Absolutely! Blogged it myself. Like your blog too, its very useful.
See if you can visit my blog and solve my Mystery Tour Of the Universe Episode 1.

I challenge you to it, considering your such a keen astronomer.

Regards

Raj

Basically correct. There were even some government inspectors assigned to making sure that the dummy upper stages on his Juno test vehicles were actually that.

The reason we didn’t launch an orbital vehicle first is that no one had addressed the legal question of flyover rights from outer space. Eisenhower was afraid that when a U.S. launched satellite passed over Soviet territory (as it had to several times every day), they could use it as a precedent to invasion, or at the least as a propaganda tool bashing “U.S. aggression.” By letting them go first, the problem solved itself.

- Jack

‘“launched for reasons of pride, territoriality, greed” — do we ever act for reasons other than this?”

Heck, yes!

For individuals the drive to make love is probably thestronmgest and most powerful of all biological drives …

Could be the space race was the the ultimate “mine is bigger than yours” sizeable reproductive organs challenge.

The BA seemingly implied that Sputnik’s launch was “bad” from which came a “good” set of American responses.

Not true as I see it – among many others.

Sputnik was great – and the American accomplishments afterit were great also!

If any Saudi’s royals are out there wanting to help the Islamic world and America – well you’ve got the $$$$ available -why don’t you start preparing or even outright buying a space programe? Let’s see a Joint Saudi-Iranian Lunar astationor Martian mission whilst Amercia remains held bacjk by its Christian taleban & thensee how quickly the USA gets going again …

Bin Laden in space? – I’d love to see him there ..

… after a really big missile hit on his cave!

KKKKKKAAAAAAABBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!