NationStates Jolt Archive

... against sobriety, that is.

Nasa will today unveil a shocking report claiming that two of its astronauts blasted into space while drunk, and that managers turned a blind eye.

Doctors and crewmates claim that the astronauts, who are not thought to be named in the report, were allowed to board the space shuttle despite warnings that they posed a danger to themselves and others.

The magazine Aviation Week claimed last night that the report — drawn up by an internal Nasa panel and set for publication today — reveals “heavy use” of alcohol by astronauts on at least two separate occasions just before missions, in breach of a Nasa ban on drinking within the 12-hour countdown to launch. It does not mention which astronauts, or which missions, were involved, but suggests that managers were made aware and chose not to act.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2148345.ece

How will we ever get to Mars now?

Given NASA's management past track record, can anyone honestly say that they're suprised by this?

Are you implying that the US is/was ever behind Russia?

Are you implying that the US is/was ever behind Russia?
No, he's quite clearly stating that some NASA space cowboys are drunks.

And also, ever heard of Sputnik?

Or Yuri Gagarin (OK, USSR, not Russia but....)

Going into space drunk… was this stunt inspired by Barney Gumble?

No, he's quite clearly stating that some NASA space cowboys are drunks.

And also, ever heard of Sputnik?

Or Yuri Gagarin (OK, USSR, not Russia but....)

The US was not behind. Sputnik, the US had already planned to do it.

As for Yuri, the only reason we lost was scheduling. They scheduled their launch a month before ours (we had it scheduled, they just did it about a month before).

Were they *important* astronauts or just political ride-alongs? :p I wouldn't want the navigator drunk, but the rest could probably drink a bit without any problems.

The US was not behind. Sputnik, the US had already planned to do it.

As for Yuri, the only reason we lost was scheduling. They scheduled their launch a month before ours (we had it scheduled, they just did it about a month before).

Come on now - it was almost 50 years ago. Let them have Sputnik. :p

Come on now - it was almost 50 years ago. Let them have Sputnik. :p

Not to mention the first lunar probe, the first probe on another planet, the first person in space, and a few others that I can't recall right now. The Soviets made progress in space...if only they'd kept at exploration and scientific research rather than building endless quantities of missiles, guns and tanks.

The US was not behind. Sputnik, the US had already planned to do it.

As for Yuri, the only reason we lost was scheduling. They scheduled their launch a month before ours (we had it scheduled, they just did it about a month before).
You're joking, right?

Worst. Loser. Ever.

The Soviets made progress in space...if only they'd kept at exploration and scientific research rather than building endless quantities of missiles, guns and tanks.

I think early experiences made them nervous of the capitalist countries.

From Wikipedia:

Soviet Space Firsts:

* 1957: First intercontinental ballistic missile, the R-7 Semyorka
* 1957: First satellite, Sputnik 1
* 1957: First animal to enter Earth orbit, the dog Laika on Sputnik 2
* 1959: First firing of a rocket in Earth orbit, first man-made object to escape Earth's orbit, Luna 1
* 1959: First data communications, or telemetry, to and from outer space, Luna 1.
* 1959: First man-made object to pass near the Moon, first man-made object in Solar orbit, Luna 1
* 1959: First probe to impact the moon, Luna 2
* 1959: First images of the moon's far side, Luna 3
* 1960: First probe launched to Mars, Marsnik 1
* 1961: First probe launched to Venus, Venera 1
* 1961: First person in space (International definition) and in Earth orbit, Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1, Vostok programme
* 1961: First person to spend over a day in space Gherman Titov, Vostok 2
* 1962: First dual manned spaceflight and approach, Vostok 3 and Vostok 4. While considered by some to be the first space rendezvous, Vostok 3 and 4 were 5km apart as they passed each other in the closest point in their respective orbits, and the orbits were in different orbital planes. US Gemini 6A/Gemini 7 did the first parallel flight, three years later, however without docking. Actual docking was first done in 1967 by Soviet Cosmos 186/Cosmos 188 and manned docking with exchange of crew was first done by Soviet Soyuz 4/Soyuz 5 (see below).
* 1963: First woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, Vostok 6
* 1964: First multi-man crew (3), Voskhod 1
* 1965: First EVA, by Aleksei Leonov, Voskhod 2
* 1965: First probe to hit another planet (Venus), Venera 3
* 1966: First probe to make a soft landing on and transmit from the surface of the moon, Luna 9
* 1966: First probe in lunar orbit, Luna 10
* 1967: First unmanned rendezvous and docking, Cosmos 186/Cosmos 188. (Until 2006, this has remained the only major space achievement that the US has not duplicated.)
* 1969: First docking between two manned craft in Earth orbit and exchange of crews, Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5
* 1970: First samples automatically returned to Earth from another body, Luna 16
* 1970: First robotic space rover, Lunokhod 1
* 1970: First data received from the surface of another planet (Venus), Venera 7
* 1971: First space station, Salyut 1
* 1971: First probe to orbit another planet (Mars), first probe to reach surface of Mars, Mars 2
* 1975: First probe to orbit Venus, first photos from surface of Venus, Venera 9
* 1984: First woman to walk in space, Svetlana Savitskaya (Salyut 7 space station)
* 1986: First crew to visit two separate space stations (Mir and Salyut 7)
* 1986: First permanently manned space station, Mir, which orbited the Earth from 1986 until 2001
* 1987: First crew to spend over one year in space, Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov on board of TM-4 - Mir

Not to mention the first lunar probe, the first probe on another planet, the first person in space, and a few others that I can't recall right now. The Soviets made progress in space...if only they'd kept at exploration and scientific research rather than building endless quantities of missiles, guns and tanks.

In the long run, I still think we bought the better Germans, but it's true they were ahead on a few things. Although I think their lunar probe was basically a small projectile that crashed straight into the moon. :p However, it's still safe to say that they 'won' the first few years.

Anyone see this in the news just now?

http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_207193129.html

I hope it isn't too big a setback to private space travel. :(

Anyone see this in the news just now?

http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_207193129.html

I hope it isn't too big a setback to private space travel. :(

There have been worse:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nedelin_catastrophe

I think it shouldn't be too significant of a setback, but anyone being hurt or killed is always a shame; at the very least, it wasn't during a flight. Hopefully it leads to improved security and procedure at these facilities.

Anyone see this in the news just now?

http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_207193129.html

I hope it isn't too big a setback to private space travel. :(

Burt Rutan is a genius. But I'm not sure all the pieces are really in place for commercial space travel yet.

On the plus side, the japanese and the french are partnering to build a new SST.

Speaking of news, (I sure someone has come up with this before), perhaps someday we'll be graced by this headline:

Mankind Lands Probe on Uranus!
laaaaaame

From Wikipedia:


Want to include a link? ;)

I'm guessing we had as many space 'firsts,' or at least the more significant ones. The space shuttle and the moon orbit and later landings spring to mind, along with the first satellite orbit of mars. :p

Want to include a link? ;)

I'm guessing we had as many space 'firsts,' or at least the more significant ones. The space shuttle and the moon orbit and later landings spring to mind, along with the first satellite orbit of mars. :p

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_program#Firsts

Oh, we probably did, especially after the Apollo missions when we were the first nation to put people on the moon. A lot of the US space accomplishments have been made in the past decade or so when funding for our program has increased dramatically.

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a convenient list of US accomplishments, but they are out there.

You're joking, right?

Worst. Loser. Ever.

I actually took that into consideration before I read your sig. Figures.

Soviet Space Firsts:snip
pwned! :p

I actually took that into consideration before I read your sig. Figures.
Care to explain what the bloody 'ell you're on about?

Read the contents of your signature.
My political compass score?

A Dune quote?

A song lyric?

What has any of that got to do with Sputnik or Yuri Gagarin?

EDIT>> Oh. I see. I'm a left-libertarian. Therefore I must support the USSR and gulags.

How original.

pwned! :p


Care to explain what the bloody 'ell you're on about?

Read the contents of your signature.

EDIT>> Oh. I see. I'm a left-libertarian. Therefore I must support the USSR and gulags.

How original.

Well, you *are* pretty far out there, if I remember that quiz right. :p

Not that I support that kind of generalization.

Well, you *are* pretty far out there, if I remember that quiz right. :p

Not that I support that kind of generalization.
Well, yes I am very left-libertarian, I'd be the last to call me a centrist, but the entire idea of the quiz is to show the difference between authoritarian and libertarian social attitudes as well as left and right economic attitudes.

Quite clearly, I'm not a supporter of the USSR's left-authoritarian position.

Nor am I pissed off a now non-existent state got into space before a 50-year-old administration did.

Dearie me.

Vodka as rocket propellant?

"I'm not going up there with a drunk pilot!"
"Well, I'm sure as hell not going up there sober!"