ROCKET MAIL COVERS FLOWN OVER US AND CANADA

                                     

Earlier this summer fifty rocket mail covers were flown on board two different ‘model’ rockets in the United States (Warwick Rocketry) and Canada (Wilfred Ashley McIsaac).

      Communicating with friends and family today has never been easier.  Emailing and texting are a rather convenient and expeditious way to talk with loved ones who reside all around our busy planet. Within only a fraction of a second your message is sent thousands of miles into outer space before bouncing off of a satellite and returning all the way back down to Terra Firma, ending up at precisely the exact person it was intended for wherever they may be.  The north pole included.

      Seemingly endless chatter through wireless communications is encircling the planet as we speak allowing citizens of earth instant access to just about whomever they’d like. Yes, even the Pope.  Any data bits jumping on board this invisible electronic super highway move at the speed of light and arrive in the blink of an eye, actually much faster.  At this pace the results convey a rather false impression that everyone’s favorite neighborhood postman, who is only human after all, to be slow and incompetent.  

     Inquisitive inventors from the early part of the Twentieth Century actually attempted to replicate a similar delivery system of their own to rival today's speedy computers.  Faced with the enormous challenge of designing a trouble free long distance express service, the men turned to a crude and mundane machine that was very difficult to power and even harder to control. Perhaps more importantly it was their only option. Yes, a rocket.  Incredibly as time went on these parabolic tinkerer’s expected their soaring mailbags to achieve incredible feats of high-speed communications to which the internet would be chasing a century later. Instant messaging.

     Of course in the end the internet made out much better than rocket mail did. By the time World War II got underway any hope of delivering mail to the masses by rocket propulsion at any distances were dashed. The airplane seemed destined to remain the fastest delivery service we were ever going to achieve.  Although a few launches had taken place throughout Europe and the United States, in the end it was decided rocket mail just was never going to be a practical way of communicating back and forth.  

     Today we celebrate this fleeting moment in history when it was believed all express messaging in the not too distant future would arrive by means of a giant rocket.  It’s true, long before these enthusiasts had an eye on the moon, some of them were planning a shorter more exacting trip to your mailbox.  

      Earlier this summer three dedicated rocketeers from the United States and Canada encouraged people to remember, if only for a quick moment, as they scroll through their emails and reply to text after text, where this communications revolution and the need for faster and faster service originated from in modern times.   Rocket Mail is back.

     Two independent launches took place in Ontario Canada and Tulsa Oklahoma using model rockets equipped to carry an additional load. Fifty letters were specially made to ride along inside each vehicle.  Sandy and Andrew Warwick (Tulsa) designed the mail covers (above) that include both countries flags and the words ‘USA & CANADA “FRIENDSHIP FLIGHT”  JOINT ROCKET LAUNCH’.

     On June 24th (2015) the Canadian leg of the project took place at a small airport outside a summer town called Gananoque in eastern Ontario.  Wilfred Ashley McIsaac put together a Super X rocket just for the occasion while securing the precious cargo safely inside the nosecone.   The six foot high vehicle soared to 1400 feet before crashing nearly ¼ of a mile away in another county.  Nevertheless the rocket mail survived and after being officially cancelled from the nearest post office in Gananoque, was sent down to Tulsa for the second stage of the event.

      Nearly three weeks later on June 12th the airmail covers were on board another rocket this time in Leonard Oklahoma near Tulsa. Sandy Warwick flew the envelopes inside a German A-2 replica over two separate launches only ten minutes apart. This time after reaching over 600 feet the rocket's main parachute opened and the payload landed safely.   Warwick Rocketry is actively launching rocket mail and have been since the 1970s.

     The rocket mail covers were then mailed (this time by the US Postal Service) to Gemada stamps in Oregon where they will be made available for sale on Ebay this Fall.  Sandy Warwick and Wilfred Ashley McIsaac are also collaborating on a much bigger project named SKY H.A.C. which involves launching a model rocket into outer space from on top of a hot air balloon.

Wilfred Ashley McIsaac

CANADIAN MAIL ROCKET MAKES FINAL DELIVERY ACROSS WWII AIRFIELD

CANADIAN MAIL ROCKET MAKES FINAL DELIVERY ACROSS WWII AIRFIELD

(left)  The Astrobee D IV (D) high powered rocket roars off the launch pad during a short test flight on May 14th. (right)  What makes this picture of the Astrobee D IV (D) Main Booster plummeting from the sky so unique. It was taken not by a person but by the second stage of the mail rocket as the two half's descended to the ground. Now that's a selfie.

    A 2 ½ stage high powered solid fueled rocket designated the Astrobee D IV (D) made its final delivery of twelve mail covers on May 14th across a World War II era relief airfield in eastern Ontario, Canada.   The covers carried commemorative letters as well as 1936 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ postage stamps originally produced by a German man named Gerhard Zucker.   

    The seventy-five year old air postage were the first official rocket mail stamps designed to fly in Canada.   Zucker however, was arrested by the Nazi Gestapo shortly before his mail flights were to take place.  The rocket engineer/businessman was  jailed indefinitely and for three quarters of a century the unflown Canadian stamps disappeared into obscurity.  In 2011, Canadian rocketeer Wilfred Ashley McIsaac tracked down the stamps and finally delivered them as originally intended, by rocket propulsion.

     The Astrobee D IV (D) May 14th flight was an overwhelming success in testing a variety of on board systems for future launches.    Although the rocket reached only a minimal altitude of between 400 and 500 feet while landing 1000 feet down range,  the 2 ½ stage vehicle successfully followed a precalculated parabolic flight path over the airfield.  A flammable liquid plasticizer named pyrogen together with a five and a half pound thrust black powder motor powered the mail carrying upper stage.   Emergency back-up  systems saved the low flying rocket from crashing.

    McIsaac has made five rocket mail flights since the programs inception on October 31st, 2011.   In total forty-three covers have been flown on board his rockets including forty-nine ‘Rocket-Flight’ stamps from the 1936 Zucker collection.   Following the launches the covers were either mailed or cancelled from the nearest post office in the small town of Gananoque, Ontario.

     Several of the mail covers on board last weeks test flight will be sent down to Tulsa, Oklahoma where they will be launched inside an American rocket scheduled to blast off in August.           

(left) A photo taken outside the Gananoque Post Office in eastern Ontario where Wilfred Ashley McIsaac cancelled the May 14th rocket mail.  (right) Canadian rocket mail cover 2014.

Rocket Sky Grid (RSG) ™

                 Rocket Sky Grid (RSG) ™

                                                       Wilfred Ashley McIsaac

Introducing the world’s simplest and most reliable rocket guidance system geared towards almost any amateur rocketeer looking for a precision landing.

        (Above)  An example of a typical Rocket Sky Grid (RSG) showing where you would aim your rocket in the sky if the wind is blowing from the south/west and if you wanted the rocket to land east of the launch site.  The red line indicates the rocket's flight path from (A) to (B) and ultimately the return to point ©.  (note:  try and picture the sky grid continuing all the way down to the ground and across to the launch pad.  This will assist you in locating the proper grids for lift-off and the ever important landing grid.

ROCKETEERS WARNING!!!  When experimenting with the Rocket Sky Grid wherever you are, please take precautions in always keeping friends, family, or even casual spectators out of harms way.  As any seasoned rocketeer knows, rockets and their recovery systems can be very unpredictable and very dangerous.  Stay safe and have fun with your new guidance system.

HOW IT WORKS:  Before launching your rocket take a moment while standing at the launch pad and look up at the patch of sky you plan on flying your rocket towards.  Imagine a grid placed over the blue back drop similar to an X and O game (see above). Now record the wind direction followed by a meticulous survey of the area where you are searching for the safest place for your rocket to land. Keeping the grid in mind, picture the flight path of your launch vehicle and select a square on the grid that you feel is the most compatible to that flight path and landing site.  The next step is to aim the rocket into your proper grid section already predetermined by the wind direction, weather cocking (see above), and of course the preferred landing area mentioned earlier.  By applying what you have ascertained at the launch site and dividing the sky into individual sections you’ll find it much easier to predict your rocket's flight path from one area of the grid to the other. This compared to simply looking up at an empty patch of sky with no markers or reference points to assist you.

WHY IT HELPS:  When launching a high-powered rocket there are many things to consider before lift-off can occur with safety always number one. At times the countdown to launch becomes extremely stressful.  The Rocket Sky Grid or RSG was created to alleviate some of these pre launch jitters and allows you to aim and launch your rocket within minutes.   The concept may seem elementary but I’ve tried it several times with uncanny success.  Knowing for sure where your rocket is going to land is now one less thing for you to worry about before the big launch.   

RSG HAS BEEN TESTED WITH INCREDIBLE SUCCESS:   Since 2010 I’ve used the Rocket Sky Grid (RSG) concept on numerous occasions including the launch of the A2-R13 rocket in November of 2010 as well as the ARCAS rocket mail flight on October 31st, 2011. Both flights occurred in eastern Ontario, Canada and have been well documented in the press and on my Facebook page (see below). The main launch was always preceded by a test flight to verify all was working properly with the rocket and to give the RSG experiment a test run.  On each occasion (on the second flight after some minor corrections were made) the rocket returned to the precalculated landing area and within only a few feet of the actual launch pad.  Not to bad considering the A2-R13 reached over 3000 feet in altitude in a stiff wind before drifting down to the ground directly in front of (but a safe distance from) a crowd of around sixty or more anxious spectators.

      During prelaunch discussions of the ARCAS rocket mail test flight in October of 2011 at the Gananoque Airport in eastern Ontario,  it was determined that the rocket should land west of the launch pad and onto the much softer grass rather than the hard runway tarmac. This would avoid unnecessary damage to the fragile launch vehicle and the expensive ‘GoPro’ Camera attached to the outside of the payload bay.  After applying the Rocket Sky Grid system, the launch and landing were performed flawlessly as the ARCAS rocket slowly drifted to the predetermined landing area under a large 36” canopy. The controlled descent actually crossed county lines before returning with seven mail covers on board including Gerhard Zucker 1936 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ postage stamps attached. The launch video on YouTube (‘Canadian Rocket Mail Launch’) documents the flight in great detail while providing concrete evidence this unique and uncomplicated guidance system will work for rocketeers looking for precision landings.   

ROCKET GOLF:  Think of the launch pad as a pin in the center of a thirty to fifty foot diameter golf green on a long par 3 hole. Or if you are landing the vehicle away from the launch pad simply place a marker where you would like the rocket to land.  A good shot hit’s the green or around the fringe,  an amazing shot actually finds the hole or in the case of a rocket launch, hit’s the launch structure (or marker) on the rockets descent.  In other words, if you launched a rocket that reached an altitude of around 3000 feet before deploying its parachutes, and your goal prior to lift-off was to initiate a landing as close to the launch pad (or marker) as possible.  If the rocket somehow managed to strike or make contact with the launch pad (or marker) before coming to rest, this would be comparable to hitting a hole-in-one on a 300 yard par 3, not bad.  In the case of my ARCAS rocket mail launch on October 31st, 2011 however; it made more sense for the rocket to land west of the launch pad and on the soft grass instead of the harder tarmac where the rocket lifted off from.  In keeping with the golfing analogy, this is considered playing it safe. Sometimes in golf playing it safe is the smartest move.  In rocketry, it’s the only move.  

Keep safe and try the Rocket Sky Grid on your next launch.  

It’s as easy as A, B, C.  

Wilfred Ashley McIsaac rockets have flown many payloads including Canadian rocket mail,  a petition to help save the Canadian Air & Space Museum in Toronto,  and commemorative poppies wrapped in a miniature Canadian flag during a Remembrance Day ceremony in 2010, to name just a few.  

(above top left)  The A2-R13 rocket takes off from the Aerodrome in Picton, Ontario on November 11th, 2010, before returning minutes later for a precision landing only a few feet away from the launch pad.  (above top right)  The ARCAS high-powered scale rocket carried Canadian mail on board and actually crossed county lines before gliding back for a perfect landing on October 31st, 2011, in Gananoque, Ontario.  ((Below left)  The A2-R13 glides in for a landing within only a few feet of the launch pad to the thrill of a small crowd during a rocket launch at a Remembrance Day Ceremony on November 11th, 2010.  (Below right)  The most compelling evidence supporting the Rocket Sky Grids value is provided by this picture of the ARCAS rocket coming in for a perfect landing after reaching over 2000 feet in altitude on October 31, 2011.  Not only did the rocket come back to the launch pad exactly as planned,  the delicate launch vehicle also managed to avoid the tarmac with a softer landing on the grass.  My videographer James Rychlo (See YouTube video ‘Canadian Rocket Mail Launch’) is seen in the foreground recording the historic moment;  the rocket carried covers with Gerhard Zucker 1936 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight postage stamps attached which had never been flown in Canada before this flight.  

To follow Wilfred Ashley McIsaac’s rocket activities look for him on Facebook at ‘My Own Private Rocket Program’ or contact him at ashleymcisaac233@gmail.com.  

Note:  The Rocket Sky Grid (RSG) has been successfully tested from a peak altitude of over 3000 feet.  With this being said the RSG becomes less effective at higher altitudes where predicting a landing site becomes much more difficult.   Recommended for Estes model rockets as well as high powered launch vehicles under fifty pounds of total thrust.   

    

ROCKET MAIL PROGRAM LAUNCHES ENTIRE COLLECTION OF 1936 CANADIAN ROCKET-FLIGHT STAMPS: Fifth launch planned for spring 2014

ROCKET MAIL PROGRAM LAUNCHES ENTIRE COLLECTION OF 1936 CANADIAN ROCKET-FLIGHT STAMPS: Fifth launch planned for spring 2014

(Above left) The Astrobee D IV high-powered rockets inaugural test flight took place on November 6th, 2012, and flew twelve covers on board.  The upper stage as well as the integral side boosters were inert.  (Center) One of twelve mail covers to fly inside the second stage of the new and improved Astrobee D IV (D) rocket scheduled to launch in the spring of 2014.  (right)  A variety of Gerhard Zucker postage stamps from 1936 (photo courtesy Gemada Stamps).

Wilfred Ashley McIsaac

      A high-powered rocket mail program that began back in October of 2011 from an airfield in eastern Ontario is preparing its fifth and final rocket launch for the late spring.   Wilfred Ashley McIsaac,  the rocketeer behind the flights,  has already launched and successfully recovered the entire collection of Gerhard Zucker 1936 ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’ postage stamps  in his four previous flights dating back to 2011.   

       A variety of launch vehicles and payloads have also been flown in the program including;  the ARCAS scale rocket. the Astrobee D scale rocket,  and McIsaac’s modified versions the Astrobee D III, and the Astrobee D (IV) series of rockets.  The latter being the 2 ½ stage Astrobee D IV (D) now preparing to fly in late March.   

     Payloads consisted of;  mail, flight cameras,  science experiments, on board computers, and even a signed petition to ‘Help Save The Canadian Air & Space Museum’  located in Downsview Park, Toronto.  The Astrobee D flight on May 11th, 2012, launched the ‘Astrologger 54’ electronics package which housed two on board flight computers, shock resistant liner,  and even a cooling system that  circulated the air around the module before venting it back outside.  The mail was in a separate compartment above the electronics bay.  

     Of the Four flights already launched and including the one planned for the spring, forty-three covers have or will be flown as well as forty-nine Gerhard Zucker 1936 Canadian Rocket-Flight postage stamps.   Some of these Covers can still be purchased online at Gemada Stamps.   A large portion of funds collected to date from Internet sales has been contributed  to worthy causes such as The Arthritis Foundation while back in 2011 a small donation was made to ‘Help Save The Canadian Air & Space Museum’ on behalf of the program.  McIsaac suffers from rheumatoid arthritis as well as a gimpy left ankle following two major reconstructive surgeries.  

   The final launch will fly twelve covers across an old World War II relief airfield located just outside the small town of Gananoque, Ontario, in The Thousand Islands.  The Astrobee D IV (D) weighs three and a half pounds and stands five feet, seven inches tall with a 2.5 inch diameter.  It is the only multiple stage rocket to fly in the program with the upper stage powered by a one of a kind outboard black powder motor adding 5.4 pounds of extra thrust to the rocket.   The first stage and ½ or main booster of the Astrobee D IV (D)  is controlled by a single sustainer composite motor along with two integral black powder side boosters programmed to ignite shortly after lift-off.    The Three solid fuel motors powering the first stage are the rockets muscle and will combine for over forty pounds of thrust pushing the rocket to an approximate altitude of over 12oo feet.    

    Electronics Bay #1 (EB1) is the rockets main flight computer and the brains behind the flying machine.  It will be secured inside the interior of the nose cone while the mail covers will be placed in a partition near the rear of the upper stage.   A test flight of the 1 ½ stage Astrobee D IV mark 3 rocket on October 17th was a resounding success however a variety of modifications have been made to the launch vehicle following the flight, thus accounting for the new (D) designation.   

      A second flight computer designated Electronics Bay #2 (EB2) is situated inside a small compartment at the aft end of the main booster.   Two on board miniature light weight cameras will also be along for the ride  recording critical video of the twin side booster ignition in the first stage and the backup ejection charge inside the Recovery Systems Bay in the second stage that will help separate the two halfs at or near apogee.

Gerhard Zucker’s Canadian Rocket Flight Stamps take flight After 75 Years On The Ground

       During the early 1930s a German engineer and businessman named Gerhard Zucker  became involved in a series of ill-fated rocketmail launches across Europe including England before the Gestapo, under Adolf Hitler's orders,  placed him under arrest and jailed Zucker indefinitely.

    At the 1936 Third International Philatelic Exhibition in New York City, Zucker (who remained in custody in Germany) relied on a friend,  Karl H. Hennig, Sr.,  to display his stamps, covers, and cachets in booth 77 at the Grand Central Palace on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.  The ‘Rocket-Flight’ postage  flown years later in Wilfred Ashley McIsaac’s program was among the merchandise at the exhibit.

       An interpreter working in the booth at the time later confirmed a launching rack as well as one of Zucker’s rockets were also on public display.  The same person admitted Hennig had even attempted to purchase a permit to launch the rocket but simply ran out of time.  In the end however the German refused to promote the collection through print or radio out of fear fear of Nazi reprisals and kept a low profile during his stay in the United States.   Zucker’s dreams of launching rocket mail on North American soil were never realized while the Canadian Rocket-Flight stamps disappeared into obscurity for three quarters of a century.  

    No known rocket flights in Canada had ever been successfully flown and recovered using official Canadian rocket mail stamps on board until October 31st, 2011 when McIsaac  launched the 1936 Gerhard Zucker ‘First Canadian Rocket-Flight’  postage stamps 75 years after they were created for the New York exhibit.    The story has since garnered interest from around the international philatelic community with articles in Stamp Magazine, Canadian Stamp News, and The Canadian Aerophilatelist to name just a few.

   The fifth and final launch of Wilfred Ashley McIsaac’s rocket mail program will take place some time in the spring at the Gananoque Airport in eastern Ontario.  “The rocketport” as McIsaac calls it,  has been home to his four previous rocket mail flights.  

Sources:   

The Air Mails Of Canada and Newfoundland, A Volume in the Sixth Edition of the American Air Mail Catalog, copyright 1996.   

Canadian Rocketmail Summary 2011-2014, wilfred Ashley McIsaac

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ILJp8yS9heOxPvOyFQyv803dXNAON1tyg7CoPAmXEZs/edit

'My Own Private Rocket Program'  Review, 2010-2013, wilfred Ashley McIsaac

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w_2RUq9VMW9yVjlqWbf29HXjGHgOE1F5ATmkxGnn_7Y/edit#heading=h.v16f56w4uda7

    

    

    

    

   

           GLOBAL ORBITAL DELIVERY SERVICES  ™

                                                                        presents

                    THE ORBITING DEAD

By the year 2075, miniature memorial satellites named ‘GODSATS’, carrying the remains of the dead inside, will forever orbit planet earth in clusters commonly referred to as celestial graveyards.  (creative nonfiction)                                                                         

(above left)  A young child and his grandfather look up at the night sky where their loved ones remains are encased in memorial satellites named GODSATS which endlessly circle the globe in large numbers referred to as celestial graveyards.  (above right)  By the year 2075 these celestial graveyards will be observed silently moving across the nights sky in a cosmic death dance lasting epochs.  

05/27/2075

California

      “Grandpa is it time yet”   a young boy named Tommy cries out from the backyard of his southern California home just minutes after the sun has set on a clear night in the year 2075.   He is around nine or ten years old  and stands precariously on a shaky picnic table hoping the height advantage will make a difference.   Straining his neck he incessantly looks up at the ever darkening sky.   After being ignored he tries again, “I think he’s coming….hurry pa”  this time with more vigor in his voice.   

      Seconds later an elderly man rushes out of the back patio door while stopping for a brief moment to close the screen door behind him.  In his rush Tommy had obviously forgot to close it.  The  man is carrying two sets of peculiar dark colored eye-wear.  The boy snaps his head away from the sky for only a brief second making sure his Grandpa has not forgotten anything.  “I’m coming Tommy, I’m coming”  the old man finally responds looking up at his anxious grandson.   “Hurry, hurry”  the boy insists reaching out his hand while maintaining his balancing act on the oscillating picnic table.  Regardless of all of this, Tommy remains completely focused on the same patch of western sky.  All of a sudden faint star like objects begin appearing  just above the horizon and  are tracking across the sky  from west to east.  They are difficult to see however with the naked eye.  

       The young boy snatches the glasses from his grandpa’s grasp and places them over his eyes like you would a regular pair of sun or 3D glasses.  His Grandfather scrambles to do the same.   “That’s much better”  Tommy says as he adjusts the eye wear.   Seconds later, “Here he comes”   the boy confirms his earlier observation with now two set of eyes gazing towards a group of what looks like slow moving stars arriving in formation from the west.  “I see him!” Tommys grandfather enthusiastically shouts out,  “and his mother is right behind him”  a long pause follows while the boy seems to be at a loss for words.   

     Tommy takes off his eye-ware and begins rubbing his eyes.   He peers down at his Grandfather who he now towers over while standing on the three and a half foot high table.  “Grandpa, when I die will I be up there with my dad and grandma for eternity.”  the boy asks in a soft tone hoping to be reassured.  His grandfather removes his glasses and looks up at his grandson “One day son we will all be satellites of the earth,.”  The two exchange smiles before putting their eye-wear back on and return to following the ever growing cluster of moving lights streaking across the nights sky.

 

    As time goes on and spaceflight becomes more affordable to people everywhere,  the final resting place of loved ones will not be six feet under,  but thousands of miles above in the opposite direction.  In the year 2075 cosmic tombstones orbiting the earth in large clusters referred to as ‘Celestial Cemeteries’ will become a popular final resting place for almost everyone on planet earth who passes on.

    In recent years companies such as SpaceX have flown the remains of several deceased celebrities on board their Dragon spacecraft including legendary Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.  After the flight Roddenberry’s ashes would have been removed from the capsule and handed back to his surviving family members.  Most likely his remains were placed in an urn and displayed over a fireplace or somewhere special where he can be remembered by friends and family.  If given the opportunity however,  I’m sure Roddenberry would have preferred to remain up in space for epochs while circling his home planet in a seemingly endless cosmic death dance.   

   These future memorial satellites, also referred to as ‘GODSATS’ (short for Global Orbital Delivery Satellites), will have strong reflective properties similar to Sputnik, the first earth satellite launched in 1957 by the former Soviet Union.   Sputnik was an 184 pound glimmering silver sphere around the size of a basketball.  When this miniature socialist intruder flew over parts of the United States it was tracked by anxious Americans on the ground using the aid of binoculars or a small telescope.  

     By the year 2075 anyone looking up at a clear night sky may be treated to the sight of hundreds or even thousands of shiny cosmic tombstones orbiting the planet in clustered or grouped celestial graveyards eerily moving in silence across the heavens.  The memorial satellites will come in many different shapes and sizes including an assortment of colors with varying degrees of brightness.  Private aerospace companies including SpaceX and Virgin Galactic will safely jettison these tiny satellites during routine trips to orbit.  Family members may also be on board the spacecraft taking part in a remembrance service just minutes before their loved ones are ejected into the vacuum of space thus becoming a permanent moon or satellite around planet earth.  

     Using the example at the beginning of this article with Tommy and his Grandfather,  family members and friends of the deceased would have access to special aids or tracking devices allowing them  a clearer view while assisting them in identifying their loved ones memorial marker as it streaks across the sky.   

       Like in graveyards around the world today,  cosmic tombstone will also compete against one another for attention using bigger and brighter ‘GODSATS’ for everyone to see.   These ubiquitous space urns will alter in size from that of a basketball, to as little as a tennis ball.   

    Other options or funeral packages will allow the customer to select specific mission profiles or orbital velocities ranging from highly elliptical orbits to circular ones.  Altitudes can be maintained anywhere from Low Earth Orbit (around 200 miles) or as far out as geosynchronous/geostationary orbit or 35,786 kilometers above earth.  With the later the GODSAT will forever remain above the same patch of sky mimicking communication satellites.  

     The future holds many surprises including what will happen to all of us after we die. The great Russian rocket pioneer Konstantin Edvardovich Tsiolkovsky believed gravity imprisoned the spirit and that a person, alive or dead,  who one day had the ability to escape the grasp of this invisible and menacing force, would be free to wander the universe for all eternity.  

     Perhaps by the year 2075,  heads will no longer bow down to honor the deceased as they rest in peace under six feet of topsoil, but raised up towards the heavens while the souls of the dead float free of earth’s gravity and cosmic tombstones are on display for all the world to see.  A profound resting place worthy of a galactic king or queen.     

Wilfred Ashley McIsaac