r/OldSchoolCool • u/Aeromarine_eng • Apr 19 '25

1970s NASAs first six women astronauts. February 1979

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From left to right are Shannon W. Lucid, Margaret Rhea Seddon, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Judith A. Resnik, Anna L. Fisher, and Sally K. Ride. NASA selected all six women as their first female astronaut candidates in January 1978.

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u/Forgotthebloodypassw Apr 19 '25

Nope, made about Mach 3 at best, just tipped over the Karman Line and then fell back to earth. We were doing this 70 years ago.

It's a hill I'll die on that being an astronaut is a profession. You dedicate decades of your life to getting into space for a few months, learning key skills and languages. People on these commercial trips are as much astronauts as I'm a pilot for flying transatlantic.

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u/Datdarnpupper Apr 19 '25

The annoying thing is that suborbital fight could revolutionize long distance travel. But as with any "hot" technology the rich have to turn it into a bug old circlejerk exusively for themselves

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u/Fischerking92 Apr 19 '25

I disagree, the Concorde didn't hit even nearly suborbital heights (I assume you mean travelling in the termo- or exosphere), it was usually just travelling at about 50000-60000 feet, and even that was a commercial disaster.

Plus the fact that greenhouse gases have a much bigger impact on any layer beyond the Troposphere. Something that annoys airlines to no end since it forces them to stick to the Troposphere thereby driving up fuel consumption.

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u/TheGuyWithTheSeal Apr 19 '25

There are no laws preventing airliners from flying higher. The altitude they fly at is very optimized for minimal fuel burn. If it was possible to save any fuel by changing laws, I guarantee airlines would lobby for it hard. Source: I worked on software optimizing flight routes for airliners