posted 12-04-2005 01:08 PM               

If I could alter the menu slightly, instead of wine I'd choose beer and visit with -

Charles "Pete" Conrad
Mike Coats
Pete Diamandis (Xprize)
Judy Resnik

and I be buying the beer. I chose four
'cause you did too.

posted 12-04-2005 01:39 PM               

Lovell
Conrad
Shepard
Schirra

posted 12-04-2005 03:21 PM               

At my table I would hear Copernicus say, "See, I knew I was right. The Sun IS the center of the galaxy." "Now, how many moon maidens and Martians did you meet on the Moon Neil?"

posted 12-04-2005 03:53 PM               

Hugh Dryden
Max Faget
Wernher Von Braun
Robert Rowe Gilruth

and, for fun and literary wit,

Tom Wolfe

On edit: Only three??

posted 12-04-2005 06:07 PM               

They are all US astronauts of the same generation. What would spark the interesting conversation? Wouldn't Galileo or Copernicus or Dr. Robert Goddard help to start a discussion?

posted 12-04-2005 08:08 PM               

An excellent list.

Visionaries, each from a different country.

posted 12-04-2005 08:36 PM               

So you are saying that if Gus, Jim, Gene, and Frank were having supper there would not be an interesting conversation? Maybe you would not find it interesting but I would.

If you don't want my opinion don't ask for it.

posted 12-04-2005 08:38 PM               

Galileo
Glenn
Von Braun
Kranz

DH = Darling (or D**n) Husband.

posted 12-04-2005 08:55 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by KC Stoever:
Galileo

---

A friend posed with this same question offlist suggested Gagarin in addition to those named already.

posted 12-04-2005 09:18 PM               

You are right of course. Even all current astronauts would have a great deal to discuss.

But I was thinking of a once-in-a-lifetime dinner where you could invite anyone in history. There should be a living person at the table to bring everyone up to date, unless we are presuming that somehow they are up to date with developemnts in history. Didn't I see this in a recent episode of "Ghost Whisperers" on CBS?

posted 12-05-2005 04:39 AM               

The first human to be born, live and die on a planet other than Earth.

The human who travels to the furthest point from Earth.

The first human to encounter intelligent extra-terrestrial life.

And Rusty Schweickart to ask them all the insightful questions that the occasion would deserve. But mainly because I'd like to hang out with him for a bit

Cheers,
Matt

posted 12-05-2005 11:05 AM               

Wernher von Braun
George Mueller
Richard Truly
Mike Griffin

It'd be interesting to have a roundtable on where spaceflight started, where it went, how it got there, where it should have gone, where we are, and where we go from here.

posted 12-05-2005 11:21 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Astro Bill:
They are all US astronauts of the same generation. What would spark the interesting conversation? Wouldn't Galileo or Copernicus or Dr. Robert Goddard help to start a discussion?

---

I'm not so sure about Galileo or Copernicus mixed in with astronauts. Assuming the language barrier could be overcome and that everyone was brought up to speed on science of the past centuries, would there be much in common for them to share? It would probably work best mixing them with the scientist-astronauts, not the pilot-astronauts. Or perhaps Dave Scott can tell Galileo that he was right.

I'm not sure of Mike's reasons for his picks (although I think they were mighty fine picks, if you ask me), but bringing together 3-4 astronauts of the same era has the potential to unlock a lot of good shared stories and anecdotes that don't make it into the books. For me, that would be more interesting.

posted 12-05-2005 02:06 PM            

Wernher Von Braun
Leonardo DaVinci
Buzz Aldrin
Bart Sibrel

Great conversations ending with cocktails and everyone taking turns whooping on Bart.

posted 12-05-2005 04:48 PM               

I think I picked Grissom, Lovell, Borman, and Cernan because they are my favorite astronauts. I would love to spend an evening meal with them. I know Jim Lovell sometimes auctions a meal at the restaurant but those charity auctions go for so much more than I could afford. Who would not want to listen to Gus talk to Jim, Frank, and Gene. I wouldn't have to say a word, I would just set and listen.

As far as talking to a past astronomer or scientist I might select Elijah Burritt or James Nasmyth, not to be confused with James Naismith.

posted 12-06-2005 10:57 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by mdmyer:
Who would not want to listen to Gus talk to Jim, Frank, and Gene. I wouldn't have to say a word, I would just set and listen.

---

Plus, how cool would it be to be able to listen in as they fill Gus in on what he missed?

posted 12-06-2005 05:35 PM               

------------------
Kind Regards

Douglas Henry

posted 12-06-2005 05:45 PM               

The question now is, what will they discuss?

What would Copernicus say to Wernher Von Barun or to JFK or to Neil Armstrong? What would Neil Armstrong say to Galileo? What would Marilyn Monroe say to JFK? Nevermind, we already know the last one.

posted 12-06-2005 06:48 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by FFrench:
This thread reminds me of photos like this:
http://mssa.library.yale.edu/madid/showthumb.php?id=mss&msrg=325&msrgext=0

where people find themselves seated between Lindbergh and Armstrong...

---

Interesting link !

BTW: Do American ladies still have male first names (like "Ms Robert Hoover") ?

As for the topic of the thread:

Providing they had one common language they could communicate in, I would choose for

- John Young
- Wally Schirra
(both experienced on 3 different kinds of spacecraft)
- Sergey Krikalyov ("last Soviet citizen")
- the Pope who was on the Holy See while Copernicus was introducing his heliocentric view of the Universe. (I wonder if the three of them would have been able to persuade him that the Earth is spheric indeed ! )

posted 12-06-2005 07:20 PM               

Wernher Von Braun (father of it all)
Igor Sikorsky (a 'view askew...')
Burt Rutan (modern visionary)
John Young (the 'end-user' of numerous space systems)

The explorer and historian would select:
Roger Chaffee
CC Williams
Elliott See
Ed Givens

All four of these probably have interesting individual stories that have never been shared...

And, the 'partyer' in me summons these four:
Gus Grissom
Wally Schirra
Gordon Cooper
Pete Conrad (Suds in lieu of wine to be served for this foursome...)

posted 12-07-2005 03:12 PM               

In the same vein, I would say that the visionaries, scientists and explorers of our interest would have the same affinity.

My dinner party would, hopefully, be fun as well as interesting, so I would go for:

Tycho Brahe (eccentric and brilliant - just don't accept any bets off him!)
Yuri Gagarin (the first; need I say more?)
Pete Conrad (walked on the Moon and a great guy)
John Young (walked on the Moon but, most importantly for me, commanded the first shuttle mission, the first mission I remember).

posted 12-10-2005 07:25 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by BMckay:

How about Nixon, JFK, Johnson and Marilyn Monroe...

---

Why would anybody want to party with Nixon???

And how come nobody wants to have dinner with Enos and Ham?

As far as it goes, though, how about:
Galileo
Dave Scott
Pope Urban VIII

Or:
Kepler
Newton
Copernicus
Buzz Aldrin

posted 12-10-2005 09:24 AM               

For inspiration...
Irwin, Borman, Duke, and White

For a good time...
The Apollo 12 crew, plus Wally and Guenter

For feeling humbled...
Armstrong, Scott, Young, and Cernan

And for those not in the space program...
Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Monroe, and Madison