Funny thing is - it was 1960's technology. That thing was designed with a slide ruler.
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I love slide rules. I have a circular slide rule, a reactance & capacitance slide rule, as well as a pencil holder slide rule. Quicker than google, and more fun than cheating.
Ich gehöre nicht zur Baader-Meinhof Gruppe
Originally posted by Top GearJust imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican.
Every time you buy a car with DSC/ESC, Jesus kills a baby seal. With a kitten.
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Originally posted by slammin.e28guy View PostThey had to leak fuel as they expanded so much in flight it would seal them up. If it didn't leak, it would have just disintegrated in flight.
One of the articles from my previous post talks about the tank sealant. Every SR71 had to undergo a near full tear down every year that took place a Palmdale. Resealing the fuel tanks was done at this time.
Back to the SR71C (981). If the gov't wanted to restart the program, the cockpit section of 956 could be removed and placed onto a different airframe the same way the cockpit section for 981 was grafted onto the YF12. This would give the program a two seat trainer again. (Much to Kalamazoo's dismay that they had the nose section of their B model stolen and replaced with that of an A model.) Its not a cheap or easy proposition, but it could be done. I'm told the SR71 flight simulator is up at Boeing field, but I've also heard that it is in Texas somewhere. It was completely updated to 1995 specs when the program was restarted. It was shared by both NASA and the USAF at the time.
I have to say that seeing an SR in a museum is like seeing an eagle or something in a zoo. Yeah, its cool, but it doesn't belong there. It should be burning a hole in the sky at 80K feet and 3+times the speed of sound. Not sitting there like a caged bird.
I think that one should be made flight worthy and flown on a limited basis. A private group has done this with an Avro Vulcan bomber in England. The plane is funded and maintained entirely through donations and private contributions. If a nation far smaller than ours can do that with a Vulcan, we could do it with and SR71.
As for being designed with a slide rule, lets look at it this way. The design was so good and so important that if the Wright Brothers flight was one small step for man, the SR71 program was one giant leap for mankind. 40 years later what have we done with all our technology? We certainly haven't done any better. Hell, we put men on the moon with sliderules, as a country, now we can't put a man in space despite having high tech computers and advanced manufacturing processes. What is wrong with this pictures?
Will'59 Alfa Romeo 101.02 Giulietta Sprint
'69 Alfa Romeo 105.51 1750 GTV (R.I.P)
'69 Datsun 2000 roadster Vintage race car
'88 BMW M3
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Originally posted by u3b3rg33k View Post
The US space program shot its self in the foot when it was decided that we didn't need to go to the moon anymore let alone Mars or beyond. Think about it, in the span of 20 years not only did they put a man in orbit, but they put a men on the moon, using slide rules. We have pretty advanced computers now, and we can't get our asses out of the atmosphere without risking a trip on a Russian rocket.
In my lifetime I've seen the first launch of the space shuttle, both shuttles lost, then the end of the shuttle program. Not to mention the end of the program that ran the fastest and highest flying thing in the air. We need to pull our heads out and reclaim our place in both the sky and space :hitler:
Ok, end of rant ;)
Will'59 Alfa Romeo 101.02 Giulietta Sprint
'69 Alfa Romeo 105.51 1750 GTV (R.I.P)
'69 Datsun 2000 roadster Vintage race car
'88 BMW M3
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M42 powered Cop car?
nah...
jou ma se poes in 'n fishpaste jar.
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Originally posted by BlackbirdM3 View PostThe US space program shot its self in the foot when it was decided that we didn't need to go to the moon anymore let alone Mars or beyond. Think about it, in the span of 20 years not only did they put a man in orbit, but they put a men on the moon, using slide rules. We have pretty advanced computers now, and we can't get our asses out of the atmosphere without risking a trip on a Russian rocket.
As for modern computers being tits and whatnot - spaceflight hasn't really gotten more complicated, so it's less to with number crunching and more to do with the will (and the funding / profit margin) to git 'er dun.
Ich gehöre nicht zur Baader-Meinhof Gruppe
Originally posted by Top GearJust imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican.
Every time you buy a car with DSC/ESC, Jesus kills a baby seal. With a kitten.
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Originally posted by u3b3rg33k View PostPrivate industry will get it done, even if it takes a bit longer (same reason uncle sam made the presses - no one else would)
As for modern computers being tits and whatnot - spaceflight hasn't really gotten more complicated, so it's less to with number crunching and more to do with the will (and the funding / profit margin) to git 'er dun.
It seems to me that we no longer want to reach for the stars or go looking for "the right stuff". We are more than happy to let someone else do it while we sit in front of the TV saying "hey look at that" rather than going out and trying to do it.
My hat is off to the Bransons, Rutans, and Musks. They are the ones who are reaching for the sky, and they are footing the bill to do it. If we could get all the people who know how to do it working with the people who both want and have the $ to do it, we could be back on the moon in 5 years, and ready to go to Mars in less than 10 years. We need to cut the red tape and shot for the moon.
Will'59 Alfa Romeo 101.02 Giulietta Sprint
'69 Alfa Romeo 105.51 1750 GTV (R.I.P)
'69 Datsun 2000 roadster Vintage race car
'88 BMW M3
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Originally posted by CorvallisBMW View PostSo much awesome engineering stuff in the last 2 pages, I'm geeking out :)
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Some heavy metal for your viewing pleasure... 856 feet long, 45000 tons, with the ability to hurl a 2400lb .50cal projectile 25 miles. The USS Iowa left for Long Beach this afternoon. This is the last time the wold will see a battleship on the open ocean. It was the end of an era.
Heavy metal vs not so heavy metal.
The fat lady has sung, the show is over. Never again will the wold witness the might of a battleship on the open ocean.
Will'59 Alfa Romeo 101.02 Giulietta Sprint
'69 Alfa Romeo 105.51 1750 GTV (R.I.P)
'69 Datsun 2000 roadster Vintage race car
'88 BMW M3
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