Author
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Topic: Nigerian astronauts wants to come home....
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Hart Sastrowardoyo Member Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 10-15-2012 02:11 PM
Nothing to do with this, just passing it along....I am Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. He was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Salyut 6 space station in 1979. He was on a later Soviet spaceflight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. His other Soviet crew members returned to earth on the Soyuz T-16Z, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional Progrez supply flights to keep him going since that time. He is in good humor, but wants to come home. In the 14-years since he has been on the station, he has accumulated flight pay and interest amounting to almost $ 15,000,000 American Dollars. This is held in a trust at the Lagos National Savings and Trust Association.
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gliderpilotuk Member Posts: 3398 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 10-15-2012 03:01 PM
Hope you reported it to the authorities
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randy Member Posts: 2176 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 10-15-2012 07:43 PM
I'll get him down myself for that kind of money! |
Mike Dixon Member Posts: 1397 From: Kew, Victoria, Australia Registered: May 2003
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posted 10-15-2012 08:21 PM
Given that message was written in 2004, his entitlements would have grown to way more than $15 million... assuming he's still up there of course. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 10-15-2012 11:32 PM
Good thing he was from Nigeria and not Zimbabwe. What's 15 million Zimbabwean dollars worth? |
moorouge Member Posts: 2454 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 10-16-2012 01:55 AM
On a loosely related historical note - many moons ago in the days of Idi Amin there was an article in the British press that recorded Ugandans training for space flight by rolling down a hill in oil drums. Suppose this can be classified as basic training. |
Rusty B Member Posts: 239 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 10-16-2012 02:09 AM
Too bad this news came so late, we could have sent a space shuttle for him... |
YankeeClipper Member Posts: 617 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 10-16-2012 10:04 AM
quote: Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo: What's 15 million Zimbabwean dollars worth?
Oh, roughly the square-root of nada. Or more accurately, about 5% less than it was worth 10 mins ago! I have a South African friend who says that if you go shopping in a Zimbabwean supermarket, the prices of goods on the shelves have all inflated by the time you reach check-out! |
LM1 Member Posts: 667 From: New York, NY Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 10-16-2012 11:34 AM
If Major Tunde could maneuver the spacecraft down to 28 miles, he could jump, but he should wait until he is over Nigeria. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 10-16-2012 01:01 PM
Doesn't even need to go that low. Just take a page from the 1960s space-handbook: give him a thruster pack, encase him in foam, then have him deorbit that way, similar to this. |
LM1 Member Posts: 667 From: New York, NY Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 10-16-2012 01:51 PM
I hope that he doesn't forget to autograph the three shoe boxes of 1500 space covers that I sent to him for this mission in 1989. If he returns with the covers, I will have to apply Nigerian stamps to each cover after he lands. He can keep one cover for his collection. |
YankeeClipper Member Posts: 617 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 10-16-2012 01:52 PM
quote: Originally posted by LM1: If Major Tunde could maneuver the spacecraft down to 28 miles, he could jump...
Ah, brilliant idea - absolutely love it! Felix would be so devastated though to lose his records so soon.Maybe that was Major Tunde attempting re-entry over UK/Ireland recently and creating that fireball that we saw! |
YankeeClipper Member Posts: 617 From: Dublin, Ireland Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 10-16-2012 02:13 PM
Does anyone know how much his autograph will be and when his book will be released?Maybe he could embark on a worldwide tour with Jose Jimenez, and Will Smith could play him in the inevitable movie! |
East-Frisian Member Posts: 586 From: Germany Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 10-16-2012 02:38 PM
This, or this kind of mail (especially from Nigeria) go around the world since years. |
kr4mula Member Posts: 642 From: Cinci, OH Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 10-17-2012 10:31 AM
quote: Originally posted by moorouge: ...there was an article in the British press that recorded Ugandans training for space flight by rolling down a hill in oil drums.
That gives a whole new meaning to the dreaded "week in the barrel" that astronauts are always complaining about. |