1 in 4 brits think moon landings a hoax!

[AlfredJPruffock]

ISS has been incredibly late and expensive. It's scheduled to be dropped into the sea in 2015 (although this could be just polictal posturing).

The ISS has been operational for quite some time - yes further module expansions are underway - the current module being assembled by the Japanase Space Agency - but I would venture the ISS has been an extraordinary success - without the ISS Europe would not have an astronaut corps (and this has been extened recently with the first British ESA astronaut who after trainiing will visit the ISS). Timothy Peake was a former British Army Helicopter Instructor - Im sure we all wish him the very best for the tough challanges ahead during his astronaut training.

it is incredible to withness the spirit of international co-operation with Russian American Japanese and European astronauts working in space together - perhaps gives us hope for our divided World .

40 years ago at the height of the Cold War world . the ISS would have been an unmaginable concept - but there it is - right now as you read this - with all those brave astronauts on board orbiting above our wee blue planet - and I find that marvellous.

With the shuttle progam in its sunset - the ISS is the only practical platform for NASA and ESA astronauts - in fact post shuttle the NASA astronauts can only board the ISS with the Russians Vostok launchers - that is why I suggest there is a real future for the ISS - furthermore I predict that the Chinese will come onboard by 2015 .


Finally we should not forget the other many Space marvels post the Apollo program - one being the joint NASA/ESA mission - Huygens/Cassini - not only is Cassini still sending astonishing information about Saturn and its Moons- we managed to land a probe on Titan - that was an amazing feat.

[Menelaus]

Agreed - the Cold War had many negatives but getting people into space was a positive.

Wasn't there a Apollo(?) / Soyuz experiment where the USA / USSR docked in earth orbit?

[AlfredJPruffock]

Agreed - the Cold War had many negatives but getting people into space was a positive.

Wasn't there a Apollo(?) / Soyuz experiment where the USA / USSR docked in earth orbit?

Perhaps you are thinking of the IKI/NASA mission back in 1975 - which was inspired by a Hollywood movie !

In the early 1970s, the Nixon administration sought to reduce U.S.-Soviet tensions, and launched a major effort to reach a strategic arms limitation breakthrough, as well as new cooperation in space. In 1970, during a meeting with Keldysh, U.S. Academy of Sciences President Philip Handler mentioned an American movie starring Gregory Peck and Gene Hackman called Marooned, in which Soviet cosmonauts helped rescue three U.S. astronauts stranded in Earth orbit.

Handler suggested the United States and U.S.S.R. develop a mutually com-patible docking system that would make possible such rescues, as well as non-emergency space dock-ings.

This imaginary movie scenario touched a chord within space communities on both sides, which already had experienced emergency situations in real life. Talks led to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking mission of 1975, which developed compatible rendezvous and docking systems still in use today, and the establishment of a few topical working groups in different space science and applications disciplines.


For further reading on IKI/NASA COld War Space Co-Operation

http://www.nasa.gov/50th/50th_magazine/coldWarCoOp.html

OS I should add to my previous list of post-Apollo space marvels - Mir the Russian Space Station - an incredible feat of engineering

[bogeyman]

Agreed - the Cold War had many negatives but getting people into space was a positive.

Wasn't there a Apollo(?) / Soyuz experiment where the USA / USSR docked in earth orbit?

Yes. Correct.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo-Soyuz_Test_Project

[DaveB]

They some numpty conspiracy theorist on R4 this morning. Was very evaisive when asked if he thought the moon landings actually happened and had to be cornered and asked the direct question before he would answer.

Tried to argue that it couldnt have happened because the photographs taken were too good given the conditions they were taken under.

The sceptic came accross as a bit of an anorak over all.

Listen to it here at 1:20:00

[DimPrawn]

1 in 4 brits think moon landings a hoax!

That just goes to show how staggering stupid the British public are.

I mean, 3 out of 4 believing the US landed men on the moon.

[NotAllThere]

That's less stupid than believing in ghosts or worshipping fictional supernatural entities, IMO.

Is it as stupid as worshipping non-fictional supernatural entities?