http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/061306DrunkJudges.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/south_asia/2582897.stm

http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=75200

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2115321,00.html

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-4/116236456275620.xml&coll=1

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/7newsinvestigates/10328492/detail.html

Glad to hear it.

Adrian..... I love you.

I knew a judge back home (not saying where that is), he used to say to people driving home after a few jars "It's fine, I've said it's OK".

So, should my faith in NASA's astronauts is restored then?

Do they even steer?

As if they would say anything else. I'd grant a lot more credibility to that statement has NASA not gone and totally forget the standards of quality that Apollo 13 demonstrated.

In those days, they may have had to put square filters in round holes, but they would never have been confused with meters vs yards, nor would they have ever allowed their judgement to consider CYA when considering their options.

But nowadays, it ain't scientists that are in charge anymore, it's the beancounters.

You're sorely mistaken there. Space is overfilled with all manner of satelites and old junk from previous space missions. Ofcourse most everything is tracked by radar to allow the shuttle and the ISS to avoid any collisions.

In the event of a collision, there's also the bit that it's a tad more serious then your average fender bender in traffic, objects travelling at a relative velocity of several kilometers per second have the annoying tendency to pass through your spacecraft in their entirety.

Which is not much of a qualification, that is.

"Even after three drinks he was sober as a judge" is in the definition at answers.com for this proverb

Apocryphal story that only works in England, not the US: a barrister is prosecuting a case in front of a very senior judge notorious for his drinking. At one point he claims that the defendant had been "as drunk as a judge" at the time of the alleged crime. The judge interrupts him and says "I believe the expression is 'as drunk as a lord'", to which the barrister replies "Yes, m'lord".

A man was arrested for being drunk. He was taken to court and appeared before a judge. Still drunk, he turned towards the bench and protested that he was innocent. "I was as drunk as you are. As drunk as a judge."

The judge was annoyed. He corrected the man "The correct expression is 'As sober as a judge'. Another expression exists. One can say 'As drunk as a Lord'."

" Sorry my Lord."

Dot dot dot and then he says "sorry, m'lud"!

Oh, damn. I'll get my coat.

If we take the introduction to the story completely literally, that doesn't really say anything about whether astronauts are drunk at lift-off or not; no astronaut has actually headed for the stars yet (at least not as far as the public knows).

It's the beer cans left in orbit that bother me. How long will they take to come down?

This thread reminds me of part of a Pete 'n Dud sketch.

Dud: "Dunno why everyone says 'Pissed as a newt'. I once new a newt and he was always as sober as a judge."

Pete: "That's funny. I once knew a judge and he was always as pissed as a newt."

these comments are much better than the story and how did this drunken space jocks talk get started anyway not that I would hold it against them one observation however it's very unlikely that people would knowingly submit themselves to the first hours of zero g with a hangover throwing up is one thing the type of sick this would make you would put you off your lager.