NASA's Rocket Men Really Were High as a Kite…
The latest triumph of NASA, the preferred federal workfare posting for diaper-wearing, would-be kidnapper pilots everywhere:
Despite safety warnings from NASA doctors, astronauts were allowed to fly after drinking heavily, an independent panel said in a report released Friday.
The report said it happened twice but gave no names and did not say when the drinking occurred, how many astronauts were involved, or whether they were flying on the space shuttle, the Russian Soyuz spaceship, or aboard NASA's training jets.
NASA officials let them fly even after flight surgeons and fellow astronauts raised concerns that safety might be jeopardized, according to the report, done by a panel created by NASA after the arrest of astronaut Lisa Nowak in February on charges she tried to kidnap her rival in a love triangle.
More on boozy astronauts here.
Elton John's "Rocket Man" lyrics–including the great line "And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then"–here.
William Shatner's dramatic reading of "Rocket Man"–including the super-fantastic line "And I'm gonna be…hiiiiigh…as a kite by then":
Double Bonus Friday: Chris Elliott's dramatic reading of William Shatner's dramatic reading of "Rocket Man":
Update: As requested, Family Guy's Stewie burns his fuse out there, alone:
Even More Update: Katherine Mangu-Ward's original blog post from yesterday on NASA's gastronauts here. And on the future of space tourism (wet and dry) here.