(December 2, 2020 at 8:53 am)Gwaithmir Wrote: I had started subscribing to SKY & TELESCOPE in 1963. The Arecibo Observatory was featured on one of the covers.

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/01/940767001...s-research

Wow, you are as old as your picture  

I used to read SKY & TELESCOPE back in the 70s at the library.

Hugh Keays-Byrne, actor mostly known for playing bad guys in Mad Max movies.

Chuck Yeager, he was the first pilot that flew at the speed of sound.

At work.

(December 8, 2020 at 12:44 am)Fake Messiah Wrote: Chuck Yeager, he was the first pilot that flew at the speed of sound.

Good speed to him.

Amazing biography well worth reading.

Yeah, Chuck Yeager was kind of dominant character in my childhood because I frequently watched that movie "The Right Stuff" on VHS.

At work.

Punk Journalist to Mr Yager some time in the 70's: "Tell me Sir. What did you do when you saw your fist jet?"

Mr Yager: "Shot it down."

Bloke did have an amazing life.

(December 8, 2020 at 1:23 am)Peebo-Thuhlu Wrote: At work.

(December 8, 2020 at 12:44 am)Fake Messiah Wrote: Chuck Yeager, he was the first pilot that flew at the speed of sound.

Good speed to him.

Amazing biography well worth reading.

My favorite story was when he flew back seat to Neil Armstrong and against the General's advice - Armstrong landed on a not-quite dry lakebed and promptly got the jet stuck in mud...
"You want to turn that off ?(engines at full throttle) - You ain't doing nothing".

If it weren't for the stupid rule about having to be a college graduated to qualify for the astronaut programme, Yeager could very well have been the first American in space. Eisenhower insisted on test pilots for Mercury - who the fuck fit that bill better than Yeager?

Boru

(December 8, 2020 at 6:07 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: If it weren't for the stupid rule about having to be a college graduated to qualify for the astronaut programme, Yeager could very well have been the first American in space. Eisenhower insisted on test pilots for Mercury - who the fuck fit that bill better than Yeager?

Boru

I think he got out of the really dangerous shit at the right time.

You can only get lucky so many times.....

The man is legend.

(December 8, 2020 at 12:44 am)Fake Messiah Wrote: Chuck Yeager, he was the first pilot that flew at the speed of sound.

Chuck Yeager was the first pilot who intentional flew past the speed of sound in level flight and lived to tell about it.

A few pilots likely flew at or just above speed of sound unintentionally during dives in WWII, and lived to tell about it. a few more pilots intended to fly past speed of sound in dives and in level flight after WWII, but before Yeager, and a few may have succeeded, but didn’t live to tell.

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(December 8, 2020 at 6:07 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: If it weren't for the stupid rule about having to be a college graduated to qualify for the astronaut programme, Yeager could very well have been the first American in space. Eisenhower insisted on test pilots for Mercury - who the fuck fit that bill better than Yeager?

Boru

The US produced well over a million military pilots during WWII,  plenty of them became test pilots afterwards.  Except for publicity purposes because he is the pilot who happen to be there when the X-1 broke the sound barrier, how does Yeager fit the bill particularly well amongst that large pool?

But against his being there when the sound barrier was broken must be set the fact that he was only there because he broke regulations and hid a debilitating previous rib injury to be there.  This potentially endangered both the effort and the valuable experimental aircraft.

In the race to not be left too far behind the USSR, would the US risk losing more ground by having a national hero die and his spacecraft lost because he broke a few more ribs the night before launch and decided to hide it so as to not lose his spot should fame come?