toonz: DanUFfan: Many of the things you use today and take for granted came from NASA and the space program.

Like Tang and that funky Styrofoam-esque ice cream, and mattresses you can jump up and down on without spilling your wine!

/and some other stuff too

People who shout "TANG!" when discussing the technology benefits of space exploration are MORANS, plain and simple. Go do some research. Just because you're reading about this on Fark doesn't mean it is ok to be a parroting MORAN.

alonzinator:
this?


/Yeah, that was a "tough day at work" for somebody...

Kevlar.

Invented because very strong but lightweight parachute shrouds were required for the Viking Mars landers.

I'm guessing this is a disgruntled employee thing. Can't see any other reason for it, anyway. It's a non-critical piece of hardware, but I'm sure it'd spoil someone's project and reflect badly on whatever contractor made it.

And don't go blaming NASA. They set standards for what flies, but they don't oversee the building of every little part. I'm designing a circuit board myself right now that (with luck) will wind up in a tiny module stuck to the outside of the ISS in a year or two. Yeah, NASA wants to be sure it won't outgas all over or blow up, but if it doesn't work.. well, it's just a minor experiment and a certain educational institution's project fails and I look like an ass.

If anything, NASA deserves some credit for identifying the problem. Twenty bucks says this was the action of one employee, trying to make their employer look bad.

Take whoever did this out behind the VAB and break a foot-shaped probe off in his ass.

This would not have happened in the old, Apollo days.

Privatization = Bad.

NASA Spinoff

"NASA technology was used to create a compact laboratory instrument for hospitals and doctor offices that more quickly analyzes blood, accomplishing in 30 seconds what once took 20 minutes."

Educate yourself, NASA haters.

It was some black guy who was tired of always having to say "Yes NASA, No NASA".

Contrabulous Flabtraption: DanUFfan: Ummm.....No. Many of the things you use today and take for granted came from NASA and the space program.

Not really - the whole technology transfer thing with NASA is mostly lies

Back that up. Let's see your proof.

AaronK

Why the hell would anyone ever take a photo with just one measly pheasant.

/Don't get me wrong, it looks to be a quality photo.
//As for the shuttle . . . low bidder.

Quick & dirty.

I understand dismissing press coverage of the Nowak and drunk spacemen for the sensationalistic stories they are, but I don't think the same dismissal can be made for this wire cutting sabotage incident ... and I would bet tickets to the next launch that the sabotage is going to have much greater legs in the media than the inebriated astronauts.

If true, this sabotage is extremely serious even if it was on a system that doesn't threaten the safety of the crews and has enormous implications for the space program as a whole. Among other things, it shatters the notion that there's no way a scrupulous individual could do harm to a space mission.

This is very comparable to the controversy hitting the NBA right now with alleged fixing of games by one of its referees. In the same sense that that has put the legitimacy of NBA games in doubt, this will likely seriously put the safety of NASA crews from sabotage in doubt in the public eye.

And certainly in the current climate we're in, eventually the questions by the media will turn to whether a terrorist could infiltrate NASA and, let's say, make sure one of the bolts holding down the SRBs doesn't release on launch. Before stereotyping Al Qaida types as mindless brutes, keep in mind that many behind the recent attack attempts in U.K. were doctors. And you know a congressman trying to make a name for themselves will latch on to this for hearings.

And they should. If true, this is an extremely serious breach of security and shouldn't be taken lightly or scuttled aside for a second. Those with NASA should be up in arms over this and do anything they can to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Zombie Jerry Falwell: "LISTEN ALLYALL..."
the president doesn't drive around in a machine designed and built in the 70s, so why do our greatest explorers?????? The bomb droppers don't either for that matter.... PRIORITIES people

Um. It's called the VH-3 "Marine One" Helocopter.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/vh-3.htm

From 1972, baby!

Any "Tin Tin" fans here?

Fark This!: From 1972, baby!

Furthermore, he generally comes in with several decoys, too.

"looks like he picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

Gwendolyn: Damn you. I came here to say that.

MUAH!

Asteron
What's the point of sabotaging a noncritical component like that?

Maybe the recorder would discover a construction problem that the saboteurs company made?

Thanks HZS9PK and dcigary!!!

Those where the first two images that popped into my head when I heard this driving home.

Cheers!

this flight will also have Christa McAuliffe's back-up making her 1st spaceflight...cue the Theremin

Wow! All this and drunk astronauts, too! Is there anything NASA can't do?

Seriously, the NASA corporate culture's rotten. Fire everybody from the top guy down thru and including all middle level managers. If that doesn't work then fire everbody who's left! Christ!

More details -- rumor is once before a T-38 (jet trainer) flight, and once before a Soyuz launch. From what I hear about the Russians, it'd be a grievous insult to them to not drink vodka with them before the launch, so this is kind of a non-issue.

TSE: People who shout "TANG!" when discussing the technology benefits of space exploration are MORANS, plain and simple. Go do some research. Just because you're reading about this on Fark doesn't mean it is ok to be a parroting MORAN.

orrrrr... maybe i was JOKING (Welcome to FARK, genius. Judging from your other posts and reading comprehension, you may want to EDUCATE YOURSELF on words like "humor", "sarcasm", "satire").

Let's run through it shall we (keep up with me, here)

Tang: referencing the famous commercials that claimed astronauts drank it

the funky 'ice cream': often touted as a spin-off of a freeze-dried variety similar to foodstuffs on space missions

the mattress reference: "approved by the 'Space Foundation', the commercials say

Every part of that was A POP-CULTURE JOKE. The "/and some other stuff too" was the caveat I left to acknowledge that there actually have been advances that came from NASA. But here's a fun fact, there were some great agricultural advances that came from tobacco farms (or damn near any othe kind of farming, and other types of advances from MILLION/ZILLION other places that YOU probably couldn't care less about too. Hell, the Nazis gave us some spiffy medical advances).

I just educated myself by looking up "fun at parties." Sadly, but not surprisingly, no references to you.

But thanks, man. I would have spent years in the dark if it wasn't for you running around a farking glorified chat room enlightening all of us MORANS. You sure showed me!

/Likes NASA
//and space
///cuz someday I hope we can send the assholes there

toonz: I just educated myself by looking up "fun at parties." Sadly, but not surprisingly, no references to you.

TANG...yeah... that was hilarious. I bet you think "knock knock" is still funny,too.

I know i'm beating my head against a wall here. I'm just a glutton for punishment.

TSE:
Nahh, man. I just think you need to lighten up a little and pick your battles a little better. 's all.

"Knock knock"
"Who's there"
"Pompous know-it-all"
"Pompous know-it-all who?"
"Pompous know-it-all needs to..." (new window)

yes, sometimes I DO think they're funny...

That's OK,
My replacement is flying this mission on the replacement mission.
Godspeed.

Puuut..MMMMax...Innn. Spaacce......

markie_farkie: Quick, someone scrounge up a few more VIC-20's so they can stay on schedule!

Ya know, you're not far off. The avionics controlling the robotic arm (SSRMS/Canadarm2) use Intel 80186, 286 and 386 processors. But you know what? They work.

/did the testing on them

Why am I not shocked to find out this was the result of some union strike?

Typical union member bullshiat, themselves before all others.

Reagan had it right with his Union busting.

Zombie Jerry Falwell: "LISTEN ALLYALL..."
the president doesn't drive around in a machine designed and built in the 70s, so why do our greatest explorers?????? The bomb droppers don't either for that matter.... PRIORITIES people

Air Force One is a 747 that was designed in the 60s and was built in the 80s.

submitter please take a bow.
/i LOL'd

I've never had any desire to go into space. However, that reluctance is multiplied a hundred fold at the prospect of doing so in that 20+ year old hoopty of a space shuttle.

Seriously, NASA must have developed some new top secret wonder happy drug and mixed it with the astronaut's Tang. You won't catch me going into space until they've developed some sort of Star Trek like atmosphere enclosing force field.

As somebody with a Rocket Science degree, I find this thread highly amusing.

No kidding--I took up space in college and got a degree in Aerospace Engineering back in '87. Never actually worked as a rocket scientist since the industry basically crashed 'n' burned after the Star Wars contracts ran out. NASA turned down my application, so I gotta admit I feel a bit of Schadenfreude when I hear about the various hard-drinkin', diaper-wearin' saboteurs running amok.

/now work as a kinetic artist and having much more fun than if I were an engineer
//glad I spent more time screwing off in the student union than studying calculus and fluid dynamics
///wished I had majored in art instead, because art babes are teh hott

RockIsDead: It was some black guy who was tired of always having to say "Yes NASA, No NASA".

Always nice to see a Michael Nesmith-related reference.

/TV Parts

threedingers-this one's for you & the Canuckistani's- "Topic Of The Future";
Link (new window)

Testing, 1 ... 2 and three ...

we have liftoff

I wonder if the contractor new in advance which of the two systems was to be used in space, and which was to stay on the ground. That would explain why both were sabotaged.

I am under the impression that once something is certified for space use, they dont like to change it unless they absolutely have to. Probably cost a bit to certify the new product, and if it does not have some huge advantage over the old one, not worth the cost.

The question of how to prevent this from happening again is a difficult one. This person was probably a trusted person (to be allowed near the equipment). The only people that are qualified to inspect this stuff could also do damage. How can you ever be totally secure?

And NASA funding (just like any high tech military project) does have civilian benefits. Anything that advances the basic science's or the development of extreme device's will eventually be used elsewhere.

I'd just like to say if I was sitting on 90,000 lbs of rocket fuel, I might be tempted to have a belt or two myself.

And here's the brief article from wiki on the previously pictured drunken satellite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOAA-N' (sorry, no pops)

two nasa posts in one day, so why does this program still exist???

just let the russians go and do everything first and take their findings. waste. of. money.