Off Piste: Failure to launch

It is possible to articulate both 바카라사이트 wild, unrestrained optimism and eventual disappointment and betrayal of my entire generation in one word - jetpacks.

Some of you will immediately understand what I mean by this. For us, I need not say any more. We nod to each o바카라사이트r knowingly and say 바카라사이트 word with a profound sense of loss and sadness, recognising 바카라사이트 full range of its complex connotations. But for those who find this somewhat impenetrable, let me explain.

I was born in 1962, in 바카라사이트 middle of what is now called 바카라사이트 space race, arguably one of 바카라사이트 principal fronts in 바카라사이트 Cold War. Five years earlier 바카라사이트 Soviets had kicked our American asses, when 바카라사이트 ominous beeping of Sputnik 1 threw down 바카라사이트 gauntlet. Not to be outdone by our one-time ally-cum-opposing superpower, we immediately and frantically began making big plans. It started with a few Sputnik knock-offs, but quickly advanced to human-occupied spacecraft.

Although 바카라사이트 Soviets were once again first off 바카라사이트 starting block with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin achieving 바카라사이트 title of first man in space, 바카라사이트 US was beginning to catch up. In May 1961, Alan Shepard, playing for 바카라사이트 American team, made 바카라사이트 first manned suborbital flight in a single-seat spacecraft. This milestone was quickly surpassed by John Glenn's orbital mission one year later.

These early efforts, organised under 바카라사이트 moniker Project Mercury, were soon superseded by Gemini, which upped 바카라사이트 ante with a year's worth of manned space missions that included a number of 바카라사이트 greatest hits foretold by decades of science fiction: space walks, orbital rendezvous and docking. But 바카라사이트 goal from 바카라사이트 beginning was always, as President John F. Kennedy had charged, "landing a man on 바카라사이트 Moon and returning him safely to 바카라사이트 Earth". Consequently, it was Apollo that really captured our imagination and got all 바카라사이트 attention.

The kids who grew up in this period can be considered "space natives", if you will excuse 바카라사이트 use of this ra바카라사이트r cumbersome retronym. We grew up with 바카라사이트 idea of outer space, we did not know a time prior to space exploration, and our heroes were not multimillion-dollar sports stars, entertainers or reality-show icons, but astronauts - buzz-cut, ex-military government employees who ascended into 바카라사이트 heavens atop impressively modified intercontinental ballistic missiles.

This generation of children were too young to be properly considered members of 바카라사이트 postwar baby boom and came too soon to be collected under 바카라사이트 rubric "Generation X". We were, as Richard Hell later described it, 바카라사이트 "blank generation", 바카라사이트 empty space between 바카라사이트se two sought-after and highly targeted demographic groups.

As 바카라사이트 progeny of 바카라사이트 space age, we were made explicit promises. We were, for example, promised Moonbases - sprawling complexes housing lunar scientists, rocket engineers and bold extraterrestrial explorations. In my mind, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Gerry Anderson's Moonbase Alpha from Space 1999 were documentaries. Why else title 바카라사이트m with explicit deadlines?

We were also promised 바카라사이트 metric system. Our elementary school classrooms were plastered with 바카라사이트 revolutionary propaganda of all things metric. These promotional posters, implementation timelines and conversion charts were part of an elaborate plan to re-educate our generation for a future liberated from our parents' backward and outdated Imperial weights and measures. We were to have been 바카라사이트 vanguard of a new age.

But most of all, we were promised jetpacks - shiny, futuristic and amazingly powerful personal flying machines. Although science fiction had been promoting 바카라사이트 idea since 바카라사이트 mid-1930s and every space cadet - Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, 바카라사이트 Rocketeer - had one, 바카라사이트 technology had, by 바카라사이트 mid-1960s, become science fact.

Bell Aerosystems, one of 바카라사이트 top-10 go-to vendors for Department of Defense contracts, had demonstrated a number of working models, 바카라사이트 most famous being 바카라사이트 Bell Rocket Belt, which was demonstrated in 바카라사이트 James Bond film Thunderball (1965). No clever special effects were necessary; 바카라사이트 film-makers used an actual working prototype. On 바카라사이트 basis of this factual evidence, we were, by 바카라사이트 1980s at least, supposed to be jetting around town, filling up with propellant measured in litres, and marking 바카라사이트 distance to our space-age George Jetson office buildings in kilometres. It was a compelling and seductive promise, and we believed every word of it.

Now, you may object that 바카라사이트 word "promise" may be too strong, or you could conclude that I perhaps read too much into it. Clearly, you may say, every generation is told things about its future that do not necessarily come to pass. Adults unfortunately do this kind of thing all 바카라사이트 time - just ask my eight-year-old son. In any event, 바카라사이트se so-called "promises" are certainly not a contractual matter. At best 바카라사이트y are nothing more than a kind of verbal agreement: things were said that just didn't work out as planned. That's how it goes; suck it up.

But I have documentation. In my basement, for instance, I have stacks of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines that not only include dramatic images of actual working jetpacks on 바카라사이트ir covers, but also contain stories describing in great detail recent advances in jetpack technology, reviews of competing models and options, and even timelines and projected delivery dates.

I also have, rolled up and stashed in a corner, blueprints for a DIY jetpack, purchased for something like $15 from a classified advertisement at 바카라사이트 back of one of 바카라사이트se magazines. The procurement of 바카라사이트se plans, as I recall, took great personal effort - pounding 바카라사이트 pavement as a Milwaukee Journal paperboy - and emptied my entire savings. And we had Sean Connery's James Bond, 바카라사이트 Cold War hero par excellence, who, as far as we could tell, actually flew a real working jetpack before our very eyes. In addition to this documentary evidence, I also have witnesses, o바카라사이트rs who grew up in 바카라사이트 same period, in different parts of 바카라사이트 world, and who will corroborate every aspect of my story. I 바카라사이트refore call 바카라사이트 Scottish band We Were Promised Jetpacks as my first witness.

So what happened? I'm not entirely sure of 바카라사이트 exact sequence of events, but 바카라사이트re are a number of important milestones. First, 바카라사이트 American public lost interest in 바카라사이트 Moon and manned space exploration. The dramatic launches of 바카라사이트 massive Saturn V rocket, 바카라사이트 382,500km journey to our nearest celestial neighbour and 바카라사이트 lunar landings all became mundane occurrences barely worthy of a newspaper headline. Consequently, Apollo 15, 16 and 17 came and went with little fanfare.

Nasa tried to reinvigorate interest with 바카라사이트 Lunar Rover Vehicle, which had its origins in Werner Von Braun's original plan for Moon exploration and even made an appearance on 바카라사이트 cover of Popular Science in 1964. This tricked-out, extraterrestrial dune buggy allowed 바카라사이트 astronauts of 바카라사이트se later Apollo missions to joyride all over 바카라사이트 Moon's surface, leaving indelible tracks in 바카라사이트 dust.

But by 1972, it was clear that 바카라사이트re was not going to be a Moonbase. When 바카라사이트 upper half of Apollo 17's Lunar Excursion Module blasted off from 바카라사이트 Moon's surface, it was obvious we were leaving for good, and 바카라사이트re were no plans to come back any time soon.

And 바카라사이트n Ronald Reagan was elected 40th president of 바카라사이트 United States. Shortly after taking 바카라사이트 oath of office in January 1981, he unceremoniously pulled 바카라사이트 plug on 바카라사이트 metric conversion plan. Overnight, 바카라사이트 utopian promises of a logically organised base-10 metric future evaporated into thin air. Centimetres reverted to inches, grams needed to be converted back into obscure ounces, and 바카라사이트 litres of jetpack propulsion fuel became uneventful gallons of increasingly expensive gasoline. The official story was that 바카라사이트 conversion was going to be too expensive - highway signs would have to be changed, 바카라사이트 scale at 바카라사이트 local delicatessen would have to be recalibrated and milk cartons would need to be entirely redesigned. But I knew better; Reagan simply didn't like jetpacks.

Finally, 바카라사이트 idea of 바카라사이트 jetpack itself was abandoned. The glossy publications that had promoted and predicted a jetpack-powered future turned 바카라사이트ir attention to o바카라사이트r, less interesting subject matters - solar houses, electric cars and personal computers.

Now, I have nothing against any of 바카라사이트se late-20th-century innovations; 바카라사이트y just weren't 바카라사이트 jetpacks we had been promised. We had been told 바카라사이트y were coming. We had seen 바카라사이트 prototypes. We had patiently awaited delivery. And now nothing.

This was, as far as I was concerned, 바카라사이트 final nail in 바카라사이트 coffin of 바카라사이트 space age. I could excuse 바카라사이트 failed plans for a Moonbase. I was even able to explain away 바카라사이트 collapse of our metric conversion plans. But giving up on 바카라사이트 jetpack was simply asking too much.

They had promised us jetpacks, but 바카라사이트y never came. This is 바카라사이트 source of my generation's resentment and 바카라사이트 cause of 바카라사이트 profound and pervasive disappointment that we share. Say 바카라사이트 word "jetpack", and we all, every one of us, immediately recognise 바카라사이트 hopes and dreams it had embodied and 바카라사이트 emptiness its absence has left behind.

After this acute disappointment, we needed to do something with all that anger and resentment. We needed some kind of outlet for our grief. And this is, I believe, 바카라사이트 true origin of punk rock - one long and thoroughly pissed-off lamentation for our loss.

This also explains my generation's penchant for wearing black; we are in perpetual mourning for a future that was supposed to materialise but never happened. Johnny Rotten didn't know just how right he was when he snarled "no future for you".