Living in space

[alexa]

"Space really is the most hostile environment humans have ever tried to live in," said Burbank. "You depend on the Station and the people on the ground for everything you need to survive. It is complicated and everything has to work!" It's a risky adventure with very little margin for error, but, said the astronauts, the thrill of being there is something that neither would give up.

If you think an astronaut has only fun, once in space, open the link and find how they cook, do laundry and housekeeping.

Well, naive me, I thought we have to take care about these staffs only on Earth.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/living/index.html

[Vapour]

I recently got a mail from one of these guy.

Subject: Nigerian Astronaut Wants To Come Home
Dr. Bakare Tunde
Astronautics Project Manager
National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA)
Plot 555
Misau Street
PMB 437
Garki, Abuja, FCT NIGERIA

Dear Mr. Sir,

REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE-STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

I am Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. He was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Salyut 6 space station in 1979. He was on a later Soviet spaceflight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. His other Soviet crew members returned to earth on the Soyuz T-16Z, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional Progrez supply flights to keep him going since that time. He is in good humor, but wants to come home.

In the 14-years since he has been on the station, he has accumulated flight pay and interest amounting to almost $ 15,000,000 American Dollars. This is held in a trust at the Lagos National Savings and Trust Association. If we can obtain access to this money, we can place a down payment with the Russian Space Authorities for a Soyuz return flight to bring him back to Earth. I am told this will cost $ 3,000,000 American Dollars. In order to access the his trust fund we need your assistance.

Consequently, my colleagues and I are willing to transfer the total amount to your account or subsequent disbursement, since we as civil servants are prohibited by the Code of Conduct Bureau (Civil Service Laws) from opening and/ or operating foreign accounts in our names.

Needless to say, the trust reposed on you at this juncture is enormous. In return, we have agreed to offer you 20 percent of the transferred sum, while 10 percent shall be set aside for incidental expenses (internal and external) between the parties in the course of the transaction. You will be mandated to remit the balance 70 percent to other accounts in due course.

Kindly expedite action as we are behind schedule to enable us include downpayment in this financial quarter.

Please acknowledge the receipt of this message via my direct number 234 (0) 9-234-2220 only.

Yours Sincerely, Dr. Bakare Tunde
Astronautics Project Manager
tip@nasrda.gov.ng

http://www.nasrda.gov.ng/

[I, Brian]

Wow - nearly 15 years in space! No wonder his friends are concerned about him! Better to report the matter to the police and let them notify the authorities instead.

[alexa]

Hi Vapour,

WOW ! 14 years in space ! This is really COOL !

Do you know if he succeed to return on Earth ? I definitly want to have some news from him !

Regards,

alexa

[I, Brian]

Yes - imagine that - a secret Nigerian astronaut, trapped on a secret Russian military space-station. What next? A Nigerian shuttle commander trapped on Moonraker?

[alexa]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

Yes - imagine that - a secret Nigerian astronaut, trapped on a secret Russian military space-station. What next? A Nigerian shuttle commander trapped on Moonraker?

Brian,

It's very difficult to be an astronaut nowadays. First of all you need the right age and physical condition, second you have to be born in a country with access in a programme of space agency and 3th you need luck to be chosen as an astronaut.

As I know, the story of Major Abache Tunde is only a fiction story to get money from naive persons.

Don't forget, Russians were for many years brain-washed from any kind of religion. So, I don't belive them to be capable of living someone in space. They have their weakness, but if you can prove you are good, they will accept you as you are. I agree, they'll be reserved, but they do not have the same history of racism, as other countries. I don't wanna name them, as I don't want to argue about racism.

alexa

[alexa]

Originally Posted by Vapour

I recently got a mail from one of these guy.

Vapour,

Please do not send any kind of money to support this request !

The results from the 2004 Spam and Bologna contest placed this letter (or e-mail) on the 1st place as The Most Outrageous.

Please open the following link to find more about advanced fee emails, by the New York State Consumer Protection Board :

http://www.consumer.state.ny.us/Pres.../May282004.htm

Some people do anything to fool others and have fun of their naivity.


alexa

[alexa]

USA plans to return on the moon with robotic missions beginning 2008, as a preparation way for the big adventure of human expeditions.

After 35 years, USA seems eager to test new technologies and the moon seemed to be the right place to begin.

[alexa]

It seems NASA is very serious in planning a return on the Moon.

The project for a new spacecraft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is for the moment only on paper and some at preliminary parameters were settled.

The launch is planned for 2008. The mission of this spacecraft, planned with a very small budget, is to give us detailed maps of the Moon and identify the best sites to land for a human mission. It should detemine also the levels of radiation and the biological effects on humans.

As the budget is small, LRO has to be done with a conventionel technology and not with unexepected tools.

LRO will oribit around the moon about an year. If any point of interest is spotted, another mission of a robot lander will follow.

Once the Moon conquered, the rest of the Universe will be wide opened for human beings. Maybe we do not have yet a Stargate to other planets, but we have among us people ready to go there, where nothing is settled and everything is to be apprehended.

I would like to thank them, as they help us to go beyond our limits of Homo sapiens.

alexa

[I, Brian]

There's a lot of talk at NASA - but with the shuttle fleet still grounded, and no realistic replacement anytime within the decade, yet Bush wanting to pump money from current programs into a Mars trip, I have to wonder how much of the talk has any real significance.

[alexa]

I suppose we have to wait till the end of this year to find who's the next American president. We should be able then to see if all this press release is only for the public or they are serious on doing it. Who knows ? Maybe Bush wants to do his war experiements elsewhere ? And the Moon could be his new playground. Or maybe he just want to return the attention of the public to other 'glorious' americans interests to let us think he doesn't plan another war meanwhile.

Anyway, the robots presently on Mars (Spirit and Opportunity) seems to do a good job. I keep looking for every new photo they send and I cannot help myself to say : THAT'S COOL ! We actually watch the soil of Mars and till now, no Martian was there to prove we are not alone in this Universe. Maybe on another planet and in another galaxy.