May's flight to 'edge of space'

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

This looks like some good television. A whole month of it on Foxtel I assume:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8110001.stm

James May gets a rare glimpse of life at the "edge of space" as he flies 70,000 ft above the earth in a U2 spy plane.

James May At The Edge of Space will be broadcast on BBC Four at 10.05pm on 21 June 2009.

It is part of a month-long season of programming to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's landing on the moon on 20 July 1969.

[Octane (Humayun)]

Saw the preview on news.com.au this morning -- looks amazing. The view of the Earth from that cockpit...

Regards,
Humayun

[h0ughy (David)]

cant wait -but then i dont have foxtel - someone going to record this?

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Hmm.. do we get BBC Four programming on Foxtel? I presume they'll just pick and choose from there and stick them on the BBC-HD channel (access to which requires a HD subscription) or on Disco Science or (better yet) on BBC Knowledge.

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Another video - of May going through some of the training.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment...-10229,00.html

[GrahamL]

Sure would be a lot of fun .. The U2 from what I've read made for the development of the high flying ..migs.. understandably i guess if
a percieved enemy is able to fly so over your country you cant go up and chase em ...while its still out of my means ..I don't mind
dreamin a little

http://www.incredible-adventures.com...-of-space.html

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Just saw the first of the two shows James has recorded called "James May on the Moon" on BBC Knowledge.

Misty-eye stuff. The best thing he's ever done. Cool and concise, he interviewed people like Al Bean, Harrison Schmitt and Charlie Duke like they've probably never been interviewed before - in their own homes, and all with a deadpan sense of the preposterous majesty of what they'd done without it being just another "what was it like?" episode for them.

This show took us through his preparation to fly in the U2 in which he flew the Vomit Comet and spun on the centrifuge. Not entirely technical, it suits people of all levels of interest in what went on in those heady days. Really well presented, it's different from the shows we've all seen a hundred times before yet still love. A big thumbs up form me. Can't wait to see the second episode "James May: Edge of Space" which concentrates on his jaunt.

[h0ughy (David)]

lol i downloaded both - brilliant

[renormalised (Carl)]

Now, that I would love to be able to do!!!!

I can just hear Jeremy now...."Alright, how long did it take you to get up there and how long did it take you to get back down??"...."Yeah, thought so, Capt. Slow even in a jet aircraft!!!!!"

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

You have to love that there is a little Aussie-built machinery in use at Beale Airforce Base to help land U2's... the humble Monaro.

Pontiac GTO's (rebadged Holdens in our language) are used to chase U2's down the runway as they land, issuing trim instructions to the pilot so that he doesn't smash a wing tip into the ground which might see it perform a ground loop.

[AdrianF (Adrian)]

Originally Posted by h0ughy

lol i downloaded both - brilliant

They wont download for me...... as a matter of fact I cant find the videos on the links..

Adrian

[hulloleeds]

Wouldn't normally bump - but this was truly extraordinary. Part 6 is the actual flight, though I thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvExC...eature=related