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Russian Sub Launches European Inflatable Space Vehicle

QueueEhGuy writes "From the 'Red Planet' meets 'Hunt for Red October' department: CNN is reporting in this article that the Russian navy launched an inflatable space reentry vehicle atop a standard ICBM. Although this one was evidently only 2.5 ft in diameter, they evidently plan on making larger versions to act as life rafts or carrier pigeons from space back to Earth. Apparently, neither Val Kilmer or Sean Connery were involved in the test."

36 comments

  1. Hopefully... by Klerck · · Score: -1

    Hopefully this one will sink like the Kursk!

    Fucking commies!

    1. Re:Hopefully... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      Q: Why does slashdot post about russian subs?

      A: Because they are elitist, and pompous.

      Cram a torpedo in their own anus and they wouldn't know what it looked like. These punks should keep it to Lunix boxen.

      Call It A Night, Cowboy!

      Slashdot only allows a user with your karma to post 2 times per day. You've already shared your thoughts with us that many times. Take a breather, and come back and see us in 24 hours or so.

  2. Linux Conspiracy by poopbot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    It has come to my attention that the entire Linux community is a hotbed of so called 'alternative sexuality,' which includes anything from hedonistic orgies to homosexuality to pedophilia.

    What better way of demonstrating this than by looking at the hidden messages contained within the names of some of Linux's most outspoken advocates:
    • Linus Torvalds is an anagram of slit anus or VD 'L,' clearly referring to himself by the first initial.
    • Richard M. Stallman, spokespervert for the Gaysex's Not Unusual 'movement' is an anagram of mans cram thrill ad.
    • Alan Cox is barely an anagram of anal cox which is just so filthy and unchristian it unnerves me.


    I'm sure that Eric S. Raymond, composer of the satanic homosexual propaganda diatribe The Cathedral and the Bizarre, is probably an anagram of something queer, but we don't need to look that far as we know he's always shoving a gun up some poor little boy's rectum. Update: Eric S. Raymond is actually an anagram for secondary rim and cord in my arse. It just goes to show you that he is indeed queer.

    Update the Second: It is also documented that Evil Sicko Gaymond is responsible for a nauseating piece of code called Fetchmail, which is obviously sinister sodomite slang for 'Felch Male' -- a disgusting practise. For those not in the know, 'felching' is the act performed by two perverts wherein one sucks their own post-coital ejaculate out of the other's rectum. In fact, it appears that the dirty Linux faggots set out to undermine the good Republican institution of e-mail, turning it into 'e-male.'

    As far as Richard 'Master' Stallman goes, that filthy fudge-packer was actually quoted on leftist commie propaganda site Salon.com as saying the following: 'I've been resistant to the pressure to conform in any circumstance,' he says. 'It's about being able to question conventional wisdom,' he asserts. 'I believe in love, but not monogamy,' he says plainly.

    And this isn't a made up troll bullshit either! He actually stated this tripe, which makes it obvious that he is trying to politely say that he's a flaming homo slut!

    Speaking about 'flaming,' who better to point out as a filthy chutney ferret than Slashdot's very own self-confessed pederast Jon Katz. Although an obvious deviant anagram cannot be found from his name, he has already confessed, nay boasted of the homosexual perversion of corrupting the innocence of young children. To quote from the article linked:

    'I've got a rare kidney disease,' I told her. 'I have to go to the bathroom a lot. You can come with me if you want, but it takes a while. Is that okay with you? Do you want a note from my doctor?'

    Is this why you were touching your penis in the cinema, Jon? And letting the other boys touch it too?

    We should also point out that Jon Katz refers to himself as 'Slashdot's resident Gasbag.' Is there any more doubt? For those fortunate few who aren't aware of the list of homosexual terminology found inside the Linux 'Sauce Code,' a 'Gasbag' is a pervert who gains sexual gratification from having a thin straw inserted into his urethra (or to use the common parlance, 'piss-pipe'), then his homosexual lover blows firmly down the straw to inflate his scrotum. This is, of course, when he's not busy violating the dignity and copyright of posters to Slashdot by gathering together their postings and publishing them en masse to further his twisted and manipulative journalistic agenda.

    Sick, disgusting antichristian perverts, the lot of them.

    In addition, many of the Linux distributions (a 'distribution' is the most common way to spread the faggots' wares) are run by faggot groups. The Slackware distro is named after the 'Slack-wear' fags wear to allow easy access to the anus for sexual purposes. Furthermore, Slackware is a close anagram of claw arse, a reference to the homosexual practise of anal fisting. The Mandrake product is run by a group of French faggot satanists, and is named after the faggot nickname for the vibrator. It was also chosen because it is an anagram for dark amen and ram naked, which is what they do.

    Another 'distro,' (abbrieviated as such because it sounds a bit like 'Disco,' which is where homosexuals preyed on young boys in the 1970s), is Debian, an anagram of in a bed, which could be considered innocent enough (after all, a bed is both where we sleep and pray), until we realise what other names Debian uses to describe their foul wares. 'Woody' is obvious enough, being a term for the erect male penis, glistening with pre-cum. But far sicker is the phrase 'Frozen Potato' that they use. This filthy term, again found in the secret homosexual 'Sauce Code,' refers to the solo homosexual practice of defecating into a clear polythene bag, shaping the turd into a crude approximation of the male phallus, then leaving it in the freezer overnight until it becomes solid. The practitioner then proceeds to push the frozen 'potato' up his own rectum, squeezing it in and out until his tight young balls erupt in a screaming orgasm.

    And Red Hat is secret homo slang for the tip of a penis that is soaked in blood from a freshly violated underage ringpiece.

    The fags have even invented special tools to aid their faggotry! For example, the 'supermount' tool was devised to allow deeper penetration, which is good for fags because it gives more pressure on the prostate gland. 'Automount' is used, on the other hand, because Linux users are all fat and gay, and need to mount each other automatically.

    The depths of their depravity can be seen in their use of 'mount points.' These are, plainly speaking, the different points of penetration. The main one is obviously /anus, but there are others. Militant fags even say 'there is no /opt mount point' because for these dirty perverts faggotry is not optional but a way of life.

    More evidence is in the fact that Linux users say how much they love `man`, even going so far as to say that all new Linux users (who are in fact just innocent heterosexuals indoctrinated by the gay propaganda) should try out `man`. In no other system do users boast of their frequent recourse to a man.

    Other areas of the system also show Linux's inherit gayness. For example, people are often told of the 'FAQ,' but how many innocent heterosexual Windows users know what this actually means. The answer is shocking: Faggot Anal Quest: the voyage of discovery for newly converted fags!

    Even the title 'Slashdot' originally referred to a homosexual practice. Slashdot of course refers to the popular gay practice of blood-letting. The Slashbots, of course are those super-zealous homosexuals who take this perversion to its extreme by ripping open their anuses, as seen on the site most popular with Slashdot users, the depraved work of Satan, http://www.eff.org/.

    The editors of Slashdot also have homosexual names: 'Hemos' is obvious in itself, being one vowel away from 'Homos.' But even more sickening is 'Commander Taco' which sounds a bit like 'Commode in Taco,' filthy gay slang for a pair of spreadeagled buttocks that are caked with excrement. (The best form of lubrication, they insist.) Sometimes, these 'Taco Commodes' have special 'Salsa Sauce' (blood from a ruptured rectum) and 'Cheese' (rancid flakes of penis discharge) toppings. And to make it even worse, Slashdot runs on Apache!

    The Apache server, whose use among fags is as prevalent as AIDS, is named after homosexual activity -- as everyone knows, popular faggot band, the Village People, featured an Apache Indian, and it is for him that this gay program is named.

    And that's not forgetting the use of patches in the Linux fag world -- patches are used to make the anus accessible for repeated anal sex even after its rupture by a session of fisting.

    To summarise: Linux is gay. 'Slash -- Dot' is the graphical description of the space between a young boy's scrotum and anus. And BeOS is for hermaphrodites and disabled 'stumpers.'

    FEEDBACK
    What worries me is how much you know about what gay people do. I'm scared I actually read this whole thing. I think this post is a good example of the negative effects of Internet usage on people. This person obviously has no social life anymore and had to result to writing something as stupid as this. And actually take the time to do it too. Although... I think it was satire.. blah.. it's early. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    Well, the only reason I know all about this is because I had the misfortune to read the Linux 'Sauce code' once. Although publicised as the computer code needed to get Linux up and running on a computer (and haven't you always been worried about the phrase 'Monolithic Kernel'?), this foul document is actually a detailed and graphic description of every conceivable degrading perversion known to the human race, as well as a few of the major animal species. It has shocked and disturbed me, to the point of needing to shock and disturb the common man to warn them of the impending homo-calypse which threatens to engulf our planet.
    You must work for the government. Trying to post the most obscene stuff in hopes that slashdot won't be able to continue or something, due to legal woes. If i ever see your ugly face, i'm going to stick my fireplace poker up your ass, after it's nice and hot, to weld shut that nasty gaping hole of yours. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    Doesn't it give you a hard-on to imagine your thick strong poker ramming it's way up my most sacred of sphincters? You're beyond help, my friend, as the only thing you can imagine is the foul penetrative violation of another man. Are you sure you're not Eric Raymond? The government, being populated by limp-wristed liberals, could never stem the sickening tide of homosexual child molesting Linux advocacy. Hell, they've given NAMBLA free reign for years!
    you really should post this logged in. i wish i could remember jebus's password, cuz i'd give it to you. -- mighty jebus, Slashdot


    Thank you for your kind words of support. However, this document shall only ever be posted anonymously. This is because the 'Open Sauce' movement is a sham, proposing homoerotic cults of hero worshipping in the name of freedom. I speak for the common man. For any man who prefers the warm, enveloping velvet folds of a woman's vagina to the tight puckered ringpiece of a child. These men, being common, decent folk, don't have a say in the political hypocrisy that is Slashdot culture. I am the unknown liberator.
    ROLF LAMO i hate linux FAGGOTS -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    We shouldn't hate them, we should pity them for the misguided fools they are... Fanatical Linux zeal-outs need to be herded into camps for re-education and subsequent rehabilitation into normal heterosexual society. This re-education shall be achieved by forcing them to watch repeats of Baywatch until the very mention of Pamela Anderson causes them to fill their pants with healthy heterosexual jism.
    Actually, that's not at all how scrotal inflation works. I understand it involves injecting sterile saline solution into the scrotum. I've never tried this, but you can read how to do it safely in case you're interested. (Before you moderate this down, ask yourself honestly -- who are the real crazies -- people who do scrotal inflation, or people who pay $1000+ for a game console?) -- double_h, Slashdot


    Well, it just goes to show that even the holy Linux 'sauce code' is riddled with bugs that need fixing. (The irony of Jon Katz not even being able to inflate his scrotum correctly has not been lost on me.) The Linux pervert elite already acknowledge this, with their queer slogan: 'Given enough arms, all rectums are shallow.' And anyway, the PS2 sucks major cock and isn't worth the money. Intellivision forever!
    dude did u used to post on msnbc's nt bulletin board now that u are doing anti-gay posts u also need to start in with anti-black stuff too c u in church -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    For one thing, whilst Linux is a cavalcade of queer propaganda masquerading as the future of computing, NT is used by people who think nothing better of encasing their genitals in quick setting plaster then going to see a really dirty porno film, enjoying the restriction enforced onto them. Remember, a wasted arousal is a sin in the eyes of the Catholic church. Clearly, the only god-fearing Christian operating system in existence is CP/M -- The Christian Program Monitor. All computer users should immediately ask their local pastor to install this fine OS onto their systems. It is the only route to salvation.

    Secondly, this message is for every man. Computers know no colour. Not only that, but one of the finest websites in the world is maintained by a Black Man . Now fuck off you racist donkey felcher.
    And don't forget that slashdot was written in Perl, which is just too close to 'Pearl Necklace' for comfort.... oh wait; that's something all you heterosexuals do.... I can't help but wonder how much faster the trolls could do First-Posts on this site if it were redone in PHP... I could hand-type dynamic HTML pages faster than Perl can do them. -- phee, Slashdot


    Although there is nothing unholy about the fine heterosexual act of ejaculating between a woman's breasts, squirting one's load up towards her neck and chin area, it should be noted that Perl (standing for Pansies Entering Rectums Locally) is also close to 'Pearl Monocle,' 'Pearl Nosering,' and the ubiquitous 'Pearl Enema.'

    One scary thing about Perl is that it contains hidden homosexual messages. Take the following code: LWP::Simple -- It looks innocuous enough, doesn't it? But look at the line closely: There are two colons next to each other! As Larry 'Balls to the' Wall would openly admit in the Perl Documentation, Perl was designed from the ground up to indoctrinate it's programmers into performing unnatural sexual acts -- having two colons so closely together is clearly a reference to the perverse sickening act of 'colon kissing,' whereby two homosexual queers spread their buttocks wide, pressing their filthy torn sphincters together. They then share small round objects like marbles or golfballs by passing them from one rectum to another using muscle contraction alone. This is also referred to in programming 'circles' as 'Parameter Passing.'

    And PHP stands for Perverted Homosexual Penetration. Didn't you know?
    Thank you for your valuable input on this. I am sure you will be never forgotten. BTW: Did I mention that this could be useful in terraforming Mars? Mars rulaa. -- Eimernase, Slashdot


    Well, I don't know about terraforming Mars, but I do know that homosexual Linux Advocates have been probing Uranus for years.
    That's inspiring. Keep up the good work, AC. May God in his wisdom grant you the strength to bring the plain honest truth to this community, and make it pure again. Yours, Cerberus. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    *sniff* That brings a tear to my eye. Thank you once more for your kind support. I have taken faith in the knowledge that I am doing the Good Lord's work, but it is encouraging to know that I am helping out the common man here.

    However, I should be cautious about revealing your name 'Cerberus' on such a filthy den of depravity as Slashdot. It is a well known fact that the 'Kerberos' documentation from Microsoft is a detailed manual describing, in intimate, exacting detail, how to sexually penetrate a variety of unwilling canine animals; be they domesticated, wild, or mythical. Slashdot posters have taken great pleasure in illegally spreading this documentation far and wide, treating it as an 'extension' to the Linux 'Sauce Code,' for the sake of 'interoperability.' (The slang term they use for nonconsensual intercourse -- their favourite kind.)

    In fact, sick twisted Linux deviants are known to have LAN parties, (Love of Anal Naughtiness, needless to say.), wherein they entice a stray dog, known as the 'Samba Mount,' into their homes. Up to four of these filth-sodden blasphemers against nature take turns to plunge their erect, throbbing, uncircumcised members, conkers-deep, into the rectum, mouth, and other fleshy orifices of the poor animal. Eventually, the 'Samba Mount' collapses due to 'overload,' and needs to be 'rebooted.' (i.e., kicked out into the street, and left to fend for itself.) Many Linux users boast about their 'uptime' in such situations.
    Inspiring stuff! If only all trolls were this quality! -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    If only indeed. You can help our brave cause by moderating this message up as often as possible. I recommend '+1, Underrated,' as that will protect your precious Karma in Metamoderation. Only then can we break through the glass ceiling of Homosexual Slashdot Culture. Is it any wonder that the new version of Slashcode has been christened 'Bender'???

    If we can get just one of these postings up to at least '+1,' then it will be archived forever! Others will learn of our struggle, and join with us in our battle for freedom!
    It's pathetic you've spent so much time writing this. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    I am compelled to document the foulness and carnal depravity that is Linux, in order that we may prepare ourselves for the great holy war that is to follow. It is my solemn duty to peel back the foreskin of ignorance and apply the wire brush of enlightenment.
    As with any great open-source project, you need someone asking this question, so I'll do it. When the hell is version 2.0 going to be ready?!?! -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    I could make an arrogant, childish comment along the lines of 'Every time someone asks for 2.0, I won't release it for another 24 hours,' but the truth of the matter is that I'm quite nervous of releasing a 'number two,' as I can guarantee some filthy shit-slurping Linux pervert would want to suck it straight out of my anus before I've even had chance to wipe.
    I desperately want to suck your monolithic kernel, you sexy hunk, you. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    I sincerely hope you're Natalie Portman.
    Dude, nothing on slashdot larger than 3 paragraphs is worth reading. Try to distill the message, whatever it was, and maybe I'll read it. As it is, I have to much open source software to write to waste even 10 seconds of precious time. 10 seconds is all its gonna take M$ to whoop Linux's ass. Vigilence is the price of Free (as in libre -- from the fine, frou frou French language) Software. Hack on fellow geeks, and remember: Friday is Bouillabaisse day except for heathens who do not believe that Jesus died for their sins. Those godless, oil drench, bearded sexist clowns can pull grits from their pantaloons (another fine, fine French word) and eat that. Anyway, try to keep your message focused and concise. For concision is the soul of derision. Way. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    What the fuck?
    I've read your gay conspiracy post version 1.3.0 and I must say I'm impressed. In particular, I appreciate how you have managed to squeeze in a healthy dose of the latent homosexuality you gay-bashing homos tend to be full of. Thank you again. -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    Well bugger me!
    ooooh honey. how insecure are you!!! wann a little massage from deare bruci. love you -- Anonymous Coward, Slashdot


    Fuck right off!

    IMPORTANT: This message needs to be heard (Not HURD, which is an acronym for 'Huge Unclean Rectal Dilator') across the whole community, so it has been released into the Public Domain. You know, that licence that we all had before those homoerotic crypto-fascists came out with the GPL (Gay Penetration License) that is no more than an excuse to see who's got the biggest feces-encrusted cock. I would have put this up on Freshmeat, but that name is known to be a euphemism for the tight rump of a young boy.

    Come to think of it, the whole concept of 'Source Control' unnerves me, because it sounds a bit like 'Sauce Control,' which is a description of the homosexual practice of holding the base of the cock shaft tightly upon the point of ejaculation, thus causing a build up of semenal fluid that is only released upon entry into an incision made into the base of the receiver's scrotum. And 'Open Sauce' is the act of ejaculating into another mans face or perhaps a biscuit to be shared later. Obviously, 'Closed Sauce' is the only Christian thing to do, as evidenced by the fact that it is what Cathedrals are all about.

    Contributors: (although not to the eternal game of 'soggy biscuit' that open 'sauce' development has become) Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, phee, Anonymous Coward, mighty jebus, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, double_h, Anonymous Coward, Eimernase, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward, Anonymous Coward. Further contributions are welcome.

    Current changes: This version sent to FreeWIPO by 'Bring BackATV' as plain text. Reformatted everything, added all links back in (that we could match from the previous version), many new ones (Slashbot bait links). Even more spelling fixed. Who wrote this thing, CmdrTaco himself?

    Previous changes: Yet more changes added. Spelling fixed. Feedback added. Explanation of 'distro' system. 'Mount Point' syntax described. More filth regarding `man` and Slashdot. Yet more fucking spelling fixed. 'Fetchmail' uncovered further. More Slashbot baiting. Apache exposed. Distribution licence at foot of document.

    - poopbot: because we're all crapflooders at heart
  3. [onby] A modest proposal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    It seems that the Janitors, in their infinite wisdom, have banned people who

    have low/negative karma from posting more than twice per day. Personally I

    find this completely stupid. All the trolls will simply post AC as I am doing now.

    Proxies can be used to get around any ipid bans that result from AC trolls.

    Surely it is better to let the trolls post at -1 where it is out of most peoples way

    rather than have them all post at 0 and suck up mod points and time from

    "legit" users?

    I have tried to communicate my thoughts to the slashcode team but alas, to no

    avail. They are probably all sittin on their starwars bed sheets watching anime

    hentai tentacle rape pr0n.

    Here is my proposal: All trolls that cannot post using their account post as AC.

    Use proxies if need be (www.antiproxy.com is

    a good source). I suspect this will show them how useless this idea is. Will

    blocking troll uid's stop trolls? NO! Will ipid bans stop trolls? NO!

    I seriously fail to see the point of this and consider it a stupid move by the

    Janitors. They want us to troll and crapflood at 0 rather than -1? Fine! So be it!

    No longer will we post at -1 where few people dare to visit, now we will post at

    0 where we will be more visible and waste peoples time, energy and mod

    points! Hoorah!

    Let the games begin!

  4. poopoo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    wheeeee! ya ya ya ya ya booyah yippeee

  5. I certainly hope... by tswinzig · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...that we launched our nukes in retaliation.

    --

    "And like that ... he's gone."
  6. Russia's on to something .... by acasto · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think Russia may very well have a wonderful future ahead of her in the space industry. They explore the idea of 'space tourists' instead of smuggly rejecting it, thus opening up channels that never exsisted before. Even in economical troubles, they still work to keep it going. I look forward to watching our neighbor on the other side of world progress and see how far they can reach.

    1. Re:Russia's on to something .... by foniksonik · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I agree.

      It's amazing how people from different backgrounds can get along just fine and do amazing things together when your throw the politics out the window.

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    2. Re:Russia's on to something .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Russia may indeed be onto something. But it will suffer the same setbacks as the early space program in America. After the first accident where a space tourist dies, the market will dry up for 15-20 years.

    3. Re:Russia's on to something .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      after the first accident where a space tourist dies, the market will increase by two orders of magnitude.

    4. Re:Russia's on to something .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      They explore the idea of 'space tourists' instead of smuggly rejecting it, thus opening up channels that never exsisted before.

      Hear, hear. NASA's budget problems would be less of a problem if they could make money in space. Possibilities:

      1. Commercial satellite launches. This market is saturated. NASA can not compete here.
      2. Asteroid mining. Because this would require an enormous amount of space infrastructure, it could never be economical in the short term.
      3. Lunar mining. The Moon is mostly silicate rock, and so has nothing worth mining. (The market for Helium-3 is and the feasability of extracting it from the lunar surface are both questionable.)
      4. Solar power satellites. These will never be cost- effecitve.
      Space tourism is the only viable money-making opportunity for NASA in the short term.

      NASA should not be directly involved in the space tourism industry. Rather, they should develop a safe, comfortable, and affordable manned launch system, then license it to commercial entities for orbital jaunts. NASA should also develop reliable heavy-lift unmanned launchers, life- support systems, and other technologies which can be licensed to commercial entities to build an orbital 'resort'. By developing technology and licensing it to others, NASA

      • gets technology it needs for its own purposes,
      • recoups some of the development costs, and
      • minimizes liability associated with sending civilians into space.
    5. Re:Russia's on to something .... by Vlad_the_Inhaler · · Score: 1

      That depends whose fault it is, and what that party does to clean up their act.

      --
      Mielipiteet omiani - Opinions personal, facts suspect.
    6. Re:Russia's on to something .... by Tim12s · · Score: 1

      Well, its one of the "mars" requirements. If you can create a reusable relaunchable spacecraft, that works on earth, then it "should" work on mars (baring atmospheric calculations and lack of runway. taking that into account should be intresting).

      In addition, i read somewhere that the russian research is allocated in 5 years block cycles (or something large like that) instead of half-yearly reviews by senate comms.

      Admitidly, the senate comms have to review half-yearly because nasa is quite bloated / highqualified scientests are expensive, but thats another part of the problem.

      -Tim

    7. Re:Russia's on to something .... by CSZeus · · Score: 1

      Yeah, we're working on tourism stuff too... we're just doing it the 'American way.' We've got the X-award floating around out there. And hey, it's not a government operation, so it may actually get something done, but it's mostly unpublicized.

  7. So who's gonna be the first.. by foniksonik · · Score: 1

    Bubble-naut?

    "Man in bubble floats down from sky to the cheers of thousands of on-lookers, his space-disease fully contained for future study."

    --
    A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
  8. IRDT by c.emmertfoster · · Score: 5, Informative

    The technology for this was originally developed by the Russian Mars program: "Inflatable Rentry and Descent Technology" is a nifty replacement for parachutes, IMHO.

    The russians have done this before, though not from a submarine succesfully until now :)

    --
    We can neither love nor pity nor forgive. If you make a slip in handling us you die!
    1. Re:IRDT by Hellkitten · · Score: 1

      I don't think the submarine part is all that important. This was to be a test of a new reentry method. The submarine launched missile was just a convenient way to get it out into space to see if it worked.

      --
      - We are the slashdot. Resistance is futile. Prepare to be moderated -
  9. BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by js7a · · Score: 1, Interesting
    Frankly, all this attention to manned missions is distracting, when we should be concentrating on finding extrasolar terrestrial planets.

    It's a resource allocation issue: We should not be sending tourists up temporarily when we know of nowhere perminant for them to go. We should be concentrating on terrestrial planet finding and then generation starships. Let the tourists be the first to see Mars up close -- fine -- but only after we learn the paramters of a generation starship colonization. Then, build one and send it back and forth between here and Mars long enough to prove the design. Then send a real one off to start more eggs in another basket.

    If the tourists can pay enough to sponsor terrestrial planet searches, building generation starships, cleaning up their rockets' mess, in addition to the travel expenses, then more power to them. Don't count your rich tourists before you find a place to hatch more of them.

    1. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by jandrese · · Score: 2

      Since we aren't even ready to visit planets in our own solar system, I don't see what the big hurry in finding extrasolar terrestrial planets is. Even if we found an Earthlike planet in the Alpha Centauri system, it's not like we'd be ready to even start sending a spacecraft there in the next several decades.

      By contrast, the space tourism industry could revitalize the entire space industry (that has been slowly squeezed of funding for years).

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    2. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by js7a · · Score: 1

      The sooner we know the distance to likely colonization sites, the sooner we will know the parameters of a generation starship colonization mission. Before we know how far we have to go, we can't really even start planning such a mission. Once we do know the distance, we could probably build a decent generation starship with the materials and technology we have today.

    3. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by p3d0 · · Score: 2
      It's a resource allocation issue: We should not be sending tourists up temporarily when we know of nowhere perminant for them to go.
      Yebbut sending rich tourists into space makes money, so your premise of competing resources is false.
      --
      Patrick Doyle
      I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
    4. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by js7a · · Score: 1
      sending rich tourists into space makes money

      So does drilling for oil.

      All I'm saying is that unless the tourists are paying enough to speed and not hinder the development of terrestrial planet finders, and after such planets are found, unless they are paying enough to support the unencumbered development of appropriate generation starships and pertinent technologies, and they are paying enough in addition to offset the costs of the trip and mitigation of the polution as a result of their trip, then they shouldn't be going.

      In fact, I fully support U.S.-launched space tourists, if the conditions above are met.

    5. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by p3d0 · · Score: 2
      I don't understand your logic. From where I sit, if they pay $1 more than the cost of their launch, then they have made the space agency $1 they wouldn't otherwise have had. That's a good thing.

      Maybe you are thinking that such missions draw engineers away from productive missions, but I don't think there's a shortage of smart engineers who want to work for the space program. Some engineers can go and make $1 for the space program, and others can continue to do the kinds of work you want them to do, as though the space tourists didn't exist.

      --
      Patrick Doyle
      I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
    6. Re:BFD -- that kind of tourism isn't sustainable by js7a · · Score: 1
      I guess I think that we, as a species, should have been doing stellar occluding cameras for atmospheric O2, H2O, N2, and related spectral signatures a long time ago, and the fact that we have not constitutes a (non)existence proof that there is a shortage of smart engineers who what to work for the space program, and an abundance of mindless sheep who will do whatever this decade's NASA administrator decides without questioning.

      Perhaps I am wrong, but, as Dr. Dieter Britz says, if we can't get a team of scientists to maintain a decent habitat in the middle of Arizona, then what hope do we have of terraforming Mars? I suppose that one could just as easily question whether there is any hope of maintaining a generation starship, but that's why we need to know the parameters (e.g., distance) of the colonization mission to prove the generation starships.

      Once we know that, we might as well try to send one each to both Mars and Venus and see then what we are capable of.

  10. Inflatable Technology by LastToKnow · · Score: 4, Funny
  11. inflatable space station by g4dget · · Score: 4, Interesting
    In fact, inflatable structures could be great for all sorts of space applications. In the absence of gravity or wind, you really don't need much in the way of structural support. Inflatable structures can give you a huge volume with very little weight. And, yes, they can be made safe against puncture by space debris--probably safer than rigid structures.

    Unfortunately, even though an inflatable module was considered for the ISS, it was not built. Pretty much all our space engineering seems to be done in terms of big, heavy, metal structures.

    Interest seems to be picking up, though. There has been a workshop at ESA recently.

    1. Re:inflatable space station by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly.. big heavy metal structures are the wrong way to go. They are always looking to collaspe or break apart in orbit and either (A) Come crashing back to earth just looking to fall on some guy's head, or (B) come ever so closer to setting off a catastrophic chain reaction with other space junk in orbit and causing a massive debris field around the Earth...

      Speaking of which isnt it time we started hiring some space janitors?

  12. [YourMissionForToday] what does -1 have to offer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    Hi, this is YourMissionForToday [slashdot.org].

    I like to have fun at -1, but the editors didn't give me any choice. You see, a member of my (low-karma) caste is now only allowed to post 2 messages per day.

    Thus I'll probably be posting my fun messages as "Anonymous Coward" more often that not.

    Personally, I was content to post at -1. But since the editors are apparently less committed to free speech than they once were, they have decided to shift the focus of this site from technology and science to some sort of battle ground between the editors, moderators, and the "trolls" (the sad label that small minds place on we comedians and ne'er-do-wells).

    If you are a reader who doesn't normally read at -1, I am sorry for wasting your time with this message. But you must understand-I had no choice.

    The freedom to use the site as it was originally intended is at stake! There is only one solution.

    Your Mission is to post completely whacked-out nuttiness on this board! Don't let yourself be branded by labels like "Terrible," "Excellent," or "Bad!" YOU DO IT WRONG, my friends!

    The first step is easy: merely turn your threshold down to -1 and drink in the rich absurdity.

    You may find that the juxtaposition of another tired "Microsoft vs Linux" debate with first-person account of psychdelic drug use [slashdot.org], a tale of a heroic, sentient ATM [slashdot.org] is too heady a mix to resist.

    Don't like fiction? That's okay! The muckracking crusaders [slashdot.org] of -1 are here to show you the light [trollaxor.com] about open source software [slashdot.org], your rights online [slashdot.org], and more specifically, Linux [slashdot.org] And I would be amiss if I didn't mention the poetical stylings [slashdot.org] of the Lyrics Guy.

    I urge you to join the fight in making -1 a better place. Remember, this site is whatever you want it to be. You don't merely have to post tired rehashings of previous posts!!! As Ralph Nader once said, "Once they've got your expectations, they've got you!"

    Don't settle for highly speculative garbage spewed by armchair programmers, wannabe scientists, and bitter, unemployed losers!!!

    We've gone to the end of the universe, and unlocked the secrets straight to your grocer's freezer!!!

    The next step is yours, my friend...but you have to want it. Join us, and be master of your fate!!!

  13. nice to see the Russians using their missiles... by atari2600 · · Score: 1

    ...for peaceful purposes
    From the article
    The Demonstrator-2 blasted off from underwater, aboard the Ryazan submarine in the Barents Sea, into orbit on a converted Volna SS-N-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, the Russian navy said in a statement.

    Well now if all nations on Earth used their missiles for peaceful purposes, we wont be needing those treaties :)

    A2.6k

  14. I FOUND IT... by wo1verin3 · · Score: 2, Funny

    You can bid on the lost russian inflatable spacecraft by clicking here.

  15. Lost it? by Gabrill · · Score: 1

    Russians: "It went perfectly! Now we just have to FIND it!"

    --
    Always going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse.
  16. Re:[YourMissionForToday] what does -1 have to offe by boogerxxxx · · Score: -1, Troll

    Linux dildo, with penguins.

  17. The Runway problem... by cnelzie · · Score: 2, Funny


    Send a number of robotic contruction drones to the surface of Mars. Send them with BASIC construction materials and have them get the rest of the materials on the Martian surface. I am certain that some materials (Other than the limestone) could be found on the surface to make a concrete material.

    These drones could spend 24 hours a day completing the landing strip. Then send the first team of "colonists" to Mars. They could oversee the construction of a launching platform and fuel refinery systems.

    After that, a few more construction crews can be sent to Mars to build more suitable permanent habitats and regular colonists could arrive later. The kind that have scientific knowledge and know-how for making life on Mars work.

    After 50 or so years, then regular tourists and corporations can setup offices on Mars. Then another 50 or so years later, we can have that Mars-Terra conflict that is always talked about in science fiction novels.

    That would be fun...

    -.-

    --
    If you ignore the other uses of a tool, does that make the tool less useful, or you less useful?
  18. Missile by Boronx · · Score: 1

    How do the russians launch an ICBM from a sub without making U.S. defense crap their pants? Was America notified in advance?

    1. Re:Missile by Mt._Honkey · · Score: 1

      Yes, that's the way it always goes. Whenever there is an ICBM or SLBM test/launch/whatever, other countries are always notified to avoid any 'mishaps'.

      I heard a story about an incident around 10 years ago in which a satellite was launched off of the coast of Scandinavia, and it was headed roughly towards Moscow. The rocket had very similar flight characteristics to a Polaris missile, and since it was launched from the coast, it looked to the Russians as if it had been launched from the water. Yeltsin crapped his pants and nearly pushed the big red button (he was a bit drunk I think). All ended well though.

      --

      Don't Bogart the fish sticks
  19. LONG, HARD, AND FULL OF SEAMEN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    What? It is!