Taro T said:

 

Umm, pretty sure Nixon significantly scaled back the scope of the manned missions and was also a big part of why the shuttle itself ended up a glorified glider unlike the Soviet version which came later.

 

Soviet version was a glorified glider too.

 

Shuttle ended up what it was because the USAF demanded the capability to refuel recon satellites in orbit, and return them to earth if necessary.  That changed the design from "Apollo capsule with wings" to the big-ass cargo glider it ended up being. 

 

Which made it so complex it couldn't meet the "weekly launch" program requirement.  And which meant that, while the the Shuttle could put 25 tons into LEO, the entire launch stack was putting 100 tons into LEO (shuttle + payload), 75 tons of which were dedicated to returning empty cargo space to earth.

 

I love the Space Shuttle...but it was a horrible program, thanks to the Chair Force.  Would have been better (i.e. cheaper) to use the launch stack to put 90 tons into orbit at a time, and launch a "winged Apollo capsule" on a man-rated Atlas as needed.  More payload to orbit, cheaper, with less risk to manned missions.

[snafu]

30 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  The NASA of today is nothing like the NASA of those who grew up during the 1960's and 1970's knew.  It had the support of everybody including the President of the United States on down.  Democrat or Republican.  

 

"Old" NASA was willing to put up with risks to life and limb.  Today's NASA has no stomach for it.  

At least today's NASA is starting to use the private marketplace to supply rockets and space-related equipment at something that's starting to approach competitive prices and efficiency (a/k/a *not* Boeing).

 

I'd also say that the new Cold War Style Moon race should be a motivating factor for NASA to get back to its "old" ways.

 

 

 

[Deranged Rhino]

If you're innocent, why do you have to run, Andrew? 

 

 

[Nanker]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

 

Not exactly true.  Nixon wasn't a fan and under Reagan a lot of NASA $'s ended up going towards SDI so unless it was SDI or the Shuttle related, it fell off the plate.  And curtesy of the politicians overruling the engineers that latter item literally blew up in their faces.

 

(Realizing Reagan was 80's and your post was strictly 60's & 70's; but Nixon absolutely hated NASA because it was Kennedy's baby.)

But we first landed men on the moon when Nixon was President.