Correct. There was no way to seal the tanks on the ground. Once the plane heated up, the metal would expand and the tanks would seal.

Third restriction would have to do with emergency descent time after depressurization. This would probably apply but since the pilots are in pressure suits they’d have ample time so it wouldn’t be restrictive.

Seems to me the taxiway has a slight sideways incline.

85,000 feet is the official Blackbird ceiling, although it supposedly could fly higher

When I’m on vacation I can easily read a novel every day or two. It all comes down to the things mentioned in the article. No distractions and not falling asleep. Pool chairs in the shade are perfect. They’re just not quite comfortable enough to easily fall asleep in, and you’re not ensconced “safely” in your room.

Nobody in Europe would ever fasten an American license plate to their car in an attempt to seem cooler.

I still prefer an analog speedometer and tach. I do not like excess back-lit screens in my face, especially during night driving.

It is QUEEN-ah-mann. FOR I AM THE QUEEN OF ALL FLEMISH BAKED GOODS.

As well you should. However extra layers of redundancy are not a bad thing. Humans are easily distracted and fatigued.

As mentioned by others, WiFi extenders have an annoying tendency to make things worse. The only reliable solutions in my experience:

That’s not an An-124...

Apples and Oranges. Somewhat. The 747 is much better for “normal” cargo ops. The planform is more efficient. However it does not have the An-124’s capacity for outsize cargo or less well equipped airports.

Also Apollo XIII may have been a mission failure, but the booster did its job. Saturn V itself has never had a failure.

Does e-book count? ;)

The Fifth Imperium site is not affiliated with Baen Books. However they do have permission to host the ISO files for CDs that used to come with Baen hardbacks.

He started the jet up, taxied to one of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro’s runways—which was unlit at the time—and pushed the throttles forward.

Whoops. Forgot to look at the time stamp. :O

Not nearly the worst, but two quirky countries (ok, HK is not really a country but for licensing purposes it might as well be).

My guess is that the Singapore government is not so subtly encouraging people not to buy cars