Sky Hook (1971)

[James A. Landau]

"James Knight, MLIS" <jlk at 3GECKOS.NET> wrote

>  The Times, Tuesday, Aug 25, 1953; pg. 3; Issue 52709; col D
>  Launching Rockets From Balloons Cheaper Research At High Altitudes FROM
> OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.
>
>  "Dr. Van Allen explained that a small rocket weighing 200lb., carrying 30lb
>  of scientific equipment, could be lifted to 70,000ft. by suspending it from
>  a plastic balloon of the "sky-hook" type, and then automatically released
>  to continue its upward journey under its own power."

My statement that the Skyhook project was classified is from a book I read
many years ago (and not available on Amazon.com).  Judging from the above quote
and from a  similar 1951 citation in the OED2, the name "Skyhook" was not
classified, although the actual launchings of the balloons may have been.

(Or else the OED publishes citations from classified documents!  No wonder
Jesse Sheidlower uses the alias "Jester").

Seán Fitzpatrick <grendel.jjf at VERIZON.NET> writes

>  I was never sent
>  to the supply sergeant to get a sky hook, but it is in the same category
>  as the gunner's daughter and checkerboard paint, not to mention
>  left-handed smoke shifters and monkey wrenches.

Checkerboard paint is obvious, but I am not familiar with the reference to
"the gunner's daughter."

Left-handed [monkey wrenches] do exist---they are identical to right-handed
monkey wrenches except that the label is reversed.  OED2 under "sky hook" has a
1970 citation for "lleft-handed wrench".  I am suspicious of the existence of
a "smoke shifter", whether or not it comes in right- and left-handed versions.

If we continue much further, we will be in danger of disproving the existence
of "left-handed compliments".

Sam Clements <sclements at NEO.RR.COM> wrote:

>I always though of Heinlein and Clark [sic] as more the two-handed set-shot
types,

I have met both Heinlein and Clarke.  Heinlein seemed to be the physically
stolid type (but that may have been because he was 70 at the time).  Clarke is
at least moderately athletic---his long-time hobby was scuba diving and I once
took a photo of him dancing rather energetically at a SFWA party.

       - Jim Landau

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