International The Space, Science, Technology thread: America back in space

[Phr3121]

And super mad slow.

...you mean inside the capsule? In orbit around Earth it would be traveling at roughly 17,150 miles per hour.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

...you mean inside the capsule? In orbit around Earth it would be traveling at roughly 17,150 miles per hour.

Which is not fast enough to realistically get us to the more intradastering places.

 

[Phr3121]

There is this new show called Strange Angels. Have either of you heard of this? It is apparently about this other guy named Jack Parsons. He is another prominent rocket engineer. So who was the bigger deal Jack Parsons, or your boy Werner Von Braun?

No. Never heard of the show or Jack Parsons. I think Von Braun was in a much higher league than Parsons.

* Cause of death for Parsons = explosion. Does not sound good.

 

[JDragon]

There is this new show called Strange Angels. Have either of you heard of this? It is apparently about this other guy named Jack Parsons. He is another prominent rocket engineer. So who was the bigger deal Jack Parsons, or your boy Werner Von Braun?

Well Parsons certainly also had suspect surroundings...

Parsons converted to Thelema, Aleister Crowley's new religious movement. (..)
In 1945 Parsons separated from Helen after having an affair with her sister Sara; Sara left him for L. Ron Hubbard.

 

[Phr3121]

China’s plans for the Moon, Mars and beyond...

China may beat the Americans in future space exploration if we (Americans) don't get the right funding. I personally do not see the U.S. Congress approving billions of dollars for a manned mission to Mars (NASA). A joint venture with other countries might work. The costs involved are astronomical, either by the government or private. I do see the Chinese government making that commitment. Their chance to be the 'first' at something in space. Their chance at increasing their world power status. What they don't know, they can steal from the Americans, like the Soviets did.

Link: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/china-space-moon-base-mars-landing

 

[JDragon]

China’s plans for the Moon, Mars and beyond...

China may beat the Americans in future space exploration if we (Americans) don't get the right funding. I personally do not see the U.S. Congress approving billions of dollars for a man mission to Mars (NASA). A joint venture with other countries might work. The costs involved are astronomical, either by the government or private. I do see the Chinese government making that commitment. Their chance to be the 'first' at something in space. Their chance at increasing their world power status. What they don't know, they can steal from the Americans, like the Soviets did.

Link: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/china-space-moon-base-mars-landing

Well many things point at the US-China rivalry being the new Cold War, only with a stronger emphasis on the economic than the military part when compared to the CW. In other words, another space race could be triggered if China advances sufficiently to make a realistic move at Mars before someone else does.

 

[Phr3121]

Well many things point at the US-China rivalry being the new Cold War, only with a stronger emphasis on the economic than the military part when compared to the CW. In other words, another space race could be triggered if China advances sufficiently to make a realistic move at Mars before someone else does.

Don't see it happening.
I don't think Americans really care about Mars. China can have it. What are the benefits of a manned mission to Mars? None that I can think of. The Russians are not showing any interest either. Both Americans and Russians have much bigger 'fish' to fry here on Earth. Now a U.S., Chinese, and Russian mission might work, but I think China wants the 'glory' all to itself. I think it will be unmanned missions in space for many years to come.

 

[Philo-Publius]

Spoiler: Why this is the correct tag, mods

This thread covers space mission by multiple countries that sometimes were conducted in international cooperation. In the absence of a Science or Tech tag, this is the most fitting.

2018 has been a pretty exciting year regarding everything that had to do with space exploration. Here is a look back at some key events, heavy credits go to this article.


Return to Mars

After a six-month journey of more than 300 million miles, NASA’s InSight lander arrived at Mars on Nov. 26, plunking down for a two-year mission to study the interior of the Red Planet. The dramatic landing was NASA’s first on Mars since 2012. Less than two weeks after landing at a spot near the Martian border called Elysium Planitia, the InSight lander snapped its first selfie using a camera on its 6-foot-long robotic arm and captured the first "sounds" of wind blowing on Mars.

Comet or Aliens?

Astronomers first spied a strange cigar-shaped object swinging past the sun last year, but it wasn’t until 2018 that astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories to conclude that Oumuamua is a small comet. But debate about the mysterious object continues, with some respected scientists saying there’s a chance it could be an alien spacecraft.

Asteroids, the cool kind of roids

After its own multi-year journey, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft snuggled up to a skyscraper-size asteroid known as Bennu. The space probe reached Bennu on Dec. 3 and will spend about a year surveying and mapping the 1,600-foot-wide asteroid. The probe has already found water on the space rock. In 2020, a sample will be taken to be returned to Earth (!) in 2023.

Falcon Heavy Launch



Super impressive feat by SpaceX and a real milestone. The Tesla roadster aboard is already more than 200 million miles from Earth and I guess it is safe to say it has more mileage than every other car im history...

Voyager 2 reaches interstellar space

NASA's Voyager 2 probe is now just the second human-made object to reach interstellar space. On Dec. 10, the space agency announced that the well-traveled spacecraft has exited the heliosphere, or "the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by the sun." The probe is now more than 11 billion miles from Earth. Its twin, the Voyager 1 spacecraft, reached interstellar space in 2012.

Voyager 2 is about 11,182,000,000 miles away from Earth as I type this. (You can see the current figures here.) If we assume you can drive from San Francisco to LA and back in a (damn exhausting) day, you would still need about 40,000 years to reach the point where Voyager currently is with your car. At that point, Voyager 2 would be long gone already, of course, at its speed of 34,000 mph - but still only at a quarter of the distance to our next star.

Proof of ice on the moon

Scientists said in August they discovered the first definitive evidence of water ice on the lunar surface. The ice, detected at the moon’s north and south poles, could serve as a source of water for future lunar expeditions or to sustain moon colonies.

A new planet hunter is deployed

On April 18, the planet-hunting TESS satellite launched into orbit to search for alien worlds that might harbor life. The $337 million spacecraft, designed to operate for two years, is equipped with four specialized cameras that will allow it to look for exoplanets in orbit around 20 million stars. It follows the retired Kepler telescope that discovered more than 2000 planets in 9 years.

NASA's solar probe

On Aug. 12, NASA launched the first mission to “touch the sun.” The centerpiece of the mission is the Parker Solar Probe, a car-sized spacecraft designed to explore an ultra-hot region of the sun’s atmosphere known as the corona. The $1.5 billion probe will sweep through the 2,400-degree-Fahrenheit corona 24 times over the course of its seven-year mission.

Underground lake discovered on Mars

In research published in July, scientists said they had discovered a lake under the frozen surface of Mars’ south pole. The subglacial lake’s water is thought to be salty as well as extremely cold, but the discovery is more evidence that life may have once existed on the Red Planet — or may still exist there.

Boeing and SpaceX capsule astronauts named

Ever since NASA retired its space shuttle program in 2011, astronauts have relied on Russian rockets and capsules to reach the International Space Station. But in August, NASA announced the names of nine astronauts who will fly to the space station in new capsules built by Boeing and SpaceX.

For the first test flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule, NASA picked Eric Boe, a veteran of two space shuttle missions; Nicole Aunapu Mann, who became an astronaut in 2013 and will be making her first trip to space; and Christopher Ferguson, who flew on three space shuttle missions before retiring from NASA in 2011 and joining Boeing's commercial space operations division.

For the first test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, NASA selected Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, each of whom made two space shuttle flights.

For the first formal mission involving Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, NASA picked Sunita Williams, a former commander of the ISS who has spent 322 days in space, and Josh Cassada, who became an astronaut in 2013 and will be making his first trip to space.

The first formal mission of SpaceX's Dragon capsule will be crewed by Michael Hopkins, who has spent 166 days aboard the space station, and Victor Glover, who was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and will be making his first spaceflight.

We still have a long, long ways to go. I think we need to aim for putting a colony/station on the Moon. It's a much more reasonable short-term goal than putting a colony on Mars.

 

[Andy Capp]

We still have a long, long ways to go. I think we need to aim for putting a colony/station on the Moon. It's a much more reasonable short-term goal than putting a colony on Mars.

As long as we're taking clear incremental steps I'm fine with that, but the goal should be a permanent off-world colony. Having all our eggs in one planetary basket is a long term survival issue.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Tsiolkovsky is the true apex in terms of modern Rocketry; followed by Goddard and Von Braun. Tsiolkovsky did the vast majority of theoretical mapping and did so with no funding, WVB had the backing of unlimited funding and an incredible team.

Anyone looking for a great book on the history of rocketry 1890-1969 I would highly recommend:

 

[NoDak]

Well know that the Nazi's got BTFO by the allies and the Soviets their cities and women raped etc,

But considering what we now know of the aftermath of the WW2 isn't it kinda chilling in a way to be aware really how brilliant the Nazi era German scientists? Like damn how did those guys even lost the war.

If I am one of the American Generals like Ike or Patton I would feel like "whoah we dodge a bullet"

Although the Americans are not that far behind I think you got Robert Goddard after all but still.

BTW is Elon Musk's Roadster still in Orbit?

The NSDAP state was unlike anything there's ever been or likely will be. Germany had supplanted Great Britain on the cutting edge at the turn of the century, so the pre-existing scientific culture the Nazis took root in and abused for war-like purposes to exert such unfathomable destruction in such a finite amount of time was preposterous and goes a long way in setting the bar for evil the way they do.

The Holocaust shouldn't of even been logistically possible given the country's predicament and circumstances by the time it got full bore genocidal by the multi-millions. It's what happens when an industro-technik scientific superpower (oh, that's kind of sexy) goes completely ape shit. It's too bad a brief 12-year window overshadows an entire immeasurably accomplished history and superior culture.

 

[Philo-Publius]

As long as we're taking clear incremental steps I'm fine with that, but the goal should be a permanent off-world colony. Having all our eggs in one planetary basket is a long term survival issue.

I agree, but we can't do it before we are technologically ready though. We have to take smaller steps and improve the technology as we go. Sending people to Mars in the near future will be extremely expensive and extremely risky.

 

[VivaRevolution]

Spoiler: Why this is the correct tag, mods

This thread covers space mission by multiple countries that sometimes were conducted in international cooperation. In the absence of a Science or Tech tag, this is the most fitting.

2018 has been a pretty exciting year regarding everything that had to do with space exploration. Here is a look back at some key events, heavy credits go to this article.


Return to Mars

After a six-month journey of more than 300 million miles, NASA’s InSight lander arrived at Mars on Nov. 26, plunking down for a two-year mission to study the interior of the Red Planet. The dramatic landing was NASA’s first on Mars since 2012. Less than two weeks after landing at a spot near the Martian border called Elysium Planitia, the InSight lander snapped its first selfie using a camera on its 6-foot-long robotic arm and captured the first "sounds" of wind blowing on Mars.

Comet or Aliens?

Astronomers first spied a strange cigar-shaped object swinging past the sun last year, but it wasn’t until 2018 that astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories to conclude that Oumuamua is a small comet. But debate about the mysterious object continues, with some respected scientists saying there’s a chance it could be an alien spacecraft.

Asteroids, the cool kind of roids

After its own multi-year journey, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft snuggled up to a skyscraper-size asteroid known as Bennu. The space probe reached Bennu on Dec. 3 and will spend about a year surveying and mapping the 1,600-foot-wide asteroid. The probe has already found water on the space rock. In 2020, a sample will be taken to be returned to Earth (!) in 2023.

Falcon Heavy Launch



Super impressive feat by SpaceX and a real milestone. The Tesla roadster aboard is already more than 200 million miles from Earth and I guess it is safe to say it has more mileage than every other car im history...

Voyager 2 reaches interstellar space

NASA's Voyager 2 probe is now just the second human-made object to reach interstellar space. On Dec. 10, the space agency announced that the well-traveled spacecraft has exited the heliosphere, or "the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields created by the sun." The probe is now more than 11 billion miles from Earth. Its twin, the Voyager 1 spacecraft, reached interstellar space in 2012.

Voyager 2 is about 11,182,000,000 miles away from Earth as I type this. (You can see the current figures here.) If we assume you can drive from San Francisco to LA and back in a (damn exhausting) day, you would still need about 40,000 years to reach the point where Voyager currently is with your car. At that point, Voyager 2 would be long gone already, of course, at its speed of 34,000 mph - but still only at a quarter of the distance to our next star.

Proof of ice on the moon

Scientists said in August they discovered the first definitive evidence of water ice on the lunar surface. The ice, detected at the moon’s north and south poles, could serve as a source of water for future lunar expeditions or to sustain moon colonies.

A new planet hunter is deployed

On April 18, the planet-hunting TESS satellite launched into orbit to search for alien worlds that might harbor life. The $337 million spacecraft, designed to operate for two years, is equipped with four specialized cameras that will allow it to look for exoplanets in orbit around 20 million stars. It follows the retired Kepler telescope that discovered more than 2000 planets in 9 years.

NASA's solar probe

On Aug. 12, NASA launched the first mission to “touch the sun.” The centerpiece of the mission is the Parker Solar Probe, a car-sized spacecraft designed to explore an ultra-hot region of the sun’s atmosphere known as the corona. The $1.5 billion probe will sweep through the 2,400-degree-Fahrenheit corona 24 times over the course of its seven-year mission.

Underground lake discovered on Mars

In research published in July, scientists said they had discovered a lake under the frozen surface of Mars’ south pole. The subglacial lake’s water is thought to be salty as well as extremely cold, but the discovery is more evidence that life may have once existed on the Red Planet — or may still exist there.

Boeing and SpaceX capsule astronauts named

Ever since NASA retired its space shuttle program in 2011, astronauts have relied on Russian rockets and capsules to reach the International Space Station. But in August, NASA announced the names of nine astronauts who will fly to the space station in new capsules built by Boeing and SpaceX.

For the first test flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule, NASA picked Eric Boe, a veteran of two space shuttle missions; Nicole Aunapu Mann, who became an astronaut in 2013 and will be making her first trip to space; and Christopher Ferguson, who flew on three space shuttle missions before retiring from NASA in 2011 and joining Boeing's commercial space operations division.

For the first test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, NASA selected Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, each of whom made two space shuttle flights.

For the first formal mission involving Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, NASA picked Sunita Williams, a former commander of the ISS who has spent 322 days in space, and Josh Cassada, who became an astronaut in 2013 and will be making his first trip to space.

The first formal mission of SpaceX's Dragon capsule will be crewed by Michael Hopkins, who has spent 166 days aboard the space station, and Victor Glover, who was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and will be making his first spaceflight.

Cool thread. I should do one on fussion like this.

 

[RockstarChris]

Also maybe this will be another attempt to make a space thread, after I got sloppy with the last attempt.

Spoiler

If you got tagged here, you expressed interest in the subject in earlier threads. I may re-use this list, so notify me if you don't wanna get tagged again.

@JudoThrowFiasco
@NoDak
@InternetHero
@GhostZ06
@RockstarChris
@KILL KILL
@WTF2008
@Arkain2K
@Bald1
@panamaican
@Lord Coke
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@Krallang
@jefferz
@PEB
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@Phr3121

did i get tagged in here because i am the first human to figure out interstellar travel?

 

[JDragon]

did i get tagged in here because i am the first human to figure out interstellar travel?

Yes

Spoiler

Yes

Spoiler

But also because you started this thread once.

 

[ShinkanPo]

Well many things point at the US-China rivalry being the new Cold War, only with a stronger emphasis on the economic than the military part when compared to the CW. In other words, another space race could be triggered if China advances sufficiently to make a realistic move at Mars before someone else does.

The emphasis would soon become military unless the USA really decides they no longer want to be the "world cop"

 

[ShinkanPo]

Don't see it happening.
I don't think Americans really care about Mars. China can have it. What are the benefits of a manned mission to Mars? None that I can think of. The Russians are not showing any interest either. Both Americans and Russians have much bigger 'fish' to fry here on Earth. Now a U.S., Chinese, and Russian mission might work, but I think China wants the 'glory' all to itself. I think it will be unmanned missions in space for many years to come.

Yes considering the advancement in US robotics robot missions would be the more ecconomical and much more productive without the potential human cost. And more knowledge could be gained from robotic missions.

 

[M3t4tr0n]

Yes considering the advancement in US robotics robot missions would be the more ecconomical and much more productive without the potential human cost. And more knowledge could be gained from robotic missions.

I think astro projection would be better because robots can't be trusted.

 

[JDragon]

The real reason is because it takes NSA, and ESA too long to get anywhere in the solar system faster than peoples ADD.

Well yes, but just consider that New Horizons was launched before there even was an iPhone. This is what always gets me.

Regarding the Chinese moon lander that's about to descend apparently, here is an aspect I had not considered so far:

The far side of the moon is also viewed as an attractive site for radio astronomy. A telescope situated there would be shielded from human radio activity, potentially making it more sensitive to radio bursts coming from the sun or to faint signals from deep space. Chang’e 4 is carrying an instrument to judge the “electromagnetic cleanliness” of the location as a first step to assessing the possibility of placing a telescope there.

https://www.theguardian.com/science...e-first-to-land-on-far-side-of-moon-chang-e-4

 

[RockstarChris]

Well yes, but just consider that New Horizons was launched before there even was an iPhone. This is what always gets me.

Regarding the Chinese moon lander that's about to descend apparently, here is an aspect I had not considered so far:

The far side of the moon is also viewed as an attractive site for radio astronomy. A telescope situated there would be shielded from human radio activity, potentially making it more sensitive to radio bursts coming from the sun or to faint signals from deep space. Chang’e 4 is carrying an instrument to judge the “electromagnetic cleanliness” of the location as a first step to assessing the possibility of placing a telescope there.

https://www.theguardian.com/science...e-first-to-land-on-far-side-of-moon-chang-e-4

tech that is released to the public is tech the military has had for years. They are always 1 step ahead.

A microprocesser is tiny, why not put 10 of them on a motherboard?