At 10:54 17/01/00 , DsmithOR@aol.com wrote: >I apologize for this off topic subject. > >Recently I heard an interesting story that was a new one on me. It has all >the undertones of a "modern myth" but I wonder if you have heard it? > >According to the story, the first human launched orbital object was not >Sputnik but an iron slab capping a well housing an A-bomb on a Nevada test >site. The story goes on to say it was photographed ascending at a multiple >of escape velocity at the time of a weapon's test back in the early 50's. A very heavy cap on an underground nuclear test shaft did indeed get blown off, but the interpretation of the velocity is suspect, and it would have considerable difficulty surviving a passage even vertically thru the atmosphere. Such stories get altered( "improved") every time they are retold. Survival to solar orbit seems unlikely , but makes a good story. There was some discussion on this list or another a year or two ago, which offered details from persons close to the original event, but it will take some effort to find it. Tony Beresford ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www2.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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