Comet Hunting Craft Closes on Target

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Comet Hunting Craft Closes on Target

Posted by michael on Tuesday December 2, 2003 @07:31AM from the be-vewwy-vewwy-qwiet dept.

JayBonci writes "According to a CNN article (also ScienceDaily), NASA's comet-hunting craft as part of the Stardust mission has sighted the comet early. This will make it easier to complete their plan of bringing a sample of the dust left behind by the comet's icy tail back home to earth. The mission homepage is here."

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The silly thing of it is... by Dr.+Smeegee · 2003-12-02 07:39 · Score: 1

I had this image of a ufo zeroing in on a Super Target.
Bruce Willis by AtariAmarok · 2003-12-02 07:41 · Score: 1

Is Bruce Willis aboard this thing, accompanied by a bunch of riggers and wearing the ugliest corduroy space suits in all sci fi dom?

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Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
that's alot of excitement by theMerovingian · 2003-12-02 07:56 · Score: 2, Funny

for something that looks like this.

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"If you think you have things under control, you're not going fast enough." --Mario Andretti
1. Re:that's alot of excitement by RobertB-DC · 2003-12-02 11:04 · Score: 1
  
  for something that looks like this.
  
  Actually, the NASA scientists are all in a tizzy over twelve little pixels. If they actually got to see the whole potato, I think they'd break out the sour cream.
  
  --
  Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
ISS? by moosesocks · 2003-12-02 08:27 · Score: 2, Interesting

Wouldn't it be easier for the spacecraft to dock with the ISS, and return the samples to earth via. the next Soyuez capsule? It seems silly to need to build a craft capable of re-entry when it doesn't need to...

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-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
1. Re:ISS? by aridhol · 2003-12-02 08:45 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe, but Earth is a bigger target.
  
  --
  I can't say that I don't give a fuck. I've just run out of fuck to give.
2. Re:ISS? by grosa · 2003-12-02 08:58 · Score: 0
  
  isn't the Soyuez the escape capsule of the space station? doesn't seem like a very good plan to leave the astronauts/cosmonauts without a re-renty vehicle just to save money.
3. Re:ISS? by isaac · 2003-12-02 09:18 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Wouldn't it be easier for the spacecraft to dock with the ISS, and return the samples to earth via. the next Soyuez capsule? It seems silly to need to build a craft capable of re-entry when it doesn't need to...
  
  I'm certain it's considerably easier to build a capsule with an ablative heat shield capable of reentry than to build a craft with enough maneuvering fuel to match the orbit of ISS for a complicated recovery of the sort you propose.
  With this design, the craft doesn't have to match orbits with a very small and very fast target - it just has to hit Utah. The latter is considerably easier, especially as there aren't any squishy humans inside who can't tolerate deceleration forces greater than a few dozen G.
  -Isaac
  
  --
  I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
4. Re:ISS? by Anonymous Coward · 2003-12-02 10:31 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  With this design, the craft doesn't have to match orbits with a very small and very fast target - it just has to hit Utah. The latter is considerably easier, especially as there aren't any squishy humans inside who can't tolerate deceleration forces greater than a few dozen G.
  
  Okay, who is going to hack just a minor correction to orbital parameters to make it hit SCO HQ on re-entry?
5. Re:ISS? by snake_dad · 2003-12-02 11:05 · Score: 1
  
  Plus: Stardust was designed to be light. That is also the reason for the several gravity assists during the mission: it allowed for a lighter spacecraft and thus a smaller launcher.
  Maybe something could be done with aerobraking, but I guess that too would take a very long time to match orbits.
  
  --
  karma capped .sig seeking available Slashdot poster for long-term relationship.
6. Re:ISS? by DoraLives · 2003-12-02 12:57 · Score: 1
  
  Wouldn't it be easier for the spacecraft to dock with the ISS
  No.
  
  --
  Is it fascism yet?
7. Re:ISS? by Cujo · 2003-12-02 15:27 · Score: 1
  
  That's it exactly. The amount of delta-velocity we're talking about here is thousands of meters per second, sothe mass fraction of the fuel would be >> 50%. Also, the ISS isn't very maneuverable, so anything that wants to rendezvous with it needs a pretty good terminal guidance system, which is expensive. Stardust is a Discovery mission, so doesn't have or need those kinds of big ticket items.
  
  --
  Helium balloons want to be free.
Now way by AtariAmarok · 2003-12-02 08:57 · Score: 1

"...and return the samples to earth via. the next Soyuez capsule..."

Yeah, and what do you do once the comet samples get mixed in with the congealed foodstuffs that up most of the Russian space program rations? Once those babies get jumbled together, you'll have a hell of a time telling them apart.

Best solution to this problem comes from our pal Yakov: replace all the food rations with more vodka. Then you'll always be able to find space samples!

--
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
YES!!! give me a nice interstellar virus by Zorton · 2003-12-02 09:06 · Score: 1

Cool maybe we can culture some weirdness outa it. Some sorta plastic eatting virus that could set us all back into the 50's or so. Or perhaps something that eats silicon. Imagine the amazing self deflating breast implants.

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1. Re:YES!!! give me a nice interstellar virus by SB9876 · 2003-12-02 12:41 · Score: 1
  
  OK, I'm gonna be a nitpicker here but this is buggin' me :
  
  1: viruses don't eat *anything*, they're really not even alive. Bacteria eat stuff, not viruses.
  2: Silicon is what sand and computer chips are made of. Silicone is what boob implants and bathtub caulk is made of. Silicon != silicone!!!!!1!! ARRRGH!!!