Ugandan Seeks To Build Backyard Space Shuttle 136
An anonymous reader writes "Who says that only big, militaristic states are capable of manned space flight? The BBC reports on an attempt by Chris Nsamba to build what he hopes would be the first crewed spacecraft designed and built in Africa. Not that Nsamba, the Ugandan founder of the self-styled African Space Research Program, doesn't have any good role models. NASA's first African American flight director, Kwatsi Alibaruho, traces his roots to Uganda." Hopefully the press will help Nsamba's cause. I sincerely hope he makes it into space one day.
I do. (Score:4, Insightful)
I have no doubt they have the ability to make a "spacecraft".
Actually getting that in to space, particularly with squishy meat bags on board that don't want to go "pop", is another story.
Re:Why the idle? (Score:4, Insightful)
This whole endeavor seems a bit like a cargo cult [wikipedia.org] to me. I see no signs of actual scientific rigour, and instead just a "let's build things that superficially look like things we've seen before" attitude.