Each time I log onto my e-mail provider, they currently show me a video of the US astronauts rocket lift-off, and each time it fascinates and frightens me. Would I do it ? No way. But no astronaut is going to be a few stars short of a galaxy, so undoubtedly these two guys are brave IMHO.
Here's wishing them good luck in the docking with the International Space Station later on today (3:30pm BST).
Astronauts have gone into space before, so it's not really unlnown territory. Sure it takes pluck, but so does many things. And you get a memory few presently alive will experience.
Astronauts, are the "Right stuff" - the best we have as a race. Intelligent, courageous, unflappable, resilient, resourceful, physically and mentally as close to perfect as we can get. Would I do it, hell yeah, would I be allowed to ? not a chance!
just go and read about Apollo 11, they are about to land on the moon the computer issues a 1202 warning, Armstrong takes manual control, he has about 1 minute of fuel to land in a boulder field or they wont have enough fuel to get home. He lands with seconds to spare, that's cool, most of us would either have aborted it or ballsed it up in a myriad of different ways. These people are special.
TTT, whoever that was to... please stop pretending you are the most intelligent person ever and that everyone else is a moron. Nobody is fooled by your insecurity.
You are presumptuous at times, TTT. Twas a pun. However, in all of the debunking programmes I've seen, I have yet to see an explanation for the lack of a rocket blast when the capsule leaves the moon. One guy on one of those "Did We Go To Moon" thingys', a former NASA rocket engineer, says the lack of a rocket blast shows that the capsule was yanked up by a cable. That's the last thing to debunk, as far as I know. Perhaps it's been done and I missed it.
pixie; "Ttt, is isn't only this thread. Are you really qualified to diagnose people as imbeciles? " - as I said anyone who thinks the moon landings were faked is an imbecile, not me Prof Brian Cox and thousands of other assorted scientists, TBF though mood hoaxers do not have the monopoly imbilcility. What other threads have i annoyed you with?
I feel that we are wandering off topic here. These two astronauts are not, by any stretch of the imagination, barmy. Their bravery equates with the bravery of the old-time explorers - Columbus, Magellan, and others - who set off to find other trade routes, not knowing if they would ever return. Astronauts put their trust in their ground-based colleagues, who have researched everything and have assured the astronauts that everything will be OK, but it's still those guys who have to sit on top of a rocket and hope that it really does work. Brave is the only suitable word.
Amazingly brave but how do you think their bravery compares with that of Magellan, Columbus, Drake et al who hadn't a clue where they were going and even Amundson and Shackleton who, once they left home, were completely out of touch with no chance of rescue.