3 ms·

Or...hyper-velocity, fly-over, manned surveillance platforms have been replaced by increasingly sophisticated surveillance satellites, non-fly-over surveillance

by kjs3 12y ago

Or...hyper-velocity, fly-over, manned surveillance platforms have been replaced by increasingly sophisticated surveillance satellites, non-fly-over surveillance technology (e.g. SLAR) and unmanned drones, making an undoubtedly immensely expensive, manned SR-71 follow-on superfluous. That or we got stupid since Kelly died. One of the two.

jbooth 12y ago
Why not both? Satellites make an SR-71 silly so we shouldn't build another one, but let's say we did. What's that project look like?
- kjs3 12y ago
  The X-37B: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37
marze 12y ago
No doubt, satellites can perform the role of the SR-71. My point is that the system we have in the US could not create a new SR-71 class airplane right now, in my view. It would run over budget, miss the performance targets, and be cancelled.
- kjs3 12y ago
  Actually, satellites alone can't do what an SR-71 can. Satellites aren't an ad hoc intelligence solution, since they are periodic in their orbit and can't image something they aren't on-station to see. But combined with other tech, they replace the SR-71 nicely. As to your "point", it's trivial to say "we can't do something" when we haven't tried.
ArkyBeagle 12y ago
The original studies of Baumol Cost Disease were based on the idea that the production of symphonic performance has had no productivity increase since ... well, ever. When asked why there are no "variety" shows on television, Glen Campbell ( of the "Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" ) stated that they were verging on economically infeasible while his show was on, and you certainly couldn't do that today. My understanding is that "The Carol Burnett Show" had this problem and it only ran as long as it did because it was CBS' flagship program. "Carol Burnett" was not a classic variety show using ... a dozen artists per program so it was probably less expensive than Campbell's. I'd expect the same has happened in aviation. Now, is that the same thing as "we got stupider"? I can't say.

by kjs3 12y ago

jbooth 12y ago

Why not both? Satellites make an SR-71 silly so we shouldn't build another one, but let's say we did. What's that project look like?

kjs3 12y ago
The X-37B: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37

marze 12y ago

No doubt, satellites can perform the role of the SR-71. My point is that the system we have in the US could not create a new SR-71 class airplane right now, in my view. It would run over budget, miss the performance targets, and be cancelled.

kjs3 12y ago
Actually, satellites alone can't do what an SR-71 can. Satellites aren't an ad hoc intelligence solution, since they are periodic in their orbit and can't image something they aren't on-station to see. But combined with other tech, they replace the SR-71 nicely. As to your "point", it's trivial to say "we can't do something" when we haven't tried.

ArkyBeagle 12y ago

The original studies of Baumol Cost Disease were based on the idea that the production of symphonic performance has had no productivity increase since ... well, ever. When asked why there are no "variety" shows on television, Glen Campbell ( of the "Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" ) stated that they were verging on economically infeasible while his show was on, and you certainly couldn't do that today. My understanding is that "The Carol Burnett Show" had this problem and it only ran as long as it did because it was CBS' flagship program. "Carol Burnett" was not a classic variety show using ... a dozen artists per program so it was probably less expensive than Campbell's. I'd expect the same has happened in aviation. Now, is that the same thing as "we got stupider"? I can't say.