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Next Goals For The ESA

Posted by timothy on from the cheese-mining-lunar-base dept.

zeux writes "With all the news we got recently from space I tried to gather some information about the next goals of the ESA (European Space Agency). Along with a space vehicle designed to carry supplies to the ISS between 2004 and 2013, they are working on the new 'Vega' launcher (2006) and still playing with the SMART-1 probe which is slowly heading to the moon testing an ion drive that is ten times more efficient than the usual chemical systems (1500 hours cumulated thrust time so far)."

6 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. Re:New pictures... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    An even better link, now without Karma Whoring

    here. Please try to help. It's vitaly important. A landmark. A rite of passage. Think of what your grandchildren will think of an Internet without such a sentinel site.

    also note

    Sorry, no information is available for the URL www.goatse.cx

    If the URL is valid, try visiting that web page by clicking on the following link: www.goatse.cx Find web pages that contain the term "www.goatse.cx"

  2. i know by McAddress · · Score: -1, Troll

    how about a working mars rover?

    1. Re:i know by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Troll

      Well considering that ESA's budget is about $5 billion (vs NASA's $17 billion), that the ESA has yet to land a spacecraft on any planetary body, that ESA has yet to build a rover, that there are intense political struggles within the organization, and that there are likely to be more budget cuts, its not suprising that ESA is slow as hell to do *anything*. NASA got where it is today (where most people think NASA might be the only competent government agency in the US) by being extraordinarily sucessful in its early programs. Contrast this with the Russians and look where they're at. ESA hasn't had much sucess lately (due to the Arianne and Beagle 2 fiascos), and really needs to rebuild public confidence in them. Smart people want to work for NASA because they feel they can make a difference. At the ESA they won't feel that way because there is so far little pride in the agency and too much political infighting.

  3. It's official, the Milky Way is dying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered galaxy when NASA confirmed that entropy has increased yet again, bringing the time left until the inevitable heat death of existence to less than a fraction of 1 percent the previous time. Coming on the heels of a recent NASA survey which plainly states that more stars have burned out, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. The unvierse is collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplified by failing dead last in the recent parallel existense comprehensive networking test.



    You don't need to be a Kreskin to predict the galaxy's future. The hand writing is on the wall: humankind faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for the Milky Way because the universe is dying. Things are looking very bad for the Mily Way. As many of us are already aware, the universe continues to lose time.



    The area around our sun is the most endangered of them all, having lost 93% of its stars. The sudden and unpleasant departures of long time stellar landmarks the Pole Star and the Dog Star only serve to underscore the point more clearly. There can no longer be any doubt: the Milky Way is dying.



    Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.



    Galactic leader Thog'Or'Taianais states that there are 7000 stars in the galaxy. How many of these are actually filthy quasars in disguise? Let's see. The number of star versus quasar posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7000/5 = 1400 quasar. A recent article put stars at about 80 percent of the galactic weight. Therefore there are (7000+1400+700)*4 = 36400 stars. This is consistent with the number of star usenet posts.



    Due to the troubles of the galaxy, increasing entropy and so on, the galactic core collapsed into a black hole and will probably be absorbed by the Crab Nebula. Now the Magellan Cloud is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house.



    The Milky Way continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, the Milky Way is dead.



    Fact: the Milky Way is dying
  4. why are they still useing rockets by you_think_I'm_dumb! · · Score: 0, Troll

    I just don't understand why the old method of reaction mass rockets is still being used. There are several ways of giving an object velocity without reaction mass, as some term "inertia drives". They DO exist so why are they ignored by mainstream science? Google for yourself. The simplist method is a tube, bouncing a mass off a spring and letting it go clunk at the other end. Energy is applied to accelerate the mass for both directions. The difference in directional energy is obtained from the fact that when the mass goes klunk energy is lost through deformation etc. You don't have to take my word for it, use your brain, analyse the forces. Then you can wonder why we still use reaction mass rockets.

  5. Re:do not weep for the goatse man by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Holy fucking shit! That is the most incredible shit I have ever seen! Folks, you need to check this shit out. You will gain a newfound respect (and horror) for the man behind (heh) the goatse.cx crap.

    (I can't believe he didn't fuck up his intestines with all that activity!)