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American Space Age Reaches Fifty Years

Posted by Soulskill on from the fly-me-to-the-moon dept.

Bryansix brings us a story about the 50th anniversary of the United States' entry into the Space Age. On January 31st, 1958, Explorer 1 became the first U.S. satellite to reach orbit. The New York Times is running a similar feature. "Explorer 1 gave America a chance to recover some of its confidence and prestige after the Sputnik shock, but there was a scientific payoff as well: The data returned by the satellite showed that Earth was not surrounded by a swarm of killer pebbles, as some scientists had feared. However, the cosmic-ray readings hinted at the existence of bands of radiation surrounding the planet - an unexpected result that led to the discovery of the Van Allen Belts."

4 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Long live space race. by mnemonic_ · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Long live Molvania.

  2. Re:... and pointless by britneys+9th+husband · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    We do still have a since of wonder, e.g.

    * I wonder where Osama bin Laden is and why we haven't caught him yet.
    * I wonder how the Pentagon managed to "lose" billions of dollars.
    * I wonder how much money that corporation REALLY made, or if they just cooked the books.
    * I wonder if I will be able to afford my next tank of gas.
    * I wonder if this food I'm eating is genetically modified.
    * I wonder how many troops/civilians have really been killed in Iraq.
    * I wonder if Paris will get another DUI.
    * I wonder if I'll still have health insurance next year.

    etc, etc, etc

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  3. Re:FIRST POST! by RealGrouchy · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Didn't you get the memo? First Posts are old news.

    If you want to get noticed, you have to be First American Post.

    - RG>

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    Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
  4. Re:FIRST POST! by raphae · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Tens of thousands of iraqi civilians have not been killed nor maimed because of another country's bombs, evil politicians' lies, and general dirtbag behavior. Perhaps the greatest war crime of all time - the dumping of 80 million liters of dioxin-laced Agent Orange in the Mekong Delta - for which the war criminals have never been held to account - was not perpatrated by another country. Massive amounts of radioactive contamination in Afghanistan and Iraq were not caused by another country's weapons. And the US's dicatorial, bloody tyrant in east Asia, Suharto, just died. The US is in no position, in my opinion, to be trumpeting its "achievements".

    "Yeah, I cured your acne. Sorry about the accidental leg amputation though!"