Be prepared to flip out!!!

[shamustwin]

I remember those Ford Granada TV commercials in which a lady in a parking lot looking for her Granada gets it confused with a Mercedes, because, they wanted you to believe, they looked so similar. Rocket science.

[jingle_jangle]

Then Mercedes did the one where the guy tried to fit his Mercedes key into the Granada's door lock...

[wints]

Reminds me of the NASA dilemma when the moon frenzy was over and they were looking at their programs anew. The choice: "BDR" (big, dumb rockets--the cheapest, most efficient way of getting payloads into space) or the road they did take--the abysmal space shuttle, which expends more PR money keeping the public thinking it's "efficient" (it's not, and never was--it was just a way to enlarge their turf and justify huge budgets and lots of jobs) than the entire BDR program would have cost.

This sort of grandiosity and protective obfuscation works in the States, but to other cultures, we look like cowboys.

Yee-HAH!!!

I have to disagree here Paul. Watching the shuttle take off without any visual aid from the East Coast last weekend, (from my condo on the West Coast), one has to simply marvel at something that America should always be proud of. It's simply magnificent, and to watch one take off at ground zero, in person, is nothing short of awe inspiring.

Makes me remember when I used to see Concorde fly over my home in the UK, and realize it was the one thing that made me proud to be British.

[jps]

Makes me remember when I used to see Concorde fly over my home in the UK, and realize it was the one thing that made me proud to be British.

I suppose there's nothing left to be proud of, then.

[windchimp]

Makes me remember when I used to see Concorde fly over my home in the UK, and realize it was the one thing that made me proud to be British.

I suppose there's nothing left to be proud of, then.

The UK are proud partners in the largest airliner in the world - the AirBus A380....

[rickenbrother]

I think this thread is gonna be moved to The Others soon!

[windchimp]

I think this thread is gonna be moved to The Others soon!

OK, to get back on topic, let me rephrase that...

"The AirBus A380 - so big it will carry over 500 Ricaholics with all their toys"

[bottom4]

Has there ever been a point in time when there wasn't an 'S' type bass available?

[s4001]

1956?

[johneek]

Reminds me of the NASA dilemma when the moon frenzy was over and they were looking at their programs anew. The choice: "BDR" (big, dumb rockets--the cheapest, most efficient way of getting payloads into space) or the road they did take--the abysmal space shuttle, which expends more PR money keeping the public thinking it's "efficient" (it's not, and never was--it was just a way to enlarge their turf and justify huge budgets and lots of jobs) than the entire BDR program would have cost.

This sort of grandiosity and protective obfuscation works in the States, but to other cultures, we look like cowboys.

Yee-HAH!!!

This unfortunately contributes to some serious thread drift, but since I can't move this to another location, here goes. Paul has some good points, and I'm the first to admit that there is plenty of eye rolling material inside NASA (and most other Government Agencies...sometimes I'm convinced that the guy who does "Dilbert" is really a Federal employee). However when it comes to the design of the Shuttle we need to remember that the one driving much of the original design was the DOD and not NASA. Unfortunately (for a lot of people) the DOD pulled out at the last minute and everyone else was left holding the design impacts that were part of their "requirements." Had they not been involved, the program, and obviously it's design would have been dramatically different.

There is some vigorous debate within (and outside) the Agency about what's the best way to move forward. A lot of it centers on "manned" vs "unmanned" exploration. The "manned" side is obviously far more expensive.

[RobRick]

I'll get this back on topic: how about a short scale Rick in white made out of the same material they make the space shuttle with??

[s4001]

I think Parker made a foam bass.

[cheyenne]

Isnt the 4004 an "S" type bass?

[shamustwin]

Ah, the S class.

[jingle_jangle]

Beats hell out of a Granada Ghia...