LONGINES CHRONOSCOPE:  UFOs

Did bow ties EVER look good?

Notice the portion of the conversation about weapons in low earth orbit. I take it that what the panel had in mind concerned nuclear warheads, which at the time was pretty scary. Eventually there was an agreement reached that those types of weapons would not be deployed.

However that doesn't prevent conventional weapons. I know of a proposed system called either "Thor" or "Bright Pebbles", which uses essentially self-guided falling tungsten rods about the size of telephone poles. These things come falling at 17,000 m.p.h. and obliterate everything without radioactive fallout. Neat, clean, precise.

As for the UFOs, I like to remember Isaac Asimov and what he would say when asked, "Do you believe in UFOs?"

"Certainly I do. There are numerous things in the sky that I can't identify. But what you are asking is if I believe if those objects are intelligently guided by extraterrestrial beings and that is quite a different thing altogether. In that case the answer is, no."

Besides, considering how much trash humans will leave behind just walking through a forest, where are the E.T gum wrappers, cigarette butts, or soda cans?

It's all a big gubment cover-up. They are still using alien technology to develop new projects at Area 51. BD adjusts his tin foil hat. (It keeps them there sat's in space from probing my mind).

The first manned mars mission will be a fake like Apollo. 😝

Have you been reading those conspiracy web sites again BD?? :lol:

Go read some old S/F written by the scientists of the time. They got a lot right.

People forget all the advances that were made to get us into space.
Most of the things the scientist said were true at that time. We didn't have the ability to get to orbit let alone the moon.
I'm just glad this country spent the money, time, lives, and all the other things needed to make it happen. :coolsmile:

tadchem: Yes, on the Doctor. But yeah, the wearer has to know how to pull it off. I probably couldn't.

KDP: I prefer the Orbital Anvil Delivery Service. Much more ACME style.

BD: Better hope that really is tin foil. The stuff a normal citoyen can buy in the shops these days is all mere aluminium foil, by order, of course, of Them.

Expat: In those days, science fiction authors were scientists first, and came into authordom later, through fandom. Nowadays, you're lucky if you can find skiffy - most of what's out there is mere Soap in Space. (I recommend Charlie Stross, though he's more a horror-hybrid than pure science fiction. Still damned good, and knows his stuff.)

@Richard: I've been casting around looking for good S/F and have come up short. Ender's Game is loaded onto the Kindle for a re-read before seeing the movie.

Expat: Well, there's still too much good old stuff around to get through in a lifetime, so I'm not worrying yet... and a lot of it is now coming out on the Gutenberg Project.
Depending on what you like, you might want to have a look at Pratchett & Baxter's Long Earth books. Just don't think they're anything remotely like Pratchett's Discworld - I can't comment on how much they're like earlier Baxter. But they're not humourous.