Who cares about history?

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

The X-Prize helped, I think, but didn't go far enough. It didn't create a spark for ongoing development.

Ss2 is very close to its first orbital flight but the plans for ss3 have already scaled way back in scope. Another corp has a mercury style capsule put together called dragon I think.

Its all kind of useless until we work out a way to cheaply ship up materials and build in orbit.

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Dave

Ss2 is very close to its first orbital flight but the plans for ss3 have already scaled way back in scope. Another corp has a mercury style capsule put together called dragon I think.

Its all kind of useless until we work out a way to cheaply ship up materials and build in orbit.

Gravity is actually pretty handy, when it comes to building things. That's why a permanent base on the moon is so desirable; lesser gravity well, but some gravity.

You want microgravity for manufacturing though.

[Apoc]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

Check how many Canadians worked on the Apollo Programme

Many of them, the same people who worked on the Avro Arrow program.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

Gravity is actually pretty handy, when it comes to building things. That's why a permanent base on the moon is so desirable; lesser gravity well, but some gravity.

You want microgravity for manufacturing though.

Whatever gets us to O'neil cylinders the quickest.

[Papa_Complex]

After my visit to the Hamilton Warplane Heritage Museum, today, I'm convinced that 1950s pilots were jockeys. If I'm not comfortable in the cockpit of a Silver Star (I think that's what it was) at 5'9", then I doubt that anyone could be.

[Papa_Complex]

And, just for the record, there was an exhibit specifically about an AMERICAN pilot, who joined the CAF "air ferry" programme and flew over a million miles, running aircraft that were built here over to England.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

After my visit to the Hamilton Warplane Heritage Museum, today, I'm convinced that 1950s pilots were jockeys. If I'm not comfortable in the cockpit of a Silver Star (I think that's what it was) at 5'9", then I doubt that anyone could be.

Ive sat in an F-101 and a Mig-17, lots of space in both

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Dave

Ive sat in an F-101 and a Mig-17, lots of space in both

They didn't have any Soviet jets and I couldn't get near the Voodoo, because it was out on the tarmac and they were running engine tests on the Lancaster, at the time.

*EDIT* This was my attempt to get a shot, of the Vampire's cockpit. Next time I bring a polarizing filter.

[anthonyk]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

It isn't very hard to find. It's up on "the mountain", which isn't anything of the sort

http://www.warplane.com/

Thanks for the tip. That was a fun visit. It was too windy for them to take anything out flying, but it was still great to see all the old planes with drip pans under them and prepped to go rather than just gathering dust.

And jeez, that Vampire was tiny!

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by anthonyk

Thanks for the tip. That was a fun visit. It was too windy for them to take anything out flying, but it was still great to see all the old planes with drip pans under them and prepped to go rather than just gathering dust.

And jeez, that Vampire was tiny!

It is, isn't it? When I was a kid, I always pictured it as being in scale with the Lightening II. When I finally saw it, in person, it reminded me of a flying VW Bug.

Pity that I didn't know when you were coming. I was off the last two weeks and just got back to work, yesterday.