Subject: Re: Silly week article # 5
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Petrie House" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2008 20:53:21 -0800

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Petrie House 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 2:37 AM
  Subject: Silly week article # 5

  Gallery Template #05

  "1/72 scale Avro CSF-208 Cosmos" 

  An alternate Canadian Future-Past

  by "Alvis 3.1"
  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo Cosmos.jpg here  

  In the early 1950s, Canadian rocket researcher Gerald Bull was researching new propulsion techniques for rockets with his team at CARDE when they stumbled over a way of harnessing nuclear power and rocketry in a way that produced massive thrust at little radiation. Initially dismissed as impractical, it wasn't until Wernher Von Braun quit the US Army rocketry effort and moved to Canada that the program attracted serious reseach budgets. Even then, it was derisively laughed at as "St Laurents' Moon Pie Dream" until the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957. Suddenly, Dr Bulls' rocket was a hot priority!

  The new Conservative government was pressured into funding the program and with the resources of Avro, Carde, NASA and the British Aviation industry behind it, the group soon had a functional Orbital Interceptor. Initially entering service in 1963, the first truly effective units were the Mark 4 "Cosmos" which saw action during the Cuban Missile Exchange of 1965, where they scored an impressive 100% shootdown rate on Soviet and US ICBMs. The loss of missiles led both sides to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis.The destruction that would have befallen civilization had even a few of the missiles gotten through would have been unimaginable, and led to Prime Minister Pearson being elected as Secretary General of the UN the following year, where he placed the RCSF at the use of the UN as a peacekeeping force. It has since been involved in several international incidents, and has helped keep us safe from anuclear exchange at least four times, three of which were accidental launches of ICBMs!

  Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 017.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 017.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 018.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 018.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 019.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 019.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 021.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 021.jpg 

  I used an ESTES model rocket they produced several years ago. I really liked the cool "retro" design, so I added the cockpit and canopy, and hacked off the launch lugs.Decals came from the spares box and my inkjet printer, and the pilot came from the "BashMent o' Doom".

  Photos and text © by "Alvis 3.1"