[FPSPACE] Re: "I told U so"

[Comp2002@jk-o.demon.co.uk]

In message <200010071908.PAA26109@fpmail.friends-partners.org> 
"KEITH GOTTSCHALK" <kgottschalk@uwc.ac.za> writes:
 
[snip] 
> 
>     Dwayne wrote that his initial postings got him howls of
> abuse by email from the unrealistic MirCorp fans. I hope he
> kept all those email addresses for an "I told U so" retort
> when the sad ionospheric cremation inevitably occurs. We
> could say that MirCorp deserves praise for its brave,
> pioneering, taking of risk. Many of the initial private
> investors in railways, & underwater tunnels, & airlines also
> lost their risk capital. 

  Let's not forget that the upkeep of Mir remains a primarily
  _Russian_ endeavour, even if private US space buffs ( aka 
  "investors" ) have been allowed to channel funds via MirCorp.   

  Are we to position ourselves for "the inevitable" ( as in "the
  ISS is looking good and the solar maximum was bad for Mir" ),
  then I wish to join the "I told U so" choir by citing from my 
  below June 1999 posting to sci.space.tech:

>Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
>Subject: Re: De-orbit Procedure
>Message-ID: <929730995snz@jk-o.demon.co.uk>
>Date: Fri, 18 Jun 99 18:36:35 GMT
>
[snip]
>  I guess that the Russian elite are fully aware that the current
>  wave of nostalgia aimed at keeping MIR flying for a few more years
>  is rather tenuous and likely to be replaced by enthusiasm for the 
>  ISS once it becomes operational with Russian cosmonauts onboard. 
>
>-- 
>Jens Kieffer-Olsen