I'm not an astronaut, but...

I read something about a 48 hour high fibre, high protein diet... And then I got asked why I was reading about mothballed aircraft on the internet*.

*actually I got "why are you googling U2 pilot pooping?"

this is epic, love it

Not to turn this into an "Ask Me Anything" thread, but how often do you fly? That sounds like a super long day! What exactly do they look for in medical screens if you have to do them every time you fly? Also, I scuba so I think I understand the nitrogen part..same premise, right?

Fascinating stuff!

EDIT: This article is incredible for anyone that's as curious as I was/am: http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/killer-at-70000-feet-117615369/?all

I only have two Metallica t-shirts...Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets. I was not a roadie for them but that would have been pretty cool. I became interested in old school Metallica via Omega Forums...I thought the Black Album was old school but was instructed (via Omega Forums) that the first four albums leading up to the Black Album are the true old school albums...so I went to the record store and purchased the first four old school Metallica albums...as well as two of the old school album t-shirts. 👍

Got it, my college roommate was the biggest Metallica fan I've ever met and I heard all 4 of those albums on a continuous loop! Plus he had a lot of concert t-shirts too.

@ulackfocus : yeah, it's way more fun to fly solo, so maybe an F-5 might be a better option.

@Mad Dog : yup, no booger picking. And regarding #1 and #2, @tyrantlizardrex, it's more like a condom with a tube on it for #1, but it's also more involved than just letting it fly, so to speak. The tube runs down your leg, so in order to make sure there are no kinks in the tube, causing backflow and leaking in the suit (no fun to sit in your own urine for 8 hours), you straighten your leg as much as you can, increase the internal pressure of the suit, and open the tube vent that then enters a glorified coffee can in the belly of the plane. The problem is when you are tall, say, 6'3", you can't stretch your legs out fully, there just isn't room. In order to do so, you lean forward, thereby clearing your head from the canopy, running the seat up, and then stretching your leg. The problem is then the back of your helmet is crammed up against the canopy. I can stretch my leg or sit straight up, never both. Regarding #2, well, short story long, each suit is custom made for you by a little old lady outside of Boston. Each pilot gets two suits. Each one costs a pretty penny. However, if you poop in one, it makes it a biohazard and is no longer usable. So if you ruin one, you have one left, you don't get another one. So essentially, you get one mulligan. If it happens twice, you're out of suits and you're found a new job that no longer involves space suits. Which brings up the point that you definitely have to watch what you eat. No Hooters wings the night before, definitely. Each pilot's stomach reacts to food differently, so you really have to know your own habits. Most pilots get pretty superstitious about what they eat the day before a long flight, to make sure they eat the same thing every time so they limit the chances of using up your mulligan!

Also, I have a better chance of commanding the ISS than flying an SR-71. Not gonna happen...

@cicindela : I can't sell my speedy, I only have one!

@Nobel Prize : I'll let you know!

@ChicagoFrog : when we're deployed, we fly once or twice a week. It takes that long to recover from a "high flight". And yes, the danger of having nitrogen in your blood is the same as diving, it can cause the bends and decompression sickness.

Blue skies, y'all!
-only jake

Well, you get really close to space. I guess that's good enough! Amazing job.

Nice...looks like there's a pylon full of Hellfires on that SH-60B for the pyrotechnic portion of the Metallica concert! 👍

Please don't confuse the "Puddle Pirates" (USCG) with the "Squids" (USN) again...I'll let it slide this time. 😁

Pirates are better than squid right? 😉

Ummm...no.

Squids are better than Puddle Pirates...but that's just my humble (and biased) opinion.

😁

most definitely... arrrrrrhh

It's also the motto of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. And happy Speedy Tuesday!



"Motto: Semper Paratus (Always Ready).

Significance: The shield, in black and green, represents the old colors of the Air Service parted by a wavy line representing the Rio Grande River. On the gold band are four black crosses representing four WWI offensives, Aisne-Marne, Champagne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, and St. Mihiel, in which squadrons later assigned to the 9th Wing fought. The crest recalls the service in Mexico." Source: http://www.25af.af.mil/AboutUs/Fact...0/Article/662964/9th-reconnaissance-wing.aspx

Blue skies, y'all!
-only Jake