The day of cosmonautics

[zx81]

In the United kingdom we have

Isaac Newton day where all UK citizens are supposed to get out there telescopes and watch the motion of the planets, while trying to catch apples falling from the sky.

James Clerk Maxwell day, when people can wonder about the connection between electricity and magnetism.

JJ Thomson day when all citizens watch television all day and wonder about the discovery of the electron.

John logie Baird day see television above, without the electron bit.

Turin day when we celebrate the death of our computer industry in 1945 when we handed over responsibility to the USA.


Pyramid day when we celebrate how the King of England gathered together 5000 men, who walked from Salisbury to Alexandria in Egypt and build the pyramids, then retuned home, without informing the indiginous population.

The guillottine, invented in 13th century England, but the magistrate stated once the blade was released, if you could get your head out of the way, you were free to go. This is where the English got there reputation of fair play.

Alexander Graham Bell day, when we spend all day on the telephone, trying to find out why he emigrated from Scotland to the United states, before inventing the telephone.

Industrial revolution day, say no more

Davy lamp day, Pity no one told the chinese about these 17th century safety lamps for miners.

Stevensons rocket day, when everyone goes on a train journey.

Stephen Perry day when everyone flicks rubber bands at each other.

Micheal Faraday day, when everyone pays homage to electrical appliances in there house, and celebrates the electric generator.

and im getting fed up know.

:U :U

[The Svin]

 zx81,
You've forgotten about "Day of flying saucers" :)
It must've been british pilot in New Mexico, who got under US "friendly fire" when they mixed up him with an alien :))

Just joking :) Here in Russia - British science and scientists are very respected. Both in historical and modern prospectives. The same respectfull fillings about education in the UK.

Steve

the US was first on the moon but that the USSR first orbitted the moon

We also sent the probe "LunaHod" (MoonWalker in English) on the Moon, before the US.

Funny thing - those "winners" still use our rocket engines in their rockets Atlas (the last american rocket to Pluton was sent with old russian engine aboard).
The engines were developed and produces in late 60s for soviet Moon programm, but they've never been used for the programm itself was suspended.
Our BS Pr. Eltzin was so eager to sell our national treasures for nothing that sold them to US for funny price - just 1 billion for 114 engines. They already spent them all :) - and asked us to produce more in 2005(4?). We talk about engines that were invented in 60s! and the US still wants it :)
Not mention that already for several years we've been forced to delever loads for both NASA and Russia to the international space station, and the US doesn't compensate a penny for our altruistic help, very strange approach for the country that called itself "world leader" and "space race winner" :)
I'm all to admit that in field of general electronics USA left Russia fa..ar behind. We had good fundmental researches in the field but should have thought better about production technologies, in the field the US won for sure. But in space exploration ... I doubt it, it just doesn't fit the facts. Yet it possible when old generation of numerous russian scientists emmigrate to the States, since new generation of russians moslty goes for economics, law etc. not for phisics and math. Though for contemplative russian mentality math and phisics/chemestry fit the best to national character, no matter how hard the west would try to sell us as "hairy barbarians" :)
Though I must admit - despite for mental national predisposition for science - it's very hard to be a scientist in Russia nowdays.
The most terrible thing that the commies did to their own nation was not poverty or repressions or like, it was supression of individual initiative, human will, even in cases that the will doesn't harm anibody, and doesn't ask for financial or other support. People (exept for small minority) just get used to do what they told to do, including scientists. I hope new generanions could overcome it, and will be able "to kill slaves inside our soul".

[hutch--]

Alex,

There is a standard term for what you have described that has hit most of the western economies in exactly the same manner, it is sold as "economic rationalisation" which means useful technical people get shoved aside for the quick and dirty buck with no view to there being a future. It sees factories closed and massive numbers of people with no work so a few in the corporate sector can make big money importing similar goods from other countries that have a lower labour cost and a lower exchange rate.

The factor in common with all economies that allow this to happen is they get weaker and further into debt as they buy more than they can sell. Most of south America has escaped from this as they have shoved the IMF and its debt burden, CHina is not structured in this manner and of late an organisation called in English SCO has been set up based in Shanghai to co-ordinate economic interests across south Asia which includes technology and energy.

The four economic performers form an economic block called BRIC, Brasil, Russia, India and China and it is a sign of the future and countries that do not start to rebuild themselves risk being left behind if they don't.

[zx81]

The feat of putting a man in space and a man on the moon were  fantastic achievments for Russia and the USA. The British contribution to anything space related was the invention of chocolate bars called,
The Mars Bar
A Galaxy bar
and believe it or not the Milky Way bar.
Oh and sum device that went to Mars on a European rocket. Sadly it forgot where the surface was.

[Mark Jones]

"The great space race." That's such an oxymoron. The great race to what? The never-ending expanse of harsh vacuum and nothingness? Where it's +250 degrees in the sun and -250 degrees in the shade? Where there is no magnetosphere to protect you from radiation? Where the concept of seasonss or days or even minutes is completely irrelevant? Or where it takes 5 years to travel to the nearest planet (which is completely inhabitable?) No wonder it took a cold war to generate enough ambition to get to the moon. :lol

I don't want to think what it would take to move beyond that.

[zx81]

In the 1970's 1Meg of Ram was deemed unnessassary and unfillable (just like space). Then again C++ was'nt around then so they can be forgiven for there lack of hindsigh.

[Roger]

Hi All,

Then again C++ was'nt around then so they can be forgiven for there lack of hindsigh.

The trouble is that it is still around in the 2000s. No one should be forgiven for that much lack of foresight!

Regards Roger