Rocket scientists can’t count

Trust a government bureaucracy like NASA to make rocket scientists look like idiots:

The link goes to this history page, where the alternative text for the main image is: “Sputnik: Fortieth Anniversary”.

Now those of you who studied advanced applied mathematics may already suspect that something is wrong here. Indeed, a little bit of calculation makes it clear that in fact, it is Sputnik’s 50th anniversary today. Here’s the proof. Close your eyes if you’re scared of complicated maths: Δt = t₂ — t₁. Since t₁ = 1957 and t₂ = 2007, it follows that Δt = 50. QED. No wonder NASA’s super-expensive tax-funded space ships keep breaking.

Never mind the Soviets. Google is watching.