A Delay Like No Other

by | Apr 20, 2009 | Culture and Society | 5 comments

Postponements of major science projects are generally dismaying, but sometimes they become so grand they attain a kind of immortality. The latest multi-billion dollar delay boggles the mind:

“Delays of this magnitude were once the stuff of science fiction,” Scolese told reporters during a noon press conference Monday that actually started around 3:15 p.m. “But now, thanks to a number of long-overdue technological advances, this historic delay will stretch the very limits of what humankind can push back indefinitely.”

You won’t want to miss The Onion‘s take as NASA Embarks On Epic Delay.

5 Comments

  1. I’m confused now.
    This seems full of sarcasm though :)

  2. wish somebody would state this epic mission delay that is really,yes,so full of sarcasm as blackbolt so correctly points out above. i agree with him 100% ,i too am confused.thank you george

  3. Guys, you’re taking it too seriously. It’s just a bit of satire, of the kind The Onion does so well.

  4. paul,yeah i can see that.just didn’t know what to make of it.lol when i read it in a different light it becomes funny!:) thank you very much george

  5. haha “the third stage is largely theoretical at this point”

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In Centauri Dreams, Paul Gilster looks at peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration, with an eye toward interstellar possibilities. For many years this site coordinated its efforts with the Tau Zero Foundation. It now serves as an independent forum for deep space news and ideas. In the logo above, the leftmost star is Alpha Centauri, a triple system closer than any other star, and a primary target for early interstellar probes. To its right is Beta Centauri (not a part of the Alpha Centauri system), with Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon Crucis, stars in the Southern Cross, visible at the far right (image courtesy of Marco Lorenzi).

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