50 years ago today - First man in space
Discussion
Today is the fiftieth anniversary of Gagarins historic trip into space.
Bit of info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin
And an 'as it happened' thing here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/apr/12/yuri...
A real hero of his time, it seems a shame that this sort of thing isn't really promoted anymore. Somebody like that would be a good role model today, instead the 'celebrities' we seem to have today...
Bit of info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin
And an 'as it happened' thing here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/apr/12/yuri...
A real hero of his time, it seems a shame that this sort of thing isn't really promoted anymore. Somebody like that would be a good role model today, instead the 'celebrities' we seem to have today...
bob1179 said:
Today is the fiftieth anniversary of Gagarins historic trip into space.
Bit of info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin
And an 'as it happened' thing here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/apr/12/yuri...
A real hero of his time, it seems a shame that this sort of thing isn't really promoted anymore. Somebody like that would be a good role model today, instead the 'celebrities' we seem to have today...
Plenty of people go into space these days. In a couple of years time Virgin Galactic will allow ordinary (altghough fairly wealthy) individuals access to space. The Russians already carry fare paying crew members.Bit of info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin
And an 'as it happened' thing here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/apr/12/yuri...
A real hero of his time, it seems a shame that this sort of thing isn't really promoted anymore. Somebody like that would be a good role model today, instead the 'celebrities' we seem to have today...
Space travel is becoming more routine so the "pioneer" aspect of it is far less newsworthy than it was. However, if and when we go to Mars, I am pretty sure the first crew to land there will become pretty well known.
And don't forget they had well known "celebrities" in 1961 too.
It would be interesting to have a full list of the advancements and spinoffs that the space programs have brought in addition to the kudos for the human race to be able to do it.
There have been so many research projects that have probably delivered a far better quality of life here on earth that we just don't see being accredited to the space programs.
So, in addition to ball point pens that write upside down (and jam circuit breakers into a usable position in the even of failure during a lunar landing!!) and memory foam, what have we got? NASA is pretty modest in its statements:
Source: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/pathfinder...
[i]
Benefits of Space Exploration
Revised: Nov. 2010
One of the familiar complaints that NASA receives when its budget comes up for approval is that "...the money really ought to be spent down here instead of up there". Leaving aside the fact that NASA's civil servants and contractors all live here on Earth, and thus the money is spent here, NASA's fifty years of research and development have resulted in a wide range of inventions and processes, ranging from the complexity of image processing through the simplicity of fire-resistant kid's pyjamas.
One facet of NASA's research, aviation safety, is a continuing legacy from NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics. It is so important to the public that it has a NASA HQ library webpage to itself. If you are a NASA HQ employee, please consider subscribing to our news alert on aviation safety to get the latest news.
This webpage will help you get a general overview of what NASA's inventions and developments have done to make our lives easier. If you would like to know the paths NASA's inventions take from lab benches to store shelves, please visit our webpage on the Diffusion of Innovations. If you would like to see how NASA's research and development efforts aid America's economy in dollars and cents, please visit our webpage on Measuring Return on Investment for Government Programs and Agencies. If you are interested in seeing how private industry is going forward in space, please visit our webpage on Space Commercialization and Space Tourism. If you are a NASA HQ employee, please consider subscribing to our news alert on commercialization and technology transfer to get the latest news.
All items are available at the Headquarters Library, except as noted. NASA Headquarters employees and contractors: Call x0168 or email Library@hq.nasa.gov for information on borrowing or in-library use of any of these items. Members of the public: Contact your local library for the availability of these items. NASA Headquarters employees can request additional materials or research on this topic. The Library welcomes your comments or suggestions about this webpage.
[/i]
So that is NASA's take on it. Let's stretch our minds to make a PH list of benefits beyond the daft ones and sensible couple I give you below.
Ballpoint Pens that write upside down
Memory Foam
Fire resistant kids pyjamas
Kidney Dialysis Machines
There have been so many research projects that have probably delivered a far better quality of life here on earth that we just don't see being accredited to the space programs.
So, in addition to ball point pens that write upside down (and jam circuit breakers into a usable position in the even of failure during a lunar landing!!) and memory foam, what have we got? NASA is pretty modest in its statements:
Source: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/pathfinder...
[i]
Benefits of Space Exploration
Revised: Nov. 2010
One of the familiar complaints that NASA receives when its budget comes up for approval is that "...the money really ought to be spent down here instead of up there". Leaving aside the fact that NASA's civil servants and contractors all live here on Earth, and thus the money is spent here, NASA's fifty years of research and development have resulted in a wide range of inventions and processes, ranging from the complexity of image processing through the simplicity of fire-resistant kid's pyjamas.
One facet of NASA's research, aviation safety, is a continuing legacy from NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics. It is so important to the public that it has a NASA HQ library webpage to itself. If you are a NASA HQ employee, please consider subscribing to our news alert on aviation safety to get the latest news.
This webpage will help you get a general overview of what NASA's inventions and developments have done to make our lives easier. If you would like to know the paths NASA's inventions take from lab benches to store shelves, please visit our webpage on the Diffusion of Innovations. If you would like to see how NASA's research and development efforts aid America's economy in dollars and cents, please visit our webpage on Measuring Return on Investment for Government Programs and Agencies. If you are interested in seeing how private industry is going forward in space, please visit our webpage on Space Commercialization and Space Tourism. If you are a NASA HQ employee, please consider subscribing to our news alert on commercialization and technology transfer to get the latest news.
All items are available at the Headquarters Library, except as noted. NASA Headquarters employees and contractors: Call x0168 or email Library@hq.nasa.gov for information on borrowing or in-library use of any of these items. Members of the public: Contact your local library for the availability of these items. NASA Headquarters employees can request additional materials or research on this topic. The Library welcomes your comments or suggestions about this webpage.
[/i]
So that is NASA's take on it. Let's stretch our minds to make a PH list of benefits beyond the daft ones and sensible couple I give you below.
Ballpoint Pens that write upside down
Memory Foam
Fire resistant kids pyjamas
Kidney Dialysis Machines
They said on the TV programme that every 1Bn spent on the space programme attracted 14Bn of investment. Not sure where the figures came from though.
But if you have to make everybody on Earth financially comfortable and fed before you can do anything else, then we won't get further than Southend Pier. And that is the problem - every time a Mars Mission or similar is announced, a noisy minority will stand up and start sghouting 'What about the starving Africans'? And noisy minorities usually get their way, unfortunately.
But if you have to make everybody on Earth financially comfortable and fed before you can do anything else, then we won't get further than Southend Pier. And that is the problem - every time a Mars Mission or similar is announced, a noisy minority will stand up and start sghouting 'What about the starving Africans'? And noisy minorities usually get their way, unfortunately.
SeeFive said:
So, in addition to ball point pens that write upside down
HA HA, the American "Space Pen", only in America could they spend a million dollars developing a pen that works in zero-gravity rather than follow the Russian example- a pencil, Cheaper, lighter and erasably for better plausible deniability :-)scubadude said:
SeeFive said:
So, in addition to ball point pens that write upside down
HA HA, the American "Space Pen", only in America could they spend a million dollars developing a pen that works in zero-gravity rather than follow the Russian example- a pencil, Cheaper, lighter and erasably for better plausible deniability :-)It is one of those made up stories that emerged out of nowhere in more recent years.
However, the story of the clockwork shavers IS true.
As for Seefive, I will treat his post with the contempt it desrves - by not replying to it.
Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 12th April 15:49
scubadude said:
SeeFive said:
So, in addition to ball point pens that write upside down
HA HA, the American "Space Pen", only in America could they spend a million dollars developing a pen that works in zero-gravity rather than follow the Russian example- a pencil, Cheaper, lighter and erasably for better plausible deniability :-)He risked his neck for a start.
He was also the first, which can never be taken from him.
The Russian spacecraft were (and still are, to a certain extent) more automated than their American counterparts. However, he still had to activate some systems on board the spacecraft and he also had to ensure that automatic systems could be overidden manually if required to.
His main job on that first flight was just to make sure that he survived it so that he could relay what he had seen and how he had felt during the flight.
The next Vostok mission, which was launched 4 months later, stayed up for 24 hours - something the Americans didn't manage until Gordon Cooper's final Mercury mission in 1963.
He was also the first, which can never be taken from him.
The Russian spacecraft were (and still are, to a certain extent) more automated than their American counterparts. However, he still had to activate some systems on board the spacecraft and he also had to ensure that automatic systems could be overidden manually if required to.
His main job on that first flight was just to make sure that he survived it so that he could relay what he had seen and how he had felt during the flight.
The next Vostok mission, which was launched 4 months later, stayed up for 24 hours - something the Americans didn't manage until Gordon Cooper's final Mercury mission in 1963.
scubadude said:
HA HA, the American "Space Pen", only in America could they spend a million dollars developing a pen that works in zero-gravity rather than follow the Russian example- a pencil, Cheaper, lighter and erasably for better plausible deniability :-)
Pencils are not a good idea in space.Using a pencil in zero-g results in graphite dust in the atmosphere (esp if you use an eraser) which would interfere with electronics when it came into contact with it.
Eric Mc said:
He risked his neck for a start.
He was also the first, which can never be taken from him.
The Russian spacecraft were (and still are, to a certain extent) more automated than their American counterparts. However, he still had to activate some systems on board the spacecraft and he also had to ensure that automatic systems could be overidden manually if required to.
His main job on that first flight was just to make sure that he survived it so that he could relay what he had seen and how he had felt during the flight.
The next Vostok mission, which was launched 4 months later, stayed up for 24 hours - something the Americans didn't manage until Gordon Cooper's final Mercury mission in 1963.
The next Vostok mission was the first where the cosmonaut had any control.He was also the first, which can never be taken from him.
The Russian spacecraft were (and still are, to a certain extent) more automated than their American counterparts. However, he still had to activate some systems on board the spacecraft and he also had to ensure that automatic systems could be overidden manually if required to.
His main job on that first flight was just to make sure that he survived it so that he could relay what he had seen and how he had felt during the flight.
The next Vostok mission, which was launched 4 months later, stayed up for 24 hours - something the Americans didn't manage until Gordon Cooper's final Mercury mission in 1963.
Doesn't take away the fact that Yuri was an incredibly brave man.
Gagarin's flight was as much a test flight of the vehicle as well. He only conducted one orbit, which meant the entire flight from lift off to landing barely exceeded 100 minutes. He obviously didn't have a huge amount of time to do anything.
The Russians tend to be cautious and conservative in their approach to technology - which why they have been using the R7 booster for almost 60 years.
The Russians tend to be cautious and conservative in their approach to technology - which why they have been using the R7 booster for almost 60 years.
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