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Iran Says It Sent Monkey Into Space and Back

Iranian state TV is claiming that the country has successfully sent a monkey into space and back, bringing Iran one step closer to its goal of a manned space flight. According to the report, the rocket named Pishgam, or Pioneer in Farsi, reached a height of 120km. From the article: "Iran has long said it seeks to send an astronaut into space as part of its ambitious aerospace program, including plans for a new space center announced last year. In 2010, Iran said it launched an Explorer rocket into space carrying a mouse, a turtle and worms."

425 comments

  1. Was it President Ahmadinejad? by peter303 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sometimes his policy explanations are as believable as a monkey's.

    1. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by OakDragon · · Score: 0

      For instant Karma, s/Ahmadinejad/G.W. Bush/ ...

    2. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What have primates ever done to you? The record will show that as far as international politics, economics and environmental conservation goes, you are hopelessly inferior. Yet you persist in comparing us to what you consider the worst individuals in your species. Or how about we compare the number of times we've dropped frigging' nukes on our own kind? Zero for two, man.

      Also, you've known that we're related for more than a hundred years now. You're only insulting yourself! What is it with you people?

      PS: Though this internet thing is pretty cool, I'll grant you. Our zoo gets excellent wifi.

    3. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by Dave+Emami · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, Ahmadinejad usually is depicted as a monkey in the expatriate Iranian press, and (so I hear from relatives there) commonly referred to as such in Iran by a lot of folks. There was even an incident a few years ago where a girl on a kid's TV show innocently mentioned that her dad had nicknamed her toy monkey after the guy. Part of it is due to perceived physical resemblance, and part due to the belief that he doesn't actually wield independent power but is just Supreme Leader Khamenei's "trained pet."

      --

      "The Greens lynched a hacker in Chicago. Last month, but I think the body's still hanging from the old Water Tower."
    4. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sometimes his policy explanations are as believable as a monkey's.

      He looks like a monkey too.

    5. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No you gotta think Muslim and Monkey, then which candidate would you WANT to shoot into space; Louis Farrakhan!
      Unfortunately, the program was a wash, as the monkey came back....

    6. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, Ahmadinejad usually is depicted as a monkey in the expatriate Iranian press, and (so I hear from relatives there) commonly referred to as such in Iran by a lot of folks. There was even an incident a few years ago where a girl on a kid's TV show innocently mentioned that her dad had nicknamed her toy monkey after the guy. Part of it is due to perceived physical resemblance, and part due to the belief that he doesn't actually wield independent power but is just Supreme Leader Khamenei's "trained pet."

      Actually, Ahmadinejad usually is depicted as a monkey in the expatriate Iranian press, and (so I hear from relatives there) commonly referred to as such in Iran by a lot of folks. There was even an incident a few years ago where a girl on a kid's TV show innocently mentioned that her dad had nicknamed her toy monkey after the guy. Part of it is due to perceived physical resemblance, and part due to the belief that he doesn't actually wield independent power but is just Supreme Leader Khamenei's "trained pet."

      Mr Emami is an Iranian. Whom speake like that about president of his mother's country, is not a reach human.
      Who could beleive to this kind of humans.

    7. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by Dave+Emami · · Score: 2

      Mr Emami is an Iranian. Whom speake like that about president of his mother's country, is not a reach human. Who could beleive to this kind of humans.

      It's my dad's country, actually, though I did live there for a while -- specifically, I was there when Khomeini took over, so I got to see the before and after versions, and whatever the Shah's faults, what replaced him is much, much worse.

      As to humanity, ask Neda Agha-Soltan... oh, wait, you can't, she was shot by a basiji during the 2009 demonstrations. Perhaps you can ask Farrokhroo Parsa, then... no, she was executed by the mullahs for the crime of being appointed Minister of Education by the Shah. Not the head of SAVAK or the army or the police, not responsible for the death or injury of anyone, just the Minister of Education, the first woman cabinet minister ever in Iran. How about asking Mona Mahmudnizhad... oops, can't do that, she was executed along with nine other Iranian women by the mullahs in 1983 for the crime of being a Baha'i.

      And as for criticizing a country's president, well, that's an everyday occurence in a free country. No matter how much I supported or respected a US president, I would never call someone "not human" for criticizing him. Heck, back in High School, I had a teacher who mocked the president every chance he got, but all I did was laugh at him (outside of class, of course). And come to think of it, he never got arrested or fired. How very strange, huh?

      --

      "The Greens lynched a hacker in Chicago. Last month, but I think the body's still hanging from the old Water Tower."
    8. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by unixguy98 · · Score: 1

      The same is true for Barack Obama and his spouse Michelle Obama; They have been many times depicted as monkeys. As you may know, Google apologized for Michelle Obama monkey picture.
      Part of it is due to perceived physical resemblance, and part due to the belief that he doesn't actually wield independent power but is just AIPAC "trained pet."

    9. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by unixguy98 · · Score: 1

      No, the death of Ned Agha-Soltan is widely disputed.
      I should also mention that dehumanization of Muslims is a nasty policy and that has nothing to do with criticism. It's used a part of harassment policy that Muslims face in the west and also a tool for covering up everyday killings of Muslim civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan and many other countries. When they are call animals (monkeys, etc) who cares about many of them who are killed by US attacks everyday by various weapons ranging from rifles to missiles and drones.

    10. Re:Was it President Ahmadinejad? by Dave+Emami · · Score: 1

      No, the death of Ned Agha-Soltan is widely disputed.

      Disputed? Yes. Widely? No. It's disputed by the mullahs and their supporters. Who, incidentally, have banned prayers for her, and are probably responsible for repeatedly descrating her grave.

      I should also mention that dehumanization of Muslims is a nasty policy and that has nothing to do with criticism. It's used a part of harassment policy that Muslims face in the west and also a tool for covering up everyday killings of Muslim civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan and many other countries. When they are call animals (monkeys, etc) who cares about many of them who are killed by US attacks everyday by various weapons ranging from rifles to missiles and drones.

      Funny, none of my relatives in the US (some Muslims, and some who aren't but would likely be assumed to be Muslims due to their ethnicity) have ever, to my knowledge, been harassed at all. If anything, when the subject has come up, they're rather less worried about it than most people. And the "Ahmadinejad is a monkey" meme originated in Iran.

      --

      "The Greens lynched a hacker in Chicago. Last month, but I think the body's still hanging from the old Water Tower."
  2. and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ahmadinejad made it all the way back safely

    1. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      seems he got a little bit crazy though.

    2. Re:and apparently... by cayenne8 · · Score: 1, Funny
      Damn.

      Once they launched Ahmadinejad, why couldn't they have left him up there?? Talk about a popular candidate for space debris....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    3. Re:and apparently... by slashmydots · · Score: 5, Funny

      That, sir, is offensive to monkeys.

    4. Re:and apparently... by ericloewe · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't it be funny to stick the guy in a cage and put his cage inside an ape's cage?

      A Zoo within a Zoo. Bonus points if we get the apes to take care of him.

    5. Re:and apparently... by mrops · · Score: 2, Informative

      Jokes and media brain washing apart. The guy lives so much more humbly that its hard to think if he is as crazy as western media shows him or is there more going on. The country is making progress in spite of all the sanctions. Not sure if its the Iranian media spin but the guy sits and eats simple foods on a mat on the floor, sleeps on the floor.

      I don't know which one is propaganda, this video or if the western media, or if there is a Jackal and Hyde going on here.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyWul35JnjY

    6. Re:and apparently... by cats · · Score: 1

      Jekyll and Hyde, it is Jekyll and Hyde.

    7. Re:and apparently... by BasilBrush · · Score: 2

      It the usual plan to demonise your enemy. Same happened to Fidel Castro; the same's happening now to Hugo Chavez.

    8. Re:and apparently... by sjames · · Score: 1

      Here in the U.S., I think we could benefit greatly from having politicians that come from a lower class background and who don't spend their time dreaming of gold plated toilets and that third summer home when they retire.

    9. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      True well said.
      There is to much Anti iran propaganda against him.

      He is a noble, humble man who looks after his people and others.

    10. Re:and apparently... by dywolf · · Score: 2

      Cause they're totally innocent saints, right?

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    11. Re:and apparently... by mpe · · Score: 1

      Here in the U.S., I think we could benefit greatly from having politicians that come from a lower class background and who don't spend their time dreaming of gold plated toilets and that third summer home when they retire.

      Probably applicable to more than just the US. In some places it would be an improvement if politicians waited til they retired...

    12. Re:and apparently... by BasilBrush · · Score: 0

      Given that there is no god, "saints" is just as false a label as "demons".

    13. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eating simple food on a mat on the floor and sleeping on the floor makes one humble? Does that same line of reasoning make one how lives in a cave a saint?

    14. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Isn't he a bit of a dick, though? The holocaust denier conference, the 'there are no gays in my country', the nuke (which he knows no one wants him to have, sure it's good to stop invasions, but still, the fewer nukes there are the better off we all are).

    15. Re:and apparently... by Herr+Brush · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's not really the point. The point is that they are demonized beyond what the facts can support. Take a recent world leader for example. He kicked off two (arguably) illegal wars leading to the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians, took his country several steps back in terms of rights and freedoms and claimed his policy was guided by god. Surely this is a worse record than Ahmadinejad's but his reputation seems to have settled more on charismatic fool than evil psycho.

    16. Re:and apparently... by amirishere · · Score: 0

      Every news item is a propaganda. The video you posted especially so! The guy has appointed half of his family to governmental positions and he lies ... a lot.

    17. Re:and apparently... by Herr+Brush · · Score: 1

      Humble adj 1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful. Seems to fit.

    18. Re:and apparently... by bitt3n · · Score: 1

      the guy sits and eats simple foods on a mat on the floor, sleeps on the floor.

      it's even more impressive than you think. that mat is photoshopped into the pictures.

    19. Re:and apparently... by cyn1c77 · · Score: 1

      Jokes and media brain washing apart. The guy lives so much more humbly that its hard to think if he is as crazy as western media shows him or is there more going on. The country is making progress in spite of all the sanctions. Not sure if its the Iranian media spin but the guy sits and eats simple foods on a mat on the floor, sleeps on the floor.

      I don't know which one is propaganda, this video or if the western media, or if there is a Jackal and Hyde going on here.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyWul35JnjY

      How he eats and sleeps isn't really an issue. The general public tends to think that someone is insane when they advocate genocide (towards the Jews).

    20. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mock-mood Ach-My-Dinner-Jacket! is not the supreme dictator of Iran he is portrayed as. Sad-Ham Insane had a council he pretended was telling him to do things that were unpopular, but they were a rubber stamp. Ach-My-Dinner-Jacket! is actually a high-level minion of the Eye-of-Toll-Lane who runs the theocratic underpinnings of the Iranian government. Mock-mood might believe some of the garbage he spouts, or even all of it, but I don't think he's quite entirely his own man, and a dictator like Insane was. He might be reading a script. I have to wonder though, how wrong he is when he condemns the US and says we're weak, and we don't do anything and can't do anything to them. I mean, we said we would not permit North Korea to get nukes. As I understand it, they have nukes now. Oops... Sanctions only work up to a point. When you've been under sanctions for a while, and if you have enough resources, you become independent and the sanctions make it so you have to do for yourself, and in the end they only make you stronger.

      Maybe it's time to end the sanctions, which looks to many like childish bullying on an international scale. Obviously the Iranians are not on the brink of collapse and despair, we're not going to attack them, so is treating them this way the best path? If we're going to say "we will not allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon," we'd better damned-sure be ready to do something the day they carry out their first successful test detonation of a nuclear weapon, which I'd imagine is scheduled for sometime soon, about a week from next Tuesday.*

      *(Wouldn't it be funny if that date were actually correct? I swear I'm just guessing... I imagine I could have some explaining to do. "Seriously guys, I'm cool. I was just guessing, dude! These cuffs are really tight... are they really necessary?... It was just a guess, c'mon guys! Seriously!")

    21. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and you are posting from Tel Aviv right?

    22. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So he's an ascetic misogynist theist homophobe. How exactly does his apparent asceticism mitigate these (and quite a few other) nasty traits?

    23. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or let a great ape up inside Ahmadnejad, stir his guts with that pizzle. Zoo in zoo, ape in ape

    24. Re:and apparently... by flyneye · · Score: 1

      I get it ,Jackal; Egypt. Clever word play, timing coulda been better , but clever.
      Don't feel bad, my cat didn't get it either.

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
    25. Re:and apparently... by flyneye · · Score: 1

      Most peoples plan is to "call a spade a spade" .

      The rest are taught to be stupid communists and call it sunshine and lollipops, then spread their cheeks for their enemy to find a snuggly warm place for their unit.

      Are you surprised people find Chavez a retarded swine?

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
    26. Re:and apparently... by flyneye · · Score: 1

      Here in the U.S. you are only allowed to be a politician if you are corrupt enough to find a slimey way to advance the careers and bank accounts of your fellow scumbags and most importantly, your wing of the almighty Repubmocrat party. Lower class? I'm with you , but you're dreaming. The first thing they do is laugh him out of the party as a failure who couldn't make enough money to not be lower class and ask how he intends to better life for others if he couldn't do so for himself.
      Just think like a cockroach and you can get into their heads...

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
    27. Re:and apparently... by harlequinn · · Score: 1

      Please, name a single nation of innocent saints.

    28. Re:and apparently... by harlequinn · · Score: 1

      I wonder if the Jewish people want to wipe the rest of the world off of the map? After all they are God's chosen people - with a religious mandate to destroy anyone who gets in their way.

      Seriously - does anyone know?

    29. Re:and apparently... by BasilBrush · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      ...spread their cheeks for their enemy...
      Are you surprised people find Chavez a retarded swine?

      I'm not surprised you do. Weak minds are easily influenced by propaganda.

    30. Re:and apparently... by foniksonik · · Score: 2

      So how is Iraq these days, what with the lack of genocide, torture chambers and oppressed populace?

      https://www.google.com/m/search?q=iraq+news&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=u&source=univ&tbm=nws&sa=X&ei=wz4HUatiyOesAYy8gMAP&ved=0CEQQqAI

      Top headlines suggest political turmoil, economic progress, airways being opened to promote trade and cultural commentary.

      Looks pretty good.

      And you were saying?

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    31. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...the guy sits and eats simple foods on a mat on the floor, sleeps on the floor...

      Yes, but that's considered a luxurious lifestyle in Iran.

    32. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know which one is propaganda, this video or if the western media, or if there is a Jackal and Hyde going on here.

      Western Media? LOL. Try watching anything from any media outlet anywhere in the world which is not under his direct control, it's not just "Western" Media portraying him that way.

      Not sure if its the Iranian media spin but the guy sits and eats simple foods on a mat on the floor, sleeps on the floor.

      So what? Is that supposed to prove anything even if it's true?

    33. Re:and apparently... by Onuma · · Score: 1

      So enjoying a steak from time to time could be defined as "arrogant"? I'm not suggesting a 72oz. slab of cow with a pitcher of beer, baked potato with extra bacon, and a plate of white baby seal eyes as an appetizer...that'd be gluttonous, wasteful, etc. One should not necessarily correlate simple food or sleeping on the floor with humility; you can still be a cocky douchebag while maintaining a simple, balanced diet and spartan living.

      --
      What else can happen when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object?
    34. Re:and apparently... by mrax · · Score: 2

      The guy lives so much more humbly that its hard to think if he is as crazy as western media shows him or is there more going on. The country is making progress in spite of all the sanctions. Not sure if its the Iranian media spin but the guy sits and eats simple foods on a mat on the floor, sleeps on the floor.

      I don't know which one is propaganda, this video or if the western media, or if there is a Jackal and Hyde going on here.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyWul35JnjY

      Hitler was a vegetarian and didn't drink alcohol... His country prospered after his rise to power (until all out war broke out)... Didn't make him a particularly good guy, did it?

    35. Re:and apparently... by Rasputin81 · · Score: 1

      So...the U.S. sent a Monkey in space....50 years ago!

    36. Re:and apparently... by JakeBurn · · Score: 1

      That is exactly the point. Nothing like having a finger pointed at a problem only to have someone try to redirect to a different, irrelevant problem altogether. So what if Bush was a piece of shit. How does knowing or recognizing that have any bearing whatsoever on what kind of person Hugo Chavez is? That's a tactic that has exploded since in the USA, (not saying its you or even that you are American), since Obama took office. Someone who dislikes him points out something Obama has done that they feel is wrong. Instead of dealing with this issue, the liberal supporter screams BUSH BAD! Maybe its ADD, maybe its just trying to deflect from the issue at hand. Hugo Chavez is insane. He told his people that Halloween is terrorism. That children who dress up and go to get candy are terrorists in training. When your best friends, politically and ideologically speaking, are Cuba and Iran, you have some serious issues. I work with two ex-Iranians who love their country and most things about it but left because they feel their country was being run by a maniac. That alleged maniac has been named by Hugo Chavez as his best friend and ally.

    37. Re:and apparently... by flyneye · · Score: 1

      You obviously need re-calibrated. Not only do I hold distinction as a Sub-Genius, but also blow 96% of the population out of the water.
      Notice I'm not the one promoting a form of government that has failed and crumbled over and over. Cuba has been shit since communism, live has gotten worse for all, not better. Russia turned to shit. Asian communism is a laughable fucking joke. But leave it to you to settle for ghetto and slight your betters for observing reality.
      Here's a ticket for the clue train. Don't buy into garbage scams created by prisoners or you are the punchline to the joke.
      Yes, I stand by my assertion that not only is Chavez a retarded swine, but very likely inbred too. I'm guessing that's why he's your hero.

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
    38. Re:and apparently... by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      I can see why people block you.

    39. Re:and apparently... by flyneye · · Score: 1

      Yup, inferiority complexes.

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
    40. Re:and apparently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, we just want to be able to live in peace in the land we bought with our own hard-earned money from the Ottoman Empire without being bombed and being threatened to be exterminated every day by our radical neighbors, thankyouerymuch.

  3. Pigs in space! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Did any local agencies confirm the launch?

    1. Re:Pigs in space! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am with this..

      the only thing that the Iranian government are experts in is lying.

    2. Re:Pigs in space! by ByOhTek · · Score: 2

      To be experts, you have to be convincing.

      Iran usually isn't.

      --
      Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
    3. Re:Pigs in space! by Forty+Two+Tenfold · · Score: 0, Troll

      In other news the USA still claim to have sent a man to the moon.

      --
      Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
    4. Re:Pigs in space! by Jeng · · Score: 1

      Why shouldn't they? The evidence has been corroborated by even our enemies at the time. And since then there has also been independent confirmation that we left crap on the moon which is consistent with us landing on the moon.

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    5. Re:Pigs in space! by filthpickle · · Score: 4, Interesting

      While I am sure the parent was kidding...I have a friend who is only moderately stupid that firmly believes that the moon landings were faked. I found this a couple weeks ago, an interesting point of view.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGXTF6bs1IU

      We would have faked it...but actually doing it was easier at the time.

    6. Re:Pigs in space! by Runaway1956 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Moderately stupid. I need to remember that one, it could be precious one day. "You Sir, are only moderately stupid! Why can't you see reason?"

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    7. Re:Pigs in space! by bhartman34 · · Score: 3, Informative

      I have a friend who is only moderately stupid that firmly believes that the moon landings were faked.

      I would submit to you that if your friend firmly believes that the moon landings were faked, he's far more than moderately stupid. With all the evidence, believing the moon landing was faked is right up there with believing that the moon is made of gouda cheese. There's a reflector on the moon. If you know the coordinates, you can actually bounce a laser off of it back to Earth.

    8. Re:Pigs in space! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I logged in to moderate your post, but I wanted to also comment (multiple PCs enabling me to have my cake & also eat it, if anonymously). Thank you! I had never seen that video before, but it is now one of my very favourite Youtube videos. My perspective has always been:

      1) The Russians hated that we beat them

      2) We could not have faked it in such a way that they would have been fooled (they had super telescopes, etc)

      3) The Russians never claimed that we faked it (how different an era it was, nowadays even knowing for sure it happened it would have been called fake)

      4) If the people that had the most to gain by denouncing it and the ability to catch a fake did not say anything ... not a fake
       
      That said, I lived this brilliant commentary.

    9. Re:Pigs in space! by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      that doesn't prove anything. aliens put the reflector there

      why don't you people understand the fascist shadow government is controlling your mind with this propaganda about a moon landing?

      the goals for doing that are obvious

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    10. Re:Pigs in space! by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      If you know the coordinates, you can actually bounce a laser off of it back to Earth.

      I can't, I don't have one strong enough, or the sensor to pick up the return. I've heard that someone has done that. What I know is that when I point my laser pointer at the moon, I don't see any reflection. When I point it at a traffic sign (a reflector) I see it bright and clear. Especially at night (when I'd try it with the moon) and I use a green laser pointer (the moon is made of green cheese) on a green major highway information sign (moon has nothing to do with highways, sorry).

      But then, I've also heard that someone actually landed there. If you don't believe the latter, why would you believe make-believe evidence like being able to bounce a laser off the moon because there is a reflector there? Did YOU actually do it, or are you relying on second hand info, too?

      Just 'cause you see it on the internet doesn't mean it is true.

    11. Re:Pigs in space! by Antipater · · Score: 2

      A reflector on the moon isn't a sign that humans ever went there; an unmanned rover could have easily left it behind.

      Remember that when you're dealing with conspiracy theorists, evidence contrary to their belief will be dismissed out of hand. But that's fine - when they hold such a minority opinion, the burden of proof is on them, not you. The only way to have them see reason is to tirelessly rebut everything they come up with until, finally, they start to realize that the true explanation might be the one that doesn't nned to invoke mind control or aliens to fill in the gaps. In the specific case of the moon landings, it comes down to proving that the tech does work, that humans can survive in space, and that so many people could keep quiet for so long if there actually were a conspiracy. If there's no reason to believe we couldn't go to the moon, there's no reason to disbelieve the people who say we did.

      --
      Everything is better with chainsaws.
    12. Re:Pigs in space! by Creepy · · Score: 1

      Also hard to fake the flags, some of which are visible by telescope, unless... the US flag is based on observations of the flags planted on the moon by aliens!

      This conspiracy theory is getting to be borderline nuts,er, make that completely nuts.

    13. Re:Pigs in space! by 3nails4aFalseProphet · · Score: 1

      I enjoyed the video (I never considered debunking the conspiracy theorists from that angle), but would disagree with categorizing your friend as "moderate." Especially if you've sent him that link and he still chooses to believe the landings were faked.

      --
      /*Insert boring sig here*/
    14. Re:Pigs in space! by Jeng · · Score: 1

      One was left behind by an unmanned rover actually. No conspiracy theory needed.

      http://www.space.com/8295-lost-soviet-reflecting-device-rediscovered-moon.html

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    15. Re:Pigs in space! by bhartman34 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      When I said "you", I should've said "astronomers". This is an experiment that has been done at many observatories, all over the world. It's easily falsifiable by any sufficiently sophisticated nation, and I can think of at least one that would've loved to have called "Bullshit!" on a moon landing, if it never happened.

    16. Re:Pigs in space! by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      how did you know it was advances in wood nut and legume technology that led to such effective faking of the moon landing?

      yes, it's completely nuts!

      i'm so glad i've found a friend who understands the depth of conspiracy going on here

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    17. Re:Pigs in space! by OakDragon · · Score: 1

      Astro-pigs would probably not be halal.

    18. Re:Pigs in space! by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      Collins is hilarious - and enlightening. He also refreshes my memory. Watching those guys on the moon was BORING! No aliens ever came out to bite their heads off, like on 'The Outer Limits'. No alien spaceships. No meteor storms. Not even a solar flare! I mean, NOTHING HAPPENED!

      It was all a huge disappointment for all of us kids in school. 1969 - fifth grade for me. I had just discovered that I liked reading. I hadn't yet discovered science fiction. Looking back, that seems unfortunate now. I could have better imagined all sorts of things happening on those moon trips, had I been primed with some Heinlein, or Asimov.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    19. Re:Pigs in space! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's a reflector on the moon. If you know the coordinates, you can actually bounce a laser off of it back to Earth.

      There are also Soviet-emplaced reflectors on the Moon. The Soviets never set foot on the Moon ( hint: Lunokhod ).

      You need a better argument.

    20. Re:Pigs in space! by wmac1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Iran has had 3 successful confirmed satellite launches. This one is a smaller rocket and it has failed once before. When the last launch failed Iranian head of IASA confirmed the failure.

    21. Re:Pigs in space! by Obfuscant · · Score: 2

      When I said "you", I should've said "astronomers".

      In other words, you haven't actually done it yourself, you just read about someone doing it.

      The point was, if you aren't going to believe that men have landed on the moon after someone else tells you it has happened, why would you believe that there is a reflector or three on the moon that those men you don't believe were there left behind just because someone else tells you they are there?

      The argument that someone is stupid for not believing we've been to the moon (and when I say "we", I should've said "astronauts") because someone else has said there are ways of proving it, is self-defeating.

    22. Re:Pigs in space! by rotorbudd · · Score: 1

      Yea, the old Louis Grizzard joke:
      My Grandmother thought the moon landing was fake, and wrestling was real.

      --
      A bullet may have your name on it, but artillery is addressed to " Whom It May concern"
    23. Re:Pigs in space! by pnutjam · · Score: 1

      I thought the flags were too small to be seen and I read a recent article indicating they would be bleached white by the sun by now.

      If we had actually gone to the moon and left flags there.
      (jk, only a true maroon would think the moon landing was fake)

    24. Re:Pigs in space! by bitt3n · · Score: 1

      When I said "you", I should've said "astronomers". This is an experiment that has been done at many observatories, all over the world. It's easily falsifiable by any sufficiently sophisticated nation, and I can think of at least one that would've loved to have called "Bullshit!" on a moon landing, if it never happened.

      yes, but how do we know it was the US who put the reflector there? if they wanted to leave unequivocal proof, they should have attached a pair of truck nuts to the moon.

    25. Re:Pigs in space! by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      But where would Iran get a pig?

    26. Re:Pigs in space! by 88NoSoup4U88 · · Score: 1

      Be sure to watch it until the end: Fantastic :-)

    27. Re:Pigs in space! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right, everybody knows that it is Swiss cheese!

    28. Re:Pigs in space! by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      There's a reflector on the moon. If you know the coordinates, you can actually bounce a laser off of it back to Earth.

      Whoop-dee-doo!

      There is something on the Moon that reflects laser beams back. Do we know that there was nothing that reflected laser beams back before the Apollo landings? Also, are you saying that it was impossible to land a laser reflector on the Moon in 1969?

      The laser reflectors, by themselves, mean only that there is something at that site that reflects laser beams. We are told that these were left by Apollo astronauts.

    29. Re:Pigs in space! by bhartman34 · · Score: 1

      We didn't have the robotics to set that up remotely. It's harder to think of it not being there because we landed there.

    30. Re:Pigs in space! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are retarded for even being a devils advocate on this.

    31. Re:Pigs in space! by SteveFoerster · · Score: 1

      Yes, and Mongolia can claim to have conquered Russia...

      just not lately.

      --
      Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org
    32. Re:Pigs in space! by skine · · Score: 1

      I prefer this video, from That Mitchell and Webb Look:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MOnehCOUw

    33. Re:Pigs in space! by sdnoob · · Score: 1

      if only they used pigs instead of monkeys.... then people might actually believe them.

    34. Re:Pigs in space! by Sigg3.net · · Score: 1

      There's a reflector on the moon. If you know the coordinates, you can actually bounce a laser off of it back to Earth.

      That's what the Moon Nazis want you to believe!

      Mmmmm... Gouda.

    35. Re:Pigs in space! by bhartman34 · · Score: 1

      The argument that someone is stupid for not believing we've been to the moon (and when I say "we", I should've said "astronauts") because someone else has said there are ways of proving it, is self-defeating.

      No, not really.

      If someone claims Neanderthals came here in spaceships from the planet Neptune, are you obliged to say, "That's plausible"? No, because the origin of Neanderthals has been thoroughly studied, and multiple people, all over the world, have verified it. You're not obligated to believe every bit of crazy horseshit someone says simply because you haven't independently verified the truth. Such arguments shouldn't be taken seriously. One should simply classify such people as paranoid schizophrenics and go on with one's day.

    36. Re:Pigs in space! by bhartman34 · · Score: 1

      LOL. :)

    37. Re:Pigs in space! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is not made of Gouda cheese? You destroyed a big chunk of my world view. I only hope you are not aiming at the elephants and turtles that hold earth plate firm in space.

  4. From a US citizen by funky49 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Congrats Iran!

    --
    --- rapper/producer/bachelorette party stripper
    1. Re:From a US citizen by binarylarry · · Score: 3, Funny

      As an American, let me be the first to welcome Iran to 1948!

      --
      Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
    2. Re:From a US citizen by Forty+Two+Tenfold · · Score: 0

      Not 1953? Meddling and destruction is way more "American" than technological progress. Iran didn't have Nazi scientists to help them.

      --
      Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
    3. Re:From a US citizen by binarylarry · · Score: 0

      umad bro

      --
      Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
    4. Re:From a US citizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A tool for war was turned into a tool for peace; what better way for a war criminal to pay for his crimes? Would you rather they were executed? Or imprisoned? What use would that be?

    5. Re:From a US citizen by flimflammer · · Score: 1

      Are you seriously attempting to suggest that something bad cannot be used for a good purpose?

    6. Re:From a US citizen by Big+Hairy+Ian · · Score: 1

      Neither did the Russians who were 1st in space with almost everything.

      --

      Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.

    7. Re:From a US citizen by Forty+Two+Tenfold · · Score: 1

      Like ICBM? Yes it can! When it backfires at the launch site.

      --
      Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
    8. Re:From a US citizen by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Informative

      No thing is bad. Doesn't matter how ugly you think an item is, it is inanimate. Inanimate objects are neither good, nor bad. Without motivation and free will, there is no good, no bad. People are bad, and people are good.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    9. Re:From a US citizen by Forty+Two+Tenfold · · Score: 1

      Oh and didn't you stop to think before you asked this stupid shot-in-the-foot question? It's not me who makes such suggestions. It's the USA govt.

      --
      Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
    10. Re:From a US citizen by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      That's a lie! They never put a motorcycle in space! No Mazdas, no Farmalls, all they ever put into space are a few stupid cosmonauts, a few satellites, and some worthless debris. They certainly haven't put a CORVETTE into space! That was an American feat!

      Oh, wait. Hell - Heavy Metal, the movie, was fiction, wasn't it? Fek . . . .

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    11. Re:From a US citizen by jbeaupre · · Score: 3, Funny

      I guess you never saw Time Bandits.

      --
      The world is made by those who show up for the job.
    12. Re:From a US citizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Congrats from a US Citizen? You do realize that IF they actually managed to lob something into orbit, the true purpose of such a capability is to eventually drop the payload on your head. And that payload will be the nuclear weapons they're actively trying to create.

    13. Re:From a US citizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Calling Werner von Braun a war criminal is just stupid.

    14. Re:From a US citizen by funky49 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Thank you AC for pointing out the obvious. Since Iran and North Korea share missile technology, you can assume what one can do, the other can do. This Slashdot story was different. There was a directive to keep an animal alive. This knowledge and ability to keep that monkey safe for the trip gives me hope. I'm not going to apologize for focusing on the positives. Eat shit, coward.

      --
      --- rapper/producer/bachelorette party stripper
    15. Re:From a US citizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Keep the monkey alive" == "Don't damage the warhead".

      So don't get your hopes up. There is nothing peaceful or scientific about this. I don't even believe it at all, as Ahmadinanihaninajad just likes to wave his dick around.

      And if you have a problem with AC's, you should be posting with your real name. Hypocrite.

    16. Re:From a US citizen by flimflammer · · Score: 1

      Well you went and missed the point of my post, which is fine since I didn't actually quote the specific thing I was referring to but that's fine because I don't really care about the answer anyway.

    17. Re:From a US citizen by wmac1 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Only 6 countries have that capability. No matter how much you troll.

    18. Re:From a US citizen by Forty+Two+Tenfold · · Score: 1

      You DO like to babble pointlessly.

      --
      Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
    19. Re:From a US citizen by flimflammer · · Score: 1

      Seems you have a taste for it as well.

    20. Re:From a US citizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Netanyahu is claiming the Iranian space agency was aiming for Israel but missed.

      He's asking for an additional trillion dollars from the USA this year for a new defense system to be called the Gold Yarmulke.

    21. Re:From a US citizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Neither did the Russians who were 1st in space with almost everything.

      No you're dead wrong. When WWII ended, the US and the Russians rushed in and grabbed up every bit of tech they could.

      And yes, the Russians were first in space with almost everything. At the cost of killing a whole bunch of their people. The US took a little bit slower approach, with more emphasis on returning them safely to Earth.

    22. Re:From a US citizen by funky49 · · Score: 1

      I'll help you with your math. "Keep the monkey alive" > "not damaging a warhead"

      I will keep my hopes up while knowing the pursuits of Iran/NK have evil alternatives. What I won't do is paint everything I see with negativity. That's not how I want to live. Please, continue living your life with your way. I will celebrate the good news when I see it.

      Steve

      --
      --- rapper/producer/bachelorette party stripper
    23. Re:From a US citizen by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      As an American, let me be the first to welcome Iran to 1948!

      The "Land of the Aryans" says welcome back for using a Nazi V2 back then.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    24. Re:From a US citizen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you place embargos on a country, that country has a few choices. One is to curl up and cry, and cow-tow, or to take another approach and say FY guys, we will do our own engineering and we will develop our own industry.

      Three closed societies who have done that are North Korea, Iran and Cuba. True, Cuba has not developed nuclear weapons, but instead has concentrated on educating the masses and giving excellent health care to the population. Chavez of Venezuela went to Cuba for cancer treatment. Presumeably if the USA was far advanced in this field, he would have gone to California, where all the adverts for cancer treatments are advertised.

      Iran will develop the bomb, when they test and see how powerful it is, they will not deploy it, except as a defensive weapon.
      So, keep up embargos and you will probably see Iran with new electronic technology that is advanced over what is available elsewhere in the world. Necessity is the answer that spurs them on.

  5. Uh oh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can't wait for the mouse/turtle/mutant hybrids to start raining from the skies.

  6. A monkey, huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How original.

    1. Re:A monkey, huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ham in a can. In the words of Howard Cosell, Look at that little monkey go!

  7. Dear Iran. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OMG, that is soooo 1960's!

    1. Re:Dear Iran. . . by wmac1 · · Score: 1

      Just 6 countries have sent live animals to space. It is original enough for Iran.

  8. What ? What ? What ? by TractorBarry · · Score: 3, Funny

    Firing defenceless animals off into space for their twisted pleasure ?

    BOMB THE BASTARDS.

    --
    Sky subscribers are morons. They pay to be advertised at !
  9. Stone age society develops space age technology by Rogerborg · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sounds like some sort of Flintstones / Jetsons crossover.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    1. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by agoliveira · · Score: 3, Informative

      Depends on what you call "stone age society". They indeed have a lot to grow regarding individual freedom and rights (but, hey, so does USA currently) but they have lots of money, a great schools and universities, weath is well distributed and very low crime rate.

      --
      Scientia est Potentia
    2. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're not stone age, they're modern. They're Persia, and have been a world power for thousands of years. Iran isn't Iraq.

    3. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least now we know where that Ikea monkey came from.

    4. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

      >but they have lots of money, a great schools and universities, weath is well distributed and very low crime rate

      If they have lots of money and it's well distributed, then it seems the people must just choose to live a lower standard of life than others, since the video that comes from Iran doesn't show me the sorts of things I'd expect from people who are rich (Lots of money + will distributed = everyone is generally rich).

      As for great schools, perhaps they are, as long as you exclude science, philosophy, art, history, perhaps geography. Since they're state run (and the state bends the curriculum as they see fit), they are chock full of religion (which takes over the science, philosophy, and art departments) and since their government expresses blind hatred against other countries, I can only assume history and geography classes are equally skewed.

      As for a low crime rate, isn't this the country that had hundreds of thousands of illegal protesters the other year? That's a HELL of a high crime rate, if you ask me!

    5. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      weath is well distributed and very low crime rate.

      Well, that's good news indeed. I didn't even know it could grow there.

    6. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But...being racist is apparently so much more fun!
      *sulk*

    7. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ag0ny · · Score: 3, Insightful

      As for great schools, perhaps they are, as long as you exclude science, philosophy, art, history, perhaps geography. Since they're state run (and the state bends the curriculum as they see fit), they are chock full of religion (which takes over the science, philosophy, and art departments) and since their government expresses blind hatred against other countries, I can only assume history and geography classes are equally skewed.

      And that's different from the U.S. how?

    8. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Nossie · · Score: 1

      After the revolution when Iran stopped being Persia they quickly went back to a 2nd world country. Much more of this and even NK might take over tech wise.

    9. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Have you been in Iran before? go there and come back and then we can discuss your arguments, if your arguments are based on few videos you could be pretty wrong, however I accept any country/society has his own issues , in case that you fear to go there, I was there a month ago and met an blogger from new york http://www.humansofnewyork.com/tagged/iran

      to give you a clue about the quality of universities in iran, most of them are free,many like babak parviz studied and graduated from there, in case that you don't know him visit http://www.wearable-technologies.com/262 http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttrans/2009/01/20090115111056xjsnommis0.6168634.html#axzz2JHsyl8PX

      or just walk in to any american university and ask how many of their Master and PhD students are iranian ;)

    10. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by hamvil · · Score: 2

      I see a pattern instead. Both US and Russian governments were pretty oppressive during their space race. US against the red menace and Russian against the evil of capitalism. Likewise, Iran is obsessed by the threats of a liberal society. It seems to me that hydrogen and paranoia are two mandatory ingredients for a space race.

    11. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Iran really stopped being Persia once it became Muslim. And I'm talking 7th century, after the Sassanid empire fell

    12. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Unlike Iran, the USA could have rewritten some history books for the entire world, but all the information is freely available to anyone, regardless of gender or religion.

      Also, in the USA, if you don't like the curriculum, you can homeschool your children, you can attend online course and there are literally thousands of colleges you can go to. No, let me go further than that, if you're from the USA, you have access to any and all democratic countries in the entire world.

      If you really can't see the difference, I propose this simple experiment. Choose a subject you want to learn about. Find the most comprehensive courses available, then start slashing out anything that might be considered harmful to Iran or it's religion. When that's done, then remove all bits that don't make any sense. Next and final step, create ties that replace the removed pieces, that are showing Iran and it's religion in a positive light, and possibly anybody else (especially the USA) in a bad one. Then, write it as a book, and publish it as fantasy fiction, because no sane person in a free world would believe it to be true.

      I'm not an American, I don't particularly care for them, but dismissing the entire nation and culture is wrong, narrowsighted, and possibly as dangerous as Iran and it's whole way of thinking.

    13. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ScentCone · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And that's different from the U.S. how?

      You mean other than the fact that you don't run the risk of having the religious police give you trouble over your beard length, that you don't get locked up in prison for being insufficiently Muslim? That you can still say the word "pizza," which has been banned in that country for being too western? That little details like being sent to prison or even killed for having been raped tend to stand out? Or charming features of Iran's foreign policy such as backing the annihilation of a specific country on religious grounds, or the steady support of some of the worst medieval-minded terrorist groups in the world because they are such?

      Never mind your completely spurious and disingenuous comparison of the school systems, or the fact that you just sitting here talking about it openly would - there - put in at risk of death in prison.

      Woops! Here I am feeding a troll. Never mind.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    14. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      Protesting != crime - the protests are usually aimed AT the criminals, not BY the criminals.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    15. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Please, you're undermining years of propaganda there. Carefully crafted stereotypes, smashed to the ground! Please, don't destroy our egocentric arrogance like that! It is absolutely necessary that American believe that Iranians live in caves, eat raw meat (when meat is available), and that they have pedal cars on their cobblestone roads.

      Next, you'll actually expect us to believe that Iranians are LITERATE!

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    16. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's different in every way you motherfucking cunt. Stop acting like the US is Nazi germany.

    17. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by circletimessquare · · Score: 2

      keep playing the false equivalency game

      but the only thing the silly game hurts is your own credibility

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    18. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If a snide quip is "racist", then Slashdot is extremely racist against Americans.

    19. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean other than the fact that you don't run the risk of having the religious police give you trouble over....

      Clearly you have never visited the bible belt.

    20. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      His point stands though, Iran is hardly stone age. They have some pretty talented scientists and weapons formidable enough to give the US and Israel pause before attacking. They would still lose of course, but they are no Iraq or Afghanistan.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    21. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Next, you'll actually expect us to believe that Iranians are LITERATE!

      Only three quarters of them, or so.

    22. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by sjames · · Score: 1

      I have no doubt that there are plenty of problems in Iran, but it's far too easy for a few videos to give the wrong idea. Imagine, for example if the only thing you knew about the U.S. was videos taken from the poorest parts of Appalachia and Skid Row.

    23. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      Clearly you have never visited the bible belt.

      More to the point, clearly you never have. Because you aren't going to be able to point out where the people there stone rape victims to death, dish out lashings to women not covering their heads, or throw people in prison (and worse) for being the wrong flavor of Christian. Get a grip.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    24. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by kwoff · · Score: 1

      (Ignoring your obviously good points)

      That you can still say the word "pizza," which has been banned in that country for being too western?

      "Freedom fries" or "Peace pies", is it so different?

    25. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not an American, I don't particularly care for them,

      WHAT?!? HOW DARE YOU, SIR? HOW DARE YOU HOLD US IN ANY BUT THE VERY HIGHEST ESTEEM?

      but dismissing the entire nation and culture is wrong, narrowsighted, and possibly as dangerous as Iran and it's whole way of thinking.

      Oh. Well, that's okay then. I guess I... um... well, sorry I yelled, okay?

      Honestly though, all kidding aside, it amazes me how much information is floating around on the internet, and how so many people who spend so much time interfacing with, and through the internet, are so fucking pig-ignorant. Like how so many people think Iran is a stone-aged country. For instance. Consult the CIA World Factbook on Iran. Their navy clashed with the US navy in the late 80's, how many stone-aged countries have navies AT ALL, let alone ones that can present ANY kind of threat to ANY US Navy vessel? Their dearth or lack, (like other middle-eastern counties) of vast, highly sophisticated technology for refining the oil beneath their feet is as much or more the result of economic realities than a lack of know-how or capability. Some of it is poor decision making on the part of their leadership, but some of it is simple economics.

      It's the same reason McDonald's doesn't raise its own cattle, or produce its own milk or lettuce. (AFAIK) It doesn't make economic sense for them to. They COULD become more vertically integrated, sure, but would it be COST EFFECTIVE?

      In business, anywhere in the world, the answer to that question in general, "would it be cost effective" is the same as the answer to the question, "are they doing it"? No... therefore... NO.

    26. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not an American, I don't particularly care for them

      But have you tasted one? How will you know if you won't even taste one?

    27. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Their navy clashed with the US navy in the late 80's"

      And the outcome of the clash was Operation Praying Mantis where the US destroyed 2 of Iran's largest oil platforms, sunk 4 Iranian ships, and shot down 2 Iranian fighters. The US lost 1 helicopter in a non-combat related accident during the operation. People should realize that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were military victories. It was the political decisions made after the shooting stopped that utterly failed to take advantage of the military gains and threw it all away.

    28. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by speedlaw · · Score: 1

      When I went to school, there were lots of Iranians, under the Shah. I think they were "good" Iranians, I recall them intelligent students. Most were western but there were a few religious zealot types. I recall one of them making a comment after a young lady stayed over one night-clearly the product of a more closed society. It is a pity his group runs the place, not the more open folks I met from there.

    29. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      "Freedom fries" or "Peace pies", is it so different?

      Yes, it's 100% entirely different. Because you can't go to jail for using such phrases (or not using them in lieu of others, etc). We're talking about dictates from religious dictators that carry with them the force of law. That, and using a snarky name for a product while in the middle of some political back-and-forth with another country over policy, are worlds apart.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    30. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ogdenk · · Score: 1

      More to the point, clearly you never have. Because you aren't going to be able to point out where the people there stone rape victims to death,

      Nope, they just brand them whores and ostracize them if force wasn't proven.

      dish out lashings to women not covering their heads,

      No, they just break their face for talking to an unapproved male or because the truck broke down.... etc.

      or throw people in prison (and worse) for being the wrong flavor of Christian. Get a grip.

      No you're just ostracized from the community or driven out for being anything BUT Christian or maybe Jewish in more tolerant areas. They stopped burning people's houses a while back.

      I'm an atheist who's lived in SC for years. I know what's up. All 3 Abrahamic religions are just as evil. The Christians are just less upfront and gossipy backstabbers about it.

      --Kevin

    31. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...get locked up in prison for being insufficiently Muslim?

      Having the wrong amount of Muslim in the USA could get you a cell in gitmo as well.

    32. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      All 3 Abrahamic religions are just as evil.

      Perhaps. But the difference is that in one country you've got the religion directly and unapologetically running the government (including the courts and prisons and military) and in the other you don't. In one you've got an obnoxious bunch of religious wingnuts shooting down the teaching of evolution in schools - as dictated from the top of the power chain - and in the other you've got attempts to do shouted down in public, and ruled down in courts at every jurisdictional level. There's being surrounded by jerky religions and religious people, and there's government formally and specifically run in religious terms by those religious jerks - a fundamental difference.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    33. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ryzvonusef · · Score: 2

      And that's different from the U.S. how?

      You mean other than the fact that you don't run the risk of having the religious police give you trouble over your beard length, that you don't get locked up in prison for being insufficiently Muslim? That you can still say the word "pizza," which has been banned in that country for being too western? That little details like being sent to prison or even killed for having been raped tend to stand out? Or charming features of Iran's foreign policy such as backing the annihilation of a specific country on religious grounds, or the steady support of some of the worst medieval-minded terrorist groups in the world because they are such?

      Never mind your completely spurious and disingenuous comparison of the school systems, or the fact that you just sitting here talking about it openly would - there - put in at risk of death in prison.

      Woops! Here I am feeding a troll. Never mind.

      I am sorry, but WHAT THE FUCK?

      My dad was was posted in Tehran for two years, and and he regularly ate pizza like once a month. I would take you seriously if you weren't spouting such craziness. I mean, where did you *even* get this sort of silly ideas from?

      Also beard length and and the insufficiently muslim thing(what does it even mean, anyways?) is Taliban-run Afghanistan, My dad recalls that plenty of men were clean shaven in Tehran, and he had no trouble buying razors.

      Seriously people, Iran is not North Korea; heck not every third-world country is the same variety shitness, there is a gradient.

      --
      I am an ACCA student. Got a query on Accountancy/Finance? Maybe I can help!
    34. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by dinfinity · · Score: 1

      My favorite video to support the point:
      Iran before 1979

      It's amazing how, deep down, humans are all alike.

    35. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by orzetto · · Score: 1

      Far from me to defend the regime of the regime of the ahund, but you are painting a way exaggerated picture. I know several Iranians at my university (and speak some Persian to boot), and I can say that:

      • There is no problem with shaving in Iran. You are confusing them with the Talibans in Afghanistan. Long story short, Afghanistan is like Iran's Mexico—a source of cheap labor and illegal immigrants. At my university there is one Iranian guy who is a supporter of the regime (over about a hundred who despise it openly), and he happens to have no beard.
      • Almost all Iranians I know are atheists or at least non-religious, and no one ever mentioned being locked up for insufficient muslim-ness. Of course you will be locked up if you insult Islam publicly (it's a lousy dictatorship after all), but they don't really care about you praying regularly.
      • The story of the word "pizza" being translated into Persian is a funny story of an overzealous language institute, not different from Western institutes such as the Academie Francaise that proposed "Nourriture rapide" instead of fast food. "Pizza" is a furthermore word that does not fit well Persian phonology, as they have no /ts/ affricate. Anyway, they still call it pizza in Iran, the translated word is mostly jocular.
      • Prison or death penalty for being raped is plain false. It may be true for tribal traditions in some areas, but then there are such backwards places in the West too. They do have death penalty for adultery, but being victim of a rape is not considered adultery. Of course, since the penalty for rape is death (for the aggressor), in a trial the aggressor will try to frame the victim as a consensual partner, a fact that for a married woman carries the death penalty. Since corruption is rampant, a rapist may buy the sentence. You don't need to make up the story of death penalty for rape victims, death penalty for adultery is bad enough.
      • Supporting medieval-minded terrorist groups is something that the US did as well in Afghanistan when it served their interest. Neither excuses the other, but support of terrorist activities in enemy countries is a fairly normal practice, however execrable.
      --
      Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
    36. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      Who said they banned pizza? I said that they banned the word pizza. Here, read up. . I'd hate for you to take my word for it, on the subject of Elastic Loaves.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    37. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ryzvonusef · · Score: 1

      The Hell, that's totally different. So they have a Persian-nisation program, even the French( and Quebecois) have French-ification program and regularly ban non french words from the vocabulary. like banning "email" and insisting it be called "courriel".

      But just like the average Pierre on the web doesn't give a fuck what Academie francaise says, no one in iran will give a hoot about what to call pizza. You are making a mountain out of a molehill, bring non-issues in such discussions.

      PS. "elastic loaves" makes sense in persian, since that's a rather awkward translation of much more normal persian words. Heck Elastic is a very bad though literal translation. Taking a guess, based on similarities of our dietary culture, they probably differentiate breads made from refined flour, which you call cake/pastry flour, which makes bread more "elastic" than the non-refined variety. My dad recalls there were like atleast 15 different variety of breads, and the pizza dough probably resemble the bread that is made from the "elastic" flour.

      Then the Persian grammar nazi barged in and insisted that it *be* named similar to that bread, as the French probably looked on in approval.

      --
      I am an ACCA student. Got a query on Accountancy/Finance? Maybe I can help!
    38. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by jadv · · Score: 1

      As funny as your metaphor was, please learn some more about what Iran is really like before you type that kind of BS.

    39. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And that's different from the U.S. how?

      You mean other than the fact that you don't run the risk of having the religious police give you trouble over your beard length, that you don't get locked up in prison for being insufficiently Muslim? That you can still say the word "pizza," which has been banned in that country for being too western? That little details like being sent to prison or even killed for having been raped tend to stand out? Or charming features of Iran's foreign policy such as backing the annihilation of a specific country on religious grounds, or the steady support of some of the worst medieval-minded terrorist groups in the world because they are such?

      Never mind your completely spurious and disingenuous comparison of the school systems, or the fact that you just sitting here talking about it openly would - there - put in at risk of death in prison.

      Woops! Here I am feeding a troll. Never mind.

      Yes never mind. Its clear that you dont know enough. Enjoy fox

    40. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it's the Flintstones with some folks playing the role of the Great Gazoo...

    41. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I doubt the quality of their post-secondary institutions; before the fall of the Shah all of their students came to the U.S. (and stayed.)

    42. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You watch way too much CNN and Fox.

      Yes, I used the two deliberately in one statement.

    43. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ganesh.rao · · Score: 0

      Finally!

      I thought all hope was lost on /.ers after reading the first few comments.

      Such a shame that we are rare.

    44. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Pherdnut · · Score: 1

      Also blacks, gays, people with disabilities,etc... Let's not forget how completely batshit we still are about the notion of socialism or even a mixed economy even though we already basically have one.

    45. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by ogdenk · · Score: 1

      Old thread but....

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Executive_Order_44

      Yes, it's happened on our soil. Dictated from near the top and tolerated by the top. From 1838 to 1976 it was legal to murder Mormons (women and children included) in Missouri simply for being Mormon. IIRC they weren't the only state with such hatred at the time. There were even a couple "Mormon" wars. They're Christians too, just a different flavor.

      Again. All three are just as bad and just as present at the top of power chains in various nations. Ours included. We just try to brush it under the rug or pass religious sentiment as law with some flavorful spin on it.

    46. Re:Stone age society develops space age technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not an American, I don't particularly care for them,

      Well, we like you anyway.

      Unless you're a communist.

      Only kidding!

      But not really.

  10. In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Iran also said it has a girlfriend, but she lives in Canada.

    1. Re:In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What a coincidence, so do I!

      I bet they know each other. Canada is a rather small place, isn't it?

    2. Re:In other news... by 3nails4aFalseProphet · · Score: 1

      Iran also said it has a girlfriend, but she lives in Canada.

      Is her name Lennay?

      --
      /*Insert boring sig here*/
  11. PUT AN AYATOLLA ASSAHOLLA IN SPACE !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then it can brag all it wants !!

    And Siemens, quite selling contraband to it !!

  12. Calling bullshit on this one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Where did it land? Iran? No way. They would have to target the ocean and their navy is well monitored, blockaded and (honestly) fairly weak.

    1. Re:Calling bullshit on this one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Iran has 1980s Soviet-era technology as well as 1970s US technology. That makes for an interesting mix of hardware, like F-14 planes with Russian tanks. Iran even bought hardware from North Korea. It wouldn't be difficult to imagine that they're within 15 years of state of the art and have the benefit of taking shortcuts to bring them closer in some areas. Remember, even the Space Shuttle dates to 1981.

    2. Re:Calling bullshit on this one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is possible to land a spacecraft on the ground. The US used ocean splash-downs because we had the naval power to spare. And since no one really knew if the math was good or if overlooked details would have foreseen effects aiming for the ocean seemed prudent (you pretty much can't miss the ocean) compared with the possibility of the damn thing coming down on someone's RV.

    3. Re:Calling bullshit on this one by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 1

      It is possible to land a spacecraft on the ground

      I always thought the Vostok re-entry system was pretty crazy - Ejecting the cosmonaut from the capsule and making him parachute down.

  13. They risked a valuable Monkey? by Bocaj · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm surprised they didn't start with some something more disposable, like a woman. I'm sorry, but it just shocks me that a society can make this kind of technological achievement and still treat some humans as second class citizens.

    1. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Strapping a monkey to an ICBM hardly counts as a technological achievement.

    2. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by HungWeiLo · · Score: 2

      Despite all that's wrong with Iran, they have a very decent education system - that is even accessible for women, as I was told.

      When I was at the University of Washington, there were quite a number of good researchers, lecturers, and post-grads I encountered in engineering and chemistry (both male and female) were educated in Iran.

      --
      There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
    3. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ouch, harsh man, harsh...wait, actually i totally agree.

    4. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1

      But bringing it back alive does...

    5. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by pr0t0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You mean like when the United States sent Alan Shepard into space in 1961, but didn't pass the civil rights act until 1964? And it's not like the CRA ended racial discrimination.

      --
      I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
    6. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      erm... because the States were the height of egaltarianism during the Apollo missions.

      I'm sure some were surprised you weren't sending black people up there.

    7. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank god the US didn't treat anyone as second class citizens when we accomplished this feat in 1961.

    8. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Bocaj · · Score: 1

      Yep, that's what I mean.

    9. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Woman in Iran are not treated that badly. Really, they are not talibans and they do respects woman. They even elected a woman minister.. Sure they are not up to par to western society and surely their supreme leader is a zealous religions freak, but this is not taliban.

      Iran despise western civilisation not woman. : )

    10. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 0

      You mean like when the United States sent Alan Shepard into space in 1961, but didn't pass the civil rights act until 1964?

      I'm curious. How is Alan Shepard related to the civl rights act?

      --
      These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
    11. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the same way that sending a monkey into space has anything to do with women's rights in Iran. None at all.

    12. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For the sake of my poor, overloaded irony-meter, I really hope you're not posting from the USA.

    13. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by jkflying · · Score: 1

      What does Iran's sexual discrimination have to do with their space program?

      --
      Help I am stuck in a signature factory!
    14. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doesn't that depend on whether or not the money was a woman, and whether or not the monkey had a choice?

    15. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought they sent their president Ahmadinutjob into space and brought him back alive

    16. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by kdemetter · · Score: 1

      I just realized that most of what I know comes from tv,radio and the internet.
      Very little comes from actually being somewhere and witnessing something with my own eyes.

      I need to get out and found out things for myself.

    17. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      I thought they sent their president Ahmadinutjob into space and brought him back alive

      Even the Iranians aren't that stupid.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    18. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Bocaj · · Score: 1

      What does Iran's sexual discrimination have to do with their space program?

      Because jkflying, it's been generally accepted for some time now that education lessens crime and discrimination among other things. Iran's current treatment of women would appear to contradict that.

    19. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would you think technology would magically solve social problems?

    20. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I believe women traveling alone is a frowned upon practice

    21. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by bluegutang · · Score: 1

      When I was in university (in the US) I met some very competent Iran-born researchers. They all left Iran shortly after 1979...

    22. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by rot26 · · Score: 1

      Unless you are a monkey, one monkey looks pretty much like another of the same species.

      --



      To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
    23. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Reverand+Dave · · Score: 2

      The Iranian government despises western civilization, the people not so much.

      --
      I got here through a series of tubes
    24. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You might not recall that the first pilot episode of Star Trek was soundly rejected by test audiences. The lady first officer was offensive to the culture in which women were second class citizens. So they did a do-over, and made her a nurse. Heck, even having a black woman answer the phones was considered edgy.

      Still got to the moon in the 60's.

    25. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Peter+Simpson · · Score: 1

      You mean like when the United States sent Alan Shepard into space in 1961, but didn't pass the civil rights act until 1964? And it's not like the CRA ended racial discrimination.

      Pretty much just like that, only 50 years later. I guess some societies are slower to catch on than others.

      I'm beginning to think that fundamentalism in any guise is a Bad Thing.

    26. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      Is it possible that some of you guys are confusing Iran with Afghanistan? The Taliban doesn't rule Iran. There's about half of a continent between the two places.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    27. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by asavage · · Score: 1

      The Canadian professional engineering bodies accept degrees from very few other countries but seem to have no problem accepting Iranian engineers. It might depend on the school but I have Iranian coworkers who didn't have to do any additional classes or testing to accept their degrees when registering.

    28. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      A lot of people expect that very thing. We're going to have cashless economies, etc, just because technology advances. I think the sci-fi writers have had things right all along. Technology might take us to the stars, but we'll still be a race of assholes and douchebags, dreaming up excuses to kill each other. Doesn't much matter why, someone is going to need to feel important, so they'll kill some other poor bastards for being different.

      People aren't going to change just because they get shiny toys to play with.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    29. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      Yes, but it would REALLY be frowned up if she had stopped to give some guy a ride! No hitchhiking outside the atmosphere!!

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    30. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      the past crimes of the usa does not excuse the current crimes of iran

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    31. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Iran has a nuclear program, copy technologies to make their own missiles and fighters and are not third world. Come on, sending a monkey into space is far less unbelievable from them than NK putting a satellite into orbit.

    32. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, blacks were second class citizens (and women not much better, and homosexuals demonized) when we launched our own monkey in 1949. And ours even died coming back because of a parachute failure.

    33. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by squiggleslash · · Score: 2

      Because Iran is a Muslim country, and the fact is that most right-wing Americans are brought up to believe that Islam is a monolithic entity practiced exactly the same way across the entire world, and that if you find a Muslim doing something that's objectionable, it must follow that every Muslim in the entire world does the same damned thing.

      Also: Iran! Scary! They hate America therefore everything they do is bad!

      (By comparison, Christianity is _always_ the Church of England. Anything that's not happy clappy and liberal is either NOT REAL CHRISTIANITY or it's RIGHT you liberal commie muslimlover.)

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    34. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Isao · · Score: 1

      It might be accessible to some women, but it's not accessible to anyone who is Christian, Jewish or Bahai. Bahai's can't own property or businesses, and are imprisoned if caught with a high-school textbook.

    35. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Either that or they border one another....

    36. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by cellocgw · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Despite all that's wrong with Iran, they have a very decent education system - that is even accessible for women, as I was told.

      I'm no expert on the current state of education in Iran, but I can tell you with certainty that one of our allies, rhymes with "howdy arabia," is far worse than Iran when it comes to religious freedom, women's rights, and government funding of Islamic terrorist groups. Never make the mistake of rating countries on the basis of the USA's "friend or foe" list.

      --
      https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
    37. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean like when the United States sent Alan Shepard into space in 1961, but didn't pass the civil rights act until 1964? And it's not like the CRA ended racial discrimination.

      Pretty much just like that, only 50 years later. I guess some societies are slower to catch on than others.

      True - you guys were way behind when it came to equal rights for non-whites, and still a good bit behind when it came to equal rights for women, compared to many countries in Europe....

      Suppose that doesn't help your point very much though, does it?

    38. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 1

      Most people in Iran are "Muslim" even if they're not. It's an Islamic republic. If you're not Muslim, you miss out on stuff.

      Conversion from Islam is punishable by death btw. Crazy government.

    39. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US was only able to do that because they built upon the ethical purity of the V2 pionee-- oh wait.

    40. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Over 50% of higher education students in Iran are women. This is a known fact even in the western media.

    41. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by ceoyoyo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Let's see... the first unmanned suborbital space flight was a V2 launched by Germany in 1944. Germany at that time is sort of famous for having different classes of people, the treatment of some making Americans' worst imaginings about Iran look like playland.

      The US first launched something into space in 1949. That's twenty years before Mad Men is set, six years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, and 54 years before Lawrence v. Texas made the remaining anti-sodomy laws in the US unconstitutional.

      It seems a country's position on equality of its citizens has very little to do with its success in space flight.

    42. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by wmac1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You don't know what you are speaking about. Iranian women have a 60% share of universities (i.e. 2.5 million seats) and they are possibly more educated than (percentage wise) most other countries.

      At least 50% of almost 10 million university graduates are women.

    43. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by stymy · · Score: 2

      I realize that is a joke, but it seems that a lot of people here need to read this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Iran#Politics. Currently, Iran has 9 women in parliament. Ahmadinejad also appointed a female minister in 2009. The women's participation rate in the economy was 31.9% in 2009. That's still shy of the US's ~60%, but far better of Saudi Arabia's women's participation rate of between 5 and 15%. It seems to me that the only real laws limiting women in Iran, apart from abortion, is that they are required to wear head scarves. Compare that to Saudi Arabia, where they are not allowed to drive alone, need male witnesses to sign documents, and can't vote. It seems to me that the US is allied with the wrong Middle Eastern country, by equality and rights.

    44. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by tgd · · Score: 1

      I'm surprised they didn't start with some something more disposable, like a woman. I'm sorry, but it just shocks me that a society can make this kind of technological achievement and still treat some humans as second class citizens.

      Monkey weighs a lot less. And getting into space, that's a good thing.

    45. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      You do know that Iran borders Afghanistan, don't you? There is a nifty free tool called Google Maps that you can use to find out where everything is. You do know that the Iranian theocracy was established well before the Taliban don't you - and is arguably more evil because it is intelligent yet evil rather than the Taliban's backward and evil. They are both evil. Your post was one of the most ignorantly counter-factual I've seen in a long time.

    46. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by amirishere · · Score: 0

      I am in Iran. yes they treat women badly. They also treat, Bahai's, Jews, Christians, atheists, gays, sunnis, and kurds badly.
      Please, don't spend your dollars on coming here, spend them on getting people out! :)

    47. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      I left off the "figuratively speaking"? Sorry.

      The people aren't the same people. I don't think they speak the same language. The cultures are different. Their histories are different. Their politics are different. At this point in history, they share similar religions, but their religions are apparently viewed quite differently. In Persia, or Iran, women are respected a great deal more than they are in Afghanistan. Iran may not meet OUR standards, but Afghanistan certainly doesn't come up to Iran's standards. As has been pointed out already, there is no comparison between the two nation's education. Afghanistan's tribalism helps to ensure that they don't get educated. Iran competes with many first world countries on education.

      The difference between Iran and Afghanistan is greater than the difference between the US and Mexico.

      There may be more than a continent between the two countries.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    48. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How is this modded funny?

    49. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the clarification. Most of the Iranians I know are smart - being ruled over by a bunch of counter-revolutionary thugs that violently enforce a 7th Century theocratic worldview really gets to them. That's why the Free World should have done everything it could to help the Green Revolution, but sadly it did nothing. If only the people of Iran were able to host real free and fair elections - much of the trouble in the world would go away (although polls show the bulk of the populace agrees with acquisition of nuclear arms).

    50. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They were educated before the regime.

    51. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It wasn't that long ago I read an article regarding how Iranian leaders worried about this trend (more women than men attending college), and have placed some engineering and science degrees off limits to women in order to "fix" the problem. Here's an article from the BBC regarding this:
      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19665615

    52. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by sapphire+wyvern · · Score: 1

      Judging by the state of American manned spaceflight in recent history, it seems like there could even be a negative correlation!

      Better find a class of people to oppress so we can get a Mars colony going....

    53. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by kdemetter · · Score: 1

      I'm convinced that's true ( people being treated badly in Iran ) , but my comment was more broad than that. The fact is a lot of us have never been to a country like Iran, so basically I have no way of real knowing what going on there.

      I don't have the money to go to Iran though, so don't worry :-)
      When you say "spend them on getting people out" , what are referring to ? I'd like to help where I can.

    54. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Onuma · · Score: 1

      Women are for reproduction and nothing more.

      The monkeys, they are for important scientific experiments...and sex.

      --
      What else can happen when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object?
    55. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Peter+Simpson · · Score: 1

      You mean like when the United States sent Alan Shepard into space in 1961, but didn't pass the civil rights act until 1964? And it's not like the CRA ended racial discrimination.

      Pretty much just like that, only 50 years later. I guess some societies are slower to catch on than others.

      True - you guys were way behind when it came to equal rights for non-whites, and still a good bit behind when it came to equal rights for women, compared to many countries in Europe....

      Suppose that doesn't help your point very much though, does it?

      We (US) are pretty much in the middle. We all have skeletons in our closets, most of us (including most of Europe) had colonies. Canada's probably at the top of the "good guy" list, but even they have a "history" with their indigenous people. Fundamentalist theocracies are kinda the bottom of the barrel, because "god says" it's OK to treat people like crap. Perhaps the US was 200 years ahead of the curve in spotting that?

    56. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by amirishere · · Score: 0

      I must say that even I don't know what is going on here. I can't tell if it is a pedantically religious government trying to force its views or a conman of a regime sucking all the capital into its own pockets.

      The people here are also very unreadable. On the one hand most of the religious shiites want more freedom in different part of their lives, for example in speech, in the economy, and in the society; but on the other hand they seem reluctant to relinquish their control over their female relatives or believe that other faiths should not be able to advertise their beliefs.

      This religious adherence of the people plays into the hand of the government. The government rides these sentiments and from them derives and portrays its own, albeit different, version of what the people want through the media. Based on this portrayal the government implements some very annoying policies. This includes the severe restriction of the press, the internet and political figures, it includes the hijab police on the streets who arrest people based on their cloth. It includes systematic filtering of university students and professors and also our foreign policies.

      There also are the Bazzaris (those with the money) and the religious leaders who are not affiliated with the government. These I haven't had much contact with and don't know much about.

    57. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by amirishere · · Score: 0

      My comment on helping people leave was made on the spur of the moment. If anything is to be done we have to do it ourselves. Our main problem is organizational rather than funding. I know several individuals who mean to leave but are stuck in their daily lives here, we usually need counselling more than anything else.

      But your governments should consider helping engineers get out of this country. They should issue special work visas (like Australia) for the graduates of top universities. Many of my friends who are working in Iran (even in the military sectors) do so only because they need the job. Getting these people out would be the most effective and the cheapest way to do damage.

      OTOH getting these people out may be a double edged sword. Although unlikely, if anyone is going to put sense back into the system it's these guys.

    58. Re:They risked a valuable Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually it does - you do it in times of inequality and having big portions of society having no say at all:Soviet Union, USA, China, Nazi Germany as you correctly stated. It seems indeed that oppressing people 'helps'.

  14. A mouse, a turtle, and some worms by Esion+Modnar · · Score: 1

    Go into a bar, I mean, an Iranian space capsule. The mouse says... Come on, help me out here.

    --

    They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
    1. Re:A mouse, a turtle, and some worms by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why the long face?

    2. Re:A mouse, a turtle, and some worms by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ==REDACTED==

    3. Re:A mouse, a turtle, and some worms by SleazyRidr · · Score: 1

      The bartender (mission control maybe) says "what is this, a joke?"

  15. 'Into space' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Reaching an altitude of 120km is much, much easier than orbiting at 120km.

    By a ridiculous factor.
    One you can achieve with a really large single stage sugar/fertiliser rocket.

    The other requires multi-stage, or really advanced single stage with good design and control.

    It's sort of like saying making a childs toy cart is relevant to making a formulae one car.

    1. Re:'Into space' by kj_in_ottawa · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Correct, an orbit is a lot harder than just achieving an altitude.

      I do however, disagree with you about the conclusion you are trying to prove with your analogy.

      If you have never built any sort of a vehicle before, evolving from the toy stage through many many many steps to a formula 1 car may actually be a logical process, and therefore is relevant.

      Likewise, a progression from earthbound to an orbiting space station and beyond, may include a developmental step of placing a monkey in a missile.

      Cheers
      Kenny

    2. Re:'Into space' by patch5 · · Score: 0

      Keeping a really large single stage sugar/fertilizer rocket from blowing up on the launch pad and taking out your monkey is a lot tougher than it sounds.

    3. Re:'Into space' by Blaskowicz · · Score: 2

      Yes, the difference in energy required to reach orbit is enormous.. Though I don't think you can quite orbit at 120km, there must be terrible atmospheric drag there.

      What's notable is that all the talks about space tourism in the US : they're mostly about achieving that same kind of suborbital roller-coaster that breaks an arbitrary 100km threshold. Making it cheap is probably the interesting part, I wonder if the Iranian version of this was cheap (taking your time to build a boring old rocket domestically), or expensive (throw money at the problem to build that boring old rocket instead of trying e.g. a cheap space plane thing).

      What I happen to think sadly is such rollercoaster trips for millionnaires are pointless and a waste of resources! Color me uninterested. Unless you do useful things (probing the high atmosphere, have a quick look at cosmic rays related stuff etc.)

    4. Re:'Into space' by dintech · · Score: 1

      For real seat-of-your pants excitement, take the place of the monkey in the the next Iranian launch. If you make it back, you might also need new pants but don't worry, probably you won't need new pants.

    5. Re:'Into space' by Eevee · · Score: 1

      Though I don't think you can quite orbit at 120km, there must be terrible atmospheric drag there.

      The lowest circular non-powered orbit is around 150km.

      ...that breaks an arbitrary 100km threshold.

      There's nothing arbitrary about the Karman line, aside from picking a static round number close to the value. It's the place where a plane would need to be at orbital speed to get lift from the wings.

    6. Re:'Into space' by wmac1 · · Score: 2

      The rocket used for this launch is one of the smaller rockets Iran uses for the purpose.

      Their main rocket carried a 50kg satellite to 500km in 2011 and their new rocket (i.e. Simorgh with 4 engines in first stage) is able to launch very much bigger loads.

  16. Its probably not true by Chrisq · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Its probably just to cover the news that their nuclear weapon research bunker was blown up.Don't look here, watch the monkey!

    1. Re:Its probably not true by Jeng · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Oddly enough the story you are linking to says that that story may also be a fake.

      Perhaps the Iranians just feel really insecure and want to make people believe they are more of a threat than they are?

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    2. Re:Its probably not true by gtall · · Score: 1

      This sounds like it ought to be part of Blazing Saddles. Iranian government: No one move or we'll have our own nuclear accident. A spokeswoman from some nation speaks up: Isn't anyone going help that poor country. Iranian government backs slowly away, and hides behind a door.

    3. Re:Its probably not true by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      "Buried 300 feet underground, the nuclear fortress at Fordow is immune to air strikes or bunker bombs."

      That bit is nonsense. If men dig a hole in the ground, then close it up, then they have left an entrance somewhere. Pinpoint that entrance, hit that entrance with the bunker buster, and watch it fly down the tunnel before exploding. Sure, they can put a pair of blast doors at the top, and another pair of blast doors at the bottom. A nice accurate cruise missile can pinpoint the center of the first blast door, and if lined up with the second blast door, just blow through it. So what if the tunnel curves? The nuke warhead blows 1/4, or 3/4 down the shaft, everything flies through the gates of hell just the same as if the missile flew all the way down into the laboratory. We've all studied what air blasts can do. Contain that blast within a tunnel, and there is NOTHING that is going to survive within the tunnel, or any connected chambers.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    4. Re:Its probably not true by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      They obviously learned well from the USSR and al-Qaeda. Keep the US guessing and it will piss away vast sums of money defending against phantom threats. You can do more real damage to more people's lives than a small nuke.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:Its probably not true by Jeng · · Score: 1

      Yes, but they did not learn from Saddam Hussein, don't bluff on having WMD's or you may be in a position where you would wish you had WMD's.

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    6. Re:Its probably not true by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      If history has taught us anything it is when you enemies make a threat, you better believe them. The *President* of Iran daily ends his speeches with "Death to Israel! Death to America! Death to the West!". These guys are not joking as much as they are made out to be buffoons. Their stated goal is to impose Shia Islamic hegemony over the entire globe. They are working toward that end, slowly and steadily (if you care to look). Unlike the rational Russians the threat of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) will not keep the Iranians in check - they several organizations (eg. the Quds force/Pasdaran) that seek martyrdom.

      History has also taught that the Monroe Doctrine of US isolationism doesn't work. Three World Wars proved that (counting the Cold War as WW III). Now the US is engaged in WW IV whether it likes it or not. Like the Cold War this one doesn't involve much shooting. It is more ideological. The enemy, if you haven't noticed, is the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that already controls the UN and is passing lots of resolutions (eg. UN HRC 16/18) that are slowly and surely changing the narrative. They are aiming for the Long War, and don't mind achieving victory in decades or even centuries. Sharia is already being used in US courts and it is a python that is slowly being applied under the guise of 'political correctness'. Your media and Government is already Sharia compliant with regard to Free Speech [you cannot criticize Islam, even if truthful, without being labelled a bigot - one day it will probably be made a 'hate crime' to speak truth]. UN HRC 16/18 is intended to justify the restriction of Free Speech to US/global citizens. And the US citizens are brainwashed by their left-leaning media (military bad and dishonorable murderers; dark skin people are always victims of evil corporations or the US government or white exploiters) that they lap it up. When the fight is being brought to you then war is necessary. The US is not currently winning the war against Islamic supremism - this is fortunate because it fits the the objectives of "anti-war" crowd.

      Incidentally, the "War on Terror" is the most expensive in absolute terms but because of the massive growth of the economy it is one of the cheapest wars in relative terms (as a percentage of GDP). The US can afford to fight the War against Islamic Supremacists indefinitely. What the US cannot afford is the entitlements the population has granted itself that far exceeds its tax revenue. This is not to say the military can or should have an unlimited budget - there is waste in the system that should be eliminated (interestingly, the military often does not want many things the Government imposes on them; equipment that happens to help the economy of States influential Congressmen and Senators come from). However blaming spending on self-defence while ignoring the elephant in the room of Big Government civil service spending and entitlements is deluded - yet the mainstream media never dwells on this. You ought to be asking yourself why.

    7. Re:Its probably not true by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      The Iranians have that covered. They are working as hard as they can on WMDs. They have around three dozen sites working on these programs. These sites are not required for civilian nuclear power programmes. It is not hard to guess what the only other use these sites can be for. All the Iranians have to do is introduce enough ambiguity for there to be time to finish their weapons programme. Once they do this then they are free to threaten their neighbours at will. Who is going to do anything about it? the US? no way. The Saudis, Egyptians and Turks will then feel compelled to counter with their own nuclear programmes. Sound like an ideal world to you? If the Obama Administration lets the insane Iranian regime get nukes then history will not be kind in its judgement. It is far far better (and cheaper!) to stop the Iranians now, before they get nukes.

    8. Re:Its probably not true by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      There are about three dozen sites in the Iranian programme. Not all are as well defended as Fordow but their wide dispersal makes taking them all out very very difficult. With the proliferation of sites and burying some underground it is getting beyond the capability of the IDF (although they will try, because they understand the Iranian leadership better than nearly anyone else). Pretty soon only the US will have the capability to destroy the Iranian programme - but there is a total lack of political will to actually achieve this. The world is about to feel what it is like when madmen get nuclear weapons. It won't be the end of the world, but things will not be for the better. The Iranians can export terror everywhere (as they have to Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Georgia, Thailand, Argentina) and will be invulnerable to attack.

      Oh, and for those US citizens who are "anti-war". The war is coming to you whether you want it or not. Do a quick Google and find about the dozens of Iranian Shahab missiles Iran is installing in a mountain fortress in Venezuela. Once they get nuclear tipped warheads you will be in the same boat as the Israelis and Europeans - every city under the threat of missile attack from Islamic supremacists. Wouldn't it be so much better to stop the Iranians before newer missiles arrive with nuclear warheads? even if it a limited war on Iranian soil? (which is better than trying to defeat missiles over US soil, yes?).

    9. Re:Its probably not true by Jeng · · Score: 1

      It is the Russians who are enabling the Iranians go about their plans, they are the ones history will not be kind to.

      The only way to truly stop Iran would be to also go after Russia, sorry but history would slam any idiot stupid enough to roll those dice.

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    10. Re:Its probably not true by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      Perhaps the Iranians just feel really insecure [...]

      Could be. After all, there are 68,000 US troops on one side and they have US Allies in Iraq and Turkey and there have been plenty of American officials talking about attacking Iran.

    11. Re:Its probably not true by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      True. The Russians are contrarians. They're missing being a superpower and will do anything to take the US and Europe down a peg. Even if it is danger to themselves (Moscow is one of the first capital to be in range of Iran's nuclear missiles). That's why they prop up Syria (although the Russians also want to display a contrast between themselves as loyal and the fickle US that abandoned Mubarak and the Shah).

    12. Re:Its probably not true by jadv · · Score: 1

      Actually, when the USSR used this trick against the US (or so you say) it backfired on them, remember?

  17. Congrats! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Great job, Iran! Now your space program has reached the level of the US space program circa 1949.

    1. Re:Congrats! by Issarlk · · Score: 1

      Meanwhile the USA reached the level of the US space program circa 1980.

  18. [citation needed] by Henriok · · Score: 2

    Isn't this something that would be easily confirmed by the nations watching Iran's rising power? Or is it confirmed already? Iran is famous for its photoshopping skills and their knack for skewing propaganda in their favor. On the other hand, they do have the technology to do this. At least in theory.

    --

    - Henrik

    - when the Shadows descend -
    1. Re:[citation needed] by berashith · · Score: 1

      I am curious about this also. It seems that if Iran felt like launching a surprise missile like this that we would hear about the entire Israeli military being scrambled. Or , all the interested parties were aware of the test and dont really feel like giving Iran credit.

  19. When... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... did Mahmoud Ahmadinejad find the time for space travel?

    1. Re:When... by ByOhTek · · Score: 1

      Find the time? It provided him with a way to avoid distractions while coming up with new absurd/asinine things to say on the international stage!

      --
      Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
  20. Given recent history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Clearly photoshopped.

  21. Funny by benjfowler · · Score: 1

    That a culture that can manage to put a satellite into space, thinks that

    1) if they put a rocket in space, then everyone will start liking and respecting them; and
    2) that if nobody likes or respects them, it's not their fault, but everyone else's.

    Look at us! We're not a backwards Third World basketcase! Honest! Really!! Can we be friends now? :-p

    1. Re:Funny by GodfatherofSoul · · Score: 2

      A space program on the international stage isn't about getting people to like you. It's about getting people to fear you. You're basically showing the world that you have the infrastructure, cohesion, and technology to pull of a milestone feat for a nation. And it also implies that you can drop a nuke on any point on the globe.

      --
      I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
    2. Re:Funny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More like they saw what happened to another country branded "axis of evil", and decided that the only way to avoid the same fate is to have nuclear weapons and ICBMs. Seems to have worked so far. See also: North Korea.

    3. Re:Funny by benjfowler · · Score: 2

      That stops working the millisecond a mushroom cloud appears over Iran.

      North Korea has a powerful friend (China). Iran burnt all their bridges, and thus has very few friends at all.

      Having powerful backers is more important than possessing a weapon too powerful to use.

    4. Re:Funny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're suggesting that the USA would nuke Iran pre-emptively? I guess I wouldn't put it past certain republicans if they got into power, but the whole point of a nuclear deterrent is to, you know, deter pre-emptive nuclear strikes. And if the USA has committed to nuking Iran then Iran has little to lose by retaliating, since at that point Iran would be completely fucked no matter what.

      Just like the US and the USSR during the cod war, I'm sure the Iranians would be sensible enough to keep the locations of their nukes and delivery vehicles as secret as possible, so just blowing up Tehran guarantee that you have taken out their means of retaliation.

      My bet for their delivery method would be a small boat, crewed by devoted patriots but disguised as a fishing trawler or cargo ship or even a private yacht from some other country. It could plod about undetected in international waters for years with a bomb on board. Regular rendezvous in international waters with other such ships for resupply/ refuel/ move the payload to another vessel. If some "glass parking lot" asshole gets the presidency and nukes Tehran, the boat just sails into New York harbour and hits the detonator. Very little anyone could do to prevent it.

    5. Re:Funny by gtall · · Score: 1

      Yep, good way to induce your neighbors to match you so not only does your dick look bigger, everyone elses does as well. They will all have above average dick sizes.

      Iran before nuclear weapons: Hey great, we can swing our dick around and make nukes and no one will be able to do anything. Bwahahahaha!!!

      Iran after nuclear weapons: Oh shit, now our neighbors created their own nukes and are pointing them at us. Damn, damn, damn....now our dicks don't look so big.

    6. Re:Funny by crazyjj · · Score: 1

      That stops working the millisecond a mushroom cloud appears over Iran.

      Yeah, that's when WWIII begins, with pretty much every other country in the world allied against the U.S. and Israel. Because everyone just loves countries engaging in preemptive unilateral nuclear strikes.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    7. Re:Funny by benjfowler · · Score: 2

      The US has many allies, including most of the West, Japan, and many other countries. Iran has (ummmm...) Venezuela (actually, Hugo Chavez and his friends), and North Korea. I think it would take a LOT to have the Muslim world fall in behind a handful of crazed Twelver shi'ites who hate their guts, against the mighty United States.

      I doubt anybody would be willing to militarily have a go at the US and Israel for glassing Iran. Israel flattened half the Middle East with one hand tied behind it's back several times since 1948. What makes people think that they can't do it again, especially when the United States comes to their aid, and ESPECIALLY when the gloves comes off. And then they do, the world will truly understanding the meaning of crushing military defeat.

      My money is on the States. Iran is its own worst enemy.

    8. Re:Funny by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      The boat scenario is considered as a possibly of an attack made by Iran on the US. If the Iranians detonated a nuke to produce an EMP pulse it would cripple the US (and millions would die due to various flow-on effects). Then we have the Shahab missiles that Iran has installed in Venezuela. Think Cuban Missile Crisis where the US can't do much about it. Finally we have the most plausible threat, Hezbollah using its Latin American and Mexican bases to smuggle biological weapons in to the US using the same routes that the narco gangs do. Ouch. These are all possible attacks the Iranians could make and are setting up options for.

    9. Re:Funny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      pretty much every other country in the world allied against the U.S. and Israel. Because everyone just loves countries engaging in preemptive unilateral nuclear strikes.

      I'm not an expert here but I think you are supposed to take the crack out of the bag before you smoke it.

  22. Maybe it's true... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    After all, we haven't heard from old Mahmoud lately. Maybe he went on a trip.

  23. Most important detail missing by BForrester · · Score: 1

    The article mentions that the monkey went into space and back, but we all want to know whether Ahmadinejad survived or not.

    1. Re:Most important detail missing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's funny because non-whites are monkeys!

    2. Re:Most important detail missing by benjfowler · · Score: 1

      Who said anything about whiteness? Anyway, there are plenty of violent, religious (and white!!) idiots in the world much worse than your average Iranian.

  24. Women's rights by schneidafunk · · Score: 2

    Are you sure they aren't treated badly?

    --
    Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
  25. Re:What ? What ? What ? by cigawoot · · Score: 1

    We did the same thing...

  26. What an achievement! by ericloewe · · Score: 0

    I hope Ahmadinejad enjoyed his trip.

  27. Before or After? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The pic on the referenced page shows the monkey, but not whether it's a pre-flight or post-flight picture...probably preflight... ;-(

  28. Re:What ? What ? What ? by crazyjj · · Score: 1

    Are you kidding? That monkey just became a lot more famous than any of us are ever going to be. He's probably going to get laid a lot more than any of us too. Shit, put ME in the next rocket, Iran!

    --
    What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
  29. Somebody needs to tell Iran by Dishwasha · · Score: 1

    that launching a rocket via the Kerbal Space Program doesn't really count.

  30. Already done by hawguy · · Score: 1

    Didn't a beverage company just send a monkey to space and back?

  31. Member's Only by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did he wear his Member's Only jacket into space? and who will now lead Iran?

  32. NASA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What ever it takes to raise NASA's budget. Aligning the US Defense interest with space exploration could be a huge step to solving a few problems with this country. The shift in demand vis-a-vis USGov spending could be beneficial.

    No oil in space: renewable energy investment
    Investment in STEM
    The dream: inspiring interest in science/tech
    Just to name a few...

  33. Monkey? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So, they sent Ahmajinedad into space? And they let him come back?

  34. Re:What ? What ? What ? by penix1 · · Score: 2

    Nowhere in TFA does it say the monkey survived. For all we know it came back as chunky salsa...

    --
    This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
  35. Re:What ? What ? What ? by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 1

    And what was that famous monkey's name? ;-)

  36. Dr. Sadeq Khurasani said it by lysdexia · · Score: 1

    I believe it.
    That settles it.

  37. WHAT do THEY WANT?!! by Thud457 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Super-intelligent monkey manipulates another nation-state into providing it with a free joyride into space.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:WHAT do THEY WANT?!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right now I think this is the most accurate comment I have seen for a long time. Besides the ones I write, that is. A way like any other of miserably wasting time.

  38. I guess the propaganda is working. by trout007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    From all of these anti-Iranian comments I guess the US propaganda is working well. Pretty soon you all we clamor for war and sign up to fight. It's amazing how people can hate those they never met.

    --
    I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
    1. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by medcalf · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You might be misunderstanding. Persians and Americans are actually natural allies: we both want a stable Persian Gulf region, and together could provide it, as we did prior to 1979. But the Ayatollahs running Iran at the moment, since 1979, want an unstable Persian Gulf region, because that gives them openings to advance their religious interests. So even though there is a natural underlying affinity on a national level, on a political level there can be only conflict. The hostage crisis, where Iranian thugs took captive American embassy staff for well over a year, has not been forgotten in the US, and it colors our perceptions of Iran, and specifically of their leadership, to this day. On top of that, you have the Iranians committing acts of war against the US in Iraq (not only supplying and training our enemies, but planning and sometimes participating directly in attacks) and in Saudi Arabia (Khobar Towers), as well as apparently developing a nuclear weapons program aimed directly at destroying a key US ally, Israel, and really, after all of that, does there need to be "propaganda" to explain why American attitudes towards the Iranian government are what they are?

      All that said, yes, I generally despise theocrats I've never met, autocrats I've never met, dictators I've never met, and monarchs (other than titular only) that I've never met. I despise the enemies of human liberty generally. Is that really very amazing? And do you not also despise the enemies of liberty? Yet, why does that mean that I, or anyone else, is clamoring for war? It is possible to despise an ideology, and to attempt strenuously to oppose and in all ways limit that ideology, without clamoring for war. War is only necessary when irreconcilable differences over non-trivial differences exist. But just because we might not want war, does not mean we must start accepting those who would kill us if only they could.

      --
      -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
    2. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Actually I love the Iranian people. Every single one I've met has been a warm, genuine, wonderful person. Every single one. Every single one of them also despises their despotic government too. I can't stand the repressive government of Iran precisely because the people are so great-- they deserve better than what they've got.

    3. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From all of these anti-Iranian comments I guess the US propaganda is working well. Pretty soon you all we clamor for war and sign up to fight. It's amazing how people can hate those they never met.

      Excellent.

    4. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You might be misunderstanding. Persians and Americans are actually natural allies: we both want a stable Persian Gulf region, and together could provide it, as we did prior to 1979.

      While looking at history, look at 1953 -1979.
      I remember that there USed to be Democracy in Iran, but the US & UK did not like it, so they "helped" out 1953.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

      The iranian peopled suffered, but oil was pumped in your direction.

      Watch "Argo" again and pay attention to the part were you helped overthrow the democratic government 1953,
      also notice how they let the american prisoners go even though US wasn't their favorite country.
      It is really a good film once you realize it is about telling the US why Iran is pissed of on them,
      they hidden behind thinly "save the Americans" plot.

    5. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your words are laced with prejudice.

      Be it your intention or not people will read your words and clamour for war.

      You are not part of the solution endorsing despising ANYONE you've never met.

      Despite how well informed about them you may feel entitled to be.

    6. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They did not watch Argo close enough...
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

      You could imagine a plot like this. (Watch out, I turned the table to prove a point)
      1. Country X helps dictator Y to take control of the US.
      2. Dictator Y is overthrown after the people suffered for many years.
      3. Dictator Y escapes with a plane full of gold to Country X.
      4 The American people storm the embassy of Country X taking prisoners, and demand the return of Dictator Y in return.
      5. Country X laughs at the US and let the dictator laugh at them through television.
      6. The US gives up after more than a year and returns all the hostages unharmed to country X.
      7. The US swear to never trust the Country X again.

      Yes, I know, total fiction, because #6 will would never happen.

    7. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by klapaucjusz · · Score: 5, Informative

      You might be misunderstanding. Persians and Americans are actually natural allies: we both want a stable Persian Gulf region, and together could provide it, as we did prior to 1979.

      You are aware that the CIA put the Iranian dictator into power in 1953, toppling Iran's democratically-elected government in the process? The 1979 "Islamic Revolution" merely replaced a dictatorship controlled by the USA with one that wasn't.

    8. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the Iranians tortured and oppressed under the reign of the Shah from 1953 to 1979 might disagree with your rosy view of a "stable" Iran.

    9. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by trout007 · · Score: 1

      And mocking and threatening another countries government only helps those governments stay in power. See Cuba & north Korea.

      --
      I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
    10. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Couldn't agree more
      at first glance it seems like decent people write on this forum, but then this type of subject comes in and suddenly disappointment with narrow-mindedness and propaganda crap comes.

      Interestingly, the comments about the human rights or other problems in Iran when the subject is about technological achievement very much resemble the CNN reporter's question to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lisa9XTRLb4) on his "sex scandal" in Sweden when he revealed 100 000+ (yes, one hundred thousands) deaths in Iraq invasion hidden by the US government, yes indeed, him not using a condom in sexual intercourse with two woman consecutively is more interesting than 100 000+ people killed. He abandoned the interview after the question.

      And as far as the claims about Iranian nuclear program goes, Iran has every right to develop nuclear weapons and they should do it as soon as possible! How else will they protect themselves from terrorist countries like the USA? Now, which is really a dangerous country Iran or USA? Le'ts look at the facts: since WW II Iran has never invaded or attacked any other country, and according to the CIA sources their military spending does not indicate they are planning to do so in near or distant future. On the other hand, USA being the biggest terrorist country in the world (quote: Noam Chomsky), has repeatedly attacked, destroyed entire countries, killed thousands of people, and more scarily, they still continue and will continue to do so!
      If Iran threatens they will attack Israel or any other country, it's empty words to serve daily political interests, if the USA says they will attack a country, rest assured 1000% they will

    11. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Easy. I dont have to meet you to EAT YOU.

      But, I may have to kiss you to screw you.

      Go for that logic!

      I love Persians. I have known someone from Tehran for decades.
      I *hate* the stupid government for Iran, and so does my friend.

    12. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by steelfood · · Score: 2

      Propoganda always works against an intellectually lazy, shallow, disinterested, and ignorant population. Why do you think there's been such a concerted attack from the government on our primary education system over the past 10-15 years?

      --
      "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
    13. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Be critical of USA: You are an intelligent and thoughtful person who rises above the confines of social convention to speak his mind!
      Be critical of any other country: You are a victim of propaganda who soils the internet with your bigotry and xenophobia.

    14. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      because the warmongering is only on one side, and the iranian regime are peace loving hippies

      no way are they chanting death to america in iran. no way are they helping the assad regime and other organizations in the middle east intent on killing civilians

      clearly all malice exists on only one side here

      is that what you are saying?

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    15. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by poity · · Score: 1

      Is laying the accusation of "anti-Iranian" making the same mistake as laying accusations of "anti-American"? Are the people and government of Iran inseparable, and impossible to critique the latter without offending the former? Would all the criticism of US political/economic/foreign policy in Slashdot threads about US scientific achievements also be Anti-American in your eyes (boy that would be a LOT of anti-Americanism for one site)? For your rationale to be consistent, they must be anti-American, but I suspect you would go by a different standard in those cases.

      --
      your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
    16. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, I'm pretty sure he didn't say anything like that. Pretty much the only way to interpret his comment as meaning anything resembling that is if you assume that people's comments about women in Iran, that it's a third world country, that it's a fake and that Iran doesn't have the technological prowess to do what the US and soviet union did 50-60 years ago, etc, all stems from the US media accurately showing a few anti-American protests in Tehran.

      Which I assume you believe, so perhaps you can fill in the blanks and explain why people would think that Iran is a third world country, with massive discrimination against women (who, you know, get cabinet positions in the Iranian government, etc), and that it doesn't have scientists capable of reproducing 1950s technologies, based upon media footage of anti-American demonstrations.

    17. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      uh... you want me to do what again with your massive strawman?

      the simple point is the warmongering is going on in iran just as much if not more so than the west. they chant "death to the usa" in massive demonstrations every year at least for over 30 years. they fund and supply terrorist groups and the assad regime. nevermind their OWN FUCKING PEOPLE rose up against them and they brutally murdered them in return. in ancient history? no, in 2009

      this is how the regime in tehran treats its OWN PEOPLE:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Neda_Agha-Soltan

      and you want to talk to me about the west's warmongering?

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    18. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Comrade+Ogilvy · · Score: 4, Informative

      On top of that, you have the Iranians committing acts of war against the US in Iraq (not only supplying and training our enemies, but planning and sometimes participating directly in attacks) and in Saudi Arabia (Khobar Towers), as well as apparently developing a nuclear weapons program aimed directly at destroying a key US ally, Israel, and really, after all of that, does there need to be "propaganda" to explain why American attitudes towards the Iranian government are what they are?

      Secretary of Defense William Perry (at the time), the FBI, and Saudi Minister of the Interior Prince Nayef disagree with you about Khobar. The indictment in the US district court looks like a long list of Saudi citizens, and but a few others.

      As for "acts of war" in Iraq, the US plays the same game all the time, including the selling weapons to Iranian enemies, e.g. Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War. This kind of turnaround is only fair play.

      You are clearly demonstrating the power American propaganda has over minds who should know better. It is very "interesting" how selective your memory happens to be.

    19. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by medcalf · · Score: 1

      I don't prefer to get my history education from the movies, thanks. I don't really know much about the 1953 coup. I don't know why the US and Britain wanted Mossadegh overthrown, or if it was or was not a good decision to work with Tudeh and the other party whose name I forget (that was formerly associated with Mossadegh) and the Shah and the other coup plotters. Undoubtedly, it has become an anti-US rallying cry in Iran, regardless of any of the merits or demerits, since the Shah's rule started becoming unpopular in the mid 1970s. None of that, however, speaks to my point, which is that propaganda is not a necessary or sufficient explanation for why Americans feel the way that they do about Iran. How Iranians feel about Americans, and why, is a different topic.

      One side note: the whole US exploitation of oil thing really puzzles me. Since most oil from the Middle East has always got to Europe and Asia, it hardly seems credible to assert oil "was pumped in []our direction" as a reason for US actions. Certainly, the US has acted to maintain a stable oil supply, to the extent that we could, and especially since the oil crises of the 1970s. Doing so is pretty vital to maintaining economic growth, as energy and growth are inextricably linked. Yet somehow, the various "wars for oil" have always ended up with other countries getting both the oil and the contracts to extract it. As an explanation of US motives, it's rather lacking. Certainly, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next few decades, as the US is poised to become the planet's largest energy producer and exporter in the wake of fracking and price-competitive methods for getting oil out of oil sands and oil shales. (With Canada not far behind, for that matter.) Somehow, I suspect that the same people deriding the US for being involved in the Middle East to stabilize oil supplies, will also deride the US for pulling out of the Middle East once we no longer need to stabilize Middle Eastern oil supplies.

      --
      -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
    20. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by medcalf · · Score: 1

      "Stable" is not a synonym for "desirable." I made no moral evaluations or claims. I merely note that a stable Persian Gulf region (including Iran) is in our and the Iranian people's interests, and that Iran was stable between the early 1950s and the late 1970s, as was the Persian Gulf region more generally. So how is that a "rosy" view, and how does it have anything to do with the moral quality of how that stability was acquired and maintained?

      --
      -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
    21. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Life since 1979 is much worse than it was pre-79. The "oppressed" under the Shah was primarily the Islamic fundamentalists. The idiotic progressive student activists were too busy holding US hostages and allowed the hard core Islamists to organize and take over the state. Of course quite a few of the student activists were imprisoned and killed when all was said and done. Bottom line is the Iranians have the leadership they chose themselves and if they don't like it they can do something about it all by themselves.

    22. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by medcalf · · Score: 0

      What the US does or does not do is irrelevant to my point, in that I made no claims about it, nor about why Iranians might feel the way they do about Americans. You are raising a straw man argument. In what way is American propaganda, assuming arguendo that you are even right about it existing in the sense you mean, necessary to explain American attitudes towards Iran? Why is it that historical events, in particular the 1979 hostage crisis, are insufficient in explaining those attitudes?

      --
      -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
    23. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course he isn't aware of that - he is an american and they have been constantly brainwashed by pentagon propagandists. These are the same dupes that let Ollie North and co get away with blatant treason.

    24. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Ogre332 · · Score: 1

      Since Fox News Channel is a "no spin zone", they leave out the things that would make the story unfair or unbalanced. Just sayin.

      --
      Shut up brain or I'll stab you with a Q-Tip. - Homer Simpson
    25. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by HPHatecraft · · Score: 1

      thank you. Was going to say that, but you saved me the typing. If I could, I'd mod ya up.

    26. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Tomsk70 · · Score: 1

      >Your words are laced with prejudice.

      I Disagree. I despise many politicians, pop bands, etc. - but if someone else uses my opinion to justify their more extreme opinion, that's no different from the clothes meaning 'she asked for it'.

      >You are not part of the solution endorsing despising ANYONE you've never met.

      He's not suggesting that this attitude is a solution. My understanding about the point he's making is that while a solution must obviously be found, it does not do to hand-wring and be dishonest about disapproving of hopelessly outdated ideas for fear of not being morally hip or culturally sensitive enough.

      >Despite how well informed about them you may feel entitled to be.

      You don't have to polarize every opinion into 'peace' or 'war'. I see this happen a lot on reddit, any opinion that might lean one way or the other is then exaggerated to the extreme - 'Oh, so you think that I should vaccinate, huh? Inject poison into my arm, huh?'. Everyone thinks the Jack Ryan approach is somehow legitimate.

    27. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by trout007 · · Score: 1

      The difference has to do with sensibilities. You can say things about your family members that if a stranger said the same thing it might start a fight. The same dynamic applies to all people that consider themselves a part of a group. People in a geographic region or country know they have problems and can argue passionately about how to solve them. But if some loudmouth from the other side of the planet says the same thing the people that were arguing will join to fight the outsider.

      Remember how after 9/11 there wasn't much infighting between the political parties? They united behind a common enemy. As the threat faded the political fighting resumed. If you keep political and military pressure on a country all you do is keep that regime you hate tools to stay in power.

      --
      I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
    28. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      The Iranian *People* are good and would be friends of the US. It is their theocratic government oppresses the aspirations of the people and is the enemy of the US. The solution is to remove the Iranian Government and *enforce* democratic reforms (unlike Egypt and Iraq where you topple and then run away).

    29. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      The Shah was no angel. However his regime is so very much better than the current theocracy. It is a lie by omission to mention the evils of the Shah and not comment at all of the horrific regime now in power. They not only oppress the Iranian people, but threatens the Lebanese, Syrian and Israeli people; and they create, train, fund, arm and export numerous terrorists that threatens all the people of the Free World. It was the Iranians who manufactured ammunition (hoping it wouldn't be traced) that enabled the genocide in Dafur; it is the Iranians who back killing in Lebanon; it is the Iranians who arm Hezbollah and Hamas to commit war crimes with tens of thousands of rockets; it is the Iranians who arm Assad Al Basad's oppression against his own citizens; it is the Iranians that brought shaped charge IEDs into Iraq to kill US troops; it is Iran that planned terrorist attacks in Bulgaria, Iraq, India, Georgia, Argentina, India, Thailand (where the Iranians were caught, so there is no doubt it was Iranian agents).

    30. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      Ah, a "Comrade". You post about the propaganda of America but it is clear you are at least as totally brainwashed by the relativism of the political Left. It is not "fair play" when Iranian (or Iranian funded) terrorists kill and threaten civilians in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Sudan (the genocide in Dafur was armed by Iran), India, Georgia, Bulgaria, Argentina, Thailand (where the Iranians were caught; so we know it was them). Why should America not defend itself against an evil regime that performed or funded the "attacking its embassy" (completely uncivilized; if there is one uncrossable line in the World this should have been it), "killed civilians on cruise liners", "bombed aircraft" and "slaughtered its own civilians".

      Your post smacks of the brainwashing of the political Left. You equate the bad aspects and mistakes of the US/Free World with the bad aspects of Iran and claim they are equivalent and assert that killing civilians is "fair". This relativism means you cannot and do not discriminate between bad and worse. As a result, you are a shameful enabler of evil. Stop doing that.

      I hope one day you live in a country where the political Left has full power. Then you will see that the State subordinates individual freedoms to achieve its utopia. To bad you won't live long enough under such a system to come back and admit you were wrong (revolutions always eat their children). Tovarishch!

    31. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

      And mocking and threatening another countries government only helps those governments stay in power. See Cuba & north Korea.

      The Cuban regime only survived by getting massive amounts of support from the Soviet Union and now petrodollars from Hugo Chavez. nb. I've been to Cuba. The people are great. They are like the Iranians and just want to be free to have a good job and make a living. Their government wants power, and works to retain power at the expense of the citizens. If Cuba was not propped up by the (brutal) ideologue Chavez then the Cuban regime would collapse (like the buildings in Havana where no-one owns the buildings so they are not maintained). Cuba would then join the other normal nations of the World and the lot of ordinary Cubans would improve, instead of living under the "equal poverty for all" of their socialist system.

      North Korea would collapse if it was not propped up by China and the extortions it makes from the US and South Korea (extortions to not work on nuclear weapons; despite them testing an ICBM a few weeks ago and annother nuclear weapon test is imminent).

      In the 2009 Green Revolution in Iran of the hundreds of thousands of protestors carried many signs "Obama! with us or against us?". Rather than promote democracy with statements Obama was silent for ten days. By then the revolution realised the US would not support their popular aspiration for freedom and the regime and evil Basiji slaughtered the protestors. It appears that Obama was fooled into believing that by verbally supporting the protestors that would have legitimized the government for oppressing them. But this was going to happen anyway, Obama was a fool for not immediately and forcefully standing up for the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian masses; to have a real democracy and the Rule of Law in Iran. A historic chance was missed; the Iranian people would have freed themselves with just a little tipping of the scales in their favor by the Free World, and we wouldn't be in the current mess with the Iranians about to get nuclear weapons and threaten all their neighbours with them (which will undoubtedly motivate the Saudis, Turks and Egyptians to also acquire nuclear arms).

      So you statement is a bit of pussy garbage. The Iranian regime hates the Free World for theocratic reasons (as in, Islam under Sharia and secular democracy are *totally* incompatible). The US should have tipped the scales in the favor of its citizens (who *hate* their Government and see Islam for what it is - superstitious nonsense used to enslave and control its adherents). If the US had come out strongly in favor of democracy, liberty everyone would have understood and applauded. Instead Obama slunk around like he was fearful of offending the monstrous Iranian regime. It shows he is not fit to lead the Free World because he doesn't actually believe in individual liberties (it now appears he believes in class warfare and the collectivist state, which are Marxists ideas - no wonder, his membership cards of Marxists parties in the US have been found; he is free to join these parties, as is any American, but why hide the truth about his political affiliations, and his academic record, and his citizenship records. Why?).

    32. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by metlin · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That's far from the complete truth. The unsaid fact is that Mosaddegh was trying to nationalize British and American owned oil operations, which was what prompted our actions.

      Ironically, Shah was a very modernizing influence in terms of rights for women and minorities. Yes, the man was batshit crazy, but he was aimed to create a secular state. Unfortunately, when the people revolted against him, Khomenei and his Islamic fundamentalist ilk essentially stole the revolution from the left liberals and established a theocracy in its place.

      Much like what's happening in Egypt today, where the Islamists have taken over a revolution from the left liberals.

      So, blaming the US for part of it is fair, but this is a classic example of unintended consequences.

    33. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Comrade+Ogilvy · · Score: 1

      Why is it that historical events, in particular the 1979 hostage crisis, are insufficient in explaining those attitudes?

      The hostage crisis occurred over 30 years ago on the other side of the world from US soil. Militarily Iran is a 90-lb weakling surrounded by nations armed to the teeth.

      What makes Iran such a wonderful "threat" now is we are always being told Iran is a threat. It is not the actual capabilities of Iran that are fearsome.

      The Khobar Towers is a perfect example. It was obvious at the time that Iran might not be involved. 18 years later and you are blaming Iran for something that we know was probably a Saudi show. Can you explain the nature of your error? (Propaganda seems likely.)

      All your evidence presented against Iran is simply non-evidence. It only has a simple explanation when viewed through propaganda-tinted glasses. (Mind you, the present Iranian gov't has done some terrible things, but those crimes are not what you have been talking about.)

      Consider Iran's nuclear program. Isn't it rational to want to keep options open when faced with mountains of US weaponry to the West (Israel, Turkey), mountains of US weaponry to the south (Saudi Arabia, UAE), occupied Afghanistan to the north, and America's terrorist-loving and nuclear-armed fried Pakistan to the east? Why exactly the one irrational explanation (a suicidal attack on Israel) the only likely one? Why do you assert one particular explanation is likely when other explanations exist?

      To assume that one's "enemy is irrational is a classic symptom of a propaganda afflicted mind.

      Perhaps you have better reasoning, but it is not evidenced by what you posted.

    34. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by orzetto · · Score: 1

      That's far from the complete truth. The unsaid fact is that Mosaddegh was trying to nationalize British and American owned oil operations, which was what prompted our actions.

      Ahem, he was trying to stop the US and the UK from stealing Iranian oil. That's a good thing. The US and the UK wanted to continue stealing, so they put a figurehead in place that would allow them to continue sacking the country.

      --
      Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
    35. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah, so it's alright to topple a democratically elected government if that government is socialist.

    36. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by metlin · · Score: 1

      Did I say it was acceptable? You must remember that this was during the Cold War. Both sides did some pretty nasty things.

    37. Re:I guess the propaganda is working. by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 1

      because the warmongering is only on one side, and the iranian regime are peace loving hippies

      Given that Iran hasn't invaded any country within living memory and the US/Israel are constantly banging the war drums, I'd say that's a pretty fair summary, yes.

      no way are they chanting death to america in iran. no way are they helping the assad regime and other organizations in the middle east intent on killing civilians

      You realize that a whole lot of people all around the world don't like the US government very much, right? Including in places like Canada and Europe. The Iraq war triggered the largest mass protests in history. It's hardly unique to Iran, especially given the history of US oppression they have. And "helping other organizations in the middle east intent on killing civilians" could easily describe the USA too couldn't it.

      Wake up. Iran isn't going to do jack shit to anyone if left alone. The belief that it's some kind of existential threat that has to be contained at all costs is a fiction created by two war-like states that need to justify their paranoid and bloated military spending.

  39. Re:What ? What ? What ? by crazyjj · · Score: 2

    FTFA:

    said the monkey returned safely.

    I presume that means "alive," unless Iran has a very different take on the word "safely."

    --
    What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
  40. Not impressed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Compared to North Korea's fusion reactors and unicorn lairs, as well as Iran's own flying saucer fleet, this isn't particularly impressive.

  41. And Afterwards... by 0xG · · Score: 1

    They decided to make him the next Ayatollah.

    --
    A pox on web designers who feel that window.innerWidth == screen.availWidth
  42. Re:What ? What ? What ? by Reverand+Dave · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well, to be fair, this is Iran. I mean look at the typical Islamist regime and their claims of "The Religion of Peace" while chopping off hands.

    --
    I got here through a series of tubes
  43. Progression and Risk by A10Mechanic · · Score: 1

    When the U.S. sent chimps into space (Ham, Enos) it was to test the effects of weightlessness on a living body, because scientists really thought that it might harm humans. Therefore, test on a chimp first to see if it's safe for man. So why start a new program at the bottom? Why not design a man-rated system from the get-go? The science is proven, if all you're after is political mileage, man-up and send a man up.

    1. Re:Progression and Risk by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 1

      You start at the bottom because you shouldn't risk people if you aren't certain it is safe.

      Let's say you launch a rocket packed full of sensors rather than a living creature. Each of those sensors is gathering specific data and only what you planned for it to gather. The rocket launches, and you recover the payload. Here are some failures which could occur:

      1. Your recover parachutes fail on landing, destroying your payload. With a live animal, an autopsy could determine of the animal was alive at the time of impact. Grisly, but burns in the lungs, state of bleeding in the wounds, chemical saturation in tissues... all this information is useful to determine if your occupant would have survived if not for the parachute failure. Your sensor data may not survive at all, but a physical body retains evidence.

      2. What if one of your sensors fail in mission? Did CO2 levels rise to dangerous amounts? etc... An animal 'records' data by virtue of being, and a failure in the animal produces useful data, but a failure in a sensor only reports that you don't know anything about that value post sensor failure.

      3. Education and growth of your scientists requires doing. You could pull up research data from NASA (if you trust the published data, or feel that it is sufficient for your needs), but your scientists don't become 'experts' by simply reading about the past work of previous experts, they need to gain experience designing tests, conducting experiments, and learn how to deal with situations where your data doesn't match your expectations. There is a reason why the Apollo program would cost as much, if not more to do if we tried to do it today. The reason is we don't actually have that experience in our workforce anymore. We would have to relearn, and while we could avoid pitfalls which hampered the original efforts, we wouldn't be developing our engineers and scientists to the same level. The reason a lot of older engineers are good is because they know when to take risks, and when not to take risks because they have first hand experience with how those risks can become reality. A young inexperienced engineer could always err on the side of caution, or ignore risks due to inexperience or overconfidence. So 'doing' the experience may be repeating past work, but it isn't past work for the people actually designing/performing/evaluating those experiments. For them, this IS the first time it is being done.

      I've had to dissuade someone from skipping a vibration test for some avionics. Their rationale was that the design had already had the exact same vibration test performed, and this was just building 10 more units from the exact same previous design.

      I pointed out, (having been the designer 10 years ago), that when we first ran the vibration test, we discovered a part would fail, on certain lots of the equipment. The reason it failed, was because those specific lots were sourcing the component from a different fabrication location, of the same company. (IE Lot A sourced the component from Texas Instruments Plant A, and lot B sourced the component from Texas Instruments Plant B). The manufacturing process in Plant B applied the glue slightly different than Plant A. The difference was just enough to cause the component to fail during endurance vibration tests, which would have killed the reliability over a 30 year lifespan. When buying 100 components, you won't get TI to change their process for a production line of 10 million units. So the solution was to purchase enough extra components from that specific factory to allow for production and spares to be produced in quantities sufficient to support the product for 30 years.

      Fast forward 10 years, and you want to sell to a second customer. If you just purchase the components, and assume that the factory's process hasn't changed in those 10 years (even if purchasing from the same 'better' factory) you are risking an unknown.

      It's that sort of experience that you only learn by doing. Sure you can read abou

      --
      Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
  44. Huh? by Nexion · · Score: 1

    So let me see if I have this right. Iran launched what is effectively a dud ICBM with a monkey strapped to it and the western world has to hear about it in a Iranian press release relayed by a Canadian news outlet? Somehow I think if this story were true it would have had better coverage. Not to slight Iran, but the image of the rocket in the story looks like it would be lucky to have enough fuel to reach a neighbor's soil, but this wouldn't be the first time an image that had nothing to do with a story was used in the absence of related content. I would love to see an Iran that abandoned... whatever that is they are doing now, and embraced science for the sake of science instead. Unfortunately that just doesn't seem to be in line their priorities.

  45. Ahmadinejad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... is that you up there?

  46. Keeping Up With N. Korea by guttentag · · Score: 2

    North Korea announced that it had put a "satellite" into "orbit," accomplishing two goals: artificially inflating national pride and telling the world "we're actually just practicing building rockets that may one day deliver nuclear weapons to your cities." Iran plays the same games with its own people and the world, so it's logical that they had to craft a similar announcement, whether it's true or not. The day North Korea announced the "success" of its satellite, you can bet Ahmadinejad called his advisors and said, "I need a space program milestone announcement ASAP!" Ahmadinejad doesn't want his people, or the world, to think he's not keeping up with poor Kim Jong-un.

    In both cases, you have countries that can barely afford to take care of their citizens, yet they are claiming to be building a full-fledged space program. Iran is a far more resource-wealthy country and its GDP is more than 10 times North Korea's, but its economy is suffering badly because of the international sanctions for its nuclear program, and the health of its people is suffering even worse. So the only reason they would make such an announcement would be to artificially inflate national pride and try to scare the rest of the world.

    Of course, Iran's people are not cut off from news from the outside world as effectively as North Korea's (despite police ripping satellite dishes off rooftops and a plan to unplug the country from the Internet), so this could backfire when the people protest about resources being spent on keeping monkeys breathing in space when there isn't enough air to breathe on the ground in Tehran.

    1. Re:Keeping Up With N. Korea by guttentag · · Score: 1

      What I'd actually be curious to know is how much of North Korea's and Iran's apparent newfound knowledge of spaceflight has come from the privatization of the space industry. I don't claim to have any inside knowledge, but it's interesting that both countries have begun making (or at least announcing) significant advances in space programs a few years after NASA cut back and private companies began popping up. I'm sure the fall of the Soviet Union resulted in an infusion of knowledge. Are unemployed NASA personnel working for Tehran? Are Tehran or Pyongyang sending bright kids to schools in the west, aiming for internships with companies like SpaceX, and then the kids come back with some relatively rudimentary knowledge that they impart ("so it turns out the exhaust goes on the bottom of the rocket"). Given the finances of these two countries, it just doesn't make sense that they're making significant advances right now all on their own.

    2. Re:Keeping Up With N. Korea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You obviously aren't familiar with ITAR and AECA and the onerous restrictions they place on exporting 'arms' (which includes anything larger than a large model rocket motor, and any space launch vehicles). Merely letting a 'non-US person', see a device, prototype, technical drawings, or other documentation, is punishable by large fines and possible jail time, even within the US.

      That said, NASA has a lot of content available publicly on NTRS.

  47. Islamic Cosmology will be Proved! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Be sure to learn that the next Iranian flights will travel to the moon to prove that Allah has split it.

    Furthermore, future Iranian space flights will ensure that the Sun and Moon will have their orbits around the Earth determined, the Earth will be shown to be flat as a carpet and the muddy spring in which the sun sets will be photographed from space.

    Allah Akbar!

    http://www.wikiislam.net/wiki/The_Geocentric_Qur%27an

  48. US embassy hostage crisis 1979 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The US will NEVER trust Iran. EVER.

  49. Bush got tired of waiting on Virgin Galactic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    George W. Bush got tired of waiting on Virgin Galactic, and flew Iran Air instead. Richard Branson must be pissed.

  50. Misread by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 2

    Iran said it launched an Explorer rocket into space carrying a moose

    A space møøse once bit my sister...

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    1. Re:Misread by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      was it a religious fundamentalist space moose?

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  51. 120km is barely in space by rmcclelland · · Score: 1

    120km isn't that high, barely high enough to call space. The difference between this and an orbital launch is orders of magnitude in difficulty.

    1. Re:120km is barely in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually according to atmospheric experts, space begins at the upper stratospheric:
      Roughly 50 miles, or 80 kilometers. So they did get to space...

      "The US military and NASA award astronaut wings to those flying above 50 miles"

      "The difference between this and an orbital launch is orders of magnitude in difficulty."
      SEVERAL. orders of magnitude. it took the United States, 8 years, and an extraordinary effort,
      as well as the switch of two generations of both main and booster rocket to get into orbit.

      Mod parent +1 interesting

    2. Re:120km is barely in space by jsepeta · · Score: 1

      The real concern shouldn't be Iranians in space, but the development of ICBM-type rockets.

      --
      Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
  52. Monkeys in Outer Space! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    With budget cuts NASA could soon be following the Iranians lead:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljmEkWkT5Qc

  53. Rock on by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    "Unfortunately, in spite of being a national hero, the monkey was executed for masturbating on camera."

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  54. Most Unfortinate News Flash by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ( The most common thing among all space travelers,
    from both NASA, and the Russians,
    is the conversion to Christianity. ).

    In other news, Iran announced that upon return to earth,
    the monkey announced its conversion to Christianity,
    it was immediately killed and its brains eaten.

    The team of research scientists said this about the Iranian Monkey:
    "Delicious!"

  55. Really, though by asylumx · · Score: 1

    Did they actually do what they claim? Wouldn't our military have detected the launch? Where would the capsule have landed -- or did they use something they could actually get back to a landing strip?

    1. Re:Really, though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It landed on the Unicorn Cave.

  56. Re:they sent a monkey into space... by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

    Bush ain't no monkey. Get your facts straight, boy! What are you, racist or something?

    http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushchimplookalikes.htm

    --
    "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  57. Which monkey? :) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wait, the ayatollah made it back? Or was it I'm-a-dinner-jackoff? Which monkey?

    Either way, pretty good stunt with bootlegged photoshop :)

  58. It's true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The monkeys are winning it! They've already explored space more than we have

  59. Re:Pavlov by TheP4st · · Score: 1

    I do find it somewhat amusing and at the same time sad that someone had a Pavlovian response kicking in and decided to mod down the OP.

    --
    "I have downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records, why would I care if somebody downloads ours?" Robin Pecknold
  60. The monkey came back safely. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The monkey made there and back, however, upon its return it was discovered the monkey did not follow Islam and was executed.

  61. Confirmation from NORAD... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    Or it did not happen.

    If NORAD does not say they saw it happen, then Iran is lying again.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:Confirmation from NORAD... by cait56 · · Score: 1

      More to the point. I am skeptical that Iran could launch any missile into space without prompting a massive response by Israel.
      Any missile that could reach orbit could reach Tel Aviv. Faith that Iranian's are pursuing research for purely scientific reasons is not in abundance anywhwere, but especially not in Israel.

    2. Re:Confirmation from NORAD... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If NORAD does not say they saw it happen, then Iran is lying again.

      NORAD only sees what NORAD's radars and telescopes in the USA, UK and Canada see.

      It being concerned with NORth American Air Defence, you see?

    3. Re:Confirmation from NORAD... by phayes · · Score: 1

      NORAD could not possibly confirm. This was a sounding rocket with a payload sent 120km up & pretty much straight down again, not an ICBM or orbital shot.

      --
      Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
    4. Re:Confirmation from NORAD... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am pretty sure the US Naval Battle Group in the region would have detected and tracked the launch. And if a drone operator in California can fly and engage real time targets in Afghanistan I am pretty sure NORAD has access to relayed satellite feeds from all over the world. And even though the US and Isreal have no official diplomatic contacts with Iran you can be pretty sure both countries were alerted prior to the test launch.

  62. Re:What ? What ? What ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Whoosh... dude.

  63. Gender by WilyCoder · · Score: 0

    I'll bet dollars to donuts it was a male monkey they sent, and right after launch they arrested his female companion for not having her male chaperon present during launch.

  64. Ahh yes, that's right by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If a western nation ever did anything bad, at any point in their history, that is remotely like something a non-western nation is doing today, well then the non-western nation gets a total pass. You can't criticize them because at one time something bad happened somewhere else!

    This false moral equivalency bullshit is just retarded. Every country has done bad shit in the past. Every country does bad shit now. That doesn't mean that we cannot, or should not, point out when it happens. This idea that every country that isn't the US, or at least every country that isn't western gets an automatic pass on everything they do because of bad shit that happen sin other places is beyond stupid and counter productive.

    1. Re:Ahh yes, that's right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A: The gulags are a reprehensi----

      B: ---- Ah, but you are still lynching negros.

      Do you all think that it is a coincidence that the old soviet memes have repopularized themselves as Russia regained its ability to broadcast its messages (RT et al)?

  65. Re:Pavlov by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It seems sa666u has such bad karma from past trolling that he/she is at -1 by default. Click his score and you'll see.
    And speaking of knee jerk posts, would you two also categorize all the US-bashing on slashdot as a European (or non-American) Pavlovian response?

  66. Re:What ? What ? What ? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    First target: Washington D.C. Or should that be Florida?

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  67. Next time send a cow! by nanospook · · Score: 1

    Monkey Say, Monkey Do!

    --
    Have you fscked your local propeller head today?
  68. I don't think it means what you think it means by cbraescu1 · · Score: 1

    "After the revolution when Iran stopped being Persia they quickly went back to a 2nd world country."

    Actually the classification of 1st / 2nd / 3rd world is not about economic development level, but about allegiance to the Western block (1st world), Soviet block (2nd world) or neither (aka "non-aligned").

    --
    Catalin Braescu
    Ofaly.com
    1. Re:I don't think it means what you think it means by Nossie · · Score: 1

      and do you still prescribe pelvic massage for hysteria?

      "Since ancient times women considered to be suffering from hysteria would sometimes undergo "pelvic massage" – manual stimulation of the genitals by the doctor until the patient experienced "hysterical paroxysm" (orgasm)."

      Definitions, like everything else change over time.

      It's a good idea to stay with the times. Actually, maybe you are a maoist?

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Worlds_Theory

    2. Re:I don't think it means what you think it means by dywolf · · Score: 1

      3rd world has been bastardized to mean any underdeveloped country and is in the common usage as such.

      However his usage of "2nd world" is compeltely incorrect, both techinically and accepted usage.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    3. Re:I don't think it means what you think it means by Nossie · · Score: 1

      and can I ask, why would you say that?

    4. Re:I don't think it means what you think it means by dywolf · · Score: 1

      See poster above me.
      Nutshell:
      1st world - Allied against communist Russia (US, Europe, Canada, etc)
      2nd world - Allied with communist Russia (USSR, Poland, Cuba, etc)
      3rd world - Not allied with either side. Typically such places were small countries, low population and/or poor population, such that it became the stereotype and now the term "3rd world" is accepted as describing a poor underdeveloped (compared to US/Europe) country, rather than it's original meaning.

      --
      The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    5. Re:I don't think it means what you think it means by Nossie · · Score: 1

      so I was being kind by calling Iran a 2nd world country ...

      Oh well.

    6. Re:I don't think it means what you think it means by kimvette · · Score: 1

      So technically speaking, Switzerland which is very well developed economically and socially, is third-world?!

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  69. Naivete by pierreboulez · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    The guy lives so much more humbly that its hard to think if he is as crazy as western media shows him or is there more going on. The country is making progress in spite of all the sanctions. Not sure if its the Iranian media spin but the guy sits and eats simple foods on a mat on the floor, sleeps on the floor.

    First of all, Ahmadinejad is not the real face of Iranian leadership. The ayatollahs make policy, not him.

    Second, to the extent that he does influences Iran's behavior, what does Ahmadinejad's eating habits have to do with his policy goals? Is it OK that he wants to wipe Israel off the map and long as he gets lots of fiber in his diet?

  70. Re:What ? What ? What ? by CreatureComfort · · Score: 1

    We already have more than enough Monkeys in both of those places...

    --
    "Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
    Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
  71. of course there are no peace loving hippes in Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    of course there are no peace loving hippes in Iran, the CIA made sure that the Shah murdered all the leftists. We point our finger at their fundamentalism without acknowledging that our actions led to its rise. American hypocrisy knows no bounds apparently.

  72. Has anyone asked? by morgauxo · · Score: 1

    So... has anyone asked this conservative Islamic government why they chose a monkey? Do they have any idea what makes primates such good testing substitutes for human beings? I'm very surprised they didn't go the USSR route and use dogs or some other non-primate just to avoid this point.

  73. Re:they sent a monkey into space... by Arancaytar · · Score: 1

    I know a librarian who'd take issue with you calling an ape a monkey.

  74. Look out! There's someone 54 years behind you. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    According to the U.S. Census:
    Only (roughly) 13% of the US population are old enough to look back that far.

  75. insert ayatollah joke here by swschrad · · Score: 1

    oh, wait, it isn't a joke any more. how did 700 AD look from up there?

    --
    if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
  76. Did they send it to the meyMOON? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Meymoon is Monkey in Farsi....

  77. Re:What ? What ? What ? by tokul · · Score: 1

    They also call them Albert and Laika. Whoever modded parent as insightful should be bombed first.

  78. Any confirmation? by mpe · · Score: 1

    Large rockets are in no way stealthy. Do neither the US or the Russian Federation have the launch detection capabilities which existing in the Cold War?

  79. Ahmajenadad's Wild Space Ride by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why would they send Ahmajenadad into space? He does look a lot like a monkey, maybe they got him confused.

  80. Re:of course there are no peace loving hippes in I by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    ah yes!

    the classic "one event in the 1950s is the root of all evil and all other iranian history is besides the point and all iranian behavior today is because of this one event in the 1950s" play

    how can one argue with such stunning intellect!

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  81. More like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Most Americas view the Iranians like they view the North Koreans: as a joke or punchline. Only hyper-reactionary conservatives are afraid of Iran, and that's because they love propoganda.

    It's an authoritarian thing.

  82. the penultimate step by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So there's just one more step in the evolution of Iran's space program before they start sending humans into space, but it is by far the hardest: sending a homo erectus into space.

  83. It's OK for them to call each other monkeys.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But if I call them monkeys that is considered racist. Double standards.

  84. Nothing in the article says the monkey survived. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Also in the news. Iran Searching for Suicide Astro-bommer.

  85. Re:What ? What ? What ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hmmm.... Iranians frequently refer to Jews as "monkeys", yet they left a monkey to be the first Iranian in space.

    My head hurts while trying to open the underlying logic here....

  86. What was that again? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

    A Jimp? Did they send a Jimp?

  87. FAKE by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    OK, perhaps it's just for fun, but how can I be the only one on slashdot that is saying this hasn't really happened rather than just talking about it.

    First of all this would have been front page news to the whole world, not just state run Iran media. It's not like this stuff isn't actually monitored or anything, to say anything about actual monitoring of specifically of Iran and their crazy. Second they don't have the technology, not even close. I recall years ago it was in the news where Iran was testing medium or long range rockets, and they couldn't even do that. In fact that same media got caught photoshopping an image "proving" that the lauch had been a success (when it really was a huge failure). Thats not even an ICBM, let alone a rocket capable of actually making it to any distance into space (like the 120km they were talking about).

    Anyway I find this only slightly more plausable than the Unicorns in NK (who were at least able to inaccurately fling a medium range rocket to scare the bejusus out of Japan). Chaulk it up to "batshit crazy people say batshit crazy things", news at 11.

  88. And my tiny nipples went to France by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I lika do da cha-cha.

  89. This shouldn't be believed. by Wilonomous+Coward · · Score: 1

    monkeys always lie.

  90. Are they going to throw poo at us? by shugah · · Score: 1

    Well of course they;re going to throw poo at us!

    --
    If you aren't part of the solution, then there is good money to be made prolonging the problem
  91. Re:What ? What ? What ? by Reverand+Dave · · Score: 1

    Maybe they were shooting for some overbearing and overarching metaphor of some sort.

    --
    I got here through a series of tubes
  92. US is the greatest country in the world by leifbork · · Score: 1

    And I swear to God, if one of their monkey missiles ever hits the face of this country, I will personally go over there and kick the crap out of him myself.

  93. and we didn't notice!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I call bullshit. If Iran had launched a rocket that went 120 kilometers to ANYWHERE, we should have noticed that!

  94. intercontinental house of banana's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    lets be honest, how hard is it to strap a bunch of fuel to an aerodynamic body and keep it pointed the right way? and why do i have to watch a video to find out the monkey was recovered alive? the only interesting piece of news in this event. who cares about all this ICBM crap when we all know there's more effective ways of delivery...

  95. I bet this is a publicity stunt by Woot.com by david.emery · · Score: 1
  96. Oh yes, "IT WUZ DA JOOOOZ" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Netanyahu is claiming the Iranian space agency was aiming for Israel but missed.

    He's asking for an additional trillion dollars from the USA this year for a new defense system to be called the Gold Yarmulke.

    Always with the antisemitism.

    Israel is the one and only stabilizing force in the region, if not the entire world. She is surrounded by lunatic states filled with murderous barbarians whose lives are dedicated to making the rest of the world as bad as their won little corner of degradation. The United States should rightly feel proud to contribute towards the defense of Israel and the globe. But as always, the pea-brain losers roll out the old saw of "Jewish greed" and "bullying Israel" whenever her enemies threaten. (Which is always.)

    Now run along and hold your little KKK meetings where you can sing NAZI ditties while fucking each other up the ass like the pigs you are.

  97. Iran by WGFCrafty · · Score: 1

    My buddy just got back from Iran, he went with his girlfriend. She was giving him lip so he threw her off the balcony, and he was cited for littering.

  98. MOD UP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OP is anti Israel troll!

  99. This must be embarassing for human astronauts.. by GoodnaGuy · · Score: 1

    ...to know that their job can be done by a monkey. My job certainly couldnt be done by a monkey. You need a highly evolved human brain in order to program.

  100. Re:What ? What ? What ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, it did wear a protective vest.

  101. They've been trying for years by Noir+Angellus · · Score: 1

    to put a man into orbit, it's just that they're now realising that sitting the infidel errrrr "astronaut" on a pile of explosives isn't the most controllable way to do it.

  102. This monkey's by ToddInSF · · Score: 1

    Gone to heaven...

  103. This reminds me of... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  104. From Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Confirmed.

  105. In related news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not to be outdone by the Iranians, Spacex has announced that it will launch an elephant into orbit as a precursor to their first human flight.

  106. Any Confirmation on any of these claims? by Dabido · · Score: 1

    Surely someone somewhere would have detected the take off. Either from a state next door who could see it on their radar or someones satellite etc??? Has anyone outside of Iran confirmed any of these claims? Or is it what we are supposed to believe that explosion was the other day?

    --
    Sure enough, the cow costume was hanging up next to the superhero outfit and sailors uniform. (S,Spud)