Earlier quoted context omitted.
I second the black bar.
Thirded
Fourthed.
John Glenn has died
91–100 of 161 posts
Re: John Glenn has died
#92If you ever get a chance go to Washington DC Air and Space Museum and find the Friendship 7 which is right at the main entrance. John Glenn literally flew around the Earth in space in a vehicle the size of a refrigerator. It is so staggering. The man is a legend.
Re: John Glenn has died
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
>It was a time in America when the future seemed endless, anything was possible. Somewhere between "We choose to go to the moon" and "if you see something, say something" we traded all of our hope and optimism for fear and suspicion. I'm just hoping for hope again.
That's a really simplistic way of thinking about it. The red scare continued through the late 1950s (and the cold war continued for decades -- there was no lack of fear and suspicion). John Glen orbited the earth in 1962, in the middle of all this. The nation doesn't wake up, flip and coin and decide it's either optimistic or fearful one day. You can be scared of some things and optimistic about others. Or both at th…
> John Glen orbited the earth in 1962, in the middle of all this.
And almost entirely because of it; the U.S. space program didn't evolve independently of, or in tension with, the fear of Communism.
Re: John Glenn has died
#94I grew up next to mission control and many of my neighbors and friends' parents were involved in Mission Control and/or Astronauts or both. Oddly, in the middle of nowhere Texas - Clear Lake. This gave me some interesting run-ins with cosmonauts, astronauts, physicists etc... I was lucky enough to meet John Glenn on 3 separate occasions. The first time, I discussed Plutonium 238 and my worries for satellite power giv…
> humanity has lost the Lee Iacocca of Space
Perhaps you could explain the comparison to a somewhat famous car company executive ...
Re: John Glenn has died
#95Re: John Glenn has died
#96Perhaps not totally on-topic, but he was also hilarious and charasmatic, as evidenced by his guest appearance on Frasier. I knew his name when I saw the episdoe years ago, but his charm got me to read much more about him.
Re: John Glenn has died
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've read the book, and Kranz definitely says at least once that the phrase "failure is not an option" is a good summary of what the flight controllers believed. Could you perhaps elaborate on what you mean by your comment?
As Kranz lays out in the book (and as indicated in the wiki) "Failure is not an option" was written by the Apollo 13 screenwriters. The original quote was by the FIDO at the time which was adapted for the movie. Kranz has since started using it as it summarizes the idea more succinctly.
I understand. I was asking for an elucidation of the comment that it was "not what the astronauts or flight controllers believed" and is a "poor abbreviation".
Re: John Glenn has died
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a really simplistic way of thinking about it. The red scare continued through the late 1950s (and the cold war continued for decades -- there was no lack of fear and suspicion). John Glen orbited the earth in 1962, in the middle of all this. The nation doesn't wake up, flip and coin and decide it's either optimistic or fearful one day. You can be scared of some things and optimistic about others. Or both at th…
> John Glen orbited the earth in 1962, in the middle of all this. And almost entirely because of it; the U.S. space program didn't evolve independently of, or in tension with, the fear of Communism.
Yeah. Having a common fear or enemy is often the _cause_ for optimism and rallying around common goals. It's stupid to suggest that fear prevents us from striving for great things.
Re: John Glenn has died
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
Would you mind talking about your passion for radio? It's not something I've really thought about (beyond a general, taking-it-for-granted "hey this is handy, I'm glad we have this in our repertoire of technology"), so I'd love to hear about your love.
Kind of a weird comment. Is this a writing prompt, or do you really talk to people in the "I'd love to hear about your love" manner? Radio is awesome because of how awesome it is. Check out the new startup, google.com, if you want to find some more material about why.
Do you not ask people why they like things that they're excited or jazzed about? 'Cause I mean--I do all the time. (I also ask about things people hate. You learn a lot from those two questions.)
Re: John Glenn has died
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
You've got to read The Right Stuff[1], it's fantastic. Tom Wolfe paints the ethos of the era perfectly, and if you have any interest in this period, early NASA, or the guys themselves it's a must-read. I'd also recommend Chuck Yeager's autobiography[2] as another fantastic read that gives you a feel for what life was like for elite test pilots. 1: https://smile.amazon.com/Right-Stuff-Tom-Wolfe/dp/0312427565... 2: htt…
Speaking of Chuck Yeager, he's quite active on Twitter and has some really funny responses to random questions people send him. https://twitter.com/GenChuckYeager For those that don't know, he is a WWII P-51 Mustang fighter ace and famous test pilot. He was the first pilot to break the speed of sound. Really amazing guy.
"The first time I saw a jet I shot it down"