We're heading into our final weekend before seeing the cars back in action again during Barcelona testing, so there's just a couple of days of speculation left before we see who's doing what and how they're looking. One of the main news stories that hit the headlines late yesterday was all about Bernie and his possible split. Whilst we don't know it's 100% true yet, it's fascinating wondering what would happen if divorce was on the cards.
Here are some of the things we've been talking about:
- Will Slavica get her hands on any controlling part of Formula 1? Would it make any difference? Maybe she'd do a better job than Mr E?
- Schumi has apparently been offered a ride in the World Superbike Championships with Honda. He's said biking is just fun for him, so it seems unlikely he'd take it up. But would he be any good?
- How we can get round the fact that Top Gear has ruined the Sidepodcast schedule.
- We're pushing the envelope and proving there really isn't anything that can't be live commented on, by following the space shuttle launch.
Don't let this list hold you back though, if there is any other news you can find (good luck, it's slow going at the moment), let us know about it. Otherwise, if there's anything you want to get off your chest, this is the place to do it.
42 minutes to launch!
christine's asked for info on the launch.
anyone have a quick summary? what, why, when, for how long etc.
Off topic in one post. Some record surely?!! :-D
:D
I try my best. :)
They re going to the international space station for 15 days. The point of the mission is to add all the bits needed so they can switch the ISS from having a permanent crew of 3 to a crew of 6. They are also going to fix the major rotary joint on one of the big solar arrays.
christine says thank you :)
Outline of the mission (STS126)
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/index.html
I'm no expert. I just find them interesting to watch. :)
All I know is it's the Endeavour shuttle launching for 15 days. Probably doing some repairs and switching some of the people on the space station. Lift off should take about 15 mins altogether?
Launch is on schedule for 00:55 with only a 5 minute window for the launch. I don't know when the back up window is if there are problems.
I'll shhh. :)
Driving swiftly to the side of the offtopic A road, when the site is relaunched, will the 'daily' section be under one category and all the others in another, say, the daily in one column and everything else in another.
This is possibly the earlies into a new blog entry I'm going to say goodnight. But, goodnight all.
I think you probably only need enough space for the latest post in the daily section. No point in displaying yesterdays post directly from the homepage. Any ideas with the layout yet?
I wonder if there is a world record for making the biggest cupcake. All we need is a skipful of cupcake mix and sit it under a space shuttle during the launch.
Goodnight RG
yup, if we decide to keep it. it's just a trial at the moment, we'll solicit feedback on whether you guys think it works, sometime next week maybe?
ha. see ya.
agreed.
All I know is, I want one! :D
If you missed it in the last post, Thanks Steve.
Sorry this is a little off topic but -
Rubens might write a book about his time at ferrari sometime :) methinks that would make for some interesting reading.
http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_4498751,00.html
"The public does not know even half of the story about what I experienced with Ferrari, Perhaps they will be able to read the truth one day in a book."
sounds like a threat to ross brawn... he must really want that drive :)
I saw it. Thinking about it I am sure she was commenting about the journey to the pad and a bit either side of it. The presenters tonight have been pretty awful apart from the guy in Houston and her. The rest have been like a bunch of amateurs.
It's almost like a race by the dream team to dish the dirt. Between and Stepney's threatened book and his comments about knowing where the bodies are buried.
I really hope he keeps it. even if it's just for another year, Rubens has been in the sport so long it would be a shame if he was pushed out rather than choosing to retire.
Ooh, sure would.
Goes without saying. Rubens isn't done with F1. I don't see any reason why he should quit just yet?
They surely can't hold a launch because someone didn't latch a door
Getting back to Formula One,
I get the feeling that she and the two girls would sell their interest and just go away. It doesn't matter who they sell it to, CVC will keep control and apoint someone to take over for Bernie. The problem is that all of Bernie's Formula One business are so disjointed and depend on Bernie personal relationships with everyone, it will cause a huge amount of problems.
As I said earlier. Maybe twenty years ago but I get the feeling the age barrier would hit him hard if he tried. MotoGP is just so demanding on the body with the weight requirements, strain, and reactions needed to race.
It drives me nuts that they only sell season 10 on iTunes. Couldn't they do what they do with most American shows and put it on the net as soon as they air it? Really.
So, how can we fit the "-gate" suffix to this?
At least this run is in the off-season. The next series will probably be June-ish.
no more tamara? yipeee.
we have a season pass for the new season. came out this week.
chello-gate.
What the heck is she doing now. She didn't last as a tv presenter, or as a magazine person. I give her credit for trying to work but is there really any point? Should she be on some yacht in the south of France, never to be heard of again?
T-minus 6 minutes.
Should they not be playing The Chain about now?
I have one word for ya: pre-nup.
I think Bernie was already smart enough back in the 1980s to see he was getting seriously wealthy, and that he'd have to put something in place so that he doesn't lose out to Slavica in case they split up. If not... well, then Bernie may have just made his biggest error yet.
It's not directly connected anymore, but indirectly, those non-F1 billions will still matter down the line, especially if Bernie loses them. Why? Because chances are, if Bernie DOES lose that money, he'll do whatever it takes to earn that money again in F1. Which means more Chinas and Bahrains. Yipes.
I think CVC doesn't have strong enough connections to F1 people to do a well enough job on their own. If they're gonna let Bernie go, they'll have to hire an F1 person to take his place. I think Flavio's contract is ending soon-ish... :)
This is really cool. I haven't seen a live launch before... i had the opertunity to see one when i was in Florida about 7 years ago, but both myself and mum were ill. dad refused to go on his own... so i never got to see it :(
A question I have always had. Does Bernie earn that money directly as some sort of finders fee or does that go straight to FOM?
The bit I hate is about 40 seconds in when they say 'go for throttle up'. That's when one of them blew up. I hate that bit now
This is the first night one I've seen live, I think.
I remember being in elementary school and watch the launch of the Challanger live. That still sends shivers down my spine.
HERE WE GO!!!
us too.
that was coool.
0-2000 MPH in a minute. If Clarkson was in a shuttle launch, his head would explode screaming, "THE POWER IS ENORM... (pop)"
Wow... awesome!! Thanks for pointing this out earlier Steven :)
agreed. ta.
Nasa TV is there every day so you can watch what is happening on the ISS and the space walks. THe space walks are fun to watch. You can't miss the landing though. That is awesome.
will you remind me on identi.ca when it is closer to the time and i will try and tune in :D
Thanks Steve, you made mine and a the teachers in the teachers' lounge at Hudson Bay High School in Vancouver very happy. If I see Dottie in the future, I'll get an autograph photo of her for you.
did they attach the camera to the wrong bit?
oooh, i likes that thinking.
The camera was on the main tank. The commentator got it wrong. It's always on the tank
I was flicking between tabs and ended up commenting on the old one.
That makes a lot sense. I would absolutely love that.
Thanks Dan
Will do. It should be two weeks tomorrow. I will dig out the mission schedule and find out when the space walks are.
:D
hehe thank you :D i can see myself getting into this in a big way. Can't believe Nasa TV has escaped me till today.
I love introducing people to space stuff. Do you know that you can see the International Space Station as it flies over? No special equipment required.
it does cause problems when I tell people about this. I showed my mother it flying over once through binoculars and she told a friend. Two days later she got a phone call from another friend. Did you tell so and so that there was a space station? Yes Did you tell her you could see it? Yes. Did you tell her that with binoculars you could see the men working on it? Well no because it is 200 miles up so you can't see astronauts waving to you.
The first space walk is scheduled for flight day 5.
no i had no idea. wow, that's very cool.
hehehe :D
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html
On the left hand side pick your country and click go to country and follow the instructions
cheers all, learnt a lot this evening. must sleep, catch you all in the morning :)
There is a market for sidepodspace. Look at the audience you have already. Clive's blog has space posts too.
hehe, we need to figure a way of cloning christine first.
ah thanks steven :D not i must remember to go and look next weekend.
Hope all of you have a good evening. I am going to go home and chop some onions, garlic, peppers, almonds, apples, and mariniated beef and make a nice stir fry for dinner. Have a good night.
I'm off to get some sleep too. Night and thanks :D
You just have to hope there is no cloud. Depending on the orbit it is on it can be visible for anything between less than a minute and about 6 minutes. The longer it is visible the higher it is and therefore the better view you have.
Enjoy.
Good night all.
Morning all.
Hope you are all alright, and had a nice sleep.
Reading Autosport this morning, amused by the review for the 08 DVD
"More leader changes than the Conservaitive pary, more political shenanigans than Watergate and an ending with more drama than a Ross and Brand radio broadcast. Not to be missed."
I reckon Bernie's in trouble (assuming there really is a divorce pending and it's not just her moving out due to the building repairs next door as Bernie says) because Slavica Ecclestone has most of the family fortune in her own name already...
Will this be the end of Bernie Ecclestone as boss as F1?
[Runs screaming out loudly like an insane idiot]
Today is happening the 12th Granja Vianna 500 Miles. Yeah, 500 miles driving a kart! :) It will start at 1pm (Brazil time), which should be 3pm in UK.
Almost all the good brazilian drivers will be there, including Felipe Massa, Nelson Piquet Jr., Rubens Barrichello (which won this race 7 times already), Tony Kanaan (IRL driver, runs in partnership with RB, also won it 7 times) and several others.
Kanaan/Barrichelo will start on pole, while Piquet Jr. will start in 4th place and Massa on 11th. There are 30 different teams running today.
I don't know if there will be any live coverage here in Brazil, and don't even know if I will be able to watch it. But if you wanna try to find a live feed, give it a try. I'm sure it will be lots of fun :)
Sounds fun. Might watch if you can get it.
Will this be the end of Bernie Ecclestone as boss as F1? {R.G. - 2 comments ago}
R.G., this in itself won't unseat Bernie. But it may make CVC think twice about the wisdom of entrusting their income generation to someone who is at serious risk of losing his because he was a little too clever in his legalised tax evasion schemes...
"NEVER NEVER NEVER"
“The first day I won't be going into work is the day they will be lowering me into my grave – and that won't be for a long time to come.” Bernie Ecclestone
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/171817-0/ecclestone_vows_never_to_retire_from_f1.html
I think we learnt this year that personal revelations don't seem to affect the people in charge of the sport too badly.
We're doomed.
my italian is getting better, but it's not great. I think Olivier Panis got fined/charged for speeding at 212 km/h on a highway..Chamonix?...He'll appear in court in March. The car got seized - it was a ferrari. It just goes to show some drivers do actually get faster AFTER they retire :)
He's currently sporting director for one of the A1GP teams, I'm thinking France?
Had I known that people were going to be chatting about the shuttle launch, I might have hung around last night - a bit too late for me over here. I love watching them too - is it just the engine thing? that Top Gear episode where they launched the Reliant Robin was just fantastic. if you've never seen it google you tube the video.
>You can’t miss the landing though. That is awesome.
Night time or day time, they are very cool. They have a great head up display, and you get to see thermo cam sometimes once the shuttle lands. As someone posted above, you can watch space walks and everything - it's a wonderful way to keep yourself from doing anything productive at work.
I got bored today, and I decided to compare Formula 1 drivers and teams to football players and teams
McLaren - Chelsea (A good team, but you either love them or hate them)
Lewis Hamilton - Cristiano Ronaldo (Young, talented but you just don't like him, arrogant to the press)
Heikki Kovalainen - Sami Hyypia (Finnish, at a good team but just not good enough)
Ferrari - Manchester United (You know they are always going to be at the top, often want them to win, often want them to lose)
Felipe Massa - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Someone you didn't expect to do well)
Kimi Raikkonen - Jussi Jaaskalainen (Finnish, but is quality, but can have off seasons)
BMW Sauber - Portsmouth (Consistant team, just gotta love them)
Robert Kubica - Artur Boruc (Eccentric, consistantly good at consistant team)
Nick Heidfeld - David Beckham (Experienced, consistant but sometimes poor, poor hair styles)
Renault - Liverpool (Either title challengers or massive underachievers)
Fernando Alonso - Kaka (No matter which team he is at, will bring in quality)
Nelson Piquet - Heureliho Gomes (Makes mistakes consistantly its unbelivable)
Toyota - Manchester City (Lots of cash, promised massive things, not achieved)
Jarno Trulli - Andy Johnstone (Has waited years to find his form of past, could be there)
Timo Glock - Philip Lahm (German, quiet but gets the job done)
Toro Rosso - Fulham (The, how the hell did they manage that team)
Seb Vettel - Jack Wilshire (Young, you know he will dominate the world one day)
Seb Bourdais - Paul Gascoigne (World Cup 1990, the famous pic of him crying)
Red Bull - Arsenal (Have young development schemes, but fail to utilise them properly)
David Coulthard - Andy Cole (Retiring, time was past them before they did)
Mark Webber - Ledley King (Most unlucky driver/players, one gets mechanical failures, the other injuries)
Honda - Tottenham Hotspur (Promised for great things, fail miserably - don't worry lou, I insulted my team as well)
Jenson Button - Luka Modric (Quality player/driver at failing team)
Ruben Barrichello - David James (Old, but still brillaint and reliable)
Williams - Leeds United (Were once a great team, fell by the away side)
Nico Rosberg - Nicolas Anelka (Has been everywhere, still yet to find his finest form)
Kazuki Nakajima - Shunsuke Nakamura (You never expected to make the grade, but has)
Force India - West Brom (Will fail miserably without being promised for great things)
Giancarlo Fisichella - Ronaldo (You know he's only there for the money)
Adrian Sutil - Jamie O'Hara (You gotta like the kid, but won't cut the mustard anywhere else)
I doubt you have heard of any of these, but I thought I'd share
What a combination Kubica and the holy goalie.
Who are Bernie and Max then?
Someone else trying for negative points on the panel?
Here's Vinnie Jones bringing tears to Gazza's eyes:
http://weirdpicturearchive.com/pics/vinniejones.php
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini - Simply enough, are idiots.
Hey, I am already on -1,000,000. It can't get any worse.
sidepodspace update
The next event that is a must see is the shuttle docking with the ISS which is scheduled for 22:13 GMT Sunday(Tomorrow).
oooo thanks Steven, no doubt the live show will be still recording, either that or the podpanel, so i will watch that at the same time :D
'I reckon Alonso will be docking his shuttle next year'.
I forgot about the time clash. I will have Nasa running on the bottom corner of my screen.
The first spacewalk is scheduled to start 1845 Tuesday
Oooh, nice one R.G. Maybe Toro Rosso/Hull instead?
Ouch. :)
Yeah, good one. I was thinking last year when they scraped 17th on the last day.