Richard Hammond BBC jobby

[Donald]

That you're my kinda guy?

[lewd lude lover]

imo even the ISS is not in 'space' by a bloody long way. It's gonna need to be outside the Thermosphere for me or nothing.

[Donald]

True but I think that's the closest us terranauts are going to get to being in space (you know what I mean, although the Karman line IIRC is used to legally determine the start of 'space') proper for a long time.

Some sort of space station will be the next step I imagine and they wont risk anything too dangerous, so ISS type deal it is. Probably be trips to the ISS when it's decommissioned, much better than the idea of dumping it into the ocean. Branson for ISS purchase?

[lewd lude lover]

Stable fusion or forget the next thousand years imho. Anything we do but persue that is a waste of time. Anything. Thats where all the monies needs to go right now.

[Donald]

True but the people seem to hate money going towards anything tagged with nuclear. It's all 3 headed sheep and kids that fart 5th eyeballs.


The way to look at it though:

The cost of the international fusion project in France: €15b over 35 years.

vs.

UK average yearly energy bill: ~£1300. ~26m households. £33.8b (~€40b).


vs.

The cost of the US Navy's latest supercarrier: $15.5b (~€11.5b) to date, it's unfinished, will need modding when they find out what does or doesn't work, plus maintenance. And they have another 9 on the way. So to be fair let's revise this figure to a total of €115b without running costs/improvements. €115b for 10 boats

[wurlycorner]

But that's fine, since we don't have any (or if we do, we then don't have anything on them) it's good that our friends on the end of a phone will have.

[Donald]

Apparently we're getting two for £6.2b.

[Donald]

Because of course we live in Murrica's colon.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... 112404.htm

Admiral Sir Alan West: I think if one looks at large and medium scale, we find it quite difficult to conceive of an operation where the Americans would not be with us. Therefore in terms of, for example, the CVF, I have talked with the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) in America. He is very keen for us to get these because he sees us slotting in with his carrier groups.

Q547 Richard Ottaway: You are providing cover for him?

Admiral Sir Alan West: I think, although they might seem to have all sorts everything, they have not. For example, in Afghanistan last year they had to call on the French to bail them out with their carrier. He really wants us to have these, but he wants us to have same sort of clout as one of their carriers, which is this figure at 36. He would find that very useful, and really we would mix and match with that. It is always dangerous, as I say, because the thing you can guarantee is the war you are involved in will not be the one anyone has predicted, but I would find it difficult to conceive of a bigger operation where we would not have the Americans with us, where we are doing something completely without the Americans.

[lewd lude lover]

oh dear.

[mercutio]

oh dear.

exactly