Slashdot Mirror
Vostok 1 40th Anniversary
ehintz writes "40 years ago today, 4-12-61, Lt. Yuri Gagarin slipped the surly bonds of Earth to become the first man in orbit. His 108 minute flight aboard Vostok 1 from Baikonur Cosmodrome was the stimulus causing Kennedy to make his famous Man on the Moon speech of 5-25-61, resulting in the moon landing of 7-20-69. We owe our comrades thanks for providing the competition that made it happen." ( michael : More links! The APOD notes that this is also the 20th anniversary of the first Shuttle launch. And NASA provides this image of a newspaper front page, which ought to convey the momentous nature of the event to those of us who weren't born at the time.)
And in about 2 seconds, it's moderated down to (-1, Offtopic). Fucking slashdot editors abusing their priveliges... This will likewise be moderated down, I'm sure...
And keeping a space station funcional in orbit for a very long time and not just prematurely Skylabbing it into the Pacific Ocean.
Your from France aren't you? French usually say the same thing...
Your country has no history! No tradition! Your country isn't as good as we were ever since the renaissance!
Coming from a country where the tradition is to surrender at an army that drops in their boundary.
Oh... nice troll btw. When you started up with the 'being female', and 'being catholic' it was obvious, and bringing in a story from your ex-bf? That made it pathetically obvious!
Moderators need a lesson in recognizing trolling!
Is the U.S. the center of the universe?
;)
;)
The CCCP put the first person in space. Period.
Had nothing to do with the moon mission. Period.
Was an impressive technical feat, but aside from being the first "first" for the US Space program, had little, if nothing to do with the CCCP, the Kennedys, etc. (although it shows that some Presidents don't lie
Over the last few days, I have noticed an increase in the rehtoric being spewed on slashdot, about the Chinese, the Russians (seem to be missing Cuba) possibly due to the media stirring the pot in relation to the loss of an Navy AE-3 spyplane. For the record;
1-Sputnik was the first man made satellite to orbit the earth
2- Yuri G. was the first person into Space.
3- Soviet space craft orbited the moon before Apollo 11
3- Apollo 11 really landed on the moon (contrary to what I have seen on Fox
So, I have only one more question.
What has the US done lately?
Everything is rooted in something else, all the way back to the dawn of time. These things were created in America, primarily by black Americans.
If the report I saw on TV a few years ago is correct, Yuri Gagarin was not the first human to orbit the planet -- he wast just the first to do it without significant injury. I think at least one cosmonaut died, and others were so greatly injured (broken legs or something) that the USSR didn't want to put them on display..
I can't remember what show it was, though I think it was Nova or Frontline or something else on PBS..
--
The Web != The Internet.
The web is a subset of the internet. The internet existed decades before the web. That isn't to say that the web isn't very important, just that it isn't the same thing as the internet (which was, indeed, invented in the US).
-----
Free P2P Backup, Windows & Linux
How about inventing the internet? I would put the internet at least on par with the printing press in its importance in the evolution of human society. It makes instantaneous global communication effortless to the point that people from arbitrary places in the world can gather at places like Slashdot and share thoughts in a manner far more effective than was possible before the internet's invention. It allows anybody to very easily globally publish their opinions with almost no barrier to entry, whereas before you had to be wealthy enough to own a publishing company or you had to invest a great deal of effort and time in spreading your message (slowly) by word of mouth. It's essentially the printing press with an order of magnitude more ease of use and effectiveness.
Yes, US citizens generally don't have enough world perspective regarding the accomplishments of other countries, but that doesn't mean the US hasn't pulled its own weight in terms of accomplishments.
-----
Free P2P Backup, Windows & Linux
It's great that this event is being commemorated. Personally I thought Laika was more photogenic :)
However, it annoys me that Gagarin is remembered but the scientists that made it all possible are all but unknown.
Still, engineers doing all the work and someone else claiming all the credit is the way things always seem to go...
Stupid, staggeringly brave to go up in what were probably seriously dangeous spacecraft, Russians.
It's not an original viewpoint but it is rather touching.
No one can deny the supreme magnitude of what was achieved, and in a scientific light this is fanatastic.
The political side was less savoury as the USSR milked the flight to show their 'superiority' for all it was worth, and yes I think this would be distasteful for any country.
The stuff about the discrimination is superfluous to all requirements and not a little patronising. Discrimination exists in all forms towards many types of people, not just Russians, women or Catholics.
No, I think Gagarin was a hero.
Maybe I should have put quotes around 'stupid' but I thought my meaning was pretty clear - that Gagarin, and indeed all early astronauts, took significant risks which some paid the price for with their lives. Heck the astronauts we have today are still brave - space flight is not the safest form of travel!
So Hobbs DID admit the 1944 slaying!
Your Working Boy,
- Otis (GAIM: OtisWild)
"I would like to see america and the males of america adopt a position of humility, and allow the dispossessed and discriminated against, such as Russians and women, to breathe free and stake their claim in society."
Its pretty obvious that you are one of the "dispossessed and discriminated against" who wants everything handed to them on a silver platter. Wake up and smell the toast burning!!! The United States is where it is at today because our founding fathers wholly believed in the idea that one could get ahead if they WORKED HARD.
In the world, as well as in the United States, there are too damn many people like you who think that hard work counts for nothing. You sound like you are one of those that says they have the "right" to steal from those who work and achieve and "support" lazy, good for nothing asswipes. BULLSHIT!!! If someone wants to "stake a claim in society"...they better get off their ass and work for it.
As a citizen of the United States...I personally invite you, and your socialist vomit spewing freinds, including all members of the US's Democratic Party, to take a very long walk off a very short pier.
SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0
0 rows returned
>The A-Bomb
The A-bomb should not be underemphasized. It was developed at a time when virtually the entire production of the country was devoted to the war effort. For example, during the war, the Japanese managed to produce a handful of ships to replace the ones they lost. America on the other hand, produced thousands and thousands of ships, far outstripping the production of the rest of the world combined.
And, in the middle of that, the Manhattan project was completed. That effort was even greater than the effort required to go to the moon, and we did it with our spare production capacity.
So, I'm not sure what that woman is rambling about.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
George Dubya Bush is the smartest president ever
is irony, and tragedy.
Um...no, that's not ironic. It might be sarcastic, but it's not ironic.
-David T. C.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
Finally I have an explaination of why I prefer walking, and why my pants are way too small. ;)
-David T. C.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
Huh? So...the people were inside the cameras? Or did they paint the crosshairs on the picture and decides to just not paint them over the rover and the men? Or did they paint the crosshairs on the backdrops? (Although that doesn't work, cause they moved the cameras, and the crosshairs moved. Maybe they used stop motion or something.)
Do you realize how stupid this 'proof' is? No matter how 'faked' you might incorrectly think the moon landing was, it's immensely easier to just paint crosshairs on the fucking cameras, whether those cameras are on the moon or on earth in a studio. And if for some reason you can't do that, you just paint them on a TV and broadcast and record off that.
Seriously, while the rest of the 'proofs' you gave have nice and logical explainations, this one doesn't even need proving, as it is completely nonsensical to start with, and is akin to claiming that because sometimes the 'walk/don't walk' signals don't match up to the traffic lights, the NSA killed JFK because they were worried about his affairs with prominate people. The connection literally doesn't add up. It's like claiming the week has 7 days instead of 10, and, thus, the CIA created AIDS.
You need to work on this argument a bit, and come up with a convincing explaination for NASA to a) paint crosshairs on each individual camera frame, and b) deliberately leave them off when they would have gone over a pure white background, instead of the rather more sane 'The white just blurred over the black from both sides and made us unable to see the tiny black line.'.
-David T. C.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
I'm sure the poster didn't mean to take one of the most eloquent turns of phrase of the 20th century, "the surly bonds of earth...", and apply it toward the Communists space efforts.
Damn straight I did. The original poem was written by a US pilot serving the RCAF in '41; he was fighting against the Germans, along with Communist allies. Remember the photos of Stalin, Churchill, and FDR? At the time the verse was written the Communists were our allies against the 3rd Reich. Just because Reagan lifted it to use for his Challenger speech doesn't make it off limits for the rest of us. And just what the hell is wrong with the Soviet's space efforts? Are we Americans the only ones allowed to be recognized for our space efforts? Wake up, the cold war ended years ago...
Regards,
ehintz
Your blurb makes it sound like the only reason getting a man into space was good was because it meant that the Americans decided to put a man on the moon. What ever happened to getting a man into space (and back safely) being an amazing, incredible feat in itself?
Mea culpa. I didn't mean for it to come across that way, but I see how it could. What it comes down to is this: I consider the moon landing to be one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of human kind, and the USSR was the prime motivator behind it. Yuri and the USSR earned their place in history with his flight; not only did they make that amazing feat of their own, they also pushed the envelope of space exploration by their goading of the US. There's no way the US would have done it in '69 without Sputnik and Vostok (and I strongly suspect Kennedy's assassination/martyrdom was also key here).
So, I celebrate both achievements, and appreciate just how closely they were related. And I raise my glass to the USSR and Yuri for both their groundbreaking flight and the resulting impact they had on the US space program. The moon landing almost certainly would not have happened when it did if we were honoring John Glenn as the first in orbit.
Regards,
ehintz
Yes, so are a lot of others. I think you're feeling space envy.
;) I like space envy tho, reminds me of that Ren & Stimpy Space maddess. For the record - kudos to Nasa, I'm proud of both of these accomplishments, but I just think the text of that message a little one sided. I can't help but feel that Mr.Gagarin's effort should be more than just a sentence tacked at the bottom of the article.
lol! Space envy! Just because I come from a country (uk) with no space program!
yes, www.dotcomforwardslash.com is my real URL.
Glerp! I can type, sorry about that aborted post. What I meant to say is that the write up on APOD is a tad biased. IE: Isn't America great, we launched the space shuttle 20 years ago today, oh and btw, some russian dude did something 40 years ago today. Seems a lot of back slapping at NASA.
"On April 12, 1981, twenty years ago today, the Space Shuttle Columbia became the first shuttle to orbit the Earth. In this gorgeous time exposure, flood lights play on the Columbia and service structures (left) as it rests atop Complex 39's Pad A at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for first launch. Flown by Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen, Colombia spent 2 days aloft on its check-out mission, STS-1, which ended in a smooth landing, airplane-style, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Ferried back to Kennedy by a modified Boeing 747, Colombia was launched again seven months later on STS-2, becoming the first piloted reuseable orbiter. The oldest operating shuttle, Columbia's 1981 debut was followed by shuttles Challenger in 1982 (destroyed in 1986), Discovery in 1983, Atlantis in 1985, and Challenger's replacement Endeavour in 1991. This shuttle fleet has now accomplished over 100 orbital missions. Today also marks the 40th anniversary of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin."
yes, www.dotcomforwardslash.com is my real URL.
If "all the worlds governments" are blocking private access to space, this would be a really bone-headed reason to do so. You could do the same thing with an ocean-going ship. Ever notice how many major world cities are coastal cities?
Even a small plane would probably work just fine. Remember those folks landing in Red Square with a Piper Cub or something like that?
And before anyone makes the obvious mistake, no, it's probably not relevant that an SSTO-ish vehicle could get there faster. This is very much a terrorist scenario, in which case it's not as important how long the weapon takes to get there.
Given National pride for your own country - a race starts to get humans in orbit. All the time the military is laughing all the way to the bank since a "civilian" agency is footing the bill to develop the technology.
Why do you think Republicans hated Clinton so much for "giving" rocket technology to the Chinese? (Apart from all the other reasons Clinton was hated by republicans)
If you look at the image of the newspaper from 1961 that the story links to, you'll see a headline near the bottom of the page, "Reds Deny Spacemen Have Died." Is that what you're talking about? I can't make out the text on the story.
So it is very good to see Russia given its proper dues on an American site, even if it is a counterculture site such as this.
As my mother used to say "if you've only nice things to say about Americans, don't say anything at all". Nonetheless, I think you're doing a disservice to the citizens of the US. I've read this story on a whole bunch of sites today, most of them american (bottomquark, for example).
If only america as a whole could realise that it is just another country.
No arguments here. I'm still wondering why the UN didn't send election observers in. But consider: the Americans did put a man on the moon. And a plethora of probes on mars. And, with the ESA, they gave us hubble. The US advances in space have been phenomenal up to about 1972, irrespective of motivation. The tragedy is that they didn't use this momentum; we (humanity) should be fishing through holes in Europan ice by now.
The worst part about the cold war is that the US thinks they won. Trillions spent unnecessarily on 'defense', and the US are still trying to convince the world that they were not just right, but victorious.
To Yuri Gagarin, first human in space. May he be but the first of untold numbers to come to explore the Final Frontier. . .
So it's a stupid tradition. Big deal. But I'll also note that early cosmonauts and astronauts had no relief systems in their suits. As Alan Shepard found out, and as dramatized in "The Right Stuff". . .
Also, check out this page. It's much more general (replies to stuff that wasn't brought up in the Fox special).
Actually, while your at it, check out this site, which reveals that the existence of the moon itself is just a conspiracy! (Yes, it's a spoof).
-- It only takes 20 minutes for a liberal to become a conservative thanks to our new outpatient surgical procedure!
Actually, there is no proof whatsoever that Gagarin has ever been to orbit.
"His" autobiography contains memories like "in the orbit everything was just the same as on Earth" (zero-g, anyone heard about it?); there is no record of any orbital launch on that day (and US had capability to detect such occurence); flight trajectory data published was nonsense (half orbit in 15 minutes, other half in hour - good speed control)...
And when it comes to "dead in training", in the Soviet Empire it could mean anything - from getting killed by drunk driving to dying in failed launch to being executed for straying off Party line.
So the first CONFIRMED manned flight was American.
--
The moon is not fully subjugated. I demand a second assault wave preceded by a massive nuclear bombardment.
You could say that America is Open-Source and that's why it has grown so quickly. The Closed-Source countries which preceeded it contributed much, but the freedom of America allowed each to reach his own potential quiclky. The great diversity we now enjoy comes from this.
Cheney later clarified the President's remarks. "President Bush and I have a deep and everlasting respect for the great accomplishments that the Russians and former Sovet republics have achieved in the field of space travel," he said while affixing a ball gag to the President.
Actually, the Soviets faked his death and sent him to Venus. According to a Stephen Baxter short story.
I know my Karma's going to suffer, but I can't let this go by without a comment.
How can you even begin to compare Russian contributions to America's?
Russian scientific advances, and let's call them what they WERE, Soviet scientific advances, came at the behest of a command and control economy whereby consumers were starved so that Soviet "technology" could compete and shine with America's. Guess what? America created technology AND built a middle class, all at the same time. The Soviets NEVER came anywhere near being able to do both at the same time.
And for 20th century discrimination in America, sure, it happened and still happens. People were denied job opportunities, some people OCCASSIONALY lost their lives due to white on black, Protestant on Catholic violence, etc. But in Soviet Russia (and even to an extent in present day Russia), MILLIONS were forcibly relocated from their homelands and FAWKING starved by Stalin and cronies.
By God, you can't begin to compare the two societies. Yes, the Soviet Union produced technology, but at what an evil expense to people's lives and personal freedoms!
----------------------------------
"We're sorry, but the website you're trying to reach has been disconnected."
As a matter of fact, women consume less oxygen and spend less energy, so they are ideal for space flight.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
...the black-and-white one about halfway down the page of the T-shirts sold by The Onion.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Sorry, I really don't mean this as flamebait, though some may take it as such: do we really need to preface this article in such a negative way? Your blurb makes it sound like the only reason getting a man into space was good was because it meant that the Americans decided to put a man on the moon. What ever happened to getting a man into space (and back safely) being an amazing, incredible feat in itself? I for one think of this as the anniversary of the start of manned space travel, not however many years before the anniversary of the first man on the moon / the launch of the ISS / the first trip to Mars.
I'm sure the poster didn't mean to take one of the most eloquent turns of phrase of the 20th century, "the surly bonds of earth...", and apply it toward the Communists space efforts.
That quote, spoken by Ronald Reagan in 1986 (and paraphrased from a WW2 U.S. airman), is a tribute to the lost Challenger crew. Seems almost ironic to use it to describe a Russian cosmonaut.
Check out http://www.mcs.net/~rusaerog/dead_cosmonauts.html
There is certainly enough conflicting infomation regarding the early soviet space program to raise serious questions as to who really was the first man in space. Right now the only thing we are sure of is that Yuri Gagarin was the first Cosmonaut who survived and was in good enough health to be an acceptable soviet hero.
This page was generated with the help of DOC++.
It's a significant American achievement-- one that changed the world. We should take that day and remember it. And take the day off, of course.
Yea, i'll agree that russia probably is ignored, but as with all fights, the Victor writes the history... we America did win the Space Race, as we made it to the Moon.
However, I dont feel as though russia is completly ignored, as they are always protatyed as our vile competitor. As for technology Russia has contributed to the World... I cant comment on that, as I cant think of much. But at the same time, NASA has contributed many things (ie Velcro).
I Think what is good here is that Russia is trying to do this. Do I Think they will succseed? I think its doubtful, but I wont underestimate the Russians. Why is this great, simple they've set a goal. Sure, we have one too, build the ISS.
Yea, its a new venture for us, but its not that challenging, as say putting a man on the moon 30 years ago. Its also not just our own goal. This is both good, and bad.
The Bad: We have little accountablity, yes we share in trying to get it accomplised, and we want to see it done. I certanly do. But, its not firing up the nation like Kenedy did 40 years ago. Half the ppl in the country probably don't even care.
The Good: We're working together! Its a global community now, so this makes all the more sence. Global Econmy, Global Science. Has to be good.
Solution: Set a friggin goal that is a real challange, akin to the Apollo program. Put a man on Mars. I know we have plans to do it... but our government doesn't understand it... really. Perhaps doing the international thing with it will help. OR, why dont we try settling down on the Moon a bit... its been awhile since we've been there.
Seriously, there muse be some company out there willing to help fund an establishment on the moon... or a trip to mars.
/* Lobster Stick To Magnet!*/
This post expresses my opinion, not that of my employer. And yes, IAAL.
The Russians have earned respect and authority when it comes to space exploration, all without media spin. I do not believe that they have been "ignored" in any way. When Sputnik went 'round the world, everyone was listening to *beep* *beep* *beep* on the radio, when Yuri went into space, it was all over television. How many people tuned into the death of MIR? Greatness is for history to decide, not the media.
Also I would like to comment about your diatribe about hypocrisy, granted, sometimes anecdotes can add to a viewpoint, but to be honest it sounded like frustrated venting. I'd like to help you, or tell you that world is a perfect place, but it ain't.
Anyway this is just how I see things, I'm usually wrong most of the time but, hang in there.
-----
crazy dynamite monkey
Nevertheless, one thing is admirable: in the newspaper page attached to this article, the general tone is more of an "Oh, damn," instead of an "Oh, shit!" That is, the American press gives credit where it is due, says that the U.S. now has to play catchup, and does it all with an attitude of "well, OK, they did it and that was pretty good, but we think we can do better." This is despite the fact that all evidence now showed that the Russians were technologically superior and could crush us like a bug, thus causing the fear you mentioned.
Do you really think a similar article would have appeared in Pravda had we made it to space first? I doubt it.
"Evil Capitalist War Machine Sends Man Into Space to Threaten the State of Well Being of the Laborer in This Glorious Worker's Paradise," seems more likely. Well, ok, maybe that's a bit much, but still...
God bless the first amendment!
Is that a joke? I truly think it is (given your username and sig). But it got moderated up as "insightful", so I have to reply.
:) Why send a rocket at all?
;)
Surely there are more factors to this decision than launch cost and weight such as skills, experience, personality/team dynamics (yes, seriously). By your logic, the best thing to send up wouldn't be women and asians, but small monkeys. Or cats. Sea urchins. Oh, wait, since we've made the jump from people to "lower" animals, send some tulips. Or some mold. Or perhaps a small piece of linoleum. Or air. Or vacuum! Oh, wait, it's already up there.
Sure, we have some prejudices in NASA and government agencies. Maybe even more than elsewhere. But I think we're moving in the right direction, and I don't think this is an example.
-Puk
p.s. If it was a joke, sorry about taking it seriously.
Is that a joke? I truly think it is (given your username and sig). But it got moderated up as "insightful", so I have to reply.
:) Why send a rocket at all?
;)
Surely there are more factors to this decision than launch cost and weight such as skills, experience, personality/team dynamics (yes, seriously). By your logic, the best thing to send up wouldn't be women and asians, but small monkeys. Or cats. Sea monkeys. Oh, wait, since we've made the jump from people to "lower" animals, send some tulips. Or some mold. Or perhaps a small piece of linoleum. Or air. Or vacuum! Oh, wait, it's already up there.
Sure, we have some prejudices in NASA and government agencies. Maybe even more than elsewhere. But I think we're moving in the right direction, and I don't think this is an example.
-Puk
p.s. If it was a joke, sorry about taking it seriously.
It seems everyone who has been to outer space has been transfigured in some way. Hearing gagarin's (translated) speech, even if it was prepared by soviet writers beforehand(?) was inspiring. Where is the unity espoused by gagarin and tereshkova(? first woman in space I think) close to 40 years ago? It isn't here, where geeks squabble about how great/sucks the united states is. Just forget it for today, and remember that 40 years ago (roughly) the first member of the human tribe left the planet, looked back, and came back transformed.
PS-I'm going to a yuri's night event (http://www.yurisnight.net) but instead of a bunch of space geeks sipping champagne in a museum it'll be a 9 hour underground party. Seems more fitting somehow L:)
well, that would be funny, execpt for the part where it wasn't NASA, but the russians who orbited the earth first. (Altho, if you said 20 years ago, when we launched our first shuttle, it would have been funny) ;-)
The Vladimir Ilyushin story may be a hoax. I find conflicting info on the web.
Table-ized A.I.
>> Jazz. Rock n' roll. The Internet. The A-bomb. The moon. The skyscraper. Abstract expressionism. <<
Oh great.
Nukes delivered via the web disquized as music that blasts your ass to the moon in tiny peices resembling abstract art.
Brought to you by Microsoft-influenced integration.
Well, the British invented abstract spelling.
Table-ized A.I.
Here's the small and large images of Columbia.
The US has contributed greatly to the world, establishing a country granted rights from the people. Not a country that bestows rights to the people.
Russia was kind enough to bring the world genocide surpassing even Hitler. The US brought a stance against communism.
Basically, if we suck, then why does everyone keep copying us? Stop watching our movies, stop buying our stuff, and stop moving here. No? Then stop complaining that everywhere else is better.
t
My mother occasionally mentions the time she read in the news (or somewhere) that at the Skunkworks, designers were trying so hard to remove excess weight from new aircraft (SR-71?) that engineers were paid a $10k bonus for each pound they were able to design out. She naturally wrote a letter to Lockheed with a three word suggestion she estimated to be worth $300k at that rate -- "use women pilots."
Surprisingly enough, she never got a response...
Hear, hear!
Here's to the ones who went first, who had nothing to guide them but faith in other people's best guesses, trust in their own luck and brains, and hope that there would be people following them.
joins his glass to others in salute...
Strike while the irony is hot! -- The Freethinker
If an enemy changes uniform, picks up another weapon and does not look like your old foe - it does not yet mean that you won.
Soviet Union had many problems. For one, stronger republics financed weaker ones. The dissolution of USSR cleansed the country, allowed to replace ossified political and economical system with hopefully better one.
Cold war had no winner at least because sides still have virtually same number of nuclear warheads pointed in each other's direction. The name of one participant changed, but not much more. Political climate started to improve, but events of last couple of years undid all that.
Some, yes, of course. Some. A small percentage. I think the writer was more critical of SUV owners than truck owners, though he did paint rather broad strokes.
"resulting in the moon landing of 7-20-69"
That is of course if you believe that man has ever landed on the moon.
There is no real proof. The moon rocks aren't real proof IMHO.
And companys continuously getting variances and waivers so they DON'T have to comply..
What do you think would happen (environmentally) if all SUV's were charged and environment fee of 2000/year ? Do you think most people would stop driving SUV's ? Probably not.. Those things are the biggest gas pigs in this country.. We could help the envronment by NOT allowing cars with less then 30MPG to be on the road (thus FORCING manufacturers to get off the pots on this one)..
higher MPG = less gas/oil..
less gas/oil = less mining/drilling..
less mining/drilling = less chance of an environmental disaster like the Exxon Valdez.
UPS Sucks
Exactly.. They have no intention of giving us cars that can do 100mpg (they CAN do it though).. using the new electric/gas hybrid cars.. until they have their heads nailed to the wall by the govt. to comply with a law demanding 100mpg....
UPS Sucks
I'm raising my glass of vodka to Vladimir Ilyushin, the man who went before him, whose parachute failed to deploy, who returned not a hero, but an invalid. But still. the first.
All the Vostok pilots ejected from the capsules and landed separately by individual parachute. The descent capsule weight was about 3000 kG and the rate of its descent was too high for comfortable landing. According to the plan, Gagarin ejected from the capsule at an attitude of approx. 7000 meters and parachuted safely to Earth.
AFAIK, the Amreicans used water landing from the beginning, utilizing the water cushioning effect, so it was possible for the astronauts to land inside the capsule safely, even at comparatively high descent rate.
Russians didn't invest too much effort into manned flight to the moon, they realized the greatest difficulty of such a mission - the return.
-- "If you had fallen into a shit pit during a battle, lick yourself off and move on." - Jaroslav Hasek
NASA must have fouled up 40 years ago, given their track record I thought their goal was to crash into as many things as possible. Must have had good people abord that one!
Actual quote from the article: "His first post as a fighter pilot was at a Soviet Air Force base".
And poke her, with the soft cushions!!!
Actually, the U.S. military was already well underway with development of "heavy lift" orbital capabilities using the Atlas booster, however, it had yet to be successfully tested by the time of Sputnik & Vostok if memory serves. This was the main reason why Shepherd and Grissom's flights were sub-orbital using the Mercury/Redstone stack. And the Air Force, not enamored of a civilian-agency monopoly, was going ahead with parallel manned spaceflight programs through Gemini with the Dynasoar and Manned Orbital Laboratory projects, which again if I recall correctly weren't give the budget axe until about 1966.
"Courage is the price that life exact for granting peace. The soul that knows it not knows no escape from little thin
There's a group that has organized a world wide party celebrating this event. There's a web site here. Yuri's Night
Neat idea, actually seems to have been started by Americans (at least according to the report on NPR this morning). And looks like it's sponsored by the UN Space Generation Advisory Council (?).
There is a special event station operating in honor of Gagarin's flight. The call is R40G, and I worked him on 14.194 MHz a couple of nights ago. I don't know if they're putting out a special QSL card or something, but it was pretty neat anyway.
73 and good DX,
Matt
N9ZT
There was Lt. Yuri Gagarin, the original space case.
DanH
Cav Pilot's Reference Page
Cav Pilot's Reference Page
UNIX - Not just for Vestal Virgins anymore
Fear of moving into the future will destroy us.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
Bzzzt! Wrong. FYI, countries like Britain and France (and probably the Netherlands) are proportionally every bit as multicultural as the US. Whether you're talking about the ratio of foreign-born inhabitants, citizens living abroad, size and diversities of minorities, etc...
One simple fact: the first practicing religion in France is now Islam.
The idea that the world has waited for America to mix cultures, races and civilizations is Yet Another "America is pioneer" Myth.
>are the biggest gas pigs in this country.. We could help the envronment by NOT allowing
>cars with less then 30MPG to be on the road (thus FORCING manufacturers to get off the pots
>on this one
Fine, let's see you haul lumber or pull a boat in your 30mpg vehicle. Some people who own trucks actually have work to do. Dumbass.
You can't fight the marketplace by mandating minimum fuel economy standards. If gas is cheap, people will WANT to buy big cars. There's already a law called CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy), that mandates a fleet average of about 27.5mpg for cars (20.7mpg for trucks), with penalties if the average of all the cars you sell fall below that. It doesn't work. They build lots of small cars and practically sell at a loss just to keep their average up.
A really beautiful large scale plastic model of the Vostok capsule, complete with Yuri who fit into a working, spring loaded, ejection seat.
I treasured it in my younger days, and of course, have no idea what happened to it.
Here's to you Yuri, may you orbit eternally.
KFG
It will give me another excuse to get drunk. . .but who really needs an excuse?
While I do agree with most of your statement, and I believe that the US is the greatest place to live in the world, I fear that in the following comment, we are changing:
The US has contributed greatly to the world, establishing a country granted rights from the people. Not a country that bestows rights to the people.
We may have started out as a country that granted rights from the people, but I believe that we have become more of the other, a country that is bestowing rights to the people. See Report on the Texas Censorware Bill. If you have been reading Slashdot regularly and keeping up with the different laws that are trying to be passed in congress, you have to agree that this is seeming to be more of the pattern.
Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
I'd say marketing is it's biggest triumph.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. (Einstein)
Not really. You sound just like all the other liberal democrats whining about what you deserve based on your geneder and creed.
This may be its hour in the sun, but it is not nearly as creative as other nations were at their peaks, like Britain, Spain, France and Greece. What has America done that compare?
Well seeing as how the USA is only about 200 years old - several hundred years younger than those other nations you mention - I think we've done quite a bit. Other posters have expounded on this.
By the way, why don't you mention Germany? You hipocrit, ignoring Germany even as you complain that we ignore Russia! Germany brought us Nietzsche, Hegel, Buber, Heidegger, and Weihenstephaner. So don't ignore Germany.
I would like to see america and the males of america adopt a position of humility, and allow the dispossessed and discriminated against, such as Russians and women, to breathe free and stake their claim in society.
You know, there are several Russians at my company. Lots of women too. They earned they're way there, with hard work, not whining.
wishus
---
I think sputnik had a larger impact to kennedy because now the russians could monitor the US during the cold war a lot easier. While we only had spy planes that would be intercepted many times, the Russians had satillites that could scan America for almost whatever they wanted. Of course sputnik couldn't do this, but kennedy knew that the russians had accomplished one of the hardest parts to spy planes in space, now they could start building more satillites with better technology which was happening during kennedy's administration.
Check out this fascinating website about the Abrate brothers, two Italians space buffs and radio amateurs who recorded the early spaceflight attempts of the USSR. Hear for yourself!
It was standard practice to land cosmonauts on land instead of the sea.
They didn't trust ANYBODY.
. . .
I don't know about your other examples but you might want to check out http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/ for some information about alan turing.
It would have been good if he was American, he might have lived a lot longer.
no sig.
it is not nearly as creative as other nations were at their peaks, like Britain, Spain, France and Greece. What has America done that compare?
Jazz. Rock n' roll. The Internet. The A-bomb. The moon. The skyscraper. Abstract expressionism. All within just over 200 years. I don't deny that much came before, and much more is to come, but America is doing pretty well.
As a woman, I am attacked because of my gender far more here than anywhere else I have been. As a Catholic, I have been attacked.
How many countries have you been to where women are not allowed to leave the house alone, or own property, or vote, or work? How many countries have you been to where people are routinely bombed/shot/imprisoned for being Catholic? I'm not sure what exactly you mean by "attacked", but Americans have it pretty easy, compared to much of the world.
I would like to see america and the males of america adopt a position of humility, and allow the dispossessed and discriminated against, such as Russians and women, to breathe free and stake their claim in society.
This comment doesn't even make sense. That's the whole point of this country.
Russia is still around? I thought they declared section 3 like 10 years ago?? Wait, where the fuck is Russia? Yeah.... they aren't shit now. I could go there with a bowie knife and a leather jacket and take on their whole army. Oh and by the way, give a hot russian chick some toilet paper and she will have sex. Yes the poverty is that bad.
Where?
For the Record ;)
1.) The submarine
William Bourne, a British mathematician, drew plans for a submarine in 1578. But it was only in 1620 that Cornelius van Drebbel, a Dutch inventor, managed to build a submarine.
2.) The metal-hulled ship
Metal clad, not hulled, ships?
3.) The telegraph
As early as 1775, electricians had been experimenting with telecommunication. A German scientist named Johann Schweigger constructed a "multiplier," or multi-turn coil, which greatly increased the magnetic power of an electrical circuit (Hochfelder, 1998). Meanwhile, an English scientist named William Sturgeon developed the electromagnet. Sturgeon used only a few loosely wrapped, uninsulated wires to create a weak electromagnet. Henry found that by combining the ideas of Scweigger and Sturgeon he could create an electromagnet powerful enough to make a telegraph possible. He took Sturgeon's electromagnet and used many tightly wrapped coils of insulated wire. Henry published his findings in Benjamin Silliman's American Journal of Science in 1831.
4.) The Trans-Continental Railroad
I guess Europe is a sub-continent...
5.) The blast furance Have to go back a long time, to what is now know as Syria, to find evidence of Oxygenated Metal Production - only about 4300 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence
6.) The skyscraper
Impressive, but just engineering...
7.) The radio
GUGLIELMO MARCONI, who lived and worked in Bologna Italy.
8.) The telephone
Alexander Graham Bell, who emmigrated from the US to Canada to live in Nova Scotia
9.) The light bulb
Only if you count the Carbon fillament light bulb, from Edison, who's work is based on. Electric light actually goes back to 1811, when Sir Humphrey Davy discovered that an electrical arc passed between two poles produced light. If I was going to pick an Inventor, I wouldn't pick Edison (see v. Nikolia Tesla) As it stand's Sir Joseph Wilson Swan in England was the first to use Carbon Fillaments, but Edisons lasted longer.
10.) The suspension bridge
Impressive, but just engineering...
11.) The Panama Canal
Impressive, but just engineering...
Also, what about the Panamainians?
12.) The airplane
Powered heavier than air aircraft, OK, this one I'll give you.
13.) The moving assembly line
By Henry Ford, who also 'invented' breaking the legs of striking workers in 1927-8.
14.) The liquid-fueled rocket
Doubtful, as NitroGlycerine was used to power shell delivery in the late 19th Century (thanks to the Nobel family, in Sweeden)
15.) The nuclear reactor
Hanford, Washington, to produce weapons grade uranium for the Atomic bomb project. Followed, unfortunately, by the CCCP, the British, the French... So very sad.
16.) The helicopter
I didn't believe that Leonardo Davinci was American. Hmmm, shows what I know.
17.) The integrated circuit
I'll give you photolithography, it's a more valid invention, and doesn't rely on Turing...
18.) Lunar landings
Nope, didn't happen, saw it on FOX...
Ever wonder why on a map of the moon, many of the names are in Russian?
19.) The internet
Given Al Gore vs. Tim Berners Lee, I'll take the boys at CERN
20.) The personal computer
So I can blame you for 24/7 porn delivery?
All researched on a true American invention "Google"
And what country are you from so we can know what media you are blinded by? You must be or possibly you are more objective and smarter than all Americans?
Better philosophy and literature? that is a matter of taste.
More technology - possibly, but you give no examples. Here are a couple:
Rockets: Goddard (American), Von Braun (German, then American)
Nuclear Power: Einstein (German then American), Fermi (Italian then American), Hahn(German..)
Computers: Von Neumann (Hungarian, then American), Turing (you get the idea)
I'm not saying there is no great Russian Literature (I love Dostoevsky) - or good technology (they did beat us into space by a few weeks and into orbit by about a year) - but you should give some examples if you are going to make such a claim...
I'd like to see Americans and Europeans both of both genders strive for an attitude of objectivity rather than always assuming a particular country must be wrong because of its power (US) or its former ideology (Russia)
phew
A pilot, in those days, was the only unfettered and entirely independent human being that lived in the earth.-Mark Twain
Back in the days of Kruschiev (sp?), the Soviet space program was working on a plan for a nuclear ordinance space station (pre Salyut) as a method for bombarding foreign countries with orbital nukes... The name of that space was Zarya...
The same name as the first Russian ISS module...;)
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
Soviet Union collapsed under its own impossibility, not due to loosing in the space/technology competition. I think the US has little merit in wiping away the super power. In communism honest work doesnt pay and wellfare isn't a byproduct of free market. Besides communism makes people morally handicapped.
Go to Russia and you'll see why Soviet Union didn't work.
you are absolutely correct. Americans are egotistical and narrow minded (myself included). However, before we go villainizing them we need remember some things to reclaim some perspective.
First and foremost, it is not easy being an american. Most people think it is, but its not. I'm not talking about economic status, which we all know americans enjoy, I'm talking about cultural identity. Unlike other nations, america is not unified by its nationality. In France, all the citizens are french (with the exception of the soccer team). I am German by heritage, catholic by religion, and I am an American. This means that America lacks one of the fundamental unifying forces that other nations have.
America was and still is a grand experiment, but it sometimes seems like an experiment hovering on the brink of failure. You were right in saying that there is little tolerance in america for those who are different, I myself have felt this, but realize that america is different from other nations. Everywhere you look in america there are different nationalities living in close proximity. America has discarded the thought of ever being a "melting pot". It will never happen. In america, people cling to their ethnic differences. People from mexico, china, japan, and all over africa come here carrying with them their traditions and cultures. This is so much different than if you were to go to japan. All of japan's citizens are japanese. They all look japanese. In america, there are many different shapes and colors of people. I don't hesitate to say that this is a beautiful thing, but it causes tensions. It makes it easy to pick out the minority and the different.
Like I said, I agree that we in the USA need some perspective, and need to get over our self-centeredness. However, please forgive us. Please smile and chide us, but don't hold it against us. We all have our faults.
Tnx
"...At the end of the day"..."when everyone goes home, you're stuck with yourself." RIP Layne Staley
So Americans built the moon? Kick Ass!!! I'd like to see any other country top that!!
Sorry, had to be done, otherwise we wouldn't have waves.
Mod me Mad
So. That is not even close to any point. He was the first man in space! Who gives a Fsck how he got down.
Another point to remind you people is that while Americans were fairly open about what they were doing and the Russians were fairly secretive we still have to look at how they were landing.
Americans, because they were open about it, landed their crews in the oceans. The Russians were landing their crews on dry land. I'm sure I'd jump out too and take my own chance rather than strap myself to a several ton weight and hit the earth at God knows what speed. Besides that there was some sort of malfunction on the craft that forced Yuri Gagarin to eject and land by parachute. Malfunctions happened to Americans too.
Please God don't let me fuck up.
What was that?
Everything is A-OK! -- The Right Stuff
Don't you find it ironic that he died in an airplane crash. That's like me dying in a 20 mph mo-ped wreck after getting off my R1.
StoneWolf
Mostly I remember the fear. Everyone knew that a missile that could put up a ship the size of Vostok could put an h-bomb on any city in the world. We started having air raid drills at school and the city tested the air raid sirens for the first time since WWII. The Soviets had sworn to bury us, they had h-bombs, and now there was no way to deny that they had a way to deliver them.
It's hard to believe just how badly the entire US was scared by this single event. One night I heard a police siren and ran for the basement thinking it was an air raid siren.
In many ways this was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. It convinced us that they were a real threat. A threat so great that they had to be removed. It took a long time and nearly bankrupted the US but there is no Soviet Union any more.
I think it is the connection between space flight and weapons technology that has caused all the worlds governments to block private access to space and space flight technology. The availablity of cheap simple space ships like the DC-X make it just to easy for someone to carry out atomic, chemical, or biological attacks anywhere in the world. Just build your weapon, hijack a ship and BOOM!
StoneWolf
Do not forget the cosmonauts who were not sent into space but underwent some crazy inhuman experiments. In their race to win space, Russia lacked a bit of humanity. But who cares now ? They say that there is a price to progress. Reminds me of Guernica.
É que os desafinados também têm um coração
Anyway, cheers to Gagarin. At that time, you really had to be mad to get satellized! This is what makes them heroes.
É que os desafinados também têm um coração
I vaguely remember sitting in school, my teacher wheeling in the "AV System" (TV for you yung'uns) and watching with awe as all that flame erupted from the back of the shuttle. I remember being totally blown away. I wouldn't have known today was that anniversary but for this article, and I can't really relate in the same way to Vostok, I wasn't born. But I will say this, this brough back some of that child like wonder, reading the links about the shuttle launch were just really cool.
"Boys have a Penis, Girls have a Vagina", kids say the darndest things!
You seem to be stereotyping Americans. There are many Americans who do treat women and foreigners with the same amount of respect and consideration as if they were Americans themselves. Its unfortunate that some people choose to blind themselves with such ideas. You have made yourself no better than those you accuse.
It's unfortunate that we live in a world where that stupid rule holds true about buying a bad product and telling 3x as many people than if it were good. Unfortunately, the bad stand out in society because the good are not recognized. By all means, damn those who deserve but do not wish damnation upon those who do not.
In a world that is supposed to be "coming together", why do you wish such things on those who, like it or not, will be your neighbors?
Besides, the world can't afford another flood... Too many people have boats.
--I took a bit of a "bite" while reading about a drive
cheers, joshua
Terradot
When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!
no, seriously, there was no provision for removing waste from Skylab, apparently the higher-ups at NASA felt astronauts were do perfect, they didn't shit.
Though not the way you would think.
There's an inverse size relationship between the size of a car and the driver's penis.
There's a positive relationship between the acceleration of the car and the ejaculation time.
this is why I drive a small, slow Japanese car.
Getting a man into space before the US.
Too bad that Capitalism is an unstoppable (and possibly planet killing) meme, instantly absorbing any competing ideology, stripping the ideology of it's danger, and reselling it.
would be the most common astronauts.
For all their talk of rationality and science, geeks and engineers are just as full of their stereotypes as those hated jocks. Case in point, NASA, a geek paradise.
If they were truly rational at NASA, they would look at launch costs of $22,000 USD a kilo, and conclude that the lighter the astronaut they launch, the more scientific payloads they could carry, and the more consumables they could carry, thus allowing longer duration missions.
And who would the lightest astronauts be? Women and Asians, that's who. But no, your typical Space Shuttle crew looks more like a cleanly shaven Linux kernel developers meeting than a multicultural experience, mostly white men, with perhaps a token woman or Asian.
As an American taxpayer, I am outraged at this inefficiency. Join me in writing your congresspersons to rectify this.
If you're not an American, consider emigrating, or perhaps you could ask ESA to allow more women and Asians on Ariane missions.
According to this "Dead Cosmonauts" page, this is a hoax, possibly a garbled version of an Apollo-1-style fatality of an early cosmonaut.
Actually this "dead cosmonauts" page refutes those claims that Gagarin wasn't the first man in space; the cosmonauts missing from the "doctored" pictures are accounted for with training fatalities and disciplinary actions.
So it is very good to see Russia given its proper dues on an American site, even if it is a counterculture site such as this.
If only america as a whole could realise that it is just another country. This may be its hour in the sun, but it is not nearly as creative as other nations were at their peaks, like Britain, Spain, France and Greece. What has America done that compare?
Hypocrisy is the problem. As a woman, I am attacked because of my gender far more here than anywhere else I have been. As a Catholic, I have been attacked. My ex boyfriend thought it was because people were jealous.
I would like to see america and the males of america adopt a position of humility, and allow the dispossessed and discriminated against, such as Russians and women, to breathe free and stake their claim in society.
--Anticipation of a New Lover's Arrival, The
Man ever landed on the moon
In other news...
360 degrees of Karma
While there certainly are many technologically advanced South Asian individuals abroad, the governments of that region (particularly India) are quite skilled at preventing any sort of progress from being made economically by constantly butting their nose in it.
Businesses there must prove their "social worth" - through a notoriously slow beauracracy - before they can begin or expand operations. Thus preventing companies from adapting rapidly to the world economy and keeping millions of people jobless and in poverty.
---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?
I know, I know. IHBT, IHL, IgoandHAND.
--
spam spam spam spam spam spam
No one expects the Spammish Repetition!
Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist
There were tens of thousands of people involved in the effort to go to the moon. Eight missions with three people each went, and six landed. You should know something about conspiracies; how could those umpteen astronauts have kept the secret for so long, let alone the tens of thousands who would have had to have been part of the conspiracy? Not to mention:
- The millions who watched live TV coverage which would have been utterly impossible to fake with the technology of the time (difficult even today).
- The laser retroreflectors which were left by the six landings, and which are still there today.
- The communications from the Apollo spacecraft to the ground, which were independently intercepted by amateur radio operators.
If it were a hoax, thousands of people would have spilled the beans by now. They haven't. Therefore, you're on crack.--
spam spam spam spam spam spam
No one expects the Spammish Repetition!
Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist
Just goes to show how dumb the regulation-happy legislators are. They should have gone for a fuel tax.
--
spam spam spam spam spam spam
No one expects the Spammish Repetition!
Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist
--
spam spam spam spam spam spam
No one expects the Spammish Repetition!
Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist
If the average person drives 13,000 miles a year and their car gets 26 MPG, that's 500 gallons of gas. Add a $3/gallon fuel tax and add a $1500 tax credit, and the net financial situation doesn't change but it suddenly becomes a whole lot more attractive to drive more efficiently. Financial incentives have this funny way of changing what the consumer wants; just look at Arizona.
--
spam spam spam spam spam spam
No one expects the Spammish Repetition!
Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist
It's often dangerous to do something that nobody has ever done before, but we'd never get anywhere if nobody did anything until it could be pronounced "safe". That's why we have test pilots.
--
spam spam spam spam spam spam
No one expects the Spammish Repetition!
Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist
I wonder if NASA will ever admit that we DIDN'T land on the moon.
I suspect that it would be easier to actually land on the Moon than to fake it so convincingly.
Probably less expensive too, given the number of people you would have to pay off.
Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
I don't wish to take anything away from the Russian space program. However, although it appears that the USSR program was flawless through the late 50's and early 60's, in fact recent documents point out that the Soviets suffered numerous failures, but were able to prevent them from becoming known. The successful Sputnik launch occurred after 3-4 secret failures.
The Americans, on the other hand, were operating entirely under the eye of the world's press. Even though they were working up the same learning curve as the Soviets, every failure they made was a public debacle.
Another interesting (and suppressed) fact is that Gagarin ejected from his capsule and parachuted to the Earth while the capsule crashed below him.
Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
Humorous and useless fact of the day: The US has never done a manned space launch on the 4th of July. The Soviets, on the other hand, did that several times, even twice in one day.
Interesting language for a house plant like yourself. ........remember......think OUTSIDE of the box.
funny thing......it'll never happen. Lighten up.
fag.
Valentina Tereshkova.
May be it is time to learn to read... Russia: land of the free