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Out For A (First) Stroll From The Space Station
An unnamed correspondent writes: "Since I figure most people on this board are space buffs, just thought I'd send this link about the first space walk at the space station.
2 dollars a day, hehe." They weren't just walking around, though -- they attached antennas and other vital bits. The station isn't yet complete, but it's already getting quite large.
2 dollars a day, hehe." They weren't just walking around, though -- they attached antennas and other vital bits. The station isn't yet complete, but it's already getting quite large.
It shows that after all those delays with the russian components, and cost overruns the station's development is still progressing.
Now if you are not interested in such stories, you don't really need to go and read about it. So is it really worth complaining about the fact that your browser had to load a few bytes of HTML that didn't interest you? I'm sure that there's quite a few people on Slashdot who look at ISS's development with sufficient interest to find the link helpful.
Ñ'
Problem description: Random individual is not pleased with a certain story on Slashdot.
Solution: Advised said random individual to either read another thread, go read the site where people refer to Slashdot as "the other site", or to plain right get lost.
Next!!
I can really identify with you, so much.
People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
In case people might actually BE interested this page gives a running status of what's going on (space walk 4 is in progress)
Women become even more crucial when you want to settle another planet. What has better cahnces of settling Mars, 100 women and a lead box with sperm in liquid nitrogen, or 90 men and 10 (soon to be very tired) women?
Hold on. 90 men and 10 women? And the women are the ones that are supposed to get tired? Better make that 900 men and 10 women.
I can really identify with you, so much.
People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
I wonder what type of 'tests' they are going to implement?
UBU
Can anyone point me to a site that shows an actual picture of this piece of metal, as it currently looks? Not a computer rendition, but an actual image (color, b&w - doesn't matter).
I want to know if I am getting my money's worth (something tells me, picture or not, I am not)...
I support the EFF - do you?
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
You do not understand the situation.
Yes, launching stuff into space costs on the order of ten thousand dollars per pound. That cost is found by taking the total weight of payload launched and dividing it by the total cost of the launch. It does not then equate to sending up one fewer pound costing ten thousand dollars less. A lighter payload will result in less fuel needed, and fuel is one of the smallest costs in the launch. The costs for assembly, training, and staff (hundreds of people work for months on each luanch) far outweigh the paltry costs for fuel on your typical shuttle launch.
Even if your figure were correct at three million saved, the typical shuttle launch costs between four and seven hundred million, depending on who you listen to. That's less than a one-percent cost savings.
Mod down posts with a "Free Mac Mini/iPod" sig, they're spam!
The latest picture on the NASA STS-92 site of the Station itself seems to be , which shows the entire station and the new antenna on the truss.
here: is an oldish image from space.com. You can find more if you look around a bit.
Oops. Try this link.
...and manned space-flight missions can be mailed straight to your in-box by e-mailing majordomo@listserver.jsc.nasa.gov any typing "subscribe hsfnews" in the body of your message.
;-)
The news bulletins keep you informed of the progress of the various human space flight projects underway, and are certainly a lot more timely than this slashdot posting
Enjoy...
--
The gift of death metal does not smile on the good looking.
A few years back I got the chance to speak with a NASA engineer, and got to hear what he had to say about this issue.
According to him, the NASA gets 1% of the federal budget... but every dollar we invest there is returned SEVEN fold!
Do you know how many breakthroughs have happened because of NASA? Teflon, kevlar, and velcro are just some of the examples off the top of my head.
These developments happen rather quickly too. In fact, that engineer showed me what looked to be like a black square made of plastic. He said, "NASA develops things so quickly, we don't even have a name for this type of material yet. If made in large sheets, its very brittle, but if in small squares like this, its unbreakable." He proceeded to try to smash it and he couldn't. He then said, "This will probably be used somewhere on the space station."
I think that most government agencies and functions are wastes of money, but NASA ironically seems to be the exception to this rule.
I want to know if I am getting my money's worth (something tells me, picture or not, I am not)...
Unless you are Bill Gates, the amount of your money spent on the ISS is miniscule. NASA gets less than 1% of the Federal Budget. Even if the ISS takes up half of NASA's budget thats 0.5% of the (roughly) 66% of the budget that comes from income tax. So maybe 0.33% of the total amount of what you have paid in Federal Income tax is up there. Most of your money has gone to pay the interest on Reagan's debt and for $90 hammers.
... and the divide between them, as it does about NASA.
... in which case, this story is not just about a space walk, but the ripping divide between those who still have Space as a goal in their hearts, vs. those who don't give a damn.
Sure, it's not *new* news (heck, I was watching this space walk on NASA TV on Sunday...), but it is news for nerds. My generation (I'm 30) of nerds grew up with the space program, and I still have a fondness for it.
Perhaps some of the posters that exhibit anti-NASA sentiment are a new generation of nerds who just don't care
Space is useful. We're using it. It's a good thing to be exploring it and building in it...
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Of course, in terms of the technology involved, it's probably closer to "Babylon 0.05"...
Eric
--
Be who you are...and be it in style!
On the last picture that shows the station with Z1 truss... keep in mind that the entire station is *13* stories tall from one end to the other right now.
That might give you a better idea of the scale of the thing.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
It's an incredibly difficult thing to engineer rotating structures in space and *still* maintain the correct position in space in order to keep orbit.
There *are* rotating structures in the space station - they're called gyro's, and in fact they're used by the station to move around. There are gyro's all over the ISS - spin one up, and the station starts to move in that direction, slowly due to centrifugal force.
They're an efficient means of maintaining position, because they're run by electric (solar) power, and thus don't require expendable fuel like the retro rockets do...
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Slashdot implements 'everything' category
HOLLAND - Slashdot founder Rob Malda announced today that his newest addition to the topics, "everything".
Malda stated that the new category was an answer to "the endless bunch of people whining about how they hate an extremely specific type of story that doesn't come up all that often normally, but has recently. Now they can just filter everything out."
"It's wonderful," proclaimed one slashdot reader. "Now I don't have to put up with boring ISS, CueCat, or CPHack stories! I don't have to listen to Jon Katz, I don't have to see duplicate stories, It's as though I'm not reading slashdot at all!"
The reader was unavailable for comment after being informed he didn't have to read slashdot in the first place.
-Denor
anti- NASA doesn't necessarily mean anti-space programs. Certainly speaking from Europe I think a lot of people have a wider perception of space flight. Space flight isn't exclusive to NASA.
Big respect and all to NASA and the US programs but also a lot of praise to the Soviet/ Russian program, the European Space Agency, Japan, China, Canada, and everybody else who is up there or wants to be. And let's not forget the very professional 'amateurs' who are trying to be there (i.e. individuals and organisations who aren't nation states).
I'm only anti-NASA insofar as the idea of any one nation's military-industrial organisation having complete monopoly over access to the rest of the entire Universe is a bit worrying, eh?
But for the most part, yup, I'm biased, I'd like to see humanity out there in the stars.
Dammit, if it only costs 2 bucks a day to get someone on a spacewalk, how come *I* can't do it yet?!
Heck, I'll even double the payment to assure they get a profit and pay FOUR bucks a day for a spacewalk.
Dangitall anyways.