- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: How Awesome Was NASA Back In The Day?
Posted on 7/25/14 at 2:57 am to elprez00
Posted on 7/25/14 at 2:57 am to elprez00
This was my grandpa's... he designed rocket engines for McDonnell Douglas or whatever they are now. He started in the 50's in Cali and ended up on the cape early early 60's, maybe late 50's. Retired 40 years deep in the mid 90's, true OG. Not bad for a guy from backwoods Montana. His most notable project he worked on was the S-IVB. It is the 3rd stage engine that allowed us to orbit the moon. Obviously it wasn't some ginormous booster with astronomical force, but still damn amazing. Dude was a boss, I'm pissed he died before I could truly appreciate his work. Side note 2 of my cousin's other grandpa was a lead engineer on the crawler-transporter (shuttle mover.) Not per se a NASA invention but whatever it is bad arse as well.
0
Posted on 7/25/14 at 5:28 am to xXLSUXx
quote:
Sorry you aren't feeling overtly patriotic about your country, but that's not NASA's problem.
This has nothing to do with feeling patriotic.
quote:No, you're missing the point. If NASA wants funding they need to sell themselves. Robots and probes won't do it. It may be amazing work but it's boring to 99% of the public. Therefore 99% of politicians don't care about it.
And this confirms that you've missed the point entirely.
Posted on 7/25/14 at 7:31 am to GeauxxxTigers23
Fascinating stuff on here. NASA was the bombdiggity back in the day. They saved lives and brought a craft home with duct tape for crying out loud!
Sadly, from a layman it appears that the biggest thing they're used for today is to push a political agenda.
Sadly, from a layman it appears that the biggest thing they're used for today is to push a political agenda.
Posted on 7/25/14 at 7:35 am to elprez00
Yeah NASA was pretty fricking awesome. Their computers were about as powerful as my smartphone and they still accomplished what they did.
Posted on 7/25/14 at 8:09 am to TheLSUriot
quote:
TheLSUriot
Where you at in Clear Lake? I'd love to have a beer with you and hear some stories.
Posted on 7/25/14 at 9:26 am to NASA_ISS_Tiger
quote:I think that can go the wrong way though. a challenger/columbia type event involving a private enterprise would almost certainly lead to a regulator putting the clamps down on commercial space work, and likely a strong argument to bring it all back under government control.
That's one argument for the commercialization...it'll get the public opinion out of the space race.
that said, this is dangerous work and the entire field is based on some measure of calculated risk. it's right there in kennedy's legendary speech:
quote:
Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too
I'm sold. Let's get to Mars and make some history!
This post was edited on 7/25/14 at 9:29 am
Posted on 7/25/14 at 9:56 am to oilfieldtiger
I recently went to Johnson Space Center and the Saturn rocket exhibit was worth every penny of the admission fee. That thing is huge.
The rest of the space center looked like a landfill area under construction and it was truly sad to see the toll that budget cuts have taken on the place.
Watching the Kennedy video and seeing that podium made me sad to think of how far we've regressed in the program since we killed the shuttle.
For all the billions we waste on other things, at least NASA has a wow factor and it's science that you can learn and appreciate.
The rest of the space center looked like a landfill area under construction and it was truly sad to see the toll that budget cuts have taken on the place.
Watching the Kennedy video and seeing that podium made me sad to think of how far we've regressed in the program since we killed the shuttle.
For all the billions we waste on other things, at least NASA has a wow factor and it's science that you can learn and appreciate.
Posted on 7/25/14 at 10:21 am to WoWyHi
(not a response to WoWyHi but to the thread as a whole)
I don't find much conslation in blaming the safety community or environmental pressures to move to a next generation SOFI. From the engineering side there will always be challenges to doing challenging things. Our motto was "Don't tell me we can't; tell me how we can."
The shuttle program needed to be be phased-out. In the words of John Young (and I quote) "It's a pick-up truck." Bush's recommended replacement (Constellation) had challenges (anyone think Apollo didn't) but it had focus. At present, can anyone readily articulate what NASA's space exploration mission is?
We need a mission with focus, some inherent difficulties - something great, something American.
I don't find much conslation in blaming the safety community or environmental pressures to move to a next generation SOFI. From the engineering side there will always be challenges to doing challenging things. Our motto was "Don't tell me we can't; tell me how we can."
The shuttle program needed to be be phased-out. In the words of John Young (and I quote) "It's a pick-up truck." Bush's recommended replacement (Constellation) had challenges (anyone think Apollo didn't) but it had focus. At present, can anyone readily articulate what NASA's space exploration mission is?
We need a mission with focus, some inherent difficulties - something great, something American.
Posted on 7/25/14 at 12:33 pm to htownjeep
quote:
htownjeep
Sounds goods. Work on site,live across Cow Bayou from you.
email me at my username's gmail account
Posted on 7/25/14 at 12:39 pm to TheLSUriot
My dad retired from MAF. As kids we would go out to Stennis (NSTL back then) and watch the test fires.
My dad got into the video business as side work in 1980. He once took his camera out to Stennis in 1981 while he was working inside the ET. Some really cool home video from back then. Back then a vido camera onsite was no big deal
My dad got into the video business as side work in 1980. He once took his camera out to Stennis in 1981 while he was working inside the ET. Some really cool home video from back then. Back then a vido camera onsite was no big deal
Page 5 of 5
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News