Commission Suggests UK Should End Astronaut Ban

An anonymous reader writes "According to the BBC a British scientific panel has recommended that the British Government should end its ban on human space flight. The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Commission pursued a 9-month investigation into 'The Scientific Case for Human Space Flight'. Professor Frank Close, Chair of the Commission, said, 'We commenced this study without preconceived views and with no formal connection to planetary exploration. Our personal backgrounds made us lean towards an initial skepticism on the scientific value of human involvement in such research.' The commission concluded that 'profound scientific questions relating to the history of the solar system and the existence of life beyond Earth can best - perhaps only - be achieved by human exploration on the Moon or Mars, supported by appropriate automated systems.'"

Didn't know we had one

[Anonymous Coward]

"Come in Swindon. I'm at the top of the ladder now. Ohhh, it's very high, I can see my house from up here! I'm still a long way away..I think we'll need more ladders."

Eddie Izzard sums out the British philosophy to space exploration.

Maybe....

[Kelz]

Because you can't have tea in space?

What are they thinking?!

[jettoki]

Didn't they see James Bond: Moonraker?!

If you send humans into space, evil madmen will form space station communes and plot global genocide!

Re:Maybe the ban was on "Astronauts"...

[Guppy06]

Considering the whole "aluminum" vs. "aluminium" flamewar we've had in a recent story [slashdot.org] (it's like vi vs. emacs, only there's no ed), it seems all they'd need to be "culturally different" is to throw in a few extra letters. "Astrounaughtte?"

Re:ehhh....

[madaxe42]

Because in Britain most things that might be marginally dangerous and/or interesting are banned. Such as cycling on the motorway.

Those bastards.

In related news

[Council]

In related news, India, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the Maldives, Gambia, Canada, Hong Kong, and all the other former British colonies banded together to send a message to the moon, Mars, and the other planets. It read "Watch out for these guys! They've got a flag!"

Technological advancement

[gringer]

But if the UK ends up inventing things related to space flight, then all they'll have to research after that will be the following:

Future Tech 1
Future Tech 2
Future Tech 3 ...

Re:What else would you expect...

[csrster]

Ok, but you've got admit he's right that we still ride donkeys.

Re:Maybe the ban was on "Astronauts"...

[mattjb0010]

Considering the whole "aluminum" vs. "aluminium" flamewar we've had in a recent story (it's like vi vs. emacs, only there's no ed), it seems all they'd need to be "culturally different" is to throw in a few extra letters.

Which reminds me of my hairdresser when I was last in America (ok, she's a middle-aged hairdresser, so not totally representative of the general IQ of Americans, but other Aussies have told me similar stories). Of course she asked where I was from, so I told her "Australia", then she told me how it was only a couple of weeks ago when she had in an Austrian guy as a client that she realised that Australia wasn't just a mis-spelling of Austria. She then proceeded to ask me what language we spoke in Australia. So yes, a few letters does make quite a cultural difference.

Simple: UK has no suitable launch sites

[evilandi]

The answer to both of those questions is: The UK doesn't have any good launch sites. We're in Northern Europe, in case you hadn't noticed, and you can't launch rockets from there (at least, not without considerably higher costs/risks than doing it closer to the equator).

It comes down to empire. The French still exhert ownership over a couple of countries that have good launch sites. The UK does not.

The idea of us ringing up the Australians and saying "What ho! We're going to build a rocket base in your outback. Look, I know you chaps think you're independent now, but Queen Liz says to tell you to bally well stuff off" is just not going to fly, I'm afraid.

True, we're part of the European Space Agency.

But it seems rather pointless to have a space programme when you have to ask other people to launch it for you.

Especially if those other people are the French.

I do hope I don't have to explain quite how horrifying the idea of a British citizen patriotically launching into space to the sound of "Cinq... quatre... trios... deux... un!" sounds to the average Brit.

Re:Maybe the ban was on "Astronauts"...

[aussie_a]

it seems all they'd need to be "culturally different" is to throw in a few extra letters.

Well done at rewriting history. Brits don't had in extra letters, Americans remove letters willy nilly. Everyone knows it's truly Astronaught, which was one of the reasons the Brittish banned manned space flight. Unfortunately this article doesn't mention that problem at all.

Re:That's why *I* don't go to space

[aussie_a]

Give me a good reason and I will consider space flight

Slashdotters don't weigh as much in space.

Re:Didn't know we had one

[identity0]

The real reason it was banned, of course, was the tragic loss of an astronaut in the early 70's.

Many still remember the haunting last words:

"Though I'm passed one hundred thousand miles, I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go,
tell my wife I love her very much she knows"

"Ground control to Major Tom:
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong.
Can you hear me Major Tom?
Can you hear me Major Tom?
Can you hear me Major Tom? Can you ..."

Ashes to ashes. RIP Major Tom.

The British space program never recovered from that tragedy, as well as from the breakup of The Beatles. Thankfully the Rocket Man, Sir Elton John is still standing.

Toothpaste

[TheHornedOne]

At an average cost of $15,000 per kilogram to launch materials into space, I estimate the British will save loads by not sending toothpaste or toothbrushes into space with their astronauts. In fact, it might give them a competitive advantage!!

Re:Simple: UK has no suitable launch sites

[jweatherley]

The proud Brit striding aboard a rocket with his Union Jack uniform doesn't seem so proud when he's having to launch from a site which flies a different flag.

That's easily solved - just design a suitable British Space Exploration logo. I'd go for a Union Flag against a dark background with a few stars sprinkled on it. Something like this [basher82.nl] ought to do the trick.

Re:Simple: UK has no suitable launch sites

[brouski]

The idea of us ringing up the Australians and saying "What ho! We're going to build a rocket base in your outback. Look, I know you chaps think you're independent now, but Queen Liz says to tell you to bally well stuff off" is just not going to fly, I'm afraid.

I swear, as God as my witness, I will use the phrase "bally well stuff off" today in a sentence.