1) The X-15 was not a jet engine, it was powered by a Ammonia/LOX rocket engine.
2) And while mach 3.3 was set by the SR-71, its worth noting that it was not a pure jet engine, but at high speeds utilized a bypass to effectively become about 80% ramjet.
I live in Huntsville, which has two Saturn V's, one actual rocket laying on its side in Rocket Park, and another model standing in full, 360 foot glory, by the interstate. Nothing is more riveting than driving down the interstate at night and being able to see this shimmering white spectacle from miles away. It's a true testament to American ingenuity and brilliance. There are alot of things that are restored with practically no signifigance. This is something that can inspire America once again. The 1960s, between the Apollo program, and the Interstate Highway System, were the last giant American engineering marvels. We need something new to amaze our children and continue our engineering superiority.
Also, relating to many very important court cases of the 1800's, mostly regarding railroad rates, etc., the biggest issue is whether this constitutes interstate commerce or intrastate commerce. U.S. code, the Constitution, and Supreme Court decisions have strictly enforced the singularly federal right to regulate interstate trade (delegated power), while transactions occuring within a single state are the sole right of the state.
So this is obviously a federal issue. Since federally there is no sales tax on internet items (yet), or sales taxes imposed, this should not be a violation.
I am so glad that finally we are making a push towards Mars. This is the biggest thing since going to the moon, and its a shame its taken us 30 years to get this far. Well, hopefully if it is announced, this will be a major thing that the American public will think about - Like the Apollo program was in the 60's. While then we were doing it to fight against the Soviets, now we are doing it by ourselves. I do think this will still have a great unifying power about America - something to believe in. And spending more money on NASA, for more space flights, better equipment, and even daring missions, will give the American public something to believe in and feel proud of.
I must say I too enjoy all of the Space Odyseey series of books - They are well thought out and planned, with a storyline that focuses on exploration and internal conflict rather than big wars, which is the story with most Sci-Fi novels and movies. These books show the best Sci Fi you can get, one that ranges from the natural (in the movie, one of the people actually calls his daughter with a videophone on a space station), all the way to the supernatural (the forces at work inside the monoliths). It maintains a great balance of what Sci Fi should be - An exercise in the present, but a trek unto the future.
It really is a shame that the governments of the world just don't take space seriously. The future of humanitry rests in the stars, and unimaginable amounts of research can be conducted in space. If only governments would realize that spending money on the future (space), is so much smarter than on the present (military).
NASA is a great program, the best space program in the world. This is something the U.S. should be proud of. But continuous system failures and project cutbacks are tarnishing the image of NASA. NASA needs more funding, its running as on a diet of death, and soon, if the trend continues, our kids might not ever know of a U.S. space program. Send a letter to your senators/representatives today, tell them that NASA is not only the best space program in the world that needs more funding, but the best hope humanity has towards working for the future, instead of worrying about the present.
Slashdot Mirror
1) The X-15 was not a jet engine, it was powered by a Ammonia/LOX rocket engine.
2) And while mach 3.3 was set by the SR-71, its worth noting that it was not a pure jet engine, but at high speeds utilized a bypass to effectively become about 80% ramjet.
I live in Huntsville, which has two Saturn V's, one actual rocket laying on its side in Rocket Park, and another model standing in full, 360 foot glory, by the interstate. Nothing is more riveting than driving down the interstate at night and being able to see this shimmering white spectacle from miles away. It's a true testament to American ingenuity and brilliance. There are alot of things that are restored with practically no signifigance. This is something that can inspire America once again. The 1960s, between the Apollo program, and the Interstate Highway System, were the last giant American engineering marvels. We need something new to amaze our children and continue our engineering superiority.
Also, relating to many very important court cases of the 1800's, mostly regarding railroad rates, etc., the biggest issue is whether this constitutes interstate commerce or intrastate commerce. U.S. code, the Constitution, and Supreme Court decisions have strictly enforced the singularly federal right to regulate interstate trade (delegated power), while transactions occuring within a single state are the sole right of the state. So this is obviously a federal issue. Since federally there is no sales tax on internet items (yet), or sales taxes imposed, this should not be a violation.
1 Billion?!? 640k should be enough for everyone.
I am so glad that finally we are making a push towards Mars. This is the biggest thing since going to the moon, and its a shame its taken us 30 years to get this far. Well, hopefully if it is announced, this will be a major thing that the American public will think about - Like the Apollo program was in the 60's. While then we were doing it to fight against the Soviets, now we are doing it by ourselves. I do think this will still have a great unifying power about America - something to believe in. And spending more money on NASA, for more space flights, better equipment, and even daring missions, will give the American public something to believe in and feel proud of.
I must say I too enjoy all of the Space Odyseey series of books - They are well thought out and planned, with a storyline that focuses on exploration and internal conflict rather than big wars, which is the story with most Sci-Fi novels and movies. These books show the best Sci Fi you can get, one that ranges from the natural (in the movie, one of the people actually calls his daughter with a videophone on a space station), all the way to the supernatural (the forces at work inside the monoliths). It maintains a great balance of what Sci Fi should be - An exercise in the present, but a trek unto the future.
It really is a shame that the governments of the world just don't take space seriously. The future of humanitry rests in the stars, and unimaginable amounts of research can be conducted in space. If only governments would realize that spending money on the future (space), is so much smarter than on the present (military).
NASA is a great program, the best space program in the world. This is something the U.S. should be proud of. But continuous system failures and project cutbacks are tarnishing the image of NASA. NASA needs more funding, its running as on a diet of death, and soon, if the trend continues, our kids might not ever know of a U.S. space program. Send a letter to your senators/representatives today, tell them that NASA is not only the best space program in the world that needs more funding, but the best hope humanity has towards working for the future, instead of worrying about the present.