Fledgling space firm will use old Soviet gear

strange to thing the isle of man is the 6th biggest space nation.

I'd do anything to help this industry. entrepreneurs in this field should be supported. I think the UK should have a space lobby task force make us pull our finger out.

hell I'd pay a space tax to help get things moving.I feel like where at a time in history where if the right foundations are laid now huge benefits will be reaped.(i see it like the car industry 115year ago ) there's a Henry Ford of the space industry out there somewhere.

anyone else think that the space industry seems too fragmented,we should all be pulling in the same direction!



www.newscientist.com... ing-space-firm-will-use-old-soviet-gear.html

It is a second chance for two relics of the cold war. Shipped from Russia, a pair of Soviet space station modules arrived in the Isle of Man last week, home to the fledgling private space firm Excalibur Almaz. The firm eventually plans to use the modules to provide extra room and supplies for the tourists and researchers it hopes to ferry into space. Using decades-old equipment may seem like an odd move for a brand new space company but former astronaut Leroy Chiao, who oversees technical operations for the firm, says the spacecraft are more valuable than new vehicles because they have been extensively tested. "It's not the nice shiny stuff, but as much as possible we want to use things that have been tested and proven," he says.

All in all not a bad idea... To me it seems the more advanced we get, the more advanced problems we create for ourselves. We have lost the KISS principle as well as the 6 P's.

Keep It Simple Stupid
Proper Planning Prevent Piss Poor Performance

During the space race Nasa spent 2+ Million dollars inventing a pen that could write in space...

The Soviets used a penicl.

Go figure.

indeed.

the term 'its not rocket science' is commonplace . the basic physics of getting to space by chemical rockets is1940s and 1950 tech.

as my housemate who is studying metallurgy at manchester uni told me NASA have a shelf's full of their patents there,I wonder if they are being used anywhere?