Ed Kyle ponders the current state of the US launch industry. Well, they are making awfully expensive buggy whips...

Funny thing, but when I, and many other scientists, were attending the birth of the EPA many years ago, there was a serious concern that all the launches would affect the weather.

It's probably lost somewhere in the Hallowed Archive of Things That We Lost Hair Over, but one serious study showed how the - brace yourself - one launch per week schedule at Cape Canaveral that was anticipated near the turn of the century would put so many particles into the air that all the rain in the world would fall over the mid Atlantic.

If you didn't give thanks at Thanskgiving that this didn't happen, then give thanks at Christmas - unless you're an out-of-work rocket scientist.

I'm sorry, but that doesn't sound like a serious study to me. Even in the 70's, they would have enough empirical evidence around to show that study was bogus.

Since when has a bogus environmental study ever stopped environmentalists?

Funny how "bad news" sells.

E.G.

House prices high=nobody can afford to buy a house.

House prices low=homeowners investment sux.

Launch market down=satellites making enormous return on investment due to extreme lifetimes.

Launch market up=more expensive satellites in need of replacement.

Bernard,
I can't imagine any rocket scientist or engineer is out of work, unless he wants to be. Take a look at any of the launch companies, and you'll see most of them are begging for good people with experience.