JMD "....we [the world] have been screwing around with rockets since WW2 and that ultimately the Russians and the US pumped a few gazillion more during the Cold War phase and that, basically, we were on Release 8.6 and the bugs just had to be worked out...."
Sadly, gazillions were spent, but as you now know, the rockets rolling through Red Square in front of the Politburo's portly political geriatrics were papier mache designed to LOOK good, and to justify huge expense on LUNCH, salaries, perks and trips to Summit Conferences with USA leaders to have Kitchen Debates and to watch Lyndon Johnson lift his dogs by the ears before ordering a bombing of those evil Cambodian women who were overpopulating the planet with commies. These were intelligent people who were running the cold war.
But even so, when you put your dollars on their Zenit, there was some risk that the papier mache wouldn't hold up in a real launch. The on-board steering computer froze up at a crucial stage - the heating was probably inadequate and at high altitude he probably froze. Or maybe got shaken so much by vibration he couldn't keep it on course. Or maybe just lost the horizon and couldn't see which way to steer.
Next time will probably be okay!
I suspect some of the gazillion US dollars went West too. On lunch, salaries, crashed F111s, Space Shuttles, 'testing' bombs, rockets and general boondoggles and high costs. I heard a toilet seat cost $1,350 or some such. Hammers could be upwards of $300. Stuff like that.
I now realize that I spent my childhood digging bomb shelters and fearing nuclear armageddon when there really was no threat at all - other than a bit of localized disaster with Zenits and Titans falling back to earth destroying 50 km circles in the launch areas. There was NEVER any danger of 'THE EARTH BEING DESTROYED" by way of physical dismemberment, radiation, nuclear winter or self-perpetuating nuclear cataclysm of the uranium still in the ground and all the tritium and deuterium in the ocean.
I was conned. So I can see how you thought Release 8.6 should do it. Keep your checkbook handy. You might need it.
Maurice |
