2006-12-01 07:44:07 · 11 answers · asked by BD M 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Good ideas but impractical. HOTOL was great in theory but the realities of making it work were too great.
2006-12-01 07:47:04 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because we were bone poor. The last repayment for Lend Lease will be made in 29 days time. At the end of WWII we were bankrupt and in hoc to the yanks. Lots of good ideas bit the dust.
The precursors to space launch vehicles would have been the Blue Streak and Black Night boosters, but there was no political will for sticking missiles in the ground in the home counties.
The UK also has a crap history, in the last century, of investing in engineering. The Finniston report was written on the subject, but it missed the main point which is that the UK can train as many engineers as it likes, but if it doesn't pay them then they will emmigrate, as I and many of my friends did.
Many Boeing engineers are former British aerospace industry folks, when the Comet program shut down Boeing recruited outside the factory gates.
2006-12-01 13:25:29 · answer #2 · answered by Chris H 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well Thats Easy..We needed not only to fund the war in Iraq But Support all Foreign Nationals Seeking asylum in Britain...It was a big shame to hear about the space program closure But at least the U.S and Russia have Funding to keep The Space Programs Going..Better than Nothing eh!
2006-12-01 10:34:27 · answer #3 · answered by Simon 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's because the UK was behind the USA and the USSR in the space race so the UK government decided to scrap the UK space program and join France in developing Concorde.
2006-12-02 10:51:16 · answer #4 · answered by Mr Otter 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My good people. Do not despair, we haven't given up our space program. You will be happy to know (Or reminded) that we are now a member of the EU and the EU has a vastly superior and integrated space program(ESA) to which the best scientific minds on the planet contribute.
It is second only to NASA and this is just because of funding. (Tight B*****DS).
But British scientists are pushing back the frontiers of space and time( is that ET I see there? Never mind), so in a few years time we will put a monkey on Mars. Be good now.
2006-12-02 16:27:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because there's no point to any space program really. They're all just huge money vacuums with no good point. That's why it's called space, because there's nothing out there to begin with.
2006-12-01 10:05:05 · answer #6 · answered by Juffalo Jim 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The residents of the Isle of Wight weren't too chuffed that the next Sputnik was going to be launched from there. There are still buildings and sites you can visit there. Black Arrow springs to mind but could be wrong
2006-12-03 04:58:23 · answer #7 · answered by Giordino 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
to spend it on things relavent to the british people. how many brits honestly care about a space program, especially when the money could be spent on more important things like improving quality of life
2006-12-02 20:28:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
We had a space program???
2006-12-01 07:57:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It became too heavy, not enough "pounds" to support the program.
2006-12-03 12:36:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋