Mystery: Why is NASA training astronauts in Medieval Weaponry

reply to post by Plotus


The author I mentioned above, S, M. Stirling, actually has a series of books (which I haven't read, yet) about colonies on Mars, and Venus......

(I read his "Islands in the Sea of Time" trilogy, which is about Nantucket being somehow sent back in time to 1250 BC)

The Lords of Creation S.M. Stirling's previous project, published by Tor:

1. The Sky People - published November 2006 [sample chapters]
2. In the Courts of the Crimson Kings - published March 2008 [sample chapters]

What if Mars and Venus really were inhabitable and inhabited, like in many SF stories from the early sixties and before? In this series Mars and Venus have been terraformed a long time ago and "seeded" with Earth life, including several different human species. On Earth everything is the same until the start of space exploration, but then the cold war turns into a real space race...
"The Sky People" is set on Venus, "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings" on Mars.

* Set on a different Mars: S.M. Stirling's The Jasoom Project - a story featuring John Carter's great-grandson, the grandson of Tars Tarkas, in "Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom" edited by John Joseph Adams.

Auto-biography (very short, by S.M. Stirling): I'm a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft—I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.

Maybe he is a "far-seer", or maybe he is one of those in the know. He has some interesting ideas in his books, check it out.

Link, for those interested ...

Disclaimer: I have no connection with the author, other than I have read some of his books and enjoyed them. They certainly make you think, "what if".

obviously NASA has light sabers

reply to post by Wayfarer


I watch a lot of stargate, maybe they need to be trained for off world duties

Why is NASA training astronauts in Medieval Weaponry


1) Time Travel to the Past ! thinking of Professor Ronald Mallott !

2) A Transporter Machine to a Near by Goldie Lock Zone Habitability Planet in a different Solar System in a matter of Seconds !? Minutes ? Hours ? Time isn't Fixed it can be Altered

3) is it Possible the so claimed Philadelphia Experiment some how crack that time space and the Government has been experimenting with its Discovery ever since enough to perfect it to go to the outer limits of space to what we know as another habitable star used like a Stargate ? only to find that a planet that is a Similar Parallel to Ours ! just a Thousand Years or more behind US ? If that

How GOD and Religion created?


Outlander - Official Trailer [2009]


John Carter Trailer 2012 -- Official Movie Trailer | HD



Fiction is the Mother of Invention !

Perfect Example !

Jules Verne !

From Earth to the Moon
en.wikipedia.org...

Read IT Related to it Remember the Reality of that Book of Becoming Fact! In Every Detail Imaginable !

Similarities to NASA's Apollo program
The real-life Apollo program bears similarities to the story in several ways:[4]

Verne's cannon was called Columbiad; the Apollo 11 command module (Apollo CSM) was named Columbia.[5]
The spacecraft crew consisted of three persons in the book and each Apollo mission.
The physical dimensions of the projectile are very close to the dimensions of the Apollo CSM.
Verne's voyage blasted off from Florida, as did all Apollo missions. (Verne correctly states in the book that objects launch into space most easily if they are launched towards the zenith of a particular location, and that the zenith would better line up with the moon's orbit from near the Earth's equator. In the book Florida and Texas compete for the launch, with Florida winning.)
The cost of the program in the book ($12.1 billion US in 1969 dollars) is almost similar to the total cost of the Apollo program until Apollo 8 ($14.4 billion US dollars)
Both the spacecraft in the book and all Apollo craft were recovered by U.S. Navy ships.
Verne peculiarly describes the projectile of the Columbiad as made of aluminium, instead of steel that would have been usual for the time. Columbia was built mainly of aluminum alloys.
The names of the crew of the Apollo 8, which made the first voyage to the moon, are similar to that of the novel.. Lovell, Borman and Anders comparerd with Nicholl, Barbicane and Ardan. This was noted by Lovell himself.

Jules Verne Moon Gun
www.astronautix.com...

Goddered, Von Braun were Inspired by the Book From Earth to the Moon



Now Think.. what would Happen from a Inspiration of another Science Fiction Book !

The Time Machine
HG Wells

One that i do know of and there may be others ..

Ronald Mallett
en.wikipedia.org...

I wouldn't doubt it Time Travel

if a Book that was made in 1865 From Earth to the Moon became a Reality in 1969
104 years later ... in almost every detail

Yet there was one Before !

The Chronic Argonauts
en.wikipedia.org...



Now if this Story of the OP is True and the Possibility that its about Time Travel within Our Earth well them

We just cant prance around with shiny things like Flash lights, Computers & Cellphones ( as in Cameras Videos Music Player , Games Tools etc not the Communication part ) can we!!
We would be Burned at the Stake and be called Demons Witches & Sorcerers! in Their time

Ohh Yeah that reminds me !

Time Line !



What other Reason that NASA would have their Astronaut's be trained in Medieval Combat !

Sorry I have Failed to Reason Why Other than Time Travel

Originally posted by Wayfarer

How about the rest of ATS, what say you?

jedi knight training

Originally posted by DarthMuerte. Also you concern about bullets penetrating the capsule would be significantly reduced by the use of frangible ammunition.

Good point but depressurization is just one of the problems guns would have.

The biggest problem would be as a fire hazard. A jet of fire leaves the barrel of a gun, right?

The next biggest issue is with breathing in an environment with a very small supply of circulating air. I wonder how many blanks you could fire off before it was a real problem, probably not many.

Another problem is breathing in little things and getting little things in your eyes. I don't know much about the specifics of frangible ammunition, but if it breaks into little pieces, that'd be a real problem.

There is a snarky joke about Nasa spending millions on developing the space pen, and the Russians took a pencil. But the truth is that the pencil with its wood and the lead/graphite was a fire hazard, and the little pieces of lead/graphite could get in people's eyes and lungs.

For out on a space walk or on the moon, you could make special ammunition that depended entirely on a chemical reaction of components entirely supplied by the ammunition (making it more like the fuel for rocket engines)...you'd probably have to design an entire gun, or make some very significant modifications on an existing one.

...but then there is still the fire hazard issue. First you have to transport it around all the time...and even outside on a spacewalk or something you'd want to be sure not to damage your own suit.

Oh yeah...and what about recoil?? Isn't firing a gun going to slam you backwards into a wall in your space ship?

Originally posted by kalunom
Time travel to past periods where such skills may be necessary?

Or maybe they are just bored out of their wits?

An interesting notion, although NASA is bored with anything....

If indeed technology advances at an exponential rate, nearly doubling now every few years, are we to believe that they're still using the same old propulsion methods from decades ago? No wonder they've been decommisioning the shuttles, and abandoning the ISS. Perhaps the new age of astronauts could be using "stargate" like methods of exploration.

Originally posted by ACErimmer
Time travel is too dangerous, to even consider :-

1. You can't use modern weaponry if you travel back in time, because if you lost any advanced weaponry or equipment, it would cause a Paradox in which you'd change the course of history.

2. Unless you believe in the parallel universe theory, in which a new reality is created for every decision that anyone takes. Then you'd create a new reality, but it wouldn't effect your original reality.

3. Of course if you did go back with a modern weapon and lose it, it could be a predestination paradox, as the man who finds it, learns how it works and invents modern gunpowder and or the first firearms

4 And lastly if you went back in time and used a modern weapon or any weapon for that matter on someone and killed them. That someone could have been a distant relative and you'd negate your own existance.

(note on No.4)

If you went back in time and killed one of your ancestors, you'd negate your existance ! But if you never existed, how could you go back in time to kill him ? You couldn't, so logically you'd pop back into existance as he never died.

Now go unscramble you brains.....



"Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast"

ACE Rimmer

Ohh SMegen Hell! were is KRYTEN when you Need Him ! to Explain this !

1) Yeah like all those unexplained Ancient Anomalies around the World !
2) The ONE ! Jet LI
3) Terminator 2 Judgment Day ! t-800 Hand and Micro Chip back engineering
4) hey HEY HEY what the Hell is a . 5.56mm Round doing in this 13th century Body hes Riddled with them
and The Round is Armor Piercing at that !

Originally posted by maythetruthbeknown
reply to post by Wayfarer

 

Maybe its to plan for the manned Mars mission.On the astronauts return to Earth, they discover years have gone by and the Planet is ruled by Apes and their only weapons are a mace, broadsword and battle axe.

edit on 19-10-2011 by maythetruthbeknown because: (no reason given)

You sir are a genius

Originally posted by NoNameBrand
The ISS is about to go all medieval on the Chinese space station,

Space walking Space Pirates!

SpacePirateTShirt with Light sabers !
teevault.com...

Since we don't have the money for space shuttles nasa is going pirate on us.
If you find yourself cruising through space you had better watch your back cause we need your ship.

Originally posted by Wayfarer
I am a member of a very large organization founded upon the study and practical recreation of the lost arts of Medieval and Rennaisance combat. However, as mentioned in the title, the head of our organization was recently contacted by NASA to ascertain the viability of utilizing him to personally train their astronauts in Medieval weaponry and fighting. Unfortunatley, NASA didn't give him an explanation of the relevance or need for such training, so I now pose the question to my intrepid conspiracy theorists, since the majority of my organizations musings have been just that (consipiracy theories).

My own thoughts (while trying my best to maintain some sort of realistic relevancy) have hovered around the potential for military actions in space. If that is the case, it stands to reason that projectile weapons would be perhaps prohibitive in a fragile spacecraft, whereas melee weapons tend to cause a lot less collateral damage.

How about the rest of ATS, what say you?

And you are writing this for us with a poker-face, without laughing...?

Sec.line.

Well.. the Mars test period is almost over. Mastering combat skills might take a couple of years, and by then the manned space mission to Mars is probably on it`s way. Maybe they`re planning for the worst? Ammo and gunpowder is hard to replenish, a crossbow, bow and arrow, sword etc. is durable and effective against threats without guns.

I think Ops friend just read Dies the Fire - a bright white light enveloped the earth, rendering all electronics / firearms useless.

Originally posted by Wayfarer
I am a member of a very large organization founded upon the study and practical recreation of the lost arts of Medieval and Rennaisance combat.

That is really interesting. I believe that I am also a member of the same organization that you have mentioned. Is the organization requiring NASA to craft their own weapons as well? Perhaps this is in the event that NASA finds a planet going through the Medieval era.

I'm pretty sure it's just bs. You guys don't don't seem to know much about fighting in space. I thought everyone knew, in space you fight with death rays, photon torpedos, and phasers.

reply to post by Wayfarer


Would projectile weapons fire without any atmosphere being there is'nt any oxygen? other then this i'm clueless!

Originally posted by mrnotobc
I'm pretty sure it's just bs. You guys don't don't seem to know much about fighting in space. I thought everyone knew, in space you fight with death rays, photon torpedos, and phasers.

I watched a documentary of NASA scientists trying to prove that they could have sex in space. It didn't work so well because they kept individually bouncing around so much that they could not get close enough to do anything.

www.foxnews.com...
www.guardian.co.uk...

If they are on another planet, I would think procreation would be more important than Medieval martial arts. Sure, one guy might win the fight, but then what?

I'd go with Time Travel....or as in StarTrek, "The Prime Directive" They've found a planet with a medieval culture on it.... OR they plan to go to Excalibur, Las Vegas this Thanksgiving and are going into the fray. ...bangs his tankard on the table, "Hazaar"!!

reply to post by Wayfarer


To funny If they are looking for somebody to sword-fight some aliens, then sign me up NASA. Always wanted to be a space cowboy samurai ninja, fighting evil space aliens. I'll even bring my own sword.

But however I think they just got to much time and money on there hands, so why spoil there fun. If that's the case then don't sign me up. And they should be careful playing with such toys or somebody will end up with more then a paper cut.