we're doomed..
..aye doomed!
Still - better than RAF totally screwing it up.
ESA chooses British army officer as astronaut
In an unexpected move, the European Space Agency (ESA) has selected a British army officer as one of its second-ever batch of astronauts. Major Timothy Peake, an Apache attack-helicopter pilot in the Army Air Corps, could fly to the International Space Station as soon as 2013. “We are at a turning point in ESA’s human …
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One unanswered question
In order that he meet perceived international stereotypes, does Major Peake have a truly splendid waxed moustache and a pipe?
@Mike Richards
He might be able to keep the moustache if he has one, but you do understand he'll need to lose the pipe if he's to go up into space. Right?
So much for international stereotypes.
Never one to miss a dig at the RAF....
...is our Mr Page
"Peake's selection will doubtless have caused some bitterness in the Royal Air Force,"
Re: though he never flew in space
Can you fly in space?
I think that will be my question at the next moderatrix's question time.
Continuing the stereotype...
Well they couldn't send a Frenchman, the moment he got frightened he'd start waving him white handkerchief about.
@One unanswered question
Furthermore, in light of the south koreans developing kim chee for their astronauts, and the indians developing a suitable space based curry: It raises the question, will a group be assigned (at vast expense) to develop a suitable method for brewing a good cup of tea, and will they also be providing a british menu for our brave spacefearing ginger, perhaps jellied eels, pie and mash, a full roast beef dinner, and the full english to wake up to in the morning?
Not real army
Still a flyboy.
Might have been different if they'd sent an artillery Major up there, or better a British NCO. ("hard vacuum? - I've seen harder etc..... "
@Remy Redert
Ye. Like all good British Heros he will be smoking his pipe as he climes to the craft, tapping it out on the side, and tucking it in to his top pocket befor entering.
@Remy Redert
'He might be able to keep the moustache if he has one, but you do understand he'll need to lose the pipe if he's to go up into space. Right?'
But... but... but... Dan Dare had a pipe:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12220922@N05/2683800114
The pressing need for a zero-G pipe requires the full application of the best of British boffinry. Since we don't have a DARPA to call our own...
Gentlemen! To your sheds and prepare for blast-off.
WAFFU
Well , I guess it's also a good job no WAFFU (Navy Airforce person) b@st@rd didn't get it !!
The world is a safer place because of this!!!!
About bloody time
I was at Kennedy Space Center last week (though saw the Atlantis launch from elsewhere) and the lack of British representation is absolutely shocking. Unsurprising, but when you see the pride of the people from the countries working on the various space programmes, it did make me embarassed.
genie
if he brings a strange bottle back make sure you send it straight back.
We all dream of jeanie, we had a tv show, so we know what can happen with those bottles.
There's only one F in WAFU
Actually there are loads of F'ing WAFUs, but the acronym makes no sense with two.
@Mike Richards
He can't have the handlebar moustache, it won't fit in the helmet.
@Mike Richards
We do have our own version of DARPA - DSTL (still government-owned IIRC) and (sort-of) Qinetiq. ISTR a TV documentary a while back showing them gamely trying to copy stuff they'd seen in SF movies.
BTW - missing you over on the MT list...
@jeffrey
There'll be a machine that produces a beverage that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea...
And as one would expect...
...the meeja is full of groan-inducing "Space Oddity" puns this morning. Anyone else coming up with a variation on the theme of "Ground Control to Major Tim" will be introduced to my friend Mr Shovel.
re Continuing the stereotype...
I don't think any self respecting Frenchman would go, once he'd seen the catering arrangements...
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