Slashdot Mirror
UK Space Agency Launched
krou writes "Today saw the launch of the new UK Space Agency (UKSA), which will officially come into being on the 1st of April. Its stated goal is to lead to more coherency in space policy, and better decision making, by gradually assuming control over the various budgets and management functions of various government departments and science funding councils. Lord Drayson, the minister for science and innovation, said that 'People in the UK are not aware of just how good Britain is both at space research and in terms of our space industry; [a space agency] is going to make people more aware of that. But in practical terms, it's going to make the decision-making by government in all aspects of space policy much more joined up, better co-ordinated — a single point within government which has responsibility for making sure that we get everything in alignment such that the space research we do, the space industry that we're building, fulfils its true potential.' The government also announced that it is adding £24m to the £16m put up by business to create an International Space Innovation Centre at Harwell in Oxfordshire."
"OK, Harwell, we've had a problem here!..."
"This is Harwell. Say again please?"
Regardless it is a joke and they picked an appropriate day to start it.
Black Arrow rebooted? They fired the engines several times, and then they fired the engineers. :-(
Ezekiel 23:20
Jumped the gun there fella! April's Fool day is still over a week away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqIGrVmu0c&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=0ADB6202C567524A
will officially come into being on the 1st of April?
Yeah, right. And Captain Blackadder will be CEO. Of course.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
In the UK the public sector (and a lot of provate firms too) begins the new financial year on 1st April, so this date is commonly the day that new government agencies start operating, and old ones are wound up. It's because until 1752 New Year's Day in Britain and its colonies was March 25th. In 1752 we adopted the Gregorian calendar, and New Year's Day moved to January 1st. Since then the tax year in the UK starts on April 5th (March 25th + 11) because moving from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar meant an adjustment of 11 days, but the Inland Revenue didn't want to lose any revenue from their annual accounts. April 1st became the common financial new year as it was the nearest whole-month start to that date.
I would vote for that.
Blackadder for the win!
If you've ever experienced our climate, you should realise we'll put up with anything.
I was hoping it would be called Her Majesty's Space Agency (HMSA), it sounds much better then UKSA.
Someone told the government that it could augment all its security cameras with a spy satellite.
Surely they should have called it the Ministry of Space?
The first positive news that comes out of the UK for ages. How do those people cope? Sheesh.
The amount of positive British news reported in the British media is roughly the same as the amount of positive American news reported in the American media.
But Rivest, Shamir and Adleman might have been annoyed. :P
NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/
ESA = European Space Agency
http://www.esa.int/
CSA = Canadian Space Agency
http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/default.asp
JAXA = Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
(ooops)
http://www.jaxa.jp/
Tons more
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_agency
The logo will be a ladder extending above the top of a roof top...
We always get one "feel good" story during our two-minute-hate. Don't go thinking it's all Doom and Gloom.
Still, my local has put the price of beer up before the budget is formerly announced, and no doubt will do so afterwards too. Guess I'll have to start drinking in a Wetherspoon's with the rest of the proles.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
Too bad the domains uksa.org and uksa.org.uk are already taken.
based on my visits to the UK: beer
---
...and Lord Flashheart will be the test pilot...
"Come in Swindon. Do you have me on your instruments?"
Urm, if you had RTFA, you would have noticed "The UKSA's name, logo and remit were announced at a conference in London". Surprisingly, the logo consists of white, red and blue with a leaning towards the Union Jack. So I guess they've got the logo and colour scheme before the website. Are you flabbergasted?
'If Christ had tweeted the sermon on the mount, it might have lasted until nightfall.' - John Perry Barlow
Now now, just because it has a consultant who goes by the name of "the Doctor", and the first interplanetary cruiser to be named "HMS Camden Locks" doesn't mean it has to be all fanciful..
Hmmm
They have already chosen the logo and colour scheme.
As for your references to Soviet UK, it should be noted that nepotism exists across the political spectrum. Yes we have too many quango's under the current Labour Government, just as we had too many quango's under the previous Conservative government...
They seem to already have a logo, and a pretty nice one too.
"Total destruction the only solution" - Bob Marley
Prospero is still orbiting earth - launched by a british rocket!
You should probably stop watching Noels HQ and reading the daily mail.
British Crime Survey 2008-2009 states -
The BCS and police recorded crime differ in their coverage of crime. Overall, crime as measured by the BCS shows no change compared with the 2007/08 BCS with no change in most crime types. Crimes recorded by the police show a five per cent decrease compared with 2007/08, with decreases in most crime types.
HOW HAVE LEVELS OF CRIME CHANGED OVER THE LONGER TERM?
Long-term trends show that BCS crime rose steadily from 1981 through to the early 1990s, peaking in 1995. Crime then fell, making 1995 a significant turning point. The fall was substantial until 2004/05. Since then, BCS crime has shown little overall change with the exception of a statistically significant reduction of 10 per cent in 2007/08 (the lowest ever level since the first results in 1981). The apparent increase of five per cent in BCS crime this year is not statistically significant. Trends in BCS violence, vehicle-related theft and burglary broadly reflect the trend in all BCS crime.
the full report is here
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
Reported crime is very different from low level intimidation by welfare bred chav thugs who know exactly how far they can push it before they will get in serious trouble, which is what I was talking about. Anyway the general point wasn't about English people (who I generally like) but about the idiot leadership (who I generally don't) - this is a ridiculous nationalistic move which smacks of jealousy that former vassal state India has a space program and they don't, when the country is running through one of the most serious economic crises of its existence.
What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
It's soooooo nice to see a fresh new article that hasn't yet been visited by the [citation needed] fairies.
Although the "outer space is up" claim probably will require a cite.
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
Well done. You could also have pointed out that the Machine Gun wasn't invented by the French, but even without that you managed to make him look like a complete tool.
..."Sending bad teeth into space since 2010."
Free as in beer
Reported crime is very different from low level intimidation by welfare bred chav thugs who know exactly how far they can push it before they will get in serious trouble, which is what I was talking about
In other words, you're a coward who's scared shitless of everyone around him, and you get your kicks out of whining on slashdot. Well, as long as you're willing to admit that, I guess I can't really argue with you.
If you've ever experienced our climate, you should realise we'll put up with anything.
Or believe in climate change?
But where do we bring lieutenant Darling under ??
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
I imagine they will go for uksa.gov.uk
when the country is running through one of the most serious economic crises of its existence.
Technological investment seems like a pretty good way to encourage long term economic growth and stability to me. It sure beats paying people to do fuck all, like the rest of our unelected socialist dictator's retarded policies.
... bankrupt us? They spent nearly a billion pounds reorganisng and creating agencies in the last few years, many of which don't even exist any more. Then they try to deflect attention by blaming the bankers for the recession when it was their own policies of raising both spending and taxes and running a deficit when the economy was at its peak that is the real cause of our pain. Their "quantitative easing" means the Bank of England has delete 200 billion pounds from its accounts at some point. I don't even want to know how much we're paying just in interest servicing Gordon Brown's debts.
Space Agency my arse. What a waste of money at a time when we can least afford it. What a nepotistic racket these guys are running.
You think this will be anything more than another quango?
What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
Good lad, I'm glad you're happy to live in a society where underaged thugs can and do intimidate old ladies, little children, and the less well off as a matter of course. With a big hard username like c6gunner though, I'm also sure that a herd of charging buffalo would ricochet off your manly chest before skewering themselves on the barbecue fork over the lake of magma you use to cook dinner. The c wouldn't stand for "chuck" by any chance?
What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
Actually it was Captain Darling...and of course he would be the PA to the head of the UKSA one General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett
Well me old China, we generally have a knees up round the old Joanna while eating marmite sandwiches, drinking warm beer and lamenting the loss of our Empire.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Is this an April fool ?
"1st of April launch"
"Euston, we have a problem!"
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
This is pretty pointless, the UK could raise their contribution to the ESA and ESA would need to hand more contracts back to the UK. There really is no point to having their own space agency, compared to ensuring our common European interests.
And the same goes to the rest. If they need one, set it up as the Swedish Space Agency, they don't really do anything except oversee the Swedish contribution to ESA and some research. There really is no need to develop launchers or satellites locally.
"Civis Europaeus sum!"
Blackadder: "How do you feel, Darling ?" Darling: "Pretty rotten, actually." B: "You don't want to die today, I take it ?" D: "No, I would rather not, indeed." B: "Are you scaaaaared, Darling ?" D: "Errrr...yes, yes, I am scared to death, now you mention it." B: "Then here we go ! Over the top, men !!"
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
... I'll eat a soup plate full of hydrazine. Promise.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
which they then stuff with their idiot cousins, nephews, wives and mistresses.
So that's how you got that job cleaning public lavatories! They given you a brush yet?
Isn't the solution to smack them down while they are still in their pre-/lowteens to learn them to shape up before they become adults?
All the symptoms should already be there.
And for the older kids out there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O6MchAeAkc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fll10R1o16Q
You'd only do that if you wanted to buy them a new TV via the court system.
What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
You clearly said "crime rates skyrocketing out of control". This is demonstrably untrue, and the fact that you made this claim indicates quite clearly that you have little actual knowledge of what you're talking about, and are just pulling vitriol out of your arse.
Yes, chavs intimdating people is unacceptable, and no it isn't as rife as you think it is, just because you watch police..camera..wankers every night on channel 5.
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
As a matter of course? Wow. It's really funny that this is your perception. A small anecdote for you. I'm South African, and I'm living in the UK (have been here for 9 years). My parents still live in South Africa. A recent phone conversation from my dad went something like this:
Dad: Where's [your wife]? ...
Me: She's out in [local city], she'll be back tonight at 11.
Dad: Good grief, will she be okay?
Me: What do you mean?
Dad: I mean, is it safe?
Me: Of course, she'll be fine.
Dad: But crime is so bad over there, are you sure?
* A brief pause while I ponder on the amazing situation of my Dad living in South Africa telling me crime is bad in the UK *
Me: Umm, it's really not that bad Dad.
Dad: God, I watch Sky news all the time, it sounds like a war zone. People getting stabbed all the time
Me: Uh, Dad, do you watch the news about South Africa at all?
Dad: Yeah, but it sounds much worse over there!
And that's the crux really: it seems much worse than it is because its sensationalised. Here's a tip: stop reading rags like The Sun, or the Daily Mail, and stop watching Sky News, or at the very least start analysing the "facts" these news outlets trot out. Most of the major news outlets in the UK rely on xenophobia and fear to sell their papers. It's really peculiar that people seem to lap it up and create this world of fear that really doesn't exist. Yes, I've seen "mindless" intimidation from a hoodie. I can probably count the number of instances on one hand, and that's having lived here for 9 years, some of them in some fairly "dodgy" parts of London. But that's hardly representative of life in the UK to generate the irrational fear you're exhibiting.
'If Christ had tweeted the sermon on the mount, it might have lasted until nightfall.' - John Perry Barlow
Thats my interpretation of it. This will presumably mean that any university research project that wants to fly an instrument in some other nations spacecraft will now have to go through an endless round of paperwork with the "Strategic Space Agency" who will check that it fits with their political mandate to fly a second rate television celebrity into space in order to promote the socialist ideals of our barking mad government.
In other words the UK is going in the diametric opposite direction to the USA who have decided to take away NASA's monopoly and get a bit of commercial competition going in the civilian space arena.
Its not surprising that there is a sizable number of the British population who dream of the Army taking over, taking the Labour government to court for treason and lining them up and shooting them as they are convicted.
Of course with any luck we will have a change of government in the next couple of months and we can look forward to the long slow dismantlement of the factory floor sweeping Soviet economy that are the legacy of over a decade of the Labour parties ideological bankruptcy. Did I say I wasn't keen on the Labour party? Oh I see I did...
Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
I just hope they don't build their rockets with Lucas Electrics (http://www.mez.co.uk/lucas.html)
Me: Uh, Dad, do you watch the news about South Africa at all?
Dad: Yeah, but it sounds much worse over there!
OK, I'm probably making a similar mistake the other way round, but isn't South Africa meant to have one of the highest car-jacking rates and some of the highest rates of violent crime in the world? I couldn't imagine here (the sleepy South of England) being worse than many places in the world in terms of crime levels, let alone South Africa.
If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
That was exactly the point I was trying to make - SA has one of the worst crime rates in the world, and yet my Dad's perception was that the UK was worse because of Sky's media coverage.
'If Christ had tweeted the sermon on the mount, it might have lasted until nightfall.' - John Perry Barlow
Here's a tip: stop reading rags like The Sun, or the Daily Mail, and stop watching Sky News, or at the very least start analysing the "facts" these news outlets trot out.
Heres another tip, don't trivialise serious social problems by using the red tops as a fig leaf or by comparison to third world hellholes.
What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
You clearly said "crime rates skyrocketing out of control". This is demonstrably untrue
Really. Economic problems lead to social instability, which in turn lead to increased crime - so why would the UK government waste money on doing something the ESA can do better, for less, when they could be dealing with more important problems? Oh yes, because we're still a big powerful counttryyy, and if the Indians can do it why aren't we?
are just pulling vitriol out of your arse.
Explain that one to me. Explain how a mortally bankrupt country with endemic social problems can justify starting a space program when contributions to the ESA will probably suffer as a result, and it will almost certainly end up being another quango.
What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
That was exactly the point I was trying to make - SA has one of the worst crime rates in the world, and yet my Dad's perception was that the UK was worse because of Sky's media coverage.
Seriously? Even Sky isn't that bad is it? I know that they dumb down the news (that's why I stopped watching it), but now it seems I should watch it for the same reason I watch Fox*; comedy.
*For the non-Brits: Yes, we get Fox on Satellite in the UK.
If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me
If UKSA so much as picks a logo and a colour scheme for its web site in its first year of existence, I'll be flabbergasted.
The first thing I noticed was the logo.
I would suggest that perhaps a significant portion of the agency's funding so far has been spent on the logo and branding.
Now that's in the bag, I suspect they'll be aiming their sights on improving their IT infrastructure.
If you want an international perspective try watching the UK news on events in the USA .... we don't see many good news stories from the US either
You do have a School shooting most weeks, can't walk the streets in safety and are likely to get caught in the crossfire of an armed robbery most days .... or is this just (as I suspect) media hype and most Americans would not recognise their own country as portrayed in the UK Media
I suspect that the US Media do the same, and show the UK as nothing but doom and gloom and more restrictions and scandal, but the reality is very different
Puteulanus fenestra mortis
Serious, could they not have found a better acronym? it totally reminds me of USA with a K
United Kingdom States of America
I'm going back to bed now...
On the upside, choco rations gone up!
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
Has no one referenced Eddie Izzard's "Man up a ladder in Swindon" skit? Shocking form
If he's the Walrus then can I be a penguin please?
Allow myself to launch ... myself
Any space agency whose stated goal is consolidation of funds and policy - isn't a space agency.
Someone needs to take the reins and start doing something IN space. Fine, fine, fine, increased data analysis on the ground of satellite-based observation - boring!
Where's our space elevator? Where are material launch platforms designed to get things (not necessarily people) to orbit and back? Where's microgravity manufacturing, power generation and transmission, orbiting biodomes, space litter remediation - enough talk about space, time for action!
Pretty discouraging, when asked to initiate and lead three missions in the next 20 years, the nascent UKSA policy leaders can't even commit to that!
Is this it http://www.uk-space.com/ ??
-- I was raised on the command line, bitch
a mortally bankrupt country
Fuck me. You really do read the Daily Mail.
...perhaps they can harvest some of that cheese from the moon again?
Finally, they found a way to make spacecraft leak oil: Lucas Aerospace!
Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
I'm sure your gut-reaction objections to funding a space program are fascinating, but this entire post is a non-sequitur that does nothing to defend your claim that crime in the UK is "skyrocketing out of control". I've given you a clear, authoritative citation that says this isn't true.
You aren't paying attention to what I'm saying.
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
Perhaps that is the reason my ancestors decided to hop on the next ship to America to get out of there. About half of my ancestry is from the British Isles, mostly from England but it includes Wales, Scotland, and Ireland too.
I guess those that stayed behind could put up with anything :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLxLmFhROqY
....
You know, this is the first time I've seen the "Offtopic" mod used correctly.
Let me be the first to welcome the U.K. to the 1950s!
"Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.
There are lots of incentives for police forces to cook the books. Solving a murder takes lots of officers lots of time. Arresting someone for riding a bike without lights on and cautioning him or issuing a spot fine takes five minutes.
Both count as one crime solved when the KPIs are totted up.
I'd trust those figures the same way I'd hire a programmer based on LOC/day.
Now before any Grauniadista fires off the "Daily Mail reader" ad hominem, that doesn't mean that I think the opposite "this country's going to hell in a handbasket and we're so close I can smell the brimstone" is true either.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
> Yes we are! We have a worse economic situation than the worst of the PIIGS
Bollocks, Citation needed, I call bullshit and you made that up.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
UKSA? How many Pig-Latin fans will have a field day with this one?
I lived in Brixton (no less) for 3 years until 2009, and although a person was stabbed to death in my street, I have never felt threatened myself at any point in time. I might be naive, but if the main crime is knife crime, you need to be one of the two to get killed: drunk and/or confrontational. I come from a relatively safe city in Brazil and I never felt safer than in Britain.
www.meneguzzi.eu/felipe
Someone is going to a serious amount of preparation for April Fools...