A crumbling Empire makes a last-ditch attempt to reach the stars. Follow me: / _britmonkey Patreon: / britmonkey Merch (US): crowdmade.com/collections/bri... Music list: pastebin.com/zCp97dMX
inventing one of the best early rockets around using stolen knowledge then giving up because budget cuts is probably the most British thing to ever happen
@@marveyzing1495 Britain is a Dumster fire of a nation that has a long proud history of stealing stuff, doing something amazing then giving up because of budget cuts
@@DEV-rw7eu for a country that conquered a lot of land for spices they sure do make a lot of food that tastes like dry oats stored in a cardboard box for 20 years in a damp basement
Being a British person and learning about this made me at least 20% more British and the fact they don't teach this in school is an absolute travesty Sure it's not as grandiose as the first man-made satellite in space all the first man in the moon or Yuri Gagarin. But it's our great little achievement And it's just nice little bit of history all brits should all be proud of
The British space program still exists, it just doesn't have launch capability. They can still design spacecraft but they need others to launch them. They designed their independent military communications satellite network called... Skynet. I'm not joking. While a lot of the projects are run in conjunction with the French and Germans via ESA/Airanespace/Airbus, they do maintain an independent capability in most matters other than launch services.
@@NozomuYume There are rocket launch companies based in the UK but they are private and only launch small payloads. Most of the launch sites are small and in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland or the tip of Cornwall. But tbf that's more launch sites than any other European country unless you count French Guiana as being France which I guess it is in a de jure sense but not really lol
Due to the Black arrow program being based on all those expensive military rockets was it was one of the cheapest orbital rocket programs in history from any nation. All 5 cost a similar amount to a single launch of a French rocket.
It was also 15 years behind the Russian and American "first Morse code capable satellite" stage. By '71, America was getting bored with playing golf on the moon....
@@NullHand America was driving electric cars on the moon, the Soviet Union was looking into making a space station in about a decade, meanwhile the UK had just figured out how to get a satellite to transmit back using morse code. The Uk's space program, possibly the best example of how much their empire was dying around them
@@michaelsoland3293 Probably more of an example on how the UK was still able to do a space program although they really had different problems back then. This and the fact that they gave up then just shows how the UK viewed itself in the world as a small power. After all, the decision to end the program was a political one. A heroic last show of power.
The national tragedy to be the first county to give up on launch capability with our own rocket as well as a British designed and built Satellite, What's more it was done incredibly cheaply, if it was rebuilt today it would still be one of the cheapest ways to get to orbit. But it was politics in my view that killed it, As Ted Heath was desperate for the UK to join the then EEC (pre runner to what is now the EU) He had to appease the French as they did not want the UK in the EEC and also they did not want competition with its own space plans :( That eventually became the Ariane.
@Korsalath Britain died out as an empire after World War 2. Trying to recapture the past isn't gonna work. Everything dies with time. The UK has been a perfectly wonderful country to live in (except Brexit rocking the boat) despite its issues, and I think you guys will be fine. Sometimes it's okay to just enjoy life for what it is.
Watching that satellite float through space to God save the Queen made me feel patriotic like Homer Simpson at the US Embassy in Australia crying at the machine that makes the toilet flush "the American way"
But he was right tho... Von Braun was the mathematical pragmatists' mathematical pragmatist. He probably had orbital elements computed in advance for every dump he took.
Yep, von Braun took being a pragmatist, and a stickler to the rules, to the extreme. He treated the "workers" (or rather should I say prisoners) that built his first V2 rocket base back in Germany in a similar way, which somehow makes it even more terrifying.
"To think of these stars that you see overhead at night, these vast worlds which we can never reach. I would annex the planets if I could; I often think of that. It makes me sad to see them so clear and yet so far." - Cecil Rhodes
well if commercial space flight (like SpaceX) takes off, the UK won't need to have national launch capability to be customers. The first ships of the earthly British Empire were caravels built by Portugal after all.
Then they became... BRITANNIA ULTIMA. Their power spanned nearly 2/3 of the Galaxy, deeply influencing many of the extra-terrestrial cultures of the planets which flourished under their control. The once Great Britain who had ruled the waves of Earth, now reigned over the stars of the infinite beyond-- A once fading empire was now just a distant memory of the hardships they endured... Now, what was once a small island nation that dreamed of their former glory now sits upon their throne of stars. The countless billions, even trillions of their citizens had come from every corner of the galaxy, and remained prosperous under the proud and watchful eye of Her Majesty. -- Circa. 12,022 CE
I have actually met two people vaguely related to this program, one is my Grandfather who helps wind tunnel the Rockets, the other is an aged rocket scientist I met at a bus stop in Norfolk who was involved in the calculations they made for the rockets.
My grandfather passed away a few days before this video was uploaded. he lived in Canada most of his life but had duel citizenship so he could, in his words "Be born British and die British." The ending of that little probe sailing through space with god save the queen playing softly in the backround made me think of him and how he probably would've laughed his ass off at the jokes in your video but also be proud of his homeland for how much they achieved with how little they had.
@@shzarmai I mean the australia has massive collaboration with NASA already. The only thing australia doesnt do is launch its own rockets, everything else in the space business australia is a key part of. I dont think it would be difficult, its just more that we currently dont need our own space resources strategically because we are aligned with the US, although I do think it is changing with commercial space companies now offering to launch satellites etc, so it is not hinged on the country actually developing rocket technology (which pretty much was a cover story for ICBM development lol)
To replace the 1970s space program a replacement service of Blake 7 was scheduled for the UK. Austrialia implemented their Farscape program in the 90s.
"Von Braun ... didn't think the British could afford him" To quote Tom Lehrer: "Gather round while I sing you of Wehner Von Braun, A man who's allegiance us ruled by expedience."
@@olivercuenca4109 von Brain didn’t want his inventions to be used in war. But it was the only way to get funding for the rockets. Without him, we probably would’ve just started getting to the moon. But because of him, we are coming back for a second time.
@@zorktxandnand3774 yes, he did know. He chose to work for the Nazis because they were the only ones willing to fund him. Once again, like him or not, we would’ve barely made it to space without him. He did not want his work to be used on people. The thousands of deaths because of him, made von Braun deeply regret it. And after the war, there is evidence of him going into religion, not talking of the war, and all that. As shown in For All Mankind, when NASA wanted to make a base on the Moon that can be used for military. Von Braun responded, “No! I will not let my work be used for war again! Not this time!” And while it is a fictional show, it can be inferred that von Braun will probably say the same thing in that scenario. Yeah, yeah. Bombing s in London and all. I know. But if he was never in war, how would you think of home then?
@@zorktxandnand3774 His country was at war. Whether you like the leader of the country or not, you still have to fight for your country, because your not fighting for the leader, you're fighting for the country. Von braun was a German. I don't fault him for fighting for Germany, and countries like my own (the US) or Britain, that were willing to go in partnership with Josef Stalin have no right to criticize those who fought for Hitler.
Regarding HTP(High Test Peroxide), this was not some revolutionary chemical that only the British used, both Sputnik and Explorer 1 (America's first Satellite) were launched using rockets that used peroxide powered turbopumps. In fact, almost all of the larger early rocket engines used HTP due to them being derived from V-2's which also used peroxide-powered turbopumps. However, the British were the only ones to use HTP as the primary oxidizer as far as I am aware. In general, Kerosene/HTP rockets tend to be easier to build and more reliable than conventional kerosene/oxygen rockets, but less efficient, so it is a trade-off.
Also, the smaller reaction control rockets on the Gemini & Apollo space crafts were powered by peroxide. These were just used for short bursts, so much different from powering a booster with the stuff.
Before it was a space launching site for Britain, Woomera was the location of a communications hub for NASA during the Mercury and Gemini flights. And from what I know, the Americans and Australians got along very well. Some of the best space histories have been written by Australians.
I absolutely love you for using "2814 - Recovery" for the background music in the beginning omg! I thought I had another tab open but nope, it was in this video! Epic content mate.
I was interested to see how far the space program advanced. I too am a lad of the British Empire. Despite both these things, I heartily offer *Fuck the Empire!*
I've been to the museum when I was younger, I took a picture of it. Had no idea about its background, and I also grabbed a picture of a British astronaut suit.
wow, I am not even an English native speaker but that hurt me, how an empire that was able to spread around the world just gave up to spread to the rest of the universe. It's simple sad.
as an Anglophile full of ambition... i will revive the "British Space Programme" (i love space and my country..) well... well... prospero and black arrow (the so-called lipstick rocket) both are my favorites btw...
I am proud to say that during my limited time in England I was able to see both of the remaining Black Arrow Rockets and even put my hand on the one which launched Prospero! It was pretty squished but still jolly good.
Class video mate, went to the science museum in London a few months back and saw the Black Arrow there but didn't know the full history behind it until now
@@Alice-7777 why are you replying to so many comments with random illogical hate? There is one british satellite in space, thats it. whats your point? Most countries on earth don't have either haha
Man good job, you video's really get in the recomanded page, i think you will blow up , for example now when i am commenting you have 18.514 views and 1,4 likes, I really want to see in a month how much you will have just on this video!
Proud Yankee here. We didn’t capture German rocket scientists because we wanted them for anything. We captured them to make sure the Soviets couldn’t have them.
High test peroxide was widely used by the germans, us, and soviets. The us and soviets mostly used it to spin up turbo pumps, and rcs thrusters. Germans used htp for the messerschmitt ME163 among other things.
In 1960 a consortium of British companies approached the Government with a view to forming the British Space Development Company to develop a commercial satellite network. The Government rejected the idea because they believed it would be 20 years before the technology required for it would exist. It came as a bit of a surprise when the Americans announced COMSAT in 1963, resulting in Intelsat a large fleet of commercial satellites; the first of Intelsat's fleet, Intelsat 1 (Early Bird) was launched in April 1965. We could have had a British reusable SSTO by now but the Government declared the technology for HOTOL to be "Top Secret" and then axed the project due to a lack of commercial interest. It's kinda hard to get people to invest in something when you can't tell them anything about it... Yes, there's Sabre but it's not quite the same as HOTOL. Sabre is having to be developed without infringing HOTOL's patents and anything covered by the Official Secrets Act.
Sure Britan may be irrelevant by modern standards, our budget is pretty much out the window, and the days of old are long behind us, Britain is not a superpower anymore by any stretch of the imagination, but for a moment, just one moment a peice of britan sorred in the heavens, flying amongst the stars with all the other Greats, for just that one brief moment Britain was as great as the superpowers were. One hell of a last hurrah. and that should never be forgotten Rather poetic in a sense. "In the Twilight years of an ages old Empire it commits itself to one final act of expansion, the greatest of all, to the heavens themselves, was much trial tribulation and failure a final bit of luck enables our greatest Minds one final attempt and with much anticipation and uncertainty, they succeed and so in that final expansion ensures that no matter what happens in the world below in a small sort of way the sun shall never set on the British Empire" 8:30 legitimately cried a little bit with pride there, because we did a thing and it was pretty awesome
The current Artemis Space Program has NASA partnering with the space programs of Japan, Germany, Italy, Israel, Canada, and the European Space Agency, which the UK is a part of.❤
Moderately amusing. By 1971 the British had relinquished their empire with considerably better grace than the French, the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Belgians, etc. ever did. The Americans never relinquished theirs, nor the Russians theirs. Many would argue that the French, with the CFA franc, never gave up theirs. But let's just invite Indians and others with giant chips on their shoulders about the English/UK to fail to grasp the self-deprecating humour here, as they always do.
The last shot should've been what they did; set up an 8 track with "God Save the Queen" looped on every single track, switching to the next track every loop for added redundancy.
Another weird thing that happened during the Black Arrow program was the last uncontacted group of Australian Aboriginals was found during clearance of the drop area for a stage of test rocket.
They gave up because their eyes were too filled of tears because of how proud they were of their son for taking up the family business on planting their flag on rocks they planted their flag on the biggest rock.
Canada, after the Avro Arrow, Ram tank, and Ross rifle watching the British having their program cancelled in exchange for something an ally was using: "First time?"
