Space Forum / Space History / December 2003

Is it just me, or is this one the all-time winner thread for topic drift?
Let's review it in a "Reader's Digest" form:
It starts off with the sale of land on the Moon.
Instantly, it moves over to slavery.

I nomenate Al Gore for his invention of the internet. Without his contebution none of this would be possible.
Why didnt NASA invent the internet?
Hallerb

"...The fact that the shuttle had an auto-destruct was astounding to the
Russians. The system, which enabled NASA ground controllers to blow up the
shuttle in the unlikely event it wandered off course and threatened to crash
into a populated area, was anathema the Russians, who ...

After reading "Challenge to Apollo", I'm struck with how close the Soviets
were to actually making significant traction on their Lunar program shortly
before it was cancelled. (It appears that they had ironed the bugs out of
the N1, for one thing.) What if Mishin had been given a ...

Whatever Happened to Mars Polar Lander? U.S. Spy Agencies Might Know
By Leonard David, Senior Space Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET, 22 December 2003
On January 3, 1999, NASA's Mars Polar Lander roared away from Earth

I was looking at:
http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_18-10_Designations.htm
I noted the following:
Apollo 14:  SLA-17  CM-110   SM-110  LM-8

Wouldn't it be great to be around 1000 years from now?
Participating in a tour of Mars visiting all the succesful landing sites.
Also it would be interesting to visit the failed landing sites. I'd love to
know what happened to some of those landers.

I was wondering what other spacecraft currently encircle Mars apart from
Mars Odyssey, Mars Express and Mars Global Surveyor? Are the Vikings still
around? How many Russian orbiters are still there?
Karol

On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 10:39:15 -0500, "Michael Gallagher" <mikejoe@odyssey.net> wrote:

Arthur C. Clarke confesses paedophilia

The third Saturn V with Borman, Lovell, and Anders on Apollo 8
lifted off 35 years ago today, Dec. 21, 1968.
Time flies.
- Ed Kyle

What should the program look like?
Personally I think we first need low cost to orbit, but beyond that what would
be good?

Mars Mission's Invisible Enemy: Radiation
By MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: December 9, 2003
NY Times

With all the talk about going back to the moon, I found this as an audiobook
and have been listening to it for several days now.
I know it is a novel and I have already noted several things that there is
just no way they could happen (a Soyuz coming out from the earth, going past