Velcro and fire-proof pajamas?

Did anyone else see Astronomy magazine's Michael Bakich on CNN today?
Were these really the only two things he could come up with that
resulted from the Apollo program? Yeah, that's worth $750 billion.

Geez, with proponents like that...

---
Michael McCulloch

Michael McCulloch wrote in message . ..
Did anyone else see Astronomy magazine's Michael Bakich on CNN today?
Were these really the only two things he could come up with that
resulted from the Apollo program? Yeah, that's worth $750 billion.

Huh? Velcro was already being used in commercial products circa
mid-1950s;
I had a Velcro front fastener on one of my Winter jackets back then,
before
even the US Army launched the USA's first satellite, Explorer I, on
Jan. 31,
1958. In fact, I believe I wore that jacket for that occasion (which
used a modified Redstone as a launch vehicle -- My Dad was involved
with that).

In other words, the Apollo program didn't even exist when Velcro was
already
a household word.

On 11 Jan 2004 23:03:53 -0800, (Thad Floryan) wrote:

In other words, the Apollo program didn't even exist when Velcro was
already a household word.

If you are correct then Michael Bakich's comments were an even bigger
gaffe. I'm sorry, but his was just a ridiculous response to the
question of whether a mission to Mars would bring benefits
commensurate with the cost.

At the same time he said this the line on the bottom of the screen was
flashing a $750 billion pricetag. It was actually comic.

---
Michael McCulloch

Michael McCulloch wrote in message . ..
On 11 Jan 2004 23:03:53 -0800, (Thad Floryan) wrote:

In other words, the Apollo program didn't even exist when Velcro was
already a household word.

If you are correct then Michael Bakich's comments were an even bigger
gaffe. I'm sorry, but his was just a ridiculous response to the
question of whether a mission to Mars would bring benefits
commensurate with the cost.

If he actually said what you wrote, I'm simply flabbergasted.

VELCRO was invented in the late 1940s by George de Mestral and he applied
for the first patent in Switzerland in 1951. The story goes he was out
walking with his dog and wondered why burrs (aka cockleburrs) stuck to his
clothing and to the dog; his analysis of the phenomenon and experimentation
gave us what is known as "hook and loop tapes" under the trademark VELCRO.

The original USA patent number is 2,717,437 circa 1955.

Three sites with interesting background about VELCRO a

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa091297.htm

http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/37.html

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story015.htm

and, of course, there's http://www.velcro.com/ where one can read a one
paragraph history at URL:

http://www.velcro.com/about/history.html

In other words, VELCRO is not space-alien technology from the alleged
crashed Roswell flying saucer, and its invention had nothing to do with
NASA though NASA is a big user of the various VELCRO products -- there
are even VELCRO hook straps inside space helmets so astronauts can scratch
their noses and chins!

FWIW, I buy the industrial (stronger) VELCRO in 25-foot rolls since it works
so well fastening scope controls and other stuff to mounts and also works even
when wet (with dew).

Now you know that it was sold to us by a Vulcan that had crash landed on Earth.
Was shown on Enterprise. ;


--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

SIAR
www.starlords.org
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"Thad Floryan" wrote in message
om...
Michael McCulloch wrote in message
. ..
VELCRO was invented in the late 1940s by George de Mestral and he applied
for the first patent in Switzerland in 1951. The story goes he was out
walking with his dog and wondered why burrs (aka cockleburrs) stuck to his
clothing and to the dog; his analysis of the phenomenon and experimentation
gave us what is known as "hook and loop tapes" under the trademark VELCRO.



---
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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.560 / Virus Database: 352 - Release Date: 1/8/04

"Starlord" wrote in message ...
Now you know that it was sold to us by a Vulcan that had crash landed on
Earth.
Was shown on Enterprise. ;

Hah! 'Sfunny, one colleague at work today said the same thing -- don't know
how I could have missed it since I thought I had all the STAR TREK movies in
my collection.

Ah, Google to the rescue again; "star trek velcro vulcan" returned links to
Episode 28, "Carbon Creek", airdate 25-September-2002 (?). Huh? Is this
something new? The writeups don't resemble re-runs of the 1960s series (and,
as you can probably guess, I don't watch TV though I have 2 home theaters for
watching movies during cloudy nights).

"Starlord" wrote in message ...
Now you know that it was sold to us by a Vulcan that had crash landed on
Earth.
Was shown on Enterprise. ;

Hah! 'Sfunny, one colleague at work today said the same thing -- don't know
how I could have missed it since I thought I had all the STAR TREK movies in
my collection.

Ah, Google to the rescue again; "star trek velcro vulcan" returned links to
Episode 28, "Carbon Creek", airdate 25-September-2002 (?). Huh? Is this
something new? The writeups don't resemble re-runs of the 1960s series (and,
as you can probably guess, I don't watch TV though I have 2 home theaters for
watching movies during cloudy nights).

"Starlord" wrote in message ...
Now you know that it was sold to us by a Vulcan that had crash landed on
Earth.
Was shown on Enterprise. ;

Hah! 'Sfunny, one colleague at work today said the same thing -- don't know
how I could have missed it since I thought I had all the STAR TREK movies in
my collection.

Ah, Google to the rescue again; "star trek velcro vulcan" returned links to
Episode 28, "Carbon Creek", airdate 25-September-2002 (?). Huh? Is this
something new? The writeups don't resemble re-runs of the 1960s series (and,
as you can probably guess, I don't watch TV though I have 2 home theaters for
watching movies during cloudy nights).

Now you know that it was sold to us by a Vulcan that had crash landed on Earth.
Was shown on Enterprise. ;


--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

SIAR
www.starlords.org
Freelance Writers Shop
http://www.freelancewrittersshop.netfirms.com
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Ad World
http://adworld.netfirms.com

"Thad Floryan" wrote in message
om...
Michael McCulloch wrote in message
. ..
VELCRO was invented in the late 1940s by George de Mestral and he applied
for the first patent in Switzerland in 1951. The story goes he was out
walking with his dog and wondered why burrs (aka cockleburrs) stuck to his
clothing and to the dog; his analysis of the phenomenon and experimentation
gave us what is known as "hook and loop tapes" under the trademark VELCRO.



---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.560 / Virus Database: 352 - Release Date: 1/8/04

Now you know that it was sold to us by a Vulcan that had crash landed on Earth.
Was shown on Enterprise. ;


--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

SIAR
www.starlords.org
Freelance Writers Shop
http://www.freelancewrittersshop.netfirms.com
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Ad World
http://adworld.netfirms.com

"Thad Floryan" wrote in message
om...
Michael McCulloch wrote in message
. ..
VELCRO was invented in the late 1940s by George de Mestral and he applied
for the first patent in Switzerland in 1951. The story goes he was out
walking with his dog and wondered why burrs (aka cockleburrs) stuck to his
clothing and to the dog; his analysis of the phenomenon and experimentation
gave us what is known as "hook and loop tapes" under the trademark VELCRO.



---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.560 / Virus Database: 352 - Release Date: 1/8/04