50 years ago today first American orbit of earth

[FRISKY]

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/02/2...rbit-of-earth/

[RadicalModerate]

I had a 45 (rpm . . . record) of "The Greatest Ride Since Paul Revere" (about John Glenn's flight).
I don't remember what was on the B-Side.

It was right next to "Surfin' Safari"/"409" in my record collection.
(Along with about three or four other 45s)

Thanks, Frisky!

I sure hope that The Right Stuff (in America, United States of) isn't right next to The Passenger Pigeon in line on the way to extinction.
(and by "right" i don't mean political spectrum effluvium)

[OKCisOK4me]

And 50 years from today after Newt is long gone, Geingrich Moonbase will be opened for business, lol.

[RadicalModerate]

If we had had a newt to launch into space with the "fuel cell rockets" of childhood, we probably would have tried that instead of just ants and beetles. Of course, it would have required much larger "Toy Rockets" . . .

I'm thinkin' Gengrich Newtbase might make a more fitting memorial . . .
like . . . on the moon or whatever . . .

(I APOLOGIZE: that bordered on "politics" but HE STARTED IT . . . =)

[OKCisOK4me]

Well, wasn't NASA government funded? So isn't it 50% science 50% politics?

[RadicalModerate]

Back in the day . . .
We used to buy into the concept of a "government" "by" "of" "and" "for" "the" "people" . . .
It was a much simpler time.
In other words, back then 50% + 50% equaled 100%.
(except, of course, for subtracting the comsymps exposed by Joe McCarthy and his ilk. =)

Much simpler.
Of course, back then, I wasn't actually "buying into" anything except the concept of picking up discarded pop bottles and returning them to the grocery store for 2-cents each.

So part of our "largesse"/treasure could be spent on . . .
Bigger playground rockets . . . More interesting payloads.

Wasn't it The Russians who first launched a primate . . ?
No. They used a dog--Laika, I think--We did the monkey.
I think that even Alan Shepard even commented on that fact.
I think he was only half smiling at the time -)

Edited to Add:
This isn't The Fabled Song (reference, above) . . .
But I would bet this dude has heard it:

[BB37]

Wasn't it The Russians who first launched a primate . . ?
No. They used a dog--Laika, I think--We did the monkey.
I think that even Alan Shepard even commented on that fact.
I think he was only half smiling at the time -)

It was a chimpanzee named 'Ham.' The quip that all the original Mercury seven used was "span in a can."