interesting data point for rocket courier service...

Now there was some recent discussion about fast courier service with
rockets, and i completely accidentally stumbled upon this on the net:

http://www.usps.com/history/his2_75.htm
Quote:
"Throughout its history, the Postal Service enthusiastically has explored
faster, more efficient forms of mail transportation. Technologies now
commonplace -- railroads, automobiles, and airplanes -- were embraced by the
Post Office Department at their radical birth, when they were considered
new-fangled, unworkable contraptions by many.
One such technology, however, remains only a footnote in the history of mail
delivery. On June 8, 1959, in a move a postal official heralded as "of
historic significance to the peoples of the entire world," the Navy
submarine U.S.S. Barbero fired a guided missile carrying 3,000 letters at
the Naval Auxiliary Air Station in Mayport, Florida. "Before man reaches the
moon," the official was quoted as saying, "mail will be delivered within
hours from New York to California, to Britain, to India or Australia by
guided missiles."

History proved differently, but this experiment with missile mail
exemplifies the pioneering spirit of the Post Office Department when it came
to developing faster, better ways of moving the mail. "



Okay, lets face it, e-mail beats rocket-transported letters anytime. But
still, it very interesting that suborbital rockets were very seriously
considered, and this by USPS.

Just thought it might be interesting :P



-kert

On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 21:40:47 +0300, "Kaido Kert"
wrote:

Okay, lets face it, e-mail beats rocket-transported letters anytime. But
still, it very interesting that suborbital rockets were very seriously
considered, and this by USPS.

....Actually, it wasn't the USPS, but it's predecessor, the US Post
Office Department. USPS didn't come into effect until 7/1/71 under
Title 39 of the Postal Reorganization Act,


OM

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Jim Davis wrote:

Kaido Kert wrote:

Okay, lets face it, e-mail beats rocket-transported letters
anytime. But still, it very interesting that suborbital rockets
were very seriously considered, and this by USPS.

But the precedent you mentioned is not an example of suborbital
rockets or rockets at all. The guided missile in question was a
Regulus cruise missile which was turbojet powered.


And which the Navy would never fire in a deliberate manner towards a
populated area.

D.
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