The 2 coolest thing I’ve ever done, in my own opinion, are:

1. Sky Diving
2. Launching a 2-stage experimental rocket whose both recovery systems (one for each stage) didn’t work

Regards,
Primer

Sauron and Keltic, thanks for your support. It was a hard week for us, Brazilians, once we lost a diplomat killed by terrorists in Iraq and, now, 21 of our highest-graduated engineers and technicians and a very important symbol of our technology.

Regards,
Primer

some other news…

21 die in Brazil rocket disaster

Saturday, August 23, 2003 Posted: 1254 GMT ( 8:54 PM HKT)

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s president said his country’s space program remains a priority despite a rocket explosion that killed 21 people, injured 20 and put a fiery end to Brazil’s third attempt to get into space.

The 100 foot high VLS-3 rocket was three days away from its scheduled liftoff when an explosion destroyed it and the box-like launch pad that surrounded it.

Globo television showed footage of a plume of smoke rising into the sky over the seaside Alcantara Launch Center near Sao Luis, about 900 miles north of Brasilia.

“The president of the Republic profoundly regrets the deaths of the workers at the Alcantara base. The Brazilian space program is an important scientific and technological project for our country and today is a day of morning,” presidential spokesman Andre Singer said.

The blast in northeastern Brazil killed mostly civilian technicians and destroyed two research satellites, dealing a serious blow to Brazil’s nascent space program. Brazil is trying to be the first Latin American nation to put a satellite in orbit.

Friday’s accident marked the first time human lives were lost in Brazil’s quest to send a rocket into space.

In 1997, a rocket crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after liftoff. In 1999, officials had to destroy a rocket after it veered off course three minutes after takeoff.

“We have recovered more bodies and now know of 21 dead. We don’t expect number of dead will increase further,” said Brazilian air force spokesman Lt. Ricardo Olanda, adding the investigation into what caused the accident was expected to take 90 days.

Most of the injured were taken to a hospital in neighboring Sao Luis de Maranhao, about 20 minutes by flight from the launching base.

The explosion occurred after one of the four main motors of the VLS-3 rocket accidentally ignited for reasons still unknown, Defense Minster Jose Veigas Filho said.

“The launching pad collapsed and the technicians were working there,” Veigas said.

There was no damage outside the launch area, officials said.

“We had just done two days of tests and everything went well — 100 percent. Everybody is devastated,” said air force Col. Romeo Brasileiro.

It is hard to assess just how serious a blow the explosion is to Brazil’s space program because many of those killed were likely top scientists involved in the space program.

The Alcantara base is considered a near-ideal launch because of its location, just 2.3 degrees south of the equator. The Earth moves faster at the equator, which helps propel rockets into space with up to 13 percent less fuel, allowing heavier payloads.

Brazil is currently negotiating with the United States and the Ukraine to allow use of the base to launch their rockets.

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Regards,
Primer

Try to make it this way… It’ll be even funnier.

Acess google website: http://www.google.com
Type “weapons of mass destruction” in the search box
Click in the “I’m feeling lucky” button
Read carefully what seems like a normal error message

Regards,
Primer

Well here in Brazil, all treatments and medicines are free (except luxury surgery, but including dentist and glasses), but there are huge lines (I mean really huge…) in most of the public “not-so-well-equipped” hospitals. Well, in fact, our public health service sucks but some health programs that have been implemented are turning things a little better specially for the really poors.

P.S.: I’m just commenting the current status of public health service here in Southern and Southestern Brazil which are most developed regions in Brazil. I don’t wanna even think about, how things are in the Northern and Northeastern regions…

Regards,
Primer

Here today, a tv journalist was commenting how powerful and big the B-52’s are, while footage of Tornados was being showed…. :confused:

Regards,
Primer

Brazil

Our president made his adress to the nation a few minutes ago condenming this war. He said he has kept contact with world leaders in order to avoid this war, and now he is gonna work to end it as soon as possible.
Protests are happening in all major Brazilian cities.

Regards,
Primer