Saw SpaceShipOne launch this morning. All I can say is WOW! It's about time private enterprise wrested space travel from the cold, dead fingers of NASA.
Posted by Kevin Murphy at June 21, 2004 12:19 PM | TrackBackpictures! I want pictures!
Posted by: Frank Martin at June 21, 2004 02:10 PMPictures are coming. Meanwhile click on to the next post.
Posted by: Kevin Murphy at June 21, 2004 03:27 PMAt the air and space museum, you see the wright brothers kitty hawk flyer right as you go in. This isnt just any airplane - Its the worlds first. It was not invented by doctors, professors and learned men of uncommon knowledge, but two high school dropouts from Ohio. They used the money they made selling bicycles to fund their whole study and manufacture of aircraft, the whole science of aerospace was developed by two guys called Orville and Wilbur.
Their nearest competitor - Dr. Samuel P. Langley was given $100,000 ( a very substantial amount of money in the 1900's) by the Smithsonian in research funds. All three of Langleys aircraft failed to fly, even in a straight line. Even as late as 1908, Only Orville and Wilbur could fly in a circle and demonstrate control of their aircraft in all three axis.
Wilbur and Orville developed all of the laws and design requirements for the fundamentals of the modern science of aerospace engineering. Again, WIth their own money, their own time, and only the lonely collaboration of each others minds.
Two Ohio bicycle mechanics - or - Learned and respected east coast college professor. If you were looking at these two sets of resumes, who would you hire to do the job, and why?
20 years ago, a team of civilian volunteers using borrowed and begged money developed and flew an aircraft that flew around the world non stop without refueling. That aircraft now also hangs in the air and space museum. Today, the nucleus of the Voyager team launched a spaceship into space and returned its pilot safely with the same amount of funds that NASA uses to provide annual maintenance to its carpool vans at the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas.
Dedicated individuals - or - Large government agency. Again, who do you hire, and why?
This is a great day. Today, I am proud to be an engineer. Today, I will ride my bike and dream of the sky high above the earth, and say thanks all those men who think they can do what smarter men than they say can't be done.