Ace of Spades HQ

August 25, 2012

Today In Aeronautical History
— andy

Via the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center Facebook page:

Today in 1971: the Northrop M2-F3 Lifting Body makes its first supersonic flight, achieving Mach 1.1 with test pilot Bill Dana at the controls. This photo, taken during a flight piloted by Bill Dana just two weeks before, shows the M2-F3 launching from a B-52 carrier aircraft.
The M2-F3 is on display at the Museum in Washington, DC: http://s.si.edu/de5yM

Photo credit: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

And as we all know, a sister craft was lost in a flight piloted by Col. Steve Austin.

Posted by: andy at 08:15 AM | Comments (202)
Post contains 103 words, total size 1 kb.

1 The important thing is to maintain one's moral centre.

Posted by: Boulder Hobo at August 25, 2012 08:16 AM (/h1bA)

2 Oh, you're GOOD.

Posted by: Boulder Hobo at August 25, 2012 08:16 AM (/h1bA)

3 I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw that picture and immediately thought The Six Million Dollar Man.

Posted by: Dave in Fla at August 25, 2012 08:17 AM (dX4hn)

4 Stronger, faster, moar slow-motiony....

Posted by: eman at August 25, 2012 08:18 AM (Wp4rQ)

5 Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:18 AM (6o4Fb)

6 You know who invented the lifting body right?Yep,the muslims.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:18 AM (6o4Fb)

7 I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw that picture and immediately thought The Six Million Dollar Man. Posted by: Dave in Fla at August 25, 2012 12:17 PM (dX4hn) I thought of the Space Shuttle first then $6 Million Man. She's breaking up! She's breaking up!'

Posted by: eman at August 25, 2012 08:19 AM (Wp4rQ)

8 Now you can get a bench warmer on a crappy NBA team for Six Million Dollars.

Posted by: Dick Nixon at August 25, 2012 08:19 AM (VrVBw)

9 We invented supersonic flight long ago. On his way to Mecca, Mohammed was all, like, I wish we could get there, like, BOOM!! and shit. I think he also invented bombs with that statement.

Posted by: Ben Kingsley as Al Jizwad at August 25, 2012 08:19 AM (FcR7P)

10 Six million dollars. That's a bargain.

Posted by: rdbrewer at August 25, 2012 08:19 AM (Iyg03)

11 do do dee doooo do do do do dee do

Posted by: eman at August 25, 2012 08:20 AM (Wp4rQ)

12 All Americans with guts, pencils and a slide rule.

Posted by: DM at August 25, 2012 08:20 AM (LaKlJ)

13 Ugh, sometimes I feel old. This is not one of those times. Although I vaguely remember the $6.38 Man from the Electric Company, I'm not old enough to remember the Â€6M Bloke. Hmm I do remember the Bionic Woman.

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 08:21 AM (OldH4)

14 Kingsley was just saying what the Saudi's payed him to say,I'm guessing.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:21 AM (6o4Fb)

15 The B-52 is the real miracle in this picture. No other aircraft that has been designed was better.

Posted by: NortonPete at August 25, 2012 08:22 AM (8zxoH)

16 Still pissed off as all hell at the Sean Bielat ball washing from the other night.

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 08:22 AM (OldH4)

17 loved this show....love lee majors.....he was the only good thing about big valley

Posted by: phoenixgirl, team dagny & team armstrong at August 25, 2012 08:22 AM (Ho2rs)

18 We need MOAR $6 billion $$$ men!

Posted by: Sheriff Joe Fucking Biden at August 25, 2012 08:23 AM (D24gB)

19 The Moors had B-52's 600 years ago. They were wagons pulled by donkeys, but it's the name that counts.

Posted by: eman at August 25, 2012 08:24 AM (Wp4rQ)

20 Didn't a Sasquatch kick Austin's ass? Probably was a better test pilot too.

Posted by: Fritz at August 25, 2012 08:26 AM (RuVpG)

21 Didn't a Sasquatch kick Austin's ass? Probably was a better test pilot too. Posted by: Fritz at August 25, 2012 12:26 PM (RuVpG) It was a draw.

Posted by: Steve Austin at August 25, 2012 08:27 AM (Wp4rQ)

22 It was a robot Sasquatch wasn't it??

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:28 AM (6o4Fb)

23 I always loved the 'dubaduba-dubaduba-dubaduba' sound effects whenever he flexed his sooper cybernetic muscles. Then I realized it was a dumb show...and went back to watching reruns of Gilligan's Island. That Mary Ann...such a naughty little girl. To this day, I'm surprised no one found a reason to spank her.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at August 25, 2012 08:28 AM (L7hol)

24 Did they give him a bionic schwantz??

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:29 AM (6o4Fb)

25 loved this show....love lee majors.....he was the only good thing about big valley

Posted by: phoenixgirl, team dagny & team armstrong at August 25, 2012 12:22 PM (Ho2rs)

---------------------------------------------------------

Off the screen, Lee Majors was a prick. I've talked to a lot of people that had to put up with him when he came to OK for pheasant hunting. Yup. A number one, grade A prick.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 08:31 AM (GXcI0)

26 I immedietly think of the X-15 movie anytime I see a vehicle hitching a ride under the wing of a big bomber unless Slim Pickens if riding it. Then I think of Todd Akins campaign logic.

Posted by: sonnyspats at August 25, 2012 08:32 AM (Bm4aK)

27 I always loved scenes in the show where he'd do something like ripping a door off its hinges by putting his non-bionic arm on the door frame and pulling the door out with his bionic arm.

Disbelief was already suspended, so the fact that this didn't result in him doing a bionic faceplant into the door was no biggie.

Posted by: Andy at August 25, 2012 08:32 AM (OZPoa)

28 From Wiki: The lifting body seen crashing in the opening sequence of the show is real footage of the crash of the Northrop M2-F2, though the sequence is misleading in that it shows both the M2-F2 crash and images of a different model, the Northrop HL-10, being released from its B-52 mothership.[5] This continuity error is notable by the presence of the central fin and dihedral of the outer fins of the HL-10 at one point followed by the lack of a central fin and presence of the vertical outer fins indicative of the M2-F2 on the crash footage a few seconds later. The dialogue spoken by actor Lee Majors during the opening credits is reportedly based upon communication prior to the M2-F2 crash that occurred on May 10, 1967: (Â“Flight com, I canÂ’t hold her! SheÂ’s breaking up! SheÂ’s breakingÂ—Â”). Test pilot Bruce Peterson lost an eye due to infection following the crash, but likewise also miraculously survived what appeared to be a fatal accident even though his lifting body aircraft hit the ground at approximately 250 mph (402 km/h) and tumbled six times. Video of the craft in flight, and oscillating as in the intro, can be seen at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center website. The NASA website, however, does not offer the video of the crash itself, only still photos of the wrecked M2-F2. In the episode The Deadly Replay, Oscar Goldman refers to the lifting body aircraft in which Austin crashed as the "HL-10," stating "We've rebuilt the HL-10." In the 1987 TV film The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, Austin refers to the craft as the "M3-F5," which was the name used for the aircraft that crashed in the original Cyborg novel.) This series has still not been released to DVD because of rights issues.

Posted by: nickless at August 25, 2012 08:33 AM (MMC8r)

29 The video would make a nice campaign video with some slick editing.

Posted by: Up with people! at August 25, 2012 08:33 AM (kzFo5)

30 immediately (sp)

Posted by: sonnyspats at August 25, 2012 08:33 AM (Bm4aK)

31 I always loved scenes in the show where he'd do something like ripping a door off its hinges... Even as a kid I was thinking, well, how does his non-bionic back handle that? Yeah, I later became an engineer.

Posted by: t-bird at August 25, 2012 08:34 AM (FcR7P)

32 Oh, wait, Wiki says the rights issues have been resolved and it is being released.

Posted by: nickless at August 25, 2012 08:35 AM (MMC8r)

33 Much of the technology in the Romney9000 came from the Steve Austin project.

Posted by: eman at August 25, 2012 08:38 AM (Wp4rQ)

34 I saw an infomercial for the Carol Burnett Show on DVD. 25 episodes for $100 bucks. WTF?

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 08:39 AM (I2LwF)

35 Todd Akin says a lifting body has the ability to abort a crash spontaneously.

Posted by: nickless at August 25, 2012 08:39 AM (MMC8r)

36 Yesterday in aeronautical history, I saw the Charles Bolden interview in "2016: Obama's America" where he relays NASA's new marching orders of Muslim outreach. Creepy, creepy shit.

Posted by: t-bird at August 25, 2012 08:39 AM (FcR7P)

37 Sucks that we still don't have supersonic air travel (ie for normal transport). Also sucks that our hypersonic research planes keep failing. Sucks that transport speeds for the average American seem to be declining. Sucks that physics is hard. Great Stagnation. Amazing how fast the advances came from Wright Brothers thru next 50 years. Sucks that now the advances are rare and insanely expensive and seem not to impact the real world.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 08:39 AM (ZPrif)

38 Steve Austin was a pretty awesome wrestler in the 90s.

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 08:39 AM (I2LwF)

39 I always loved scenes in the show where he'd do something like ripping a door off its hinges... Even as a kid I was thinking, well, how does his non-bionic back handle that? Yeah, I later became an engineer. Posted by: t-bird at August 25, 2012 12:34 PM (FcR7P) Yep. He would have torn his human parts to shreds every episode.

Posted by: eman at August 25, 2012 08:39 AM (Wp4rQ)

40 The theory tested in the lifting body program was incorporated into the space shuttle. It's called the " falling brick theory".

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 08:41 AM (GXcI0)

41 Sucks that physics is hard. And that's the bottom line...

Posted by: Stone Cold at August 25, 2012 08:41 AM (GEICT)

42 Sucks that now the advances are rare and insanely expensive and seem not to impact the real world. Yep. It's been a great time to be a lawyer!

Posted by: Litigation, Yo! at August 25, 2012 08:41 AM (FcR7P)

43 31 - kind of like how I'd watch I dream of genie and think - why are you people still working your jobs!

Posted by: Up with people! at August 25, 2012 08:42 AM (kzFo5)

44 I actually preferred Lee Majors as the Fall Guy. Has the best time capsule theme song of all time: Well I'm not the kind to kiss and tell but I've been seen with Farah. I've never been with anything less than a nine - so fine. I've been on fire with Sally Fields gone fast with a girl named Bo but somehow they just don't end up as mine. It's a death-defying life I lead I take my chances. I die for a livin' in the movies and T.V. but the hardest thing I ever do is watch my leadin' ladies kiss some other guy while I'm bandagin' my knees. I might fall from a tall building I might roll a brand-new car 'cause I'm the unknown stuntman that made Redford such a star.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 08:42 AM (ZPrif)

45 REMEMBER when JAMIE SUMMERS had to fight the FEMBOTS?

Posted by: nickless plover at August 25, 2012 08:42 AM (MMC8r)

46 And now Im retired

Posted by: Up with people! at August 25, 2012 08:42 AM (kzFo5)

47 Man up, Truman. You dumped a huge nasty pile of ordure in here and then your dog ate your harddrive when you were called on it.

It happens. I've been there too. But my sympathy level for your butthurt on this issue is pretty damn low.

Posted by: Boulder Hobo at August 25, 2012 08:43 AM (/h1bA)

48 Today in 1971: the Northrop M2-F3 Lifting Body makes its first supersonic flight, achieving Mach 1.1 with test pilot Bill Dana at the controls. MY NAME JOSE JIMENEZ!

Posted by: nickless at August 25, 2012 08:44 AM (MMC8r)

49 bnn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn . . . . .

Posted by: Concerned concern troll being concerned at August 25, 2012 08:44 AM (smvTK)

50 Sucks that we still don't have supersonic air travel (ie for normal transport).
Also sucks that our hypersonic research planes keep failing.
Sucks that transport speeds for the average American seem to be declining.

Sucks that physics is hard.
Great Stagnation.

Amazing how fast the advances came from Wright Brothers thru next 50 years.

Sucks that now the advances are rare and insanely expensive and seem not to impact the real world.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 12:39 PM (ZPrif)

----------------------------------------------

Much of the stagnation that we see, as far as faster air transport is concerned, is caused by the enviromentalists and the EPA.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 08:45 AM (GXcI0)

51 Lets see.... should I go to work or have the bitch blink me up a box of hundreds?

Posted by: Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson at August 25, 2012 08:46 AM (kzFo5)

52 On August 25, 1944 Allied forces liberated Paris from the Nazis.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 25, 2012 08:47 AM (zMgpj)

53 bnn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn nn . . . . . Posted by: Concerned concern troll being concerned Still an awesome sound-effect. Has Chevy Chase ever said if that's what he was imitating during the "Be the ball, Danny" scene?

Posted by: t-bird at August 25, 2012 08:48 AM (FcR7P)

54 50 Yep,in the 70's everyone was prepared to follow Concorde with SST's but the EPA killed it.Obviously they would not have been for all routes but they would have been in more general service on interncontinental flights and of course more affordable(because they would have been operated by every big airline).

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:49 AM (6o4Fb)

55 Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser is based on those old 1960s NASA lifting body planes. http://sncspace.com/space_exploration.php It's scheduled for its first unmanned drop tests later this year. Eventually it will be launched into orbit atop an Atlas V rocket and will carry up to seven astronauts, the same as the space shuttle.

Posted by: rickl at August 25, 2012 08:50 AM (sdi6R)

56 It looks like Thunderbird-2. Thunderbirds Are Go!

Posted by: gp at August 25, 2012 08:50 AM (mk9aG)

57 50 Yep,in the 70's everyone was prepared to follow Concorde with SST's but the EPA killed it.Obviously they would not have been for all routes but they would have been in more general service on interncontinental flights and of course more affordable(because they would have been operated by every big airline). Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 12:49 PM (6o4Fb) But, but, sonic booms and ozone!

Posted by: eman at August 25, 2012 08:51 AM (Wp4rQ)

58 Say what BTH? I'm honestly shocked. I don't have any reason to tear down Sean Bielat, other than he really deserves it. You've been had. He is not a good person, he is not a conservative, and he is not in it to win it. It's my aim to warn you of this. The powers that be on this blog have decided to push Bielat for reasons... I really don't understand why. But they are dead fucking wrong to do it. At best, he's another Huntsman without the charisma and conservative bona fides. At worse he is actually a Democrat operative, and i really think he is the latter. Look. I am on the ground in MA-4 and I know this jackass. He is in no way a candidate anyone here should support.

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 08:52 AM (I2LwF)

59 55 Back to the future!

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:52 AM (6o4Fb)

60 @50 I agree the eco-cultists and the EPA are holding things up. But mainly I think it's bumping up into real limits due to physics. Supersonic flight takes massive energy that makes it uneconomical for normal transport. We've spent billions on hypersonic R&D and it still doesn't work. Helicopters are a great example of how a field can go from nowhere to stagnant overnight. Helicopters were barely used in WW2, were all over by Korea, and basically finished by Vietnam. Only new thing since is the Osprey. But the fundamentals of helicopters were solved and perfected in the span of, like, 20 years. And now we seem to be just fiddling on the margins. It's really hard for luddites and eco-zealots to hold back technology. They can for a while. But when a tech has been discovered it's like a wall of water behind a damn. The eco-freaks have to exert constant pressure to hold it back.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 08:53 AM (ZPrif)

Yep,in the 70's everyone was prepared to follow Concorde with SST's but the EPA killed it.Obviously they would not have been for all routes but they would have been in more general service on interncontinental flights and of course more affordable(because they would have been operated by every big airline).
Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 12:49 PM (6o4Fb)

If we could be rid of or, at least, dramatically downsize the EPA and change civil litigation laws, we'd probably see another golden age of aviation.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 08:55 AM (GXcI0)

62 60 Helicopters are finished??Tell it to all the dead Taliban and Al Queda.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:56 AM (6o4Fb)

". At best, he's another Huntsman without the charisma and conservative bona fides. "

I was unaware Huntsman had either of those two attributes.

Posted by: Dick Nixon at August 25, 2012 08:57 AM (VrVBw)

64 61 I know there is design work in removing or reducing sonic boom.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 08:57 AM (6o4Fb)

65 Another aeronautical could have been. But it and the MOL fell victim to NASA and Kennedy's push for a Moon landing.

Project Dyna-Soar
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/01/the-story-of-the-dyna-soar/

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 25, 2012 08:58 AM (zMgpj)

66 @62 huh? I'm talking about helicopter advances. Helicopters don't fly much farther or faster today than they did 20 or 30 years ago. Obviously helicopters play a huge role today in the military and civilian transport. Top helicopter speeds have been stagnant for decades.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 08:59 AM (ZPrif)

67 Todd Akins is to politics as Madonna is to entertainment: embarrassing failure.

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 25, 2012 09:00 AM (04fgZ)

68 Wasn't that thing unstable as hell?

They didn't get flight out of advanced wing shaped vehicles until they had a large enough flight control computer.

You all do know that modern fighters would come apart in the sky if the flight computers quit?

They are not aerodynamically stable for most of their flight envelope.

Posted by: Hylozoic at August 25, 2012 09:01 AM (Vh0f5)

69 It would take more than $6,000,000 to fix Obama's butthurt.

Posted by: WalrusRex at August 25, 2012 09:01 AM (04fgZ)

70 It's really hard for luddites and eco-zealots to hold back technology. They can for a while. But when a tech has been discovered it's like a wall of water behind a damn. The eco-freaks have to exert constant pressure to hold it back.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 12:53 PM (ZPrif)

------------------------------------------------

I think you're totally underestimating the imagination and creativity of American engineers and designers. All they need is the government and the anti-everything crowd to get out of the way.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 09:01 AM (GXcI0)

71 Sasquatch vs. Steve Austin: The original shark jump.

Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at August 25, 2012 09:02 AM (2Oas0)

72 68 They weren't designed to do much in the way of maneuvering,they were a way to get a reentry shape capable of landing.That was it.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 09:03 AM (6o4Fb)

73 And the stagnation in helicopter speeds has nothing to do with the EPA or eco-freaks or regulation. Industry and the military would love it if somebody could invent a helicopter that goes twice as fast as existing helicopters. But that doesn't appear to be physically possible with our current level of technology. A helicopter that could go as fast and far as a small plane would be a huge breakthrough. But nobody knows how to build such a thing. The real physical world imposes real limits and we seem to be bumping up against those limits in most areas of aviation.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 09:05 AM (ZPrif)

74 Kermit the Frog reports on the Six Dollar Man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrAFle0W228

"I'm sure the revenuers know about all this ..."

Posted by: Waterhouse at August 25, 2012 09:06 AM (8NimM)

75 66 Ah,advances okay.There are some advances that the public hasn''t seen(except some broken pieces in Pakistan).Other projects in the 70's to increase their speed greatly were never put in production .(see the AH-56 Cheyenne)

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 09:06 AM (6o4Fb)

76 Despite Mayor Rahm Emanuel's best efforts about "values," the movie 2016 is playing in the city of Chicago right now.

Posted by: The littl shyning man at August 25, 2012 09:06 AM (jvFnk)

77 What? I'm the only one that saw that photo and thought: Farscape? It hought there were more SF geeks 'round here.

Posted by: John Crichton, human at August 25, 2012 09:06 AM (mxnUd)

78 Now you can fly from Boston to Los Angeles in 6 hours. What would be the compelling economic incentive to reduce that time to 2 hours? I think the ability to do it will create the need. In 1940 it took days to make the same trip by train, and folks then thought that was okay. Now people would never tolerate that. I think hypersonic travel has to start from small scale visits to orbit. Then somebody will say, "Hey, how about we land in Japan and spend a week there?" It's really the same tech.

Posted by: eman at August 25, 2012 09:06 AM (Wp4rQ)

79 Ugh, just read that column by Sean Treade.

I notice how every columnist on the right assumes that they are not being lied to as a starting point, then try to explain why this election will be different than every other in the past.

Possibility A - People with an agenda are telling you the truth, therefore the results we are seeing are different from every election in the past.

Possibility B - People with an agenda are lying to you, therefore this election will follow past trends and the data you are seeing is faulty.

Occam's Razor is clearly a forgotten principle.

Posted by: Dave in Fla at August 25, 2012 09:12 AM (dX4hn)

80 As for me, I'm holding out for teleportation.

Posted by: Count de Monet at August 25, 2012 09:12 AM (BAS5M)

81 The problem with helicopters is
1. materials for the rotors.
2. the physics of the rotor direction and speed as it relates to flight

For every revolution the rotor goes from being faster than the speed of the aircraft to slower than the speed of the aircraft.

This sets up some very destructive stresses and make them difficult to fly above certain speeds. they have to have very complicated controls and stabilizers to keep them from flying apart.

Enclosed vertical lift turbofans is probably the future but they have to get way lighter and more reliable and more efficient. vertical lift turbofans have to get all their intake air on their own from their fans whereas horizontal turbofans can eventually get an assist by the movement through the air which increases their efficiency. theirs also the power to weight ratio. the vertical lift fan has to pull it all from zero whereas a horizontal fan can build it's speed over time.

It's why we still don't have flying cars.

Posted by: Hylozoic at August 25, 2012 09:13 AM (Vh0f5)

Steve Austin, as he leaves lady spy's bedroom by busting out wall of boat: "Sorry I had to annihilate your porthole."

Posted by: Actual Dialogue from the 6 Million Dollar Man Pilot Episode at August 25, 2012 09:13 AM (8hBZi)

83 Ah,advances okay.There are some advances that the public hasn''t seen(except some broken pieces in Pakistan).Other projects in the 70's to increase their speed greatly were never put in production .(see the AH-56 Cheyenne)

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 01:06 PM (6o4Fb)

---------------------------------------------------

Agree. The rigid rotor concept was tested and proven, but, as always, congress always seems to cut procurement funds just as a concept starts showing promise. Private corporations that develope this technology usually develope it for the military first, then adapt it for civilian use.

Cost of design and production (I'm sure the unions have nothing to do with that), and, once again, the litiginous character of our society nowdays precludes much of the RandD that happened in the 50's and 60's.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 09:14 AM (GXcI0)

84 Civilization ends when they invent the holodeck. According to Scott Adams.

Posted by: Hanoverfist at August 25, 2012 09:15 AM (HiKk0)

85 [iI think the ability to do it will create the need. In 1940 it took days to make the same trip by train, and folks then thought that was okay.
Now people would never tolerate that. Posted by: eman[/i]

Yeah, that's why the telephone and computer are standard office equip.

While jet travel has become cheaper and easier, com-tech mitigates some of the in-person negotiations. Hypersonic travel has to over-come all of those things in order to be considered worthwhile.

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at August 25, 2012 09:15 AM (Q/1Jp)

86 Once we have large enough computers and data storage, it will become possible to store the data necessary to "build" a human being.

Maybe.

Posted by: Hylozoic at August 25, 2012 09:15 AM (Vh0f5)

87 Wankel engines-- how do they work?

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 09:16 AM (OldH4)

Enclosed vertical lift turbofans is probably the future but they have to get way lighter and more reliable and more efficient. vertical lift turbofans have to get all their intake air on their own from their fans whereas horizontal turbofans can eventually get an assist by the movement through the air which increases their efficiency. theirs also the power to weight ratio. the vertical lift fan has to pull it all from zero whereas a horizontal fan can build it's speed over time.

This was common knowlege as far back as King Arthur times. Even simple castle guards knew that a 5 oz. bird could not carry a 2 lb. coconut. The science is settled!

Posted by: Count de Monet at August 25, 2012 09:17 AM (BAS5M)

89 What's really amazing is that B-52's built before this video are still flying, and will for another 25+ years

Posted by: Bill from Chappaqua at August 25, 2012 09:17 AM (8BaAK)

90 84 Kate Upton,All day,All night.Death by dehydration.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 09:18 AM (6o4Fb)

91 Sorry, should have added: "and then it will be possible to transmit a person from place to place"

Maybe.

Posted by: Hylozoic at August 25, 2012 09:18 AM (Vh0f5)

92 @70 Technology isn't magic. I agree we need to massively cut the red tape and I hate the eco-cultists. But those retrograde forces can only slow technological progress, they can't stop it. And if there's a tech advance that offers dramatic improvements at an affordable cost, then even the mighty EPA couldn't hold it back. In the early decades of the plane and helicopter we say dramatic improvements year after year. We don't see similar advances now because they are mature technologies. As technologies mature you get declining marginal returns. Each new tiny advance costs ever more in resources to produce. Which is why in the early years some part-time bicycle builders could double the speed in a year while today the gargantuan US govt spends billions on hypersonics over decades with minimal success.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 09:18 AM (ZPrif)

93 While jet travel has become cheaper and easier, com-tech mitigates some of the in-person negotiations. Hypersonic travel has to over-come all of those things in order to be considered worthwhile.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 25, 2012 01:15 PM (Q/1Jp)

---------------------------------------------

Fuck the business traveler. I'd love to get to Bali in 3 hours. More vaca time.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 09:18 AM (GXcI0)

94 Well, it depends, is it a European swallow or and African swallow?

Posted by: Tim the Enchanter at August 25, 2012 09:19 AM (Vh0f5)

95 This was common knowlege as far back as King Arthur times. Even simple castle guards knew that a 5 oz. bird could not carry a 2 lb. coconut. The science is settled!

Posted by: Count de Monet at August 25, 2012 01:17 PM (BAS5M)

-----------------------------------------------

But behold, the fat-assed bumblebee.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 09:21 AM (GXcI0)

96 IIRC, Lee Majors married a stunningly beautiful Playboy Playmate who possessed huge tracts of land.

Posted by: Count de Monet at August 25, 2012 09:22 AM (BAS5M)

97 bumblebees can't fly.

They just wish they were elsewhere.

Posted by: Hylozoic at August 25, 2012 09:24 AM (Vh0f5)

98 And as we all know, a sister craft was lost in a flight piloted by Col. Steve Austin. --------------------------------- We CAN rebuild him.

Posted by: Nukie at August 25, 2012 09:25 AM (AzwZn)

99 96 IIRC, Lee Majors married a stunningly beautiful Playboy Playmate who possessed huge tracts of land. Well, I just googled that. Definitely NSFW.

Posted by: Stone Cold at August 25, 2012 09:25 AM (GEICT)

100 Off to see 2016 in Concord. Think I'll be delurking for a bit. I want all you morons and ettes to know how much I've enjoyed this blog. You've made me lol sooooo many time

Posted by: NativeNH at August 25, 2012 09:25 AM (z+InO)

101 We don't fly, we fold space.

Posted by: bumblebees at August 25, 2012 09:27 AM (QupBk)

102 I wish the problem of technological stagnation was as simple as cutting red tape and kicking the eco-nazis out of office. There's not much evidence for that, though. Don't get me wrong. Things would improve somewhat if we did that and we should do that. But technological stagnation is mainly due to real world physical limits. There haven't been any major advances in consumer refrigerators in a long, long time because ... the physics of refrigeration is a mature field. Stupid govt and stupid regulations can slow and delay technology advances, but they aren't all powerful forces.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 09:27 AM (ZPrif)

103

There haven't been any major advances in consumer refrigerators in a long, long time because ... the physics of refrigeration is a mature field.

Yeah, making them nuclear bomb proof was the last advance.

Posted by: Dr. I. Jones at August 25, 2012 09:33 AM (BAS5M)

104

Posted by: NativeNH at August 25, 2012 01:25 PM (z+InO)

It's always nice to see someone de-lurk.

Welcome, NativeNH.

I hope you'll come back and give us a report on the 2016 movie.

And um....keep an eye on the theatre exits, for guys with orange hair.

Posted by: wheatie at August 25, 2012 09:35 AM (mtRB0)

105

The XB-70 was a tremendous flying machine, although McNamara killed it as strategic bomber.

Of the two models that were built in the 60's, the better flying model had put up a lot of hours at just over Mach 2, at which speed it was very reliable and handled well. They did have problems when they pushed it up to Mach 3, where it only had a small amount of flying time.

The better flying model crashed in a photo promotion operation, when a chase plane ran into the vertical tail.

The only remaining model is now on static display at the Air Force Museum.

It was tremendous piece of technology, with the wings made from a special stainless steel honeycomb fabrication so that they were fairly light but still strong and resistant to heat fatigue.

Amazing that the SR-71/ YF-12A were basically built with late 1950's /early sixties technology, and the XB-70 designed and built in a parallel development at the same time.

Aeronautical design has progressed in many ways, but high speed manned flight has kind of hit a wall.

Posted by: Reader C.J. Burch writes..... at August 25, 2012 09:36 AM (sJTmU)

106 Ben Kingsley as Al Jizwad

Thanks for the laugh.
Here's a free upgrade.
Is Al-Jizwaddi funnier or too easy to miss.

Posted by: DaveA at August 25, 2012 09:36 AM (Ve9V9)

107
I was at Udvar-Hazy this summer and wondered how I'd have missed the "can't hold altitude". It's downtown in DC now. There's still a solid days worth too see in VA.

Posted by: DaveA at August 25, 2012 09:39 AM (Ve9V9)

108 Dream Chaser^Â® Uses Safe, Non-Toxic, Storable, & Human Flight Tested Propellant

When people start talking about green/safe propellants for space flight, I start thinking about how many things can go wrong and how many fatalities there will be.

You'd never get me in a spacecraft designed around political correctness.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 25, 2012 09:42 AM (w78gy)

109 2016 is a very good documentary. And, no, it is not a "birther" piece. But it doesn't have to be.

D'Souza also doesn't get into what degree Ayers helped with "Dreams From My Father" - but again, that doesn't matter. Obama approved every word. Obama voiced the audiobook, for instance.

Recommended.

Posted by: Boulder Hobo at August 25, 2012 09:44 AM (/h1bA)

110 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7SYEjGeTw

Steve Austin sings "Jamie"

Posted by: Jose Jiminez at August 25, 2012 09:45 AM (PcoXF)

111 Still pissed off as all hell at the Sean Bielat ball washing from the other night.

Use a sponge next time and it won't be so bad.

Posted by: helpful hints by fluffy at August 25, 2012 09:45 AM (z9HTb)

112

Didn't the design of the M2-F3 get morphed into some other 'earth-to-orbit' designs?

Posted by: wheatie at August 25, 2012 09:46 AM (mtRB0)

113 What's all this I hear about violins in Chicago?

"Nineteen people were shot in seven attacks overnight in Chicago, as the US city's gun violence epidemic continued.

Thirteen of the victims were shot within a half-hour period, including eight in a drive-by shooting on a single street.

Andrew Holmes, a community activist, told NBC Chicago some of the injured were not co-operating with police.

"They need to step up and speak up for us," he said. "Nine times out of 10, they knew who was firing the shot at them.""

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at August 25, 2012 09:47 AM (Q/1Jp)

114 A long time ago... I had a friend whose little brother insisted the Six Million Dollar Man's name was actually "Stee Boston".

This was UNACCEPTABLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!!

Posted by: The Earl of Lemongrab smells like dog buns at August 25, 2012 09:49 AM (EfwVg)

115 Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 25, 2012 01:47 PM (Q/1Jp)

Jears of shovel-ready community building by BHO replete with the guiding hand and gentle diplomacy of Major Emman U El.

Posted by: Jose Jiminez at August 25, 2012 09:50 AM (PcoXF)

116 They're no cooperating because its the cops who shot them and they don't want to compromise their ~~winning lottery tickets~~ lawsuits.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 25, 2012 09:50 AM (w78gy)

117 109 Apparently the "birther" subject is so toxic,no one can even joke about it.Except Obama himself.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 09:50 AM (6o4Fb)

118
# 81

For every revolution the rotor goes from being faster than the speed of the aircraft to slower than the speed of the aircraft.

That would be incorrect.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at August 25, 2012 09:51 AM (L7hol)

119 Saw the D'Souza's movie last night. Brilliant movie. Theater (Phoenix) was filled maybe 90%. Saw just two couples get up and walk out, probably liberals and thought Obama was going to be worshiped. No bashing, just facts and an underlying theory that I believe is accurate and inspired in explaining all the actions of Obama, including sending back Churchill's bust. This movie will not be a surprise to conservatives, but it does put a foundational theory behind why Obama is practically the anti-Christ in his activities, and is obviously intent on destroying America.

Posted by: Jehu at August 25, 2012 09:51 AM (Fkedv)

120

113...."They need to step up and speak up for us," he said. "Nine times out of 10, they knew who was firing the shot at them.""

But....Barky's buddies say that "Snitches get Stitches".

Posted by: wheatie at August 25, 2012 09:52 AM (mtRB0)

121 Poor butthurt Barry can't take an innocuous joke after accusing a guy of murder and tax fraud. fuck him and the horse he rode in on.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 25, 2012 09:52 AM (w78gy)

122 117 109 Apparently the "birther" subject is so toxic,no one can even joke about it.Except Obama himself. Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 01:50 PM (6o4Fb) It's a distraction they created to hide the fact Bumbles lied about his SS number on job applications, loans, grants

Posted by: The Robot Devil at August 25, 2012 09:53 AM (GkwjL)

123 What makes it go so fast is the little spear thing out front.

Posted by: eleven at August 25, 2012 09:53 AM (fsLdt)

124 The Great Stagnation thesis (Tyler Cowen) is that we, the West, are in such financial difficulty because our welfare systems were setup doing the crazy tech advance years of the 40s and 50s. The public and the government assumed this was the new normal with amazing advances like we'd seen from 1900-1950 continuing forever. To 2000, and 2050, and 2100. And if we'd still been growing that fast and making those fundamental breakthroughs in physics and materials and energy ... then we'd be able to afford our welfare systems. But it turns out it wasn't the new normal. Turns out we discovered a lot of new tech and scientific discoveries from 1900-1950 that opened new frontiers. And the fast growth was from exploring that state-space. So now our tech growth has slowed dramatically (despite the iPhone), but we've invested and borrowed and promised based on past tech growth rates that have slowed markedly. We, as a society, have to adjust to being much poorer in the future than we thought we'd be.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 09:53 AM (ZPrif)

125 121 Exactly.just saw a hack on Fox News calling Romney a "birther".Apparently they think this is the way to victory!

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 09:54 AM (6o4Fb)

126 @111: okay, I LOLed hard

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 09:54 AM (OldH4)

127 Ok so I don't get to do my bionic man joke. Fine.

Posted by: eleven at August 25, 2012 09:54 AM (fsLdt)

128 Received this email from Rand Paul. This is just a portion:

Dear Fellow Conservative,

174,000 rounds.

That is the number of hollow point bullets the Social Security Administration purchased last week.

You may be wondering what part of delivering social security checks to grandma involves hundreds of thousands of rounds of deadly ammunition.

This ammo purchase resupplies the stockpiles for the federal governmentÂ’s too numerous to count law enforcement agencies.

Agencies you never would have known existed, let alone have a need for an armed police force, are piling up ammo to enforce laws youÂ’ve probably never heard of.

SSA? Is that normal practice?

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at August 25, 2012 09:55 AM (piMMO)

129 @26- sonnyspats, I seem to remember a young Mary Tyler Moore being in that movie. As the great Jackie Gleason would say, homena. Homena homena. And I'm sorry but there's no way I'm buying that "My name is Jose Jimanez" was the test pilot on that plane.

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 09:55 AM (PNi9V)

130 "They need to step up and speak up for us," he said. "Nine times out of 10, they knew who was firing the shot at them.""

Posted by: weft cut-loop at August 25, 2012 01:47 PM (Q/1Jp)

--------------------------------------

Snitches get stitches..........or dead.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 09:55 AM (KynHU)

131 122 Apparently all his documents ae strictly TOP SECRET and no one can get them(though every other fucking thing gets leaked).

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 09:56 AM (6o4Fb)

132 Fox news is liberal and boring now, except for Greg Gutfeld.

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 09:57 AM (OldH4)

133 It's why we still don't have flying cars.

Hello, 40000 dead/year in cars going < 70 mph already on the ground?

Posted by: DaveA at August 25, 2012 09:57 AM (Ve9V9)

134 Fox news is liberal and boring now, except for Greg Gutfeld.

*****

Once Greta got off her missing-white-chick obsession, she really grew on me.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at August 25, 2012 09:58 AM (piMMO)

135 133 They need to put a Dem hack on to counter every fucking segment.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 09:58 AM (6o4Fb)

136

Barky, himself, is one of the Original Birthers.

He was one of the Senators who wanted a ruling in the Senate about McCain's birth certificate.

Barky was also the one who claimed to be "born in Kenya" on his own biography page with his publisher.

He didn't refute it when he was running for the Senate, when Alan Keyes brought it up.

The 'Birther' label was devised as a way to shut people up...and make them too scared to ask questions, or even talk about it.

Just like they do in the hood, with "Snitches get Stiches".

It is pure thuggery and intimdation.

Posted by: wheatie at August 25, 2012 09:59 AM (mtRB0)

137 Once Greta got off her missing-white-chick obsession, she really grew on me. Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at August 25, 2012 01:58 PM (piMMO) Try some astringent wash, works on pimples.. should work on her

Posted by: The Robot Devil at August 25, 2012 10:00 AM (GkwjL)

138 Reading down thru the thread I see nickless beat me to it. Hey, I was on the phone talking to sis. Nice job nic. Better see if there's any kids on your lawn.

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:01 AM (/tk/V)

139 Once Greta got off her missing-white-chick obsession, she really grew on me.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at August 25, 2012 01:58 PM (piMMO)

I'm terribly sorry! I'll begin looking for a new host organism.

Posted by: Greta at August 25, 2012 10:01 AM (YYyqq)

140 136 I know yet every conservative continues to use the term and sneer at anyone who brings up those facts.The fucker was born in Hawaii but he is hiding something,lots of somethings in fact.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 10:01 AM (6o4Fb)

141 We, as a society, have to adjust to being much poorer in the future than we thought we'd be.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 01:53 PM (ZPrif)

-----------------------------------------------

This country has the ability to become as rich and dynamic as it was post-WWII. We just need to get back to a more constitutional government.

Get DC out of the way and you'd be absolutely amazed at what free people can do.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 10:02 AM (KynHU)

142 Hylozoic - bring back the Fairey Rotodyne!

http://tinyurl.com/6994sw9

Posted by: Skookumchuk at August 25, 2012 10:02 AM (0Db2g)

143

3D printing is becoming the new technology. There has already been major advances in its development such as adding ABS to produce usable wrenches.

Posted by: sonnyspats at August 25, 2012 10:04 AM (Bm4aK)

144 @129

Barbara Hershey played Glennis Yeager in The Right Stuff.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001347/

Jose Jimenez was a comedy bit from that time adopted by the Mercury 7 wiki url might not work from ' accents characters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Jim%C3%A9nez_%28character%29

Posted by: DaveA at August 25, 2012 10:05 AM (Ve9V9)

145 What makes it go so fast is the little spear thing out front.

I thought it was the playing cards on the spokes.

Posted by: joh at August 25, 2012 10:06 AM (HtUdo)

146 This country has the ability to become as rich and dynamic as it was post-WWII.

Don't kid yourself, its not just about govt. We were the "last man standing" after WWII and enjoyed 40 years worth of advantage while the competition rebuilt. Not having CONUS rendered a smoking crater after the war counted for a LOT. Not having a completely decimated male population counted for a lot too.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 25, 2012 10:08 AM (w78gy)

147 We, as a society, have to adjust to being much poorer in the future than we thought we'd be.

Fuck that.

Posted by: DaveA at August 25, 2012 10:10 AM (Ve9V9)

148

One of the cool things in 'The Right Stuff'...was the way they used the sound of swarming locusts whenever they showed the press swarms.

Lots of other cool things in that movie, too.

I liked it.

"Spam in a Can".

"No Bucks...No Buck Rogers".

Posted by: wheatie at August 25, 2012 10:11 AM (mtRB0)

149 I think the Jose Jimanez bit was on Danny Thomas but not sure.

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:11 AM (+jNI+)

150 145 What makes it go so fast is the little spear thing out front. I thought it was the playing cards on the spokes. Posted by: joh at August 25, 2012 02:06 PM (HtUdo) Nope. STP stickers.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 10:12 AM (xQvkQ)

151 147 Yeah,that sounds too much like what Baraka thinks about our future.Hey,we have the energy rescourses to be an energy superpower.We just need to exploit it.First things first,get rid of Baraka.

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 10:12 AM (6o4Fb)

152 148 Good movie but it is brutal on Gus Grissom.Very unfairly too.,

Posted by: steevy at August 25, 2012 10:13 AM (6o4Fb)

153 We, as a society, have to adjust to being much poorer in the future than we thought we'd be. Posted by: Flatbush Joe

Hard to say one way or another. Predicting is hard, as they say.

I do think our bureaucratic empire is a significant part of our problem in tech and research. Think less of regulations and more of crowding out.

The size of our government lead biz and individuals to make a rational choice; who is better to serve? The consumer or government? Which can command more money more quickly. Who has more power to lord over competition?

At a certain point, the government is the only game in town and rent-seeking becomes the logical choice.

That has to change, and, if history is our guide, it will for better or worse.

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at August 25, 2012 10:13 AM (Q/1Jp)

154 Don't kid yourself, its not just about govt. We were the "last man standing" after WWII and enjoyed 40 years worth of advantage while the competition rebuilt. Not having CONUS rendered a smoking crater after the war counted for a LOT. Not having a completely decimated male population counted for a lot too.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 25, 2012 02:08 PM (w78gy)

----------------------------------------------

I was talking more along the lines of what the potential of the US is, if gov would leave the market alone.

Besides, all those other countries of which you speak have had plenty of time to recover from WWII. Please tell me, what's holding them back now?

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 10:13 AM (KynHU)

155 I was talking more along the lines of what the potential of the US is, if gov would leave the market alone.

True - if we become impoverished, it'll be self-imposed, not any intrinsic lack of resources.

Posted by: @PurpAv at August 25, 2012 10:15 AM (w78gy)

156 We were the "last man standing" after WWII and enjoyed 40 years worth of advantage while the competition rebuilt.

And now they are trying to re-create that situation. When the Euro gets turned into cheap washers that your local hardware store is embarrassed to sell, let the highly charitable Arabs run the Marshall plan.

Posted by: fluffy at August 25, 2012 10:15 AM (z9HTb)

157 So when this Storm hits New Orleans and the 9th Ward is under water....Will it still be Bush's fault? Will the slow response be because Obama hates blacks?

Posted by: Debbie WasserWaterBuffalo Schitz at August 25, 2012 10:17 AM (lJ3rV)

158 Barbara Hershey played Glennis Yeager in The Right Stuff.

I did not know that.

Mostly unrelated, but TCM showed Grand Prix last week, and I had to look up who the gorgeous dark-haired total-'60s-babe wife of the British driver was ... turns out it's Jessica Walter of Arrested Development and Archer fame.

Posted by: Waterhouse at August 25, 2012 10:17 AM (8NimM)

159

Soona, DC (and primarily the Dept of Defense and NACA, in the old days) drove a tremendous amount of research. As a percentage of GDP, they spent much more than is being spent now.

DARPA is doing the same thing now, but they are all over the map in terms of what they are spending money on. Drones are "hot" right now, not high speed civilian air transport.

Aeronautical research now is even more expensive and has a longer time period on return of investment. Plus there are now only a few real aeronautical firms.

1) Boeing - McDonald Douglas

2) Lockeed Martin Northrup (which includes former General Dynamics, Grumman and Northrup)

70 years ago, there were a host of aircraft manufacturers post -WII. They are all just about gone now.

And whenever anyone praises Space-X too much, they wouldn't exist if it were not for the huge subsidies they get from NASA to push their research and development. I'm not sore at Elon Musk at all, just that Space-X is no triumph of some pure form of modern day free enterprise capitalism.

Posted by: Reader C.J. Burch writes..... at August 25, 2012 10:17 AM (sJTmU)

160 146 This country has the ability to become as rich and dynamic as it was post-WWII. Don't kid yourself, its not just about govt. We were the "last man standing" after WWII and enjoyed 40 years worth of advantage while the competition rebuilt. Not having CONUS rendered a smoking crater after the war counted for a LOT. Not having a completely decimated male population counted for a lot too. Posted by: @PurpAv at August 25, 2012 02:08 PM (w78gy Yep. All that excess industrial capacity and a world of consumers ready to buy. ..and government was too busy worrying about the Soviets to mess with everybodys' lives. They started getting bored after '92 or so.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 10:17 AM (xQvkQ)

161

141...This country has the ability to become as rich and dynamic as it was post-WWII. We just need to get back to a more constitutional government.

Get DC out of the way and you'd be absolutely amazed at what free people can do.

Absolutely, Soona.

It doesn't take rocket science to connect the dots, between when things like the Minimum Wage was enacted....and Deficit Spending.

Washington, DC has done more to kill jobs than any other thing.

Everything is connected.

The weasels in DC seem to think that they can ignore the basic concept of Cause and Effect.

Posted by: wheatie at August 25, 2012 10:17 AM (mtRB0)

162

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 01:55 PM (PNi9V)

heh heh my name jose jimanayse ? lol Thas was Charles Bronson. But you got it right on MTM!

Posted by: sonnyspats at August 25, 2012 10:20 AM (Bm4aK)

163 I'm concerned about the level of jingoism in my comment in 156, so I will try to correct that:

http://tinyurl.com/8jq2wzw

Posted by: fluffy, jingo all the way at August 25, 2012 10:21 AM (z9HTb)

164 Bronson? You do realize how hard it's going to be looking that up on this phone. And I'm about 99% sure it was Bill Dana.

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:23 AM (+jNI+)

165 Six million dollar man? Shit I spend that every fucking day flying around on your dime trying to get re elected.

Don't you fuckers vote.

Posted by: Injuin Blackfoot Barry, The One Who Eats Dogs at August 25, 2012 10:25 AM (3ZjAP)

166 And I'm about 99% sure it was Bill Dana. Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 02:23 PM (+jNI+) Jose Jiminez = Bill Dana Goggle not required.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 10:25 AM (xQvkQ)

167

Jessica Walter?

Didn't she play the stalker-slasher chic in 'Play Misty For Me"?

Posted by: wheatie at August 25, 2012 10:26 AM (mtRB0)

168 @ 105 Funny thing about the SR-71. I believe it was first generation stealth technology as well as super high speed. I heard a story about a radar crew in New Mexico who "locked on" and tracked a SR-71 for several hundred miles...a few minutes. The way the story goes, the flight crew was reprimanded and grounded for allowing themselves to be tracked and the radar crew had to be sworn to secrecy to keep what they saw from leaking out.

Posted by: Got A Red Hot Poker Up My Ass at August 25, 2012 10:26 AM (t2z5E)

169 Austin was Mission Commander on Apollo 19, with Command Module pilot Nelson and Lunar Module pilot Healey.

Posted by: Trimegistus at August 25, 2012 10:27 AM (llCip)

170 Yup, thanks marine. It was on Ed Sullivan, not Danny Thomas though he might have done it there once too.

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:29 AM (+jNI+)

171 DC is of a mind that they can just keep squeezing the private sector and keep getting more juice. It's even baked into their analysis schemes. They do static analysis of economic decision making. That's why new taxes and marginal rate increases never result in the kind of revenue they expect, and why it's asinine to talk about "paying for tax cuts." Tax cuts always pay for themselves and then some above the Hauser number, which is about a 19% marginal rate.

Posted by: Truman North, iPhone doofus at August 25, 2012 10:30 AM (Rtb4/)

172 It was on Ed Sullivan, not Danny Thomas though he might have done it there once too. Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 02:29 PM (+jNI+) Heh. He did kinda look like Danny Thomas.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 10:32 AM (xQvkQ)

173 BTW marine, been wondering what the 98ZJ stands for. Jon class? I can't even remember what mine was on the army. I shot howitzers.

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:35 AM (erYRT)

174 169 Austin was Mission Commander on Apollo 19, with Command Module pilot Nelson and Lunar Module pilot Healey. Posted by: Trimegistus at August 25, 2012 02:27 PM (llCip) Ahhhh....I Dream of Jeannie. Barbara Eden in that outfit......er,.... I'll be in my bunk.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 10:37 AM (xQvkQ)

175

--------

I see the public bidding notice as an indirect printed threat. Similar to the publicity given to the people being prosecuted for taxes, around tax time. All set up and publicized to say "look, we're buying bullets".

Posted by: Major Anthony at August 25, 2012 10:38 AM (kzFo5)

176 I just seem to have a memory of him walking into Danny's living room and giving his classic intro. A big round of applause and Danny with one of his special looks on his face.

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:38 AM (erYRT)

177 Job not Jon. Sorry

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:39 AM (erYRT)

178 Teleportation would be a neat technical trick to acheive. Basically you would destroy the object on the sending platform in order to obtain the information to construct the object at the receiving platform. the guy at the receiving platform steps off and says, hah, I didn't feel a thing, as he looks over at the smoking pile of ash at the sending platform. the smoking pile of ash does not say anything to dispute this, because, hello, smoking pile of ash! So teleportation would just be a really neat way to execute people!

Posted by: bigmike at August 25, 2012 10:40 AM (I4ADY)

179 Did Rand say anything about the 1.5B rounds homeland security purchased?

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:41 AM (erYRT)

180

171.....why it's asinine to talk about "paying for tax cuts."

It makes steam shoot out of my ears to hear that phrase, Truman.

"Paying for tax cuts" = "We already spent that money, so we have to have it now"

The old phrase...."Tax and Spend"....has been replaced.

They've turned it around.

It's now....."Spend Too Much in order to Justify More Taxes".

Posted by: wheatie at August 25, 2012 10:42 AM (mtRB0)

181 I hope I'm wrong. But economic wealth primarily flows from advanced technology and energy. There haven't been any energy source breakthroughs in decades. Fracking is great, but it's still way more expensive than oil used to be. When we first discovered oil it was magic. A big part of the boom in the early to mid 20th century is because oil was so fucking cheap and plentiful. So we should try to get energy as cheap as possible. It's unlikely energy costs will ever be as cheap as they used to be without some major tech breakthroughs. I want energy an order of magnitude cheaper. That requires fundamental breakthroughs. But you can't force tech breakthroughs. We've spend tens of billions on fusion and it still doesn't work. When I talk about tech breakthroughs I'm talking about things that offer orders of magnitude improvements over the old tech, not 5-10% here and there. We need doublings and triplings and 10x improvements. There aren't many tech advances on the horizon with tons of promises to sharply increase societal wealth. The reasons the 1950s visions of the future were so comically optimistic compared to today is because they lived through radical improvements from 1900-1950. They saw society be radically changed, become radically richer. They assumed that would keep going on. It didn't. Life in 2012 USA isn't much different from 1982 USA or 1972 USA. But life in 1962 USA was radically different from 1932 USA or 1922 USA. Radical improvements in top societies like the USA come from tech breakthroughs, not from tweaking the laws or regulations. (Backwards societies like China can improve radically for a while by copying top societies. The rich countries have to discover new stuff they can't just copy.)

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 10:42 AM (ZPrif)

182 I was so glad when Lindsay Wagner was added. You give a man a bionic hand and...fuck that used to hurt.

Posted by: Col. Austin at August 25, 2012 10:43 AM (FcR7P)

183 Life in 2012 USA isn't much different from 1982 USA or 1972 USA. Thanks! Been working hard on that.

Posted by: Barry O, The Fifth Most Interesting Man In A Room Of Women at August 25, 2012 10:44 AM (FcR7P)

184 173 BTW marine, been wondering what the 98ZJ stands for. Jon class? I can't even remember what mine was on the army. I shot howitzers. Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 02:35 PM (erYRT) Gun bunny, eh? I think that's 13B. No, 98ZJ not MOS related. Body style of my favorite Jeep Grand Cherokee 1998 Style is ZJ. I was 0311 (Rifleman) then 7312/22 Air Traffic Controller. I loved that fuckin Jeep. Looking for another one.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 10:45 AM (xQvkQ)

185

OT:

I just happened to have a curious thought about Romney's recent joking about his birth certificate.

That was kind of Reagan-esque, wasn't it? Take an issue that's really not an issue, and just make light of it! Watch the whack-jobs on the left go nuts, even calling him a birther, when every reasonable person who sees the clip knows better.

So - in one stroke - he draws attention, shows a sense of humor, and makes the left looks crazy and dishonest.

But there's MORE! He is also implicitly saying "Everybody actually BELIEVES me." So he's this rock of credibility.

Don't get me wrong - Romney is no Reagan. But he HAS shown the occasional "Reagan moment". Let's hope he hits it out of the park at the convention. He might just have it in him.

Posted by: Optimizer at August 25, 2012 10:48 AM (As94z)

186 @183 heh. The IT and cell phone revolutions fool us into thinking we've experience more tech advances than we really have. What does 2012 have that 1982 didn't? The internet and the iphone and reality TV. We have flatter TV screens today with HDTV and better video games than Atari. Big deal. In many ways we are going backwards. Our antibiotics are less effective than they used to be. We travel at slower speeds.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 10:49 AM (ZPrif)

187 Don't know if gun bunny is the term I would use.

Was a time when at 150 lbs I could carry a 96lb 155 round to a gun and in one motion throw it into the breech and slam it home with my fist. Long time ago. Galaxy far, far away.

Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 10:50 AM (K4AdI)

188 187 Don't know if gun bunny is the term I would use. Was a time when at 150 lbs I could carry a 96lb 155 round to a gun and in one motion throw it into the breech and slam it home with my fist. Long time ago. Galaxy far, far away. Posted by: teej at August 25, 2012 02:50 PM (K4AdI) Heh....those were the days, my friend. Messed around with the M-198 (155MM) for a little while with the ILARNG. By that time, I was Supply. Loooong story 7312USMC>---------->76Y40USA. Lot's of stupidity on my part. I'll fix that as soon as we get the Time Machine up and running.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 10:57 AM (xQvkQ)

189

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 02:42 PM (ZPrif)

---------------------------------------------------------

You're misguided and on a couple of things totally wrong. I'd point them out, but it looks like you're not ready to look at the way the US government has meddled in the market place to the degree that it has, making creativity and production to expensive to contemplate here in the US.

I'd almost say that you're a contemporary example of our public school system.

Posted by: Soona at August 25, 2012 10:59 AM (tEYfe)

190 @189 You didn't offer any evidence against what I said. I said what I said dispassionately and provided evidence and logic. You just responded with dickish insults. I think you obviously aren't an engineer and have a poor understanding of science and technology. Not to mention economics. I agree with you on the need to cut red tape. But because I don't share your childish belief in magic (we'd all have rocket cars and live on the moon if not for the EPA!!!111!!) you feel the need to insult me. Don't be such a dick.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 11:06 AM (ZPrif)

191 Our antibiotics are less effective than they used to be. We travel at slower speeds. Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 02:49 PM (ZPrif) There's a reason for that. The former is over prescription and the latter is the Yugo and the Chevy Corvair.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 11:06 AM (xQvkQ)

192 Evidence and logic? I don't think those words mean what you think they mean.

Posted by: bigmike at August 25, 2012 11:09 AM (I4ADY)

193 Life in 2012 USA isn't much different from 1982 USA or 1972 USA. I could agree with that. '82 was far superior. Reagan in the WH and I Dream of Jeannie was in syndication....er,... I'll be in my bunk......

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 11:13 AM (xQvkQ)

194 @192 Are you even aware of the arguments Tyler Cowen makes in his book The Great Stagnation? He's a libertarian economist at GMU. There's a real literature out there on the economics of innovation and the history of technical advances. You can disagree with me if you want. Saying there's no logic or evidence for this position is just ignorance in the form of insults. I'm an engineer. I don't go in for magical thinking.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 11:15 AM (ZPrif)

195 15 The B-52 is the real miracle in this picture. No other aircraft that has been designed was better. Posted by: NortonPete at August 25, 2012 12:22 PM (8zxoH) Conceptualized, in a hotel room.... ....on a cocktail napkin! You see, there is a reason why we drink, outside of spouses and in-laws..... ...and slide rule guys rocked out loud.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 11:17 AM (xQvkQ)

196 And the need to insult anybody who doesn't sufficiently repeat the team mantra is stupid. I'm an ally. I'm a libertarian-conservative Republican. I want to severely shrink the power and authority of the EPA. I think they hold back progress and impoverish the average citizen. But I don't think magical tech breakthroughs will occur if we abolished the EPA. Things would marginally improve. But it's not the EPA that has held back hypersonics or space colonies or various other bits of future-tech that haven't occurred. It's the fundamental physics and economics. Red tape and over-regulation are huge problems. But even they aren't powerful enough to hold back dramatic orders of magnitude breakthroughs.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at August 25, 2012 11:21 AM (ZPrif)

197

Re: Helicopter advancement...

Retreating blade stall is an aerodynamic hurdle that has kept helo speeds under two hundred knots for decades...The good news is that Sikorsky has a flying prototype for a light attack helicopter that can do 250 knots. It lacks a tailrotor and has a dual counter-rotating main rotor. It's a breakthrough...

Helicopters are a niche market. Like any niche market, it cannot rely on economic scale to bring in lots of new, expensive stuff...That is part of the problem, although, admittedly not the whole story.

Posted by: Brian "Scoop" Ross at August 25, 2012 11:24 AM (eMrck)

198 I want to severely shrink the power and authority of the EPA. I was thinking "nuke from orbit." Otherwise, you know it will grow back.

Posted by: 98ZJUSMC in Johnson County laughing at Cook County at August 25, 2012 11:25 AM (xQvkQ)

199 Speaking of aeronautics history, Neil Armstrong is no more.

Posted by: Gregarious Argumenter at August 25, 2012 11:28 AM (u8eBQ)

200 Just think of all the school lunches or baby mama food stamps that could have bought.

Posted by: jukin at August 25, 2012 11:54 AM (5oKRH)

201 As everyone knows, Bill Dana was "Jose Jimenez" America's first Puerto Rican astronaut.

Posted by: KellyFromMesquite at August 25, 2012 12:29 PM (FLFli)

202 181 Life in 2012 USA isn't much different from 1982 USA or 1972 USA. That was a good comment overall and I'm not disagreeing with you, but aren't you forgetting a couple of teensy little things like computers and the internet? I'm old enough to remember 1972 and 1982. Yes, life in 2012 seems similar. But a few years ago I watched a movie that was made in the 80s. Leaving aside the hairstyles, the characters and everything about the movie seemed fully modern to me...until they showed a scene inside an office with typewriters on the desks. Not a computer in sight. That was jarring. I was taken aback.

Posted by: rickl at August 25, 2012 07:40 PM (sdi6R)

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