[FPSPACE] Russians dispute 500th Earth space traveler claim

[gorski]

Just Walker?  Granted, Engle would have counted anyways after STS-2, but
Robert, have we stopped counting the other X-15 pilots who got astronaut
wings?  As memory serves, there were a handful who got astronaut wings for
flying the X-15 past fifty miles, which was the US standard at the time.

...for that matter--I don't know what we'd do today with a pilot who flew
between 50 and 62 miles--did we revise a standard somewhere, or is it
still on the books that a military pilot earns his astronaut wings for a
50 mile altitude?

Not that Roscosmos cares about funny English measurements like
"miles"--I'm just curious if our list of "humans in space" varies from
theirs by those entries as well.


cheers,

--me


On Thu, 6 Aug 2009, James Oberg wrote:

}Thanks, I need to pay closer attention.
}
}
}  ----- Original Message -----
}  From: Robert Pearlman
}  To: fpspace at friends-partners.org
}  Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:19 PM
}  Subject: Re: [FPSPACE] Russians dispute 500th Earth space traveler claim
}
}
}  Roscosmos is referring to the 500th person in orbit, not space.
}
}
}  They are not counting X-15 pilot Joseph Walker's and SpaceShipOne pilots Mike Melvill and Brian Binnie's suborbital flights above 62 miles (100 kilometers).
}
}
}  As it stands now, the 500th person in orbit will be on STS-128 and will either be Kevin Ford, Jose Hernandez or Nicole Stott.  (Ford will be on the flight deck for launch, while Hernandez and Stott are on the middeck).
}
}
}  --
}  Robert Pearlman, Editor
}  collectSPACE - The Source for Space History & Artifacts
}  http://www.collectspace.com/
}  Twitter: @robertpearlman | @collectSPACE
}
}
}  On Aug 6, 2009, at 4:51 PM, James Oberg wrote:
}
}
}    Apparently there's a Russian claim, citing RKA,
}    that if the next shuttle mission is delayed, Surayev on
}    the next Soyuz will be the 500th world space traveler.
}
}    I thought we'd already had the roadmark.
}
}    What did we count, that the Russians don't?
}
}    Jim
}
}    Россия претендует на еще один "космический рекорд"
}    http://www.personalmoney.ru/pnwsinf.asp?id=1244675
}
}
}
}
}
}------------------------------------------------------------------------------
}
}
}  _______________________________________________
}  FPSPACE mailing list
}  FPSPACE at friends-partners.org
}  http://www.friends-partners.org/mailman/listinfo/fpspace
}