Awww c'mon Russell.... You for sure should know that Buck Rogers did that all the time back in the 50s!
But yeah you are right it is pretty cool. I read some of the comments, and noticed the one about the "waste of fuel". Guess I'll have to find out what they are using fuel-wise... I seem to remember some early Gemini flights fueled with Hydrogen and Oxygen (in liquid form) and later Red Fulmic Acid and LOX. Non-fossil fuels with plenty of punch, and byproducts really bad for the environment.... stuff like heat and WATER VAPOR! Gasp!
Take Care;
Doug
OK, did my homework. Something called RP-1 and LOX is the new fuel.... kinda really pure Kerosene so still a "fossil-fuel" but safer than Alcohol, Methane, etc.. Supposedly burns really clean (even compared to JP-6 Jet Fuel) with less CO and CO2 emissions and fewer PPM of carbon ash. Personally I was rooting for Hydrogen and LOX, but it just doesn't measure up in terms of thrust/Lbs of fuel. Guess we'll just have to keep working on that ion hyper-drive concept.
Are you sure you can't remember where you stashed that crate of di-lithium crystals?
"what is this quintessence of dust?" - Shakespeare