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OT: Idiotic US Patent for Space Shuttle protection

In case any of you need a break from your Monday morning grind, here's a truly stupid patent to consider:

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Basically, it's a giant movable greenhouse (in 2 sections on tracks) to totally encase the Space Shuttle pre-launch. Supposedly, it will keep the o-rings warm enough to avoid another Challenger disaster.

So, there are many takeaways from this.... I barely know where to start

1) A lot of patents are worthless - note that this one was NEVER assigned to anyone. (And why should it be?) 2) Some USPTO examiners may not speak English as a first language (note the MANY spelling errors throughout) 3) The purported solution undobtedly causes more problems than it could ever possibly solve!! 4) If you only see one solution, you don't understand the problem. 5) And if you only see THIS solution, you're probably NOT an engineer. :) ...not even an armchair engineer.

Anyway, I almost had to laugh out loud when reading this. Enjoy.

-mpm

Reply to
mpm
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=3D1...

Yes, i always wonder why they didn't keep it warm and comfy underground, like missle silos. Of course, they would lose all those tourist money seeing it 24/7. But they could have a mark-up display, not live vehicles.

Reply to
linnix

=3D1...

What's so stupid about it? The inventor, name and location suggest eastern Euro/ Russian/ Belarus type. He has a bunch of similar patents:

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Reply to
Fred Bloggs

And most likely a shoulder engineer, at that! :)

Jamie

Reply to
Jamie

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His dollars were green and in sufficient quantity. And it wasn't a perpetual motion machine - that is all that USPTO tests for these days.

A large space blanket style tarpaulin or agricultural fleece would be a lot cheaper and is mass produced already...

Regards, Martin Brown

Reply to
Martin Brown

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Not too long ago, there was an idea of breakaway insulation for the EFT; it'd break up and be pulled off (or just fall off) into that conflagration coming out the ass end as soon as the rockets fire, so there'd be no pieces to fly off and ding the heat tiles aloft at speed. Heaven knows, we have the technology to make big chunks of styrofoam!

But they're scuttling the whole program, more's the pity. )-;

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

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