Bearing in mind what was riding on those things, both literally and
figuratively, the quality control and scrutiny must have been laborious.
It's not as if they could take them for a test flight and correct any
bugs afterwards.

Thanks for the pics, Mitch

Regards
Paul
Cambridge U.K.

PVK > wrote in
:

> Bearing in mind what was riding on those things, both literally and
> figuratively, the quality control and scrutiny must have been laborious.
> It's not as if they could take them for a test flight and correct any
> bugs afterwards.
>
> Thanks for the pics, Mitch
>
> Regards
> Paul
> Cambridge U.K.
>


Considering the disasterous first US
attempts at putting a satellite in orbit
the later launch vehicles (Redstone, Atlas,
Saturn and now Delta) have worked amazingly
well.

Mitchell Holman > wrote:
> PVK > wrote in
> :
>
>> Bearing in mind what was riding on those things, both literally and
>> figuratively, the quality control and scrutiny must have been laborious.
>> It's not as if they could take them for a test flight and correct any
>> bugs afterwards.
>>
>> Thanks for the pics, Mitch
>>
>> Regards
>> Paul
>> Cambridge U.K.
>>
>
>
> Considering the disasterous first US
> attempts at putting a satellite in orbit
> the later launch vehicles (Redstone, Atlas,
> Saturn and now Delta) have worked amazingly
> well.

I remember the old joke concerning the Vanguard: they are going to rename
it "Civil Service" because they can't fire it, and they can't get it to
work.


--
Savageduck

Savageduck > wrote in
.
com:

> Mitchell Holman > wrote:
>> PVK > wrote in
>> :
>>
>>> Bearing in mind what was riding on those things, both literally and
>>> figuratively, the quality control and scrutiny must have been
>>> laborious. It's not as if they could take them for a test flight and
>>> correct any bugs afterwards.
>>>
>>> Thanks for the pics, Mitch
>>>
>>> Regards
>>> Paul
>>> Cambridge U.K.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Considering the disasterous first US
>> attempts at putting a satellite in orbit
>> the later launch vehicles (Redstone, Atlas,
>> Saturn and now Delta) have worked amazingly
>> well.
>
> I remember the old joke concerning the Vanguard: they are going to
> rename it "Civil Service" because they can't fire it, and they can't
> get it to work.
>
>


As John Glenn said when he was asked his thoughts
awaiting blast off "I am sitting on top of millions
of dollars worth of hardware all built by the lowest
bidder".

Mitchell Holman > wrote in
:

> Savageduck > wrote in
> .
> com:
>
>> Mitchell Holman > wrote:
>>> PVK > wrote in
>>> :
>>>
>>>> Bearing in mind what was riding on those things, both literally and
>>>> figuratively, the quality control and scrutiny must have been
>>>> laborious. It's not as if they could take them for a test flight and
>>>> correct any bugs afterwards.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for the pics, Mitch
>>>>
>>>> Regards
>>>> Paul
>>>> Cambridge U.K.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Considering the disasterous first US
>>> attempts at putting a satellite in orbit
>>> the later launch vehicles (Redstone, Atlas,
>>> Saturn and now Delta) have worked amazingly
>>> well.
>>
>> I remember the old joke concerning the Vanguard: they are going to
>> rename it "Civil Service" because they can't fire it, and they can't
>> get it to work.
>>
>>
>
>
> As John Glenn said when he was asked his thoughts
> awaiting blast off "I am sitting on top of millions
> of dollars worth of hardware all built by the lowest
> bidder".
>

*Not* Glenn...

I'm too lazy to research it at the moment - but t'was not Glenn.
Glenn was too much of a hairshirt to say that.

Jess Lurkin > wrote in :

> Mitchell Holman > wrote in
> :
>
>> Savageduck > wrote in
>>
>> ic. com:
>>
>>> Mitchell Holman > wrote:
>>>> PVK > wrote in
>>>> :
>>>>
>>>>> Bearing in mind what was riding on those things, both literally
>>>>> and figuratively, the quality control and scrutiny must have been
>>>>> laborious. It's not as if they could take them for a test flight
>>>>> and correct any bugs afterwards.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for the pics, Mitch
>>>>>
>>>>> Regards
>>>>> Paul
>>>>> Cambridge U.K.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Considering the disasterous first US
>>>> attempts at putting a satellite in orbit
>>>> the later launch vehicles (Redstone, Atlas,
>>>> Saturn and now Delta) have worked amazingly
>>>> well.
>>>
>>> I remember the old joke concerning the Vanguard: they are going to
>>> rename it "Civil Service" because they can't fire it, and they can't
>>> get it to work.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> As John Glenn said when he was asked his thoughts
>> awaiting blast off "I am sitting on top of millions
>> of dollars worth of hardware all built by the lowest
>> bidder".
>>
>
> *Not* Glenn...
>
> I'm too lazy to research it at the moment - but t'was not Glenn.
> Glenn was too much of a hairshirt to say that.
>


Coulda been Shepard.

Mitchell Holman > wrote in
:

> Jess Lurkin > wrote in :
>
>> Mitchell Holman > wrote in
>> :
>>
>>> Savageduck > wrote in
>>>
>>> ic. com:
>>>
>>>> Mitchell Holman > wrote:
>>>>> PVK > wrote in
>>>>> :
>>>>>
>>>>>> Bearing in mind what was riding on those things, both literally
>>>>>> and figuratively, the quality control and scrutiny must have been
>>>>>> laborious. It's not as if they could take them for a test flight
>>>>>> and correct any bugs afterwards.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks for the pics, Mitch
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>> Paul
>>>>>> Cambridge U.K.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Considering the disasterous first US
>>>>> attempts at putting a satellite in orbit
>>>>> the later launch vehicles (Redstone, Atlas,
>>>>> Saturn and now Delta) have worked amazingly
>>>>> well.
>>>>
>>>> I remember the old joke concerning the Vanguard: they are going to
>>>> rename it "Civil Service" because they can't fire it, and they can't
>>>> get it to work.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> As John Glenn said when he was asked his thoughts
>>> awaiting blast off "I am sitting on top of millions
>>> of dollars worth of hardware all built by the lowest
>>> bidder".
>>>
>>
>> *Not* Glenn...
>>
>> I'm too lazy to research it at the moment - but t'was not Glenn.
>> Glenn was too much of a hairshirt to say that.
>>
>
>
> Coulda been Shepard.
>

Ahhh, yes. My hero. NOT a "pilot" - an AVIATOR!
He's my hero for sticking with it so long - for the Moon!

"It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize
that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder
on a government contract." - Alan Shepard

On 31/01/15 9:21 PM, Jess Lurkin wrote:
> I'm too lazy to research it at the moment - but t'was not Glenn.
> Glenn was too much of a hairshirt to say that.
>

Allegedly Glenn said it in the press conference after the flight but
what he supposedly said was:
"People asked him [Alan Shepard] that [question] after the flight and
Shepard said: `I wasn’t scared, but I was up there looking around, and
suddenly I realized I was sitting on top of a rocket built by the lowest
bidder.’"

Unfortunately I cannot find an official transcript of the press
conference, only references to it.

Laurie

Jess Lurkin > wrote in :

> Mitchell Holman > wrote in
> :
>
>> Jess Lurkin > wrote in news:majh1l313t5
@news4.newsguy.com:
>>
>>> Mitchell Holman > wrote in
>>> :
>>>
>>>> Savageduck > wrote in
>>>> news:1402572328444354869.076237savageduck1-{removespam}

>>>> ic. com:
>>>>
>>>>> Mitchell Holman > wrote:
>>>>>> PVK > wrote in
>>>>>> :
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Bearing in mind what was riding on those things, both literally
>>>>>>> and figuratively, the quality control and scrutiny must have been
>>>>>>> laborious. It's not as if they could take them for a test flight
>>>>>>> and correct any bugs afterwards.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks for the pics, Mitch
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>>> Paul
>>>>>>> Cambridge U.K.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Considering the disasterous first US
>>>>>> attempts at putting a satellite in orbit
>>>>>> the later launch vehicles (Redstone, Atlas,
>>>>>> Saturn and now Delta) have worked amazingly
>>>>>> well.
>>>>>
>>>>> I remember the old joke concerning the Vanguard: they are going to
>>>>> rename it "Civil Service" because they can't fire it, and they
can't
>>>>> get it to work.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> As John Glenn said when he was asked his thoughts
>>>> awaiting blast off "I am sitting on top of millions
>>>> of dollars worth of hardware all built by the lowest
>>>> bidder".
>>>>
>>>
>>> *Not* Glenn...
>>>
>>> I'm too lazy to research it at the moment - but t'was not Glenn.
>>> Glenn was too much of a hairshirt to say that.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Coulda been Shepard.
>>
>
> Ahhh, yes. My hero. NOT a "pilot" - an AVIATOR!
> He's my hero for sticking with it so long - for the Moon!
>

I met Shepard several times when came to our school
to pick up his kids. His twin daughters were in my class
at elementary school. As were several other children of
astronauts. NASA was still being built and they used our
school in SW Houston until schools closer to their work
could be built. Nice guy, always in a good mood.