Comments on: NASA

By: Lancer

Lancer — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:21:58 +0000

Just lighting stuff on fire and seein’ what happens, it’s not rocket sci-wait…

By: mike

mike — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:14:35 +0000

“Armaggedon” baby… such a great movie

By: pandagrl

pandagrl — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:56:33 +0000

i saw it as well. i live about 40min south of the cape and have been watching launches all my life. love it.

By: Calli Arcale

Calli Arcale — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:33:22 +0000

NACA did some awesome work, but they did not develop a working orbital reentry vehicle. And the lifting body work, while awesome in its own right, was not a complete spaceplane program. It takes more than prototypes to get to space and back….

BTW, I don’t know what you’re talking about, with Americans trying to beat Russians at their own game and consequently failing because while our tech is better, they’re better at playing this “game”. It might have looked like that in the 1960s, but the reality was quite different. The Russians were desperately trying to play *our* game, to keep up with *our* moves, and failing. They had a better propaganda machine, but propaganda can’t get you to the moon. The crowning example is the Shuttle, bringing us right back to where this thread began. That had nothing to do with beating the Russians; they weren’t trying anything quite like that. They were trying for a spaceplane, yeah. Everybody was. But they couldn’t get the program to move out of the conceptual phase until Shuttle flew and they mucky-mucks in Moscow saw a “capabilities gap.” And so the Energia-Buran system came about. (Now *there’s* a system that genuinely only existed and ultimately failed to be useful purely because of politics.)

We were not inferior to them at the game. They just managed to look better for a while. Truth was, the Russians were far more impeded by their politicans than we were. From the Nedelin Catastrophe to the constant political infighting that sent funding bouncing back and forth from Korolev to Chelomei and back again.

By: Musicmom870

Musicmom870 — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:26:27 +0000

Too cool!!

By: DeathWyrmNexus

DeathWyrmNexus — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:02:48 +0000

Wasn’t me love. I am just now seeing that for the first time.

By: DeathWyrmNexus

DeathWyrmNexus — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:01:20 +0000

Chicken’s best parts are usually the breasts and thighs, which for Mila is not a Big Bada Boom.

Fine, fine, I will stop being a cheeky b@stard on this issue.

By: DeathWyrmNexus

DeathWyrmNexus — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:00:13 +0000

Ah but they made the comment whenever they were discussing her looks. The priests when they turn around because she was changing clothes, the scientist when her body is first remade, Dallas looking all wistful discussing her measurements as a big fare and perfect to Fingers his boss at the cabbie job.

So yes, they were discussing her figure and it grated on me. However, I will concede that puking the power of life that can stop the incarnation of evil when told you are loved would be nice deal breaker for dating.

By: DeathWyrmNexus

DeathWyrmNexus — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:56:45 +0000

I remember listening to that on loop while I watched a home video of a man being attacked by lions… Then chuckled when it synced up.

College was an odd time for me.

By: The Steve

The Steve — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:49:52 +0000

Yes.

By: eddiepscetti

eddiepscetti — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:15:10 +0000

I knew Dale Reed and he was an absolute genius (the man in the pic.) As for the M2-F2, the pilot of the crash was Bruce Peterson. For years it was assumed that the crash was due to pilot error, but they never could determine what actually caused it.
-
As for what Nate said, I’m skeptical as far as the budget goes. NASA is funded just like every other government program. Isn’t the entire Federal budget one big ‘allocation’?

By: Danbala

Danbala — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:05:58 +0000

Great movie, that!
Reading through Peter Stormare’s page on imdb I find we have one thing in common (apart from being born in Sweden :p):
“His favorite actor is Gary Oldman.”
.
I think that’s my favourite actor too. Varies a bit depending on my mood, but most of the time, yes.

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:49:48 +0000

I haven’t seen Fargo and forgot about the Big Lebowski.

That carpet really pulled the room together.

By: Danbala

Danbala — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:35:04 +0000

He has a tendency to make almost all his roles a little bit comedic, like the one in Armageddon. or the one in Fargo. Or the nihilist in Big Lebowski. (I guess I’d say all those movies are comedies.)

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:31:58 +0000

I like him in the VW commercials. I suspect he would kill in a comedic role.

By: Danbala

Danbala — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:26:29 +0000

You’re more Swedish than I am then.
Yeah, I heard that he was in Prison Break, but I could never be arsed to follow that show.

By: Danbala

Danbala — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:25:47 +0000

I could’ve gone on! And on. And on and on and on and
*starts foaming at the corners of the mouth*

By: Mr.Wholesome

Mr.Wholesome — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:23:37 +0000

I hope you didn’t just ruin the end of the Happening. j/k

By: rhorho

rhorho — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:22:52 +0000

*tangles up in triple parentheticals; dies*

By: Aedriel

Aedriel — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:16:09 +0000

I had an ex who did exactly the same thing. LOVED Milla, but typically liked more shapely women. I think it had more to do with the whole kicking-ass aspect, and he also had a thing for headshotting zombies (but then, don’t we all?)

*sigh* If he’d been sane, I might never have left him.

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:15:16 +0000

This makes me misty.

I was getting ready for class the day the Challenger went. I remember standing in my bathroom thinking, oh surely not. (Coincidentally, I was getting ready for the day in the bathroom when 9/11 happened.) And the Columbia went on my daughter’s birthday. Ugh. I feel for you, slag.

By: the_original_shortright

the_original_shortright — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:12:39 +0000

he was on the show until about halfway through the second season. that’s the season when they were on the run… he met up with the FBI and they made him look a bit like swiss cheese.

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:10:53 +0000

Definitely! My husband is a space geek and would agree with this statement entirely. Without even laughing.

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:08:58 +0000

I love Ren and Stimpy, too.

This is such a happy thread!!!! *squee!*

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:06:59 +0000

I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!

That is all.

“The show must go on.”
-pause-
“Damn you.”

Okay, now that is all.

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:03:35 +0000

I liked the Fifth Element. Well, I liked the music.

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:00:53 +0000

I had a ball when we saw “Snakes on a Plane”. I had no expectations for the moive and so was not disappointed when it met them or, once in a while, exceeded them. I had way too many expectations for the latest Indiana Jones movie and was very disappointed in that one.

Count me as stupid, though, ’cause I totally missed that BW was dead in the Sixth Sense. I was so into that movie that if someone had sneezed around me, i would have shot out of my seat like, well, like that space shuttle up there!!!

By: lowly grunt

lowly grunt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:54:37 +0000

He’s Swedish! I didn’t know that…. cool! I’m a quarter Swedish, btw. Must be why I’m tall…

Anyhoo, Peter Stormare had a fabulous role in “Prison Break”. Dunno if he’s still on the show because once they broke out, what was the point in continuing to watch?

By: Seth

Seth — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:44:51 +0000

Yeah, the happy helmet episode was great, too. It’s a close second for me, but Ren’s flipout in Space Madness is just too hilarious, “I’ve had this ice cream bar since I was a CHILD! BACK OFF! Don’t make me use this!” Ahh, comedy gold. I also like Nurse Stimpy, “Poor Ren, you’re all sticky with filth.”

By: telefil

telefil — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:44:20 +0000

I believe that it wasn’t her *figure* that was perfect, but *her*. She’s the Supreme Being; in the body of that 10-year-old boy was pretty awesome strength, plus the holy-light-puking ending. Man, I wish I could destroy a planet just by being told that someone loves me. Would make dating a lot easier.

By: telefil

telefil — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:42:20 +0000

That is the BESTEST!!!

By: Seth

Seth — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:42:08 +0000

Absolutely. A very fine Simpsons episode, IMHO.

By: Captain Wow

Captain Wow — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:58:26 +0000

Diss you’ve given me my first LOL moment of the morning.
*salutes*
Thank you.

By: Captain Wow

Captain Wow — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:56:13 +0000

Mr. Brown sounds a bit too much like Mr. Shit. (i know it’s probably not word for word)

By: The Steve

The Steve — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:55:36 +0000

The Happening – I watched the whole movie waiting for it. Nothing happened. WTF?

By: Captain Wow

Captain Wow — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:54:31 +0000

She sounds like she has a sinus infection too.

By: Danbala

Danbala — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:47:24 +0000

I like the Russian mightily. Peter Stormare does those roles well. (Alas, he gets to do only those roles. (Then again, that’s probably as well, he might have forgotten how to do anything else. (I know he’s done other stuff but I’ve not felt inclined to see those flicks.)))

By: slan agat

slan agat — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:47:15 +0000

In case my post that went missing doesn’t return – NASA article linked here substantiating Nate’s post. One of the lifting bodies program test craft, the M2-F2, was Steve Austin’s downfall in the title sequence of “The Six Million Dollar Man.”

By: slan agat

slan agat — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:44:58 +0000

I’m inclined to believe Nate. Trufax: Remember the opening sequence of “The Six Million Dollar Man”? [LINK] The awesome looking space plane in the title sequence was, I distinctly remember reading, a prototype for one of the programs Nate is talking about.

Ah, found it. The M2-F2, part of the lifting body program.
http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4220/introduction.htm

By: slan agat

slan agat — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:33:57 +0000

I’ve always loved that bird – the very idea of her. The one-off rockets that came before her achieved amazing things, but Columbia was the first time we went to space as if we belonged there. For a generation caught between dreams of the future and near despair at a civilization that seemed bent on destroying itself, she was a powerful symbol and a concrete step toward a future we desperately wanted, needed to believe in.

Her sister Challenger died the day I turned 18.

The day I turned 35 Columbia was taking her last turns. She died five days after.

I’m a little funny about the shuttles. And about my birthday.

By: Captain Wow

Captain Wow — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:18:36 +0000

When the Russian is like “I VANT TO GO HOME” and is beating the machine like a red headed stepchild I laugh my ass off. That’s great.

Steve Buscemi riding the nuke was made of win too.

By: slan agat

slan agat — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:18:36 +0000

Big bada boom.

By: Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:09:59 +0000

Like I said, but it was paraphrasing Alan Shepherd, who did say that in an interview…

By: Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:07:43 +0000

Mr Frou would enjoy the first two Resident Evil Movies then…

By: Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:05:20 +0000

When did you get who Keyser Soze was?

By: Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:04:01 +0000

@DWN
In the ‘films I like but no one else did, not even the actors’… Hudson Hawk…

By: Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:59:56 +0000

The science was less painful, but David Duchovny’s squeeze always looks like she has a sinus infection and can’t actually act…

By: Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:58:58 +0000

Crap science too… and the only characters I liked were the huge black guy and the crazy Russian…

By: froofrou

froofrou — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:17:26 +0000

Do you have cites for that, or are you just stating opinion?

By: Nate

Nate — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:15:48 +0000

Clearly the vast majority of you don’t know what you’re talking about. As a former NASA engineer, I can tell you that NASA conducts more pre-flight tests, more NDE analysis and more FQT inspection than any private company in the world (mostly because their budget is not a budget… it’s the US government’s allocations, which can be anything). The ONLY reason the space shuttle has failed is also the only reason the space shuttle exists: right wing politics. The NACA (precursor to NASA) built a superior aerodynamic LEO (low earth orbit) and reentry vehicle to the early soviet rocket systems – but since they got to space before us, we had to beat them at their own game, a game we were inferior to them in. Ever since then, when we had a system that was better than theirs but was different, we have always tried to beat them at their own game. Not because their system was better, any NASA engineer will tell you we had the better system, it was simply because conservative politicians want to beat them at their own (inferior) game.