Space Forum / Space History / December 2006

...and, am I the only one here who's listening to them describe their
seat-of-the-pants planning on the solar array shake test, and for
tomorrow's EVA, and thinking "sh.t, man, if only Pete Conrad were here!"

" The federal government has turned down a request by Canada's space
industry to support a contract that would have allowed the companies to
build the European Space Agency's Mars surface rover..."
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/14/mars-rover.html

CNN reports that- Peter Boyle, who played the tap-dancing monster in
"Young Frankenstein" and the curmudgeonly father in the long-running
sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," has died. He was 71.  It's all a
matter of individual tastes, but to me "Young Frankenstein" is one of

...does that whole report stink of "product placement"?
Istr, a few years back, when a Shuttle crewman was photographed during
off-duty hours hanging by his sleeping cube listening to a portable CD
player, the caption did _not_ report extensively on what brand of CD

On Tue, 12 Dec 2006 03:21:18 -0600, in a place far, far away, OM
<om@dale_is_a_thug_loving_putz.com> made the phosphor on my monitor
glow in such a way as to indicate that:

On Apollo, the spacecraft's temperature was controlled via the radiators
on the SM...how was this handled on Mercury and Gemini? I don't see any
obvious radiators on the exterior of either spacecraft.
Pat

Am considering a trip to Hutchinson, KS to see the Cosmosphere.  If anyone
has visited it, I would welcome your impressions & opinions.
Also, is there anything else fun to do in Hutchinson, besides see the
Cosmosphere?  Have a sneaking feeling that the entertainment calendar might ...

This is cute:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjiGH9QNiU0

down memory lane
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4962562919534898215&q=gemini+spacecraft&hl=en

God help them if they ever accidentally aim this thing at the Sun!:
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/The_Rise_Of_A_Giant_999.html
You've got to love a reflector telescope whose _secondary_ mirror is
larger in diameter than the Hale Reflector at Mt. Palomar. :-)

"What's good for the Znkfba is good for the Chomko!"
            - Anon
...Doing a google image search on "Eric Chomko", the following results
were gathered:

http://pajamasmedia.com/2006/12/star_wars_reduxdemocrats_to_gu.php
We should see if the Russians have a spare Polyus lying around. :-)
The big problem with the described concept is the number of these things
you need to make this system 24/7 and global in scope.

I was just watching a show on National Geographic Channel about the
deadly planets.  They mentioned that the telescopes on Keck
Observatory could detect a flickering candle on the moon.  If they're
this good, surely they could see the Apollo landing sites.  Why don't

...Augusto Pinochet is still dead!
[/chevy]
                OM

See if you can find the iPod in this photo?
<http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-14/hires/iss014
e08795.jpg>