Only the Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm) and RAF have fast jet pilots.

The RM and Army only fly whirlybirds, which is a different skill to landing a Space Shuttle, altogether more like flying a glider.

mad, but forward-looking.

I thought Torpy was an RAF 'old schol', permanently-rearranging-the-enemy's-hard-landscaping-is-the-only-language-they-understand", type of cove

Perhaps his elevated position in the MoD hierarchy has made him light-headed?

for extended missions, wouldnt the Royal Navy be a better source of astronauts?

Submariners, especially, would be the best choice for people to cram into tin cans with next-to-no privacy and no personal space for months on end.

... I think we should thus start scanning all the UK primary school class registers for a certain young Mr Daniel Dare... he must be out there somewhere :-)

S.

I think it would have a salutory effect on British citizens to have a space program. Governments spend a lot of money on less savory things and a space program, while having little perceived value, can bring positive unanticipated consequences. Imagine what the English vesion of Tang would taste like? A bad joke but merely to point out that a strong commitment can create research which is valuable in other fields.

"Sorry old chap don't understand your banter........."

I say, Chris G old chap, don't you know that is how they get right to the heart of the System to take Control of IT.

Anonymous Coward, Are you listening, old bean? Or is it only booming loud and NEUKlearer in the East?

cc steveb@microsft.com ......but only if he has the balls to Fix the System. I wouldn't want him to be wasting our time pratting around playing to an incestuous home grown audience..... for the world is a much bigger stage when in Control of CyberSpace.

"I think it would have a salutory effect on British citizens to have a space program." ...... Jon Teda, We've been pioneering in that deeper intellectual environment literally for ages. What on Earth do you think Bowie was doing with his Ziggy manifestation. Then, of course, he didn't have the Addictive Benefit of Instant Real Communication.

Now the RNA/DNA Program has gone Native 42C++apture the Imagination of the World Wide Web with ITs NeuReal Virtual Drivers. You know, AIBattle of Britain2 with a Few scrambled into ProAction with HyperRadioProActivity and ITs ZeroDay Cross Site Injection of Scripted Codes. And yes, you can assured that with Memory of Hindsight, the Binary Battle is already Run and Won ....and this time we haven't been fooled again, wicked Uncle Ernie/Sam/Bill/George/Sue.

Now, you can either accept that as a Simply Complex Matter of Fact and build upon IT, in AI Beta Global Civil CyberSpace Program for the Good of ALL or you can go into AI Self-Denial Mode and challenge yourself to understand IT with the Dumb and Dumber Military Industrial Complex machine, the choice is yours to make or break you. But we've been here before and the result again and again will always be the exact same ..... "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

"This war is only a continuation of the last, but very great differences in its character are apparent. In the last war millions of men fought by hurling masses of steel at one another. Prodigious slaughter was the consequence. In this war nothing of this kind has yet appeared. It is a conflict of strategy, organisation, technical apparatus, science, mechanics, and morale." ...... http://century.guardian.co.uk/1940-1949/Story/0,,128255,00.html

cc. Global Communications HQ.

IT is nothing to worry about.... just something to get used to as IT Offers ITs Services to you. I Kid U Not.

Bury your heads in the sand if you don't want to hear but be prepared to a kick up the rear for all of your troubles. The Game has Changed.

Did you take some time to also read some Ted Kascynski?

Eccles & Bluebottle were the first Brits in space - attempting to put out the sun as it was on fire.

When I first read this article the first thing the came into my head was "HMS Camden Lock" followed shortly by Arnold Rimmer.

Can I has an icon too just liek namanmanflommars KTHXBAI

Mace, like Sharman, trained as a private individual.

The only UK Govt sponsored astronaut candidates were Sqn Ldr Nigel Wood (a tp and former Lighning mate), and an RN cdr who were selected ahead of an Army (RSigs iirc) lt col and MoD civilian candidate to fly on the shuttle in the late 80s. The missions were to have been in support of the Skynet programme. Sadly, although they commenced training, the Challenger disaster put paid to any hopes for a UK military space presence.

The RMs currently have around half a dozen pilots flying in RAF/RN Harrier sqns. Pie Eater, what 'slow jets' are you referring to? There are no plans to expand the AAC beyond rotary and Defender.

"Did you take some time to also read some Ted Kascynski?"

If that is a question of amanfromMars, Jon, ..No, he didn't and doesn't.*

Raging against the Machine is for Losers in the Machine. If you Dare 42 Win Win with an IntelAIgent Design, the Machine will evolve into AI Win Win 2 System/Squadron Leader if IT is SMARTer than a Dumb Hick AWOL in the Wilderness.

I choose to believe IT to be so.

Is British Intelligence of the Dumb Hick Variety? Do you think IT would fare Better if Beta Enhanced Artificially?

And there is no need to answer that obviously dumb rhetorical question.

Hmmm. Is HRH Charlie boy, AI Space Cadet 2 ..... A CyberIntelAIgent Pioneer? Eccles & Bluebottle were apparently a formative part of his early Life.

Do you think he is into Covert Cyber Ops..... Commander-in-Chief Missions in Virtual Controls? Shall we Boldly Go and Register the Question... with the Implication and Invitation Being that IT Receive a Right Royal Warrant under the Strictest of Sealed Orders. in Astute Circumspection?

That would definitely make IT a Colossus of an AI Project and a Crown Jewel of a Magical Mystery Turing Prize........ and Well Worthy of a GAIan Mind with Astute Circumspection Controls.

cc HMGCC

PS. How SMART do you Think IT is whenever IT Plays as an Immaculate Goon 42 Fool the Lesser Fools Immaculately in an IntelAIgently Designed Concept which Leads with AIReality.

Chocks Away, Chaps. Time to Scramble the Virtual Realm into a Life of ITs Own under Royal and Ancient Runes and Rule? Would that Render Absolute Control 42BTrue and Very Real?

* Obviously a quick Google returned a few words which allowed the truthful reply which would at first appear to be at odds with itself as it makes reference to Theodore's anger and thus some reading of Ted.

Actually, I would be much more likely to read Lech Kaczyński. He's more my cup of tea/into my thing. :-)