@sarahsalviander “Above all, do not attempt to use science- I mean, the real sciences - as a defense against Christianity. They will positively encourage him to think about realities he can neither touch nor see” —Screwtape
SR-71: Origin Story
After Francis Gary Powers and his U-2 were shot down over the Soviet Union on 1 May 1960, the CIA knew the game had changed forever. The slow, high-altitude spy plane that had been their eyes in the sky was suddenly vulnerable to Soviet SAMs. Within months a black project was born: a successor that would fly higher, faster, and farther than anything the Soviets could touch. That project was the Lockheed A-12 Oxcart—conceived, designed, and built under extreme secrecy at the Skunk Works for the CIA alone.
Kelly Johnson’s team took the lessons of the U-2 disaster and pushed titanium, stealth shaping, and sustained Mach 3 performance into a single airframe. The A-12 first flew in 1962; the Air Force later ordered its own two-seat version, the SR-71 Blackbird. What you see in this photograph is the production line at Lockheed’s Plant 42 in Palmdale—rows of unfinished Blackbirds being assembled under the tightest security of the Cold War. Every aircraft that rolled off this floor carried the DNA of a CIA emergency response to the Powers shoot-down.
Sixty years later the SR-71 remains the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft ever built. It was never shot down. That alone tells you how completely the black-project answer to 1 May 1960 succeeded.
The SR-71 Blackbird has landed on X!
Unofficial fan account for the legendary Habu; the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft ever built.
Expect history, rare photos, facts, and pure Mach 3+ glory.
Glad you’re here. The Blackbird’s story continues.
@cenkuygur That’s because a lot of Americans that still watch cable news are older and evangelical. The Palestinian POV is already assumed to be false.
@RedundantNeet@PaulTassi Dude, let’s be real: the reception to this game from the initial reveal on was lukewarm at best. Bungie is known for AAA, 4-quadrant crowd pleasers with mass appeal…and hardcore extraction shooters are definitely not that. This game was never going to be mega-popular.
@PaulTassi Okay…does it somehow get better or different after some magical amount of hours played? Realistically, you probably spent more time with it than 90%+ of the people who bought it.
@Bug_Hall Property tax and insurance have always been a variable cost of home ownership. And COVID caused those costs (especially homeowners’ insurance) to increase exponentially. My annual HO rate has increased at least ~3x in the last decade.