>>>Back in the 1960s we didn't have the space shuttle to get all excited about. We had to settle for men walking on the crummy moon.
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>>And had the luxury airplane carrier meet the landing capsule in the spaceous ocean, while the Soviets landed peasant-style, on a field. And while the ceramics problems of the space shuttle are yet to be fully debugged, today's Russian kosmonauts still land with the same lack of finesse, grandeur and parade, straight on a field.
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>AT least the Ruskies weren't unceremoniously dumped in the sea. I always thought their system more elegant (even if it was just a van picking them up) - less chance of drowning (was it Grissom who nearly drowned when trhe explosive bolts on the capsule "went" too early, he jumped in the sea, which filled his airtight suit and nearly dragged him under?)

I agree with everything except the "unceremoniously". Americans have a vast ceremony each time... to cover up the fact that for 45 years they still haven't solved the problem of landing a capsule. Oceaning (is it a word? now it is) one is a different matter, though.