Orion it shall be named

[rocketwatcher2001]

<font color="yellow">I'm a Jerry Pournelle fan as you might have guessed and Orion featured in one of his novels. An Alien invasion story. I forget the name of it. The invaders looked like baby elephants with two trunks.</font><br /><br />FOOTFALL, it was one of my many favorites. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[rocketwatcher2001]

I've always loved the name Orion, and it's a good name for a ship, but I think it's a little too big a name for the CEV. When I think of a name like Orion, I picture a ship the size of an aircraft carrier with a crew of 100, and can stay out near Jupiter for 3 years. I'm all for going big when it comes to our space program. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[radarredux]

A few years ago there was a book on "Project Orion", the nuclear rocket effort, by George Dyson, the son of Freeman Dyson. Here is the "review" on Amazon's site:<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Like cheap, shiny space suits and bug-eyed rubber monsters, nuclear-powered spaceships today seem like little more than laughably naïve 1950s science fiction tropes. It might have been otherwise--and still could be. George Dyson, son of supergenius physicist Freeman Dyson, wrote Project Orion to share some of his father's amazing research with the world. Much had been kept secret for years, but Dyson's unique insider status permits great depth and breadth on this important tale. Conceived in the wake of Sputnik, Project Orion was a true vision of '50s engineering: a huge 40-person ship powered by hundreds of tiny atomic bombs, capable of much greater lift and efficiency than chemically driven rockets. Struggles between NASA, the military, Congress, and other parties doomed Orion, but Dyson has gathered hundreds of documents and interviewed most of the researchers and engineers who worked together, trying to reach "Saturn by 1970." His knack for storytelling makes the book a quick, delightful read; even the staunchest anti-nuke activist has to admit that lighting a cigarette off a parabolic mirror facing a bomb test is pretty cool. By the end of the 20th century, technology had caught up with the vision of Orion--it's considered one of our best bets for long-distance space transit. Whether or not that could ever happen politically, Project Orion is a compelling exploration of scientific imagination.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship<br />http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AZW7M/sr=1-1/qid=1156703517/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1318104-0795157?ie=UTF8&s=books<br /><br />

 

[JonClarke]

It's a great book and by far and away the best source on this project. It also shows how many unresolved problems still exist with the concept and why it's cancellation was a very good idea. The time and the technology is not yet ready for the concept.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[PistolPete]

<img src="/images/icons/rolleyes.gif" /> Humph, ya had to bring up PO, didn't ya? PO wasn't just a misguided poster who no one took seriously. He verbaly assaulted anyone on this BBS who disagreed with him, forcing a number of verry wise and valuble posters to other sites, or off the internet entirely. Not just that, but he repeatedly spammed this and other places on the internet, such as Wikipedia, so basically he's a criminal. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[codominium]

Yes! Footfall, that was it.<br /><br />I remember those unmoderated early days. Everyone was abusive. I'd hardly call someone a criminal for hurling mud in a mud pool. It was going both ways as I remember it and PO was on his own. In fact I'd say he bore the brunt of attacks and looking at your last post I see it is still ongoing. Calling someone a Criminal isn't insulting? I thought he had some very valid points but unfortunately the anti-Orion mob shouted him down. A real shame since intelligent debate is a rarity around these parts.<br /><br />PistolPete sounds like the name of an outlaw.

 

[PistolPete]

You know, it wasn't that bad before he got here. Many people tried to engage him in a civil debate, and when he couldn't come up with a logical retort, he would sling insults.<br /><br />And when I call him a criminal, I'm not being insulting, I'm being serious, he spammed, hacked into, and vandilized not only this site, but many others on the web. Who PO actually is and what he did on other sites was posted here once. I'll try to find it and post a link. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[rocketwatcher2001]

Pistol-<br />Sir, don't waste a second of your day looking up that jerk. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[yales]

WARNING!<br /><br />CoDominium is a sockpuppet of the pornspammer Wayne Smith AKA PO/ProjectOrion/NuclearSpace/etc/etc ad nauseum.<br /><br />The link in his posts is a phish redirect.<br /><br />WARNING!

 

[yevaud]

Already banned a few hours ago. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[yales]

Excellent.<br /><br />Don't forget to remove the linkspam in the post (and as usual for banned posters, the posts themselves)<br /><br />yale

 

[rocketwatcher2001]

yales, <br />Good to see you again sir. It's been a few years. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[yales]

Tanks Mudge for the welcome.<br /><br />I saw PO ranting about his posting here at another site and I switched into Lone Ranger mode and came by to post a warning.<br /><br />This place seems as wacky as ever (in a nice way of course!)<br /><br />yale <br /><br />BTW - mods feel free to erase my posts after you disarm or delete the spammers posts.