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Inflatable Spaceship Ready for Test
colonist writes "Nature reports that an inflatable re-entry vehicle could one day carry astronauts or robots to the surface of Earth or Mars. The heat shield (that can withstand 900 C) and the parachute are inflatable. The advantage of inflatable structures is weight: a 130 kg vehicle can carry about 200 kg of cargo back from the space station. The vehicle is made by Return and Rescue Space Systems."
Nature reports that an inflatable re-entry vehicle could one day carry astronauts or robots to the surface of Earth or Mars
Well, hey if they can do this, I'm gonna go ahead and use my water wings to go down Niagra Falls!
...I'm sure that eminent mad scientist from Sluggy Freelance can attest to the efficiency of inflatable technology...
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
and inflatable women, why not make inflatable space ships? Now all we need are inflatable monkeys to put on the ship and we'll be set to go
It's my dream to one day, science and god willing, successfully land on the surface of the earth.
The same thing that happens in cartoons - it will make a farting noise and zip back and forth until it stops, at which point it will realize that it is not obeying the law of gravity, say "Yipes" and fall.
A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
"Maybe it's just the idea of an inflatable rubber starship that bothers me."
Anyone else getting How Much For Just The Planet? flashbacks?
......now my inflatable girlfriend and I can ride in style.
Get your Unix fortune now!
Should be able to power the entire space programme off the US presidential elections though.
They'll have to blow it up before it'll work
you get thrust capacity from being hit by micrometeorites.
"It's the heat shields that are inflatable, and they are armored - e.g. not the same material as your pool floats..."
It's only a matter of time before ThinkGeek starts selling pool floats made from orbital re-entry material.
I will be able to tell my children of the day man set foot on Earth.
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
...no one can hear you take a bath with the ship.
U.S.S. Rubber Ducky has disappeared from radar. Possible conversion error suspected in its disappearance.
Just bring a really big rubber band and throw it over a pair of mountains. Sheesh.
G
carry astronauts or robots to the surface of Earth or Mars
Maybe one day we'll even send people to Earth!
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
There's a huge oversupply of hot air right now which should keep prices low.
;-) --
In fact, I think there is a huge storage facility currently for excess hot air in New York at Madison Square Gardin.
--
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln
"Great. We forgot the damn foot pump. Okay, Bob, start blowing..."
You must think in Russian.