Having made orbit safely, the Space Shuttle Atlantis performed the now customary rendevous pitch manoeuvre, to enable inspection of the heat shield, before docking with the International Space Station on Saturday. I may have added some musical accompaniment to the original footage.. With apologies to Stanley Kubrick.. and, of course, to Johann Sebastian Strauss.. Enjoy.
This is article was first published in Fortnight magazine back in February 2003. Chris Farrington is now a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences’ in the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. Although the circumstances it describes has changed radically and [...] read our review »
Here’s a great review of a fascinating book (H/T reader Rory) on how the Internet is destroying our capacity for intelligent, focused and critical thought. It opens thus: …here is the news that Ulin brings in this slim, meandering book: that reading is “an act of contemplation”; that such an act becomes more difficult in [...] read our review »
Having made orbit safely, the Space Shuttle Atlantis performed the now customary rendevous pitch manoeuvre..
…and you post your customary thread about it.
And we always get a complaint, sometimes oblique, that it’s nothing to do with N.I.
Sad to say, Joe, some people just don’t appreciate the quality sound of Johann Sebastian.. ;o)
I don’t know if it is something specific about this rendezvous pitch manoeuvre — I still haven’t seen “2001″ — but I’ve watched the clip on this thread twice and I keep hearing Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine’s version of “The Impossible Dream.”
It’s an interesting effect.
Susan
Having spent some time as back, and front, stage security for said group.. I can only recommend that you see 2001: A Space Odyssey.
YOU were a bouncer!?! For Carter USM?
There’s one I didn’t see coming.
)
Well, I was on the books.. so to speak.. and when the opportunity arose..
They didn’t exactly have a choice.
I’m still speechless.
As an aside..
If anyone is interested the recording of the Blue Danube used in the clip is available for download as an open source audio recording, from June 23, 1934, here.
susan
Then there were The Ramones… ;o)
I still love the Ramones (their music that is; never forgetting you worked backstage security and may have seen some things you should not have ). And James.
Last year on one of those bizarre Slugger threads where you begin by Googling the SAA and find yourself accidentally hacking into the master list for SB’s Secret Santa rotations, I discovered this clip about interplanetary communication set to one of my most loved pieces of music (non-Carter USM, that is) I have no idea what it is about, but maybe you will –
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=f2uFkodZlho
That would appear to be Voices of a Distant Star, susan.
And not a bad tune for 1680.
)
Pete, thank you for solving that mystery. I’m relieved it is not yet another film everyone has seen except me.
Speaking of the late, great Joey Ramone, did you know that in his final weeks he listened to a song by — brace yourself, Pete — U2 over and over again?
(sorry the song doesnt start till 0:55, but the other versions were too slick)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qqAsoL7Q2hw
U2..
*shudder*