Who remembers...

[RailwayRowdy]

If you are into space travel I highly recommend the book 'Riding Rockets' by Richard 'Mike' Mullane,you won't regret it.Mike was a former astronaut who hosted a lunch we attended when we visited in 2005.He was writing the book at the time based on his experiences,including his three space shuttle missions.He covers a question I asked him at the lunch concerning his thoughts when he first saw planet earth from space.A brilliant book which NASA,I think,dreaded coming out?

A must read.

 

Out of interest, in this book does he make any reference to “Santa Claus” ?

 

I’ve seen actual footage from inside an earth orbiting module where the astronaut (I don’t remember his name) is clearly heard to say “ so there is a Santa Claus”

 

For The uninformed, “Santa Claus” was supposedly one NASA’s many codenames for UFO’s.

 

And that’s before we move onto the mysteries of Area 51!

[Heatwave]

Von Braun’s part in all of this is of course very contentious.

 

Von Braun, architect of the German V1 &V2 rockets, knew his worth at the end of WW2.

 

Germany was of course the leader in ballistic missiles at this time. The west and USA in particular wanted a part of it. In fact, they wanted all of it.

 

Von Braun knew the game was up for Germany circa 1944. He hid all his research documents and literally waited for the West to capture him, knowing he held all the aces.

 

Meanwhile the Nuerenburg trials find the remaining Nazi leadership guilty and are sentenced to death. But suddenly Von Braun, who’s rockets could have spelt defeat for the West, becomes Germany's MVP.

 

Standards of the double variety or what !

 

However a fantastic scientist, despite his “previous”

 

He wrote an autobiography 'I Aimed for the Stars', which attracted the tagline from his detractors 'but mostly I hit London'.

[Paul6754]

I remember it happening but can't recollect where I watched it.

 

Went to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, the stuff on display there is mind bogling, the Saturn Rocket is truly gigantic, the Command Module tiny, those guys must have been out of their minds to sit on top of that rocket. Apparently there is more computer power in an iPhone than was available to the Space mission.

 

One of the greatest achievements of mankind.

[SourceOfTheTrent]

He wrote an autobiography 'I Aimed for the Stars', which attracted the tagline from his detractors 'but mostly I hit London'.

never heard that before!

For anyone visiting the brilliant museum at RAF Cosford there are both V1 and V2 rockets on display. You can certainly see the origins of the Saturn V in the V2.

[Conrad]

never heard that before!

For anyone visiting the brilliant museum at RAF Cosford there are both V1 and V2 rockets on display. You can certainly see the origins of the Saturn V in the V2.

Yep, I worked at RAF Cosford for 4 years.

[SourceOfTheTrent]

Yep, I worked at RAF Cosford for 4 years.

Great place, it also has my all time favourite plane there, the English Electric Lightning P1. Might not have made the moon but brilliant in it's day.

I must admit I have a touch of jealousy towards posters in this thread who've been to the Kennedy Space Centre. Maybe one day!

[Conrad]

Great place, it also has my all time favourite plane there, the English Electric Lightning P1. Might not have made the moon but brilliant in it's day.

I must admit I have a touch of jealousy towards posters in this thread who've been to the Kennedy Space Centre. Maybe one day!

 

All the planes in the museum have flown in and landed at cosford.

[SourceOfTheTrent]

All the planes in the museum have flown in and landed at cosford.

Does that include the Comet?

Surely not the Messershmitt Me-262?

[For Us All]

Out of interest, in this book does he make any reference to “Santa Claus” ?

 

I’ve seen actual footage from inside an earth orbiting module where the astronaut (I don’t remember his name) is clearly heard to say “ so there is a Santa Claus”

 

For The uninformed, “Santa Claus” was supposedly one NASA’s many codenames for UFO’s.

 

And that’s before we move onto the mysteries of Area 51!

 

He does mention aliens and UFO's but I don't remember any reference to "Santa Claus".

 

Btw,it was Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford, aboard Gemini 6 who allegedly saw Santa.😁

[Paul6754]

The Spitfire at Hanley museum is pretty awe inspiring.

[Conrad]

Does that include the Comet?

Surely not the Messershmitt Me-262?

 

That’s what we were told when I worked there.

[SourceOfTheTrent]

That’s what we were told when I worked there.

Cheers. Must be the odd exception, like the Me-262. The great Winkle Brown gave an insightful account of flying one at the end of the war, risky to say the least!

He should have been an astronaut, he flew just about everything but a space ship!

[For Us All]

We returned to Florida again last August and guess what,we decided to visit the KSC once again,couldn't keep away.

This time our astronaut at lunch was Norm Thagard.Now don't get me wrong most astronauts are impressive but this guy was something else.

He started off by flying F-4 Phantom IIs with VMFA-333 and then flew 163 combat missions in Vietnam.When he returned to the States he studied Electrical Engineering and then gained a degree in medicine as well as becoming a licensed physician!!

He told us that the hardest bit though was learning to speak Russian,which enabled him to be become the first American cosmonaut to fly in the Soyuz TM-21 spacecraft for the Russian Mir-18 mission.

That raised a few laughs.

[man in the pub]

You are being a little unfair there mate, 30,000?.... at least send enough to change a light bulb.

 

You forget they are in the Championship now better make it 11000.

[AlienTitWrench]

I went to Florida in 2009 the day after we lost 2-0 to Macc Town

 

While I was there there was a night launch of the Shuttle. Definately worth the wait until the early hours for it. It was like daylight again when it blasted off.

 

Anyway, we know the moon landings are not real as the world is Flat!........... 🤪