Shhhh! TOP SECRET!!!

[SkyMan]

First, just to keep this numismatically related, here's to FIRSTS:

 

The signatures are of the Mercury 7 astronauts plus one other person.

 

Yesterday was an important "Space First". A company called SpaceX launched the First commercial (e.g. private) capsule ever. The capsule was called Dragon, and it flew on a Falcon 9 rocket created by SpaceX. The Falcon 9 produces about 1,100,000 pounds of thrust at lift-off, compared to the Shuttle's 7,300,000 pounds of thrust. Still, just to put things in perspective, the Gemini Titan booster of the 1960's had a launch thrust of just 450,000 pounds.

 

SpaceX link

 

Given that the Dragon capsule was being launched for the first time a TOP SECRET mock payload was enclosed in the vehicle. Here is the payload before launch...

 

 

Does anyone want to guess what was inside?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here ya' go...

The wheel of cheese was launched to honor a classic skit from the British comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus, in which actor John Cleese tries to order cheese from a cheese shop that has no cheese – but at least there's a band. And yes, there was method to the madness of posting the above autographed dollar. The 8th signature was Bill Dana's the "unofficial" 8th Mercury astronaut, and the creator of the comedy skit "Jose Jimenez the reluctant astronaut".

[Hoot]

 

That was a truly cheesy post - thanks for the lift!

 

Hoot

[Coindude]

, you had me thinking Chik-fil-a!!

[physics-fan3.14]

I'm really glad SpaceX's launch was a success. While the first few test shots of a rocket are often troublesome, I'm afraid with the current political climate and pressure, even a hint of something going wrong would have seriously put the Dragon's future in jeapordy. I'm firmly of the belief that private space exploration is the path of the future - commercial exploration will be done cheaper, faster, safer, more reliably, and overall with a better sense of humour, as illustrated above.

[WoodenJefferson]

We have lift off!

 

So, Stanley Kubrick wasn't that far off in Sir Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A space Odyssey, it just turned out that the first Space Wheel was a wheel of cheese.

[cpm9ball]

Hey! Hey! I guessed what it was before I even scrolled down. I based my guess on the cow and the current ads for California dairy products.

 

Do I win anything?

 

Pretty cool, Sy! I always liked Bill Dana.

 

Chris

[Conder101]

One thing I have not heard so far. Was this an orbital flight or just suborbital?

 

I'm firmly of the belief that private space exploration is the path of the future - commercial exploration will be done cheaper, faster, safer, more reliably, and overall with a better sense of humour, as illustrated above.

And when something does go wrong the whole program won't stop dead for several years while they look at the problem.

[bsshog40]

Interesting! I thought it would've been associated with "eat more chicken also".

[SkyMan]

One thing I have not heard so far. Was this an orbital flight or just suborbital?

...

 

Orbital... just shy of 2 orbits, landing in the Pacific off the So. Cal. - Northern Mexico coast.

 

 

 

 

Oh, and Chris, you win an "Attaboy!" and a pat on the back!