This reminds me of an article [0] I read in the German brandeins magazine some years ago about the improvisations Sowjet Union cosmonauts had to do in orbit (En

This reminds me of an article [0] I read in the German brandeins magazine some years ago about the improvisations Sowjet Union cosmonauts had to do in orbit (English translation [1]). So whereas US astronauts were not as free (or forced to be as free) as their Sowjet counterparts, they still had their skill set by hand. These were fascinating times. [0] http://www.brandeins.de/magazin/wir-rechnen-mit-allem-die-kunst-der-improvisation/anarchie-im-all.html http://www.brandeins.de/magazin/wir-rechnen-mit-allem-die-ku... [1] http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brandeins.de%2Fmagazin%2Fwir-rechnen-mit-allem-die-kunst-der-improvisation%2Fanarchie-im-all.html&act=url http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&...