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Road Trip On The Interplanetary Superhighway

Posted by timothy on from the no-bathroom-breaks dept.

eegad writes: "CNN has an article about a new idea from NASA springing from chaos theory called the interplanetary superhighway. It will purportedly allow easier space travel by steering through regions where the net gravitational force exerted by nearby bodies is smallest. The actual NASA news release is here. Sounds like an interesting concept but it is unclear how the scientists will account for every source of gravity, including the elusive dark matter."

7 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Confirmation at last by Darth_brooks · · Score: 5, Funny

    let's look at the facts: Big government bureaucracy. Foul smelling, funny looking employees. Interplanetary highway construction. It's all there in black and white.

    NASA is run by the Vorgons.

    --
    There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
    1. Re:Confirmation at last by Emugamer · · Score: 4, Funny

      PROBABILITY .......... Infinity Minus One that NASA's metric ->english conversion will allow an accurate Interplanetary Highway to be built

      Infinite Improbability Drive
      Bush's Rise to Power

  2. 3-body problem? by jedwards · · Score: 3, Funny
    the sun is pulling, the Earth and moon and other objects are constantly pulling," said Martin Lo of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

    "Our theory has refined to the point where we can actually compute these trajectories
    Really? I thought the 3-body problem was not solvable.
  3. Hyperspace bypass by sopuli · · Score: 1, Funny

    Great! This finally explains why the Vogons had to destroy earth for a hyperspace bypass.

  4. The Layman's Translation by MadFarmAnimalz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Scientist1: Well, it appears that there's some parts of space where there's no gravitational pull. So, if we chuck the craft along one of these paths, it will umm...
    Scientist2: It will probably need less energy.
    Scientist1: Right. Since it doesn't have to do any work counteracting any gravity.
    Reporter: Makes sense fellas. Now, you called a press conference. What's that all about?
    Scientist1: Well, that was it.
    Reporter: (short pause) I see. (another longer pause - an uncomfortable silence, actually) Now, seeing as you just worked this out, how did you fly craft before then?
    Scientist2: Well, gas was so cheap and all...
    (Scientist2 slaps Scientist1 and NASA lose what funding they have left)

    IN RELATED NEWS: Liberal Arts graduate? Want to work for the JPL? We're hiring! Call NOW!

    --
    Blearf. Blearf, I say.
  5. Hard to get a driver's licence though by Subcarrier · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'd hate to take the written exams to pilot one my own space wagon, though.

    You are at an intersection of 17 interstellar space lanes. You will now listen to the astrogation control channel for 30 seconds. Choose an entry vector to the roundabout, calculate a trajectory towards the Hyades Cluster, and engage warp drive. Remember to follow the astrogation control channel protocol. Refer to the attached astrogation table for nearby mass concentrations. You have two minutes to complete the procedure.

    The driving test should be much better: you just grab the joystick, stamp on the warp pedal, and hope for the best.

    --
    "I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them." -- George H. W. Bush
  6. Ceci n'est pas une Vorgon joke by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 2, Funny

    In my day, we didn't have no inter-planetary sup-er high-way. We got to Triton O-45 the old fashioned way, and it was up a gravity well both ways!

    Some scientists theorize that a killer asteroid traveled along the highway when it smacked into Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

    Oh my gosh! Interplanetary superhighways facilitate terrorism! Tear it down! Think of the children!