seven weeks' ago, i learned about the work of Epic Paine.
Epic had built what he claims is the first working rocket within Second Life, and fittingly it is the Mercury-Redstone 3, which - in 1961 - carried Alan Shepard in the Freedom 7 capsule, so that Shepard later would become the first astronaut to return to Earth with his ship.
it's taken me a while before committing to support Epic by purchasing his replica of the Mercury-Redstone 3, but i just wanted to be sure that i'd do his efforts justice. in fact, i plan to feature his work in a presentation i'll be delivering on Second Life later this month.
Epic's work is really quite something, and i think one of the best things about Second Life is that it's a world which can continually hold surprises and the most rich experiences for its residents.
it will be a long time before i forget that view out of the tiny capsule-window of a rapidly-receding landscape as my rocket accelerated into space. it's something which no Hollywood movie could ever prepare you for.
[update: it seems that this is turning out to be a day to celebrate aeronautical pioneers. Samm Ritt has recently reworked his interpretation of one of the very few achievements which could arguably be said to top the Mercury-Redstone 3 in significance - no less than the Wright Flyer itself. do check it out :-) ]
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