Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Ridecamp Guest wrote:

> Please Reply to: ti Tivers@xxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ==========================================
>
> At 5:12 EST Discovery landed safely at Edwards AFB. 
>
> The bulk of the mission was computer-flown and only after the final turn to line up with the runway did the human pilot take over. 
>
> Throughout the history of the space programs, here and abroad, countless individuals have had to conquer their innate fear of the unknown. The Discovery vehicle itself represents a towering technological achievement, with science penetrating the murk of thousands upon thousands of complex unknowns.
>
>  
Actually the science the space shuddle was based on is old - most goes 
back to Newton. The shuttle is an engineering marvel. There was, 
however, no new science required for the shuttle that wasn't well 
established in the mid '70 when the program was began. Of course there 
was a lot of blood sweat and tears - but that the name of the game in 
large aerospace programs.

The SR-71 Blackbird was designed by a group of renegade engineers at the 
Lockheed "Skunkworks" in Palmdale, CA in the '60. They designed an 
aircraft that could fly at Mach 5 at 120 to 150 thousand feet using 
nothing more than their imagination, guts and a slide rule. Think what 
Chuck Yeager must have though when the fired the first one off the 
runway? Think about the guys that designed the control system and the 
cameras for the Blackbird that could take a picture from 150,000 feet 
and read an auto license plate.

None of this was not a breakthrough in science - but in engineering 
taking well established scientific principles and applying them.

Of course we are a long way off to understanding the nature of mammals 
and excerise to the same level that we understand basic physics. If we 
weren't we wouldn't see so many endurance horses on IV's at high profile 
rides.

Welcome home Discovery - job well done.

Truman

--

"The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite 
of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."    Niels Bohr 
-- Nobel Laureate, Physics




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=