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Astronaut Wants Space Program With No Frills
colonist writes "A veteran astronaut wants less comfort and more exploration for future missions. British-born astrophysicist Michael Foale has clocked up 374 days in space, more than any other American astronaut. Foale said, 'We need lean and mean spaceships with no frills', such as toilets or kitchen. However, he would like better oxygen-producing systems for the space station. Foale also talked about the Russians: they played 'some sort of Russian folk song. I'm not so sure it calmed me a lot.' As Foale boarded the Soyuz, an official kicked him in the back: a Russian launch tradition. From space, Foale saw a large black cloud over the Middle East: smoke from a bombed oil pipeline in Iraq."
Not sure what I think of no toilets :-|
-nB
whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
Sice when did being able to take a dump become a 'frill'?
At least he didn't get a wine bottle smashed on his face or something. I bet they just tell foreigners the kick-in-the-back is customary. "Get a load of this guy, Vladimir!" Da!
Michael Foale is actually British and not American.
e.g. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3298031.stm
Mouse powered Chips, Open source Processors and Lego
Explore strange new worlds, my ass!
I'm not one for reading articles usually, there are to many things going on in the world to read all about the changelog for SpamAssasin 3.0 or yet another diatribe on free vs. not-so-free vs. user rights vs. privacy... anyways, most of the time it all gets a bit repetitive, but if you are tired of that, read this one, its good, the poster sort of mangled it into a very curt summary but take a look, its worth the time
an official kicked him in the back: a Russian launch tradition
What? Kicking ass is a proud American tradition with a long history. This is just an example of the westernization of Russia.
No toilets? Wouldn't that make for a really shitty space program?
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Damn, Easy Jet and the other low cost airlines haven't been around long, and this guy is already talking about low cost space travel, that boy sure has some business potential.
Foale's suggestions for leaving the comfort zone ring true on several levels. We can't really explore space until we're ready to leave the Garden of Eden behind. So far, we're trying to take it with us -- everything must be 100% safe, from the toilets to the astronauts themselves. We're not going to get past the walls of the garden until there's a flaming sword -- until we must either push forward or die.
I don't neccesarily mean that there will have to be some sort of global catastrophe, just that there will be no real exploration until a group of humans blasts off from Earth with no prospects to return. Ideally, they would be volunteers, but I don't think they can be the perfect psychological and physical specimens we're used to sending into space.
Space simply won't be a "real" place until we have a real human presence, and that means the bad as well as the good. Expanding into the new world takes more than just tilling the land and never moving on. To extend the Eden analogy further: Man didn't really start his journey until Cain's jealousy reached its breaking point. I don't think that's a story of one guy who got mad at his brother -- it's an allegory about mankind's darker side, and how it's an integral part of our experience.
To take a more recent example: when the US lost a dozen-plus troops in Somalia, we left with our tail tucked between our legs. Same thing a few years earlier in Beirut, when a few hundred troops were killed. But now, after losing several thousand lives in 9/11, we're able to bear the loss of hundreds in Iraq and Afghanistan... instead of turning tail, we're actually debating the issue.
We won't reach space in any meaningful way until all of humanity is represented -- both good and bad. That's why we're just spinning our wheels at the moment, playing on the outskirts of Eden. It won't be until Cain shows up -- until someone walks out the airlock in despair, someone fights over resources or a mate, or until there's a war over some metal-rich asteroid -- that humans will truly be able to call themselves citizens of space.
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
is a toilet a frill?
3 1/2' of 3/4 PVC tubing could replace both of them.
That will stop all those people joining the space program just for the free feed, right!
Norman Cook's Ode to Sl
I'm not sure I would advertise "no frills" as Spartan. It seems like "no frills" should be called "inexpensive" or "streamlined". Those are good things that come to mind, not Spartan.
when you write something, do not include more than one topic in a paragraph.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
We had to travel into orbit, UPHILL BOTH WAYS. We didn't have any of this new-fangled technology. We used duct tape and chewing gum, AND WE LIKED IT THAT WAY. Damned young whipper snappers, always wanting comfort.
It's a strange time we live in when astronauts are flying into space and note large plumes of smoke from ongoing wars.
We are one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. Back to you with the weather, Bob!
"As Foale boarded the Soyuz, an official kicked him in the back: a Russian launch tradition"
I doubt that this is a Russian tradition. It's what my last boss did when he showed me my cube.
ass kicks YOU!
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
The US has involved itself in a huge pork project (ISS) that will syphon off most of the money for space in the near future. Talk of Mars is just that, talk. The US is floating a $7 trillion dollar real debt, huge deficits, and (according to the Fed study) a social security future deficit of $50 TRILLION. If you think the govt is going to fund a Mars program or any other new manned program you are deluded.
That is his opinion and he is entitled to it. However, humans like comfort, and humans bitch when comfort does not exist, especially on long trips. In addition, there are cultural differences between Russians and Americans as he pointed out. What might seem comfortable for the Russians might not be comfortable for the Americans, just like he pointed out the folk song. Some people can handle comfortless trips, while others cannot. Those who cannot must be mentally trained to do so. No one wants an astronaut to have some sort of breakdown because his toiled sucked his anus too fast, or that he cannot eat anything else but food from the toothpaste containers. Speaking in terms of weight, not having a toilet or a kitchen will not significantly increase the maneuverability of the International Space Station or a future spaceship. It will not make it lean and mean. The only thing that will do is new propulsion systems. -------------
and the internet, and the entire sports industry, what a waste that is.
in fact lets just do away with all nonessential services.
yeah thats the best idea, lets put 40-50 million people out of work.
"kicked him in the back"
Ah, the nature-loving Russians, simulating the snap of surface tension felt by a raindrop departing its childhood cloud, precipitating away from its teeming comrades, hurtling towards the planet it could before have only stared at in wonder.
--
make install -not war
Well, it's about time to get rid of those fancy space shuttles!
I'd say we attach a big bucket (made of a potato chip) to a hot air ballon, and float the astronauts into space!
They can also eat the bucket when they are going up too. By the time they reach the zero gravity zone they won't need the bucket anyway! Then for reentry they just use the ballon as a parachute!
The ultimate no-frills space travel!
Online backup with Mozy, sounds like Ozzie, but more!
Worst. Summary. Yet.
I suspect because we don't have our own (not even on the ESA astronaut program).
Well, sure. He forgot to eat plain yogurt while listening to it.
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
Nonetheless, the prospect of a Christmas feast for two was depressing until the two astronauts found a solution: Invite some guests. The memorable feast was captured in a photograph showing the two men with their guests, two empty spacesuits carefully propped in dining position.
Lincoln would like some more dehydrated yams, and tell Hitler over there to stop staring at me.
No, the waste is all the money we spend on britney spears and sports players. It's the money we spend on luxury items, it's the money we spend on pointless worship of mythical beings.
Space exploration gives us knowledge. War is unfortunate, but sometimes necessary. I wish we didn't have to spend money on war. But humans are vile creatures when it comes down to it, and so we need to spend money to kill and prevent being killed.
none of that is waste.
why do you think the economy isnt a whole lot worse
because its robust, it employs people to do stupid things.
that is the perfect situation.
war costs money, that money goes somewhere, then is later spent.
it is not just put under the matress to never be seen again.
However, he would like better oxygen-producing systems for the space station. At least he has is priorities straight..... Although he probably wants the toilets reduced down to a tube. What fun.
Laboratree - Scientific collaboration based on OpenSocial.
Did he kick back?
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
Nothing will further space exploration more than a space elevator.
Even a simple one, little more than a winch that can lower payloads to space and back safely, would bring cheap solar power and a station on the moon within easy reach.
Anyone in the white house listening?
Lose Weight and Feel Great with Isagenix
Foale was the visiting Western astronaut (as opposed to regular Russian cosmonauts)on Mir during the period of time when there was a fairly serious fire, as well as a depressurization (contained to one module) and a collision with a supply rocket. He was very vocal about his criticisms of the joint NASA/Russian space program (largely that it being pushed through for political reasons, to the detriment of the safety of the astonauts and the spaceprogram as a whole). His arguments had some merits, but they did not make him too popular with the administrators.
So obviously this is a guy who knows about the dangers and travails of space exploration, but at the same time it's interesting to contrast how this new opinion conflicts -in some ways- with his earlier statements.
i wonder if the bush bashers actually believe they are being humorous in their slander, or if they truley think people give a shit about their opins
they seem really adament about doing it, maybe they are just losers (like this election for instance)
Again with the "how the hell can we fund Mars" argument.
NASA gets around $16 billion a year. With the new plan of scrapping the shuttle and abandoning the ISS, that' frees up about $6 billion. If we have a timescale of say 20 years to get a presence on Mars, that's $120 billion. If you're a member of the church of the $1 trillion mars mission, that's not enough. However, if you use Mars Direct or the NASA Mars reference mission plan, that's plenty of money.
As long as the American people are willing to pay 1 cent on the dollar for NASA as they currently do, the money to get to Mars will be there. It's just a matter of maintaining the political will to do it.
Blaze a trail to the New World
I think its wise to spend money on the church you go to. And its good to give your money to the poor so they can lead a life. www.geocities.com/James_Sager_PA
God spoke to me.
NASA planners "correctly worry a lot about loneliness."
[...] the prospect of a Christmas feast for two was depressing until the two astronauts found a solution: Invite some guests. The memorable feast was captured in a photograph showing the two men with their guests, two empty spacesuits carefully propped in dining position.
Yeah, they were a few weeks away from dressing up as their mothers.
Maybe they need a few more people up there.
You can't take the sky from me...
Was this guy in space with Borat? I don't see why he'd be offended by his traditional "Throw the Jew down the well" tune.
"We won't ever get out of Earth's orbit if we worry about being comfortable."
RP
Did someone give Dubya access to the internet again?
"truley".."opins"
Nice try George.
"I think we are already good enough on ISS, even for a crew of six," Foale said
"The line for the toilet is never that bad," he laughed.
I assume he isn't against toilets in general!
From space, Foale saw a large black cloud over the Middle East: smoke from a bombed oil pipeline in Iraq." :)
Ahhh, that's also the black cloud of freedom and victory.
'We need lean and mean spaceships with no frills', such as toilets or kitchen.
This new policy would really piss me off.
This would throw the entire manned space program into the shitter.
What will NASA cook up next?
How do they want astronauts to eat? Hang a marshmallow out the port hole to glom off the rocket exhaust?
These ideas are really crappy.
Sure... suggest not having toilet paper on spaceships AFTER you retire, hmm?
> Nothing will further space exploration more than a space elevator.
> Even a simple one
There's nothing simple about the biggest fakir rope trick in the world. You don't just throw it really hard and hope it sticks to the sky, yunno. You want to be in the way when the thing crashes?
No kitchen sink?
Something I've always wondered but have never heard mentioned either way. Has anyone had sex in space yet? The Russians and US have both been sending up women for awhile. I'm sure someone must have joined the 100 mile(or however high it is) club by now.
I bet it's NASA dirty little secret:)
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better." - Unknown
maybe they are just losers (like this election for instance)
This election is a loser? Next you'll be saying you eat pieces of shit for breakfast.
Or Dubya: "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
In Soviet Russia, Ass Kick You!
Bit of a difference.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
I'm sure we can all agree that this was the... most...disjointed...and rambling...article summary...ever!
Justin
"Why would God give us a waist if we wasn't supposed to rest our pants on it?" - Rev. Roy McDaniels
Ryanair, the pioneers of no frills air flight should be able to help out here. They even use their toilets as seats on fully booked flights.
I've got you covered there. Er... sort of. This plastic thingie will actually do the covering. For those not wishing to click on the link, someone introduced a little device called the Internet Urinal, basically a little plastic jug for if you /really/ can't step away from the computer. Holds 32 oz, the size of a Big Gulp, according to the ads. Um... yeah.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
Hang on, George Bush is calling...
I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
I think a Warp Drive might be more useful. Or maybe transporters. Just as feasible too.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
They should have kicked him in the face (not you [congratulations for 1stPst], the astrofag).
I like the one where everyone has sex with Barbarella while floating upside down in Soyuz.
What? What do you mean it's not? Oh, then nevermind.
What is with this constant assumption that people put out of work due to redundancy will not be able to apply themselves in another industry?!
People who lose their job and can't find work immediatly will almost always go to a demmand sector which is short of labour, creating a better equilibrium.
Spartan PPronunciation Key(spärtn)
adj.
1. Of or relating to Sparta or its people.
2. also spartan
a. Rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained.
b. Simple, frugal, or austere: a Spartan diet; a spartan lifestyle.
c. Marked by brevity of speech; laconic.
d. Courageous in the face of pain, danger, or adversity.
Suddenly Foale seems to be coming around to the Russian point of view about space. Wasn't MIR a lot cheaper than ISS?
This is my sig.
The biggest frill in the space program is sending people into space. Okay, so it was great to do but now it's been done. Over and over. Put the money into real science.
I am surprised that the national debt (or federal budget) hasn't come up in the Presidential debates. It sure didn't take long for Bush to piss away all the work that Clinton had done on the national debt and federal budget. It is only getting worse...
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Yes, yes, sure it is a tradition, uhm, we do it ALL the time. Now turn your capitalist *cough* butt here.
I think a Warp Drive might be more useful.
Not for leaving the planet. Even exotic-energy bubbles of collapsing and expaning space won't help with that; they're space-only, like Ion drives.
Or maybe transporters.
The only theoretical mechanism for "transporters" requires a significant infrastructure at both ends.
Just as feasible too.
Not really. We have materials that are theoretically usable for a space elevator. It doesn't break any extant laws of physics.
And it was thought up by engineers, not TV scriptwriters.
... to see the "Celebrity" version of that. Particularly if they REALLY do the airlock part. :)
:-D
"Oh, I'm sorry, Carrottop. You've been voted off the station. The crew has spoken."
Oh... I salivate at the very thought.
-Jellisky
-enjoying morbidly fun thoughts since 1978.
Doing manned missions a ton more expensive than unmanned ones. For purely increasing the (science / $$$) ratio, the most effective thing to do is get rid of astronauts; they're the bigest frill.
[i]Nonetheless, the prospect of a Christmas feast for two was depressing until the two astronauts found a solution: Invite some guests. The memorable feast was captured in a photograph showing the two men with their guests, two empty spacesuits carefully propped in dining position.
"Hey, we wanted company," Foale deadpanned. [/i]
- Some of our unnamed sources also report that on the sound records from the space station they could heard the following:
-Wilson. WILSON! Don't go, Wilson, don't go.
You can't handle the truth.
"Foale also talked about the Russians: they played 'some sort of Russian folk song. I'm not so sure it calmed me a lot.'"
==== OK, let's "talk some shit"...
Hmmm... I thought those power bars or "High protein, low residue" bars they could be eating would "minimize the shit" or solid waste matter, ahem, issue/purge/whatever. (I saw some at Fry's Electronics a few years ago, claiming to be based on NASA technology: "High Protein, Low residue", implying eat, hike, and "be free"/"freed"... of certain fears...)
Curious: do they purge those waste tanks in orbit, or "pack their shit up" and "bring their shit back" with them, like campers in Yosemite (are supposed to)?
Even if the solids acted like "Klingons" and stuck to the craft the ones returning could burnish or burn the shit off on reentry. And, wouldn't these "Cling-Ons" be the real McCoy? Space Invaders? Alien life forms? Non-sentient, and non-screaming? After all, these arrive from a SPACEport WITHOUT PASSports, visas, stamps, or itenerary of any sorts, like "cast-awayed" stowaways.
As for the orbiting stations tho... too much "irregular" cake-up might have a destabilizing or deleterious effect on centrifugal properties. Things might get centripetal... Having your "shit collapse in on you" would ruin ANY body's day... I guess they'd have to load/pack sand into orbit and sandblast, since it might be hard to collect vacuum for cleaners up there... Especially if "sticking valves" could be an issue...
Sigh, the perils of living dangerously...
David Syes
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
No, he was in FAVOR of cling-ons.
Don't we have enough Americans that want to be astronauts? Next thing all our spacemen will be from India and mission control will be a call center in Bangalore.
.....Hello, Hello....
CC: Hello, this is Sri. How are you this evening?
SM: Not too good. The oxygen generator has stopped working.
CC:Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I see you have a Acme SpaceOx Mk IV oxygen generator. Let's try a few things. Are you by the unit? I'm going to ask you to turn the power off and back on again? The power switch is the red one in the lower left corner. Can you see it?
SM:I got it.
CC:Now push down on it. The unit should be off now. Is it off?
"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his." -- George Patton
Well, if they do that again, but harder, and "kick the shit" out of him, he'll want a toilet AND a cubicle. That might be a "waste" of "space"...
"So...yuz have to take a sheeet, n'yet, n'yet? What now, Comrade? Pleez, do not fire up the Lysol aerosol. It is proy-bih-ted.. We don't need a "hair on fire" day up here, like you have in yur Peen-ta-gon".
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
He can blow, and the capsule-commode can suck, but if they reverse polarity, one of them will be F*&^%d
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
I heard that Astronauts and pilots in the late 60s or the 70's were advised of a NASA-learned means of combatting jet lag: LOTS of sex.
I heard it was then a secret or was classified because it would have proved "embarassing" to the nation. This was at a time when the government and military routinely classified even matters of embarrassment or politically sensitive stuff.
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
As Foale began to board the Soyuz, a senior Russian official kicked him in the back. Mystified, he looked at Kaleri. Kaleri explained it was a Russian launch tradition.
Is it just me, or is that visual really comical?
I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
Yeah that makes sense, you don't need to crap if you don't eat. Think of how much you would save in your own life. Its like making money!!
How much money could be saved if the trip to Mars was just one-way? How many people would volunteer to "sacrifice" themselves for the sake of exploration? Consider this: the most technically challenging part of a long-duration space mission is how to provide for food, water and air - followed closely by the re-entry systems. If you could cut the food, water and air need in half and eliminate the Earth re-entry system, we might now be talking about an affordable Mars mission.
The moral issues are clear, however. Suicide is a nasty requirement to write up in the mission specs. Nevertheless, an astronaut's chances of dying on one of the current U.S. "man-rated" space vehicles is better than one in fifty due to accidents as measured by actual performance. Make death part of the final equation, and we're talking the ultimate no-frills space ride.
This sig is a test. If this had been an actual sig, you would be reading something quite a bit wittier than this now.
NSAS inspector general is investigating a $30 million shuttle toilet that was supposed to cost $3 million. The cost went up, the contractor explained, when NASA added a window. Source
This might sound expensive, but considering the $14G development cost of the shuttle. It isn't really much. Foale is trivializing the discussion of NASA's future direction by saying stuff like this. A guarantee the Crew Exploration Vehicle will have a toilet. What sense does it make to send astronauts on a month long trip to the moon only to have them return with Cholera?
an ill wind that blows no good
Well, there's huge risk in sending a man to Mars and bringing him back. Mars is hard. It's easily one or more orders of magnitude harder than the Moon. It's much farther away; equipment and supplies have to last much longer. It's got a much bigger gravity well -- you have two major launches to deal with. Mars actually has an environment to deal with, including an atmosphere with sand storms and temperature fluctuations to deal with. Given that it takes so long to get there, you're going to want to do an extended mission -- no landing, spending two or three days and coming right home. Equipment failure would be catastrophic: an Apollo 13 style retreat would be nearly impossible. The logistics would be daunting, probably involving a number of missions simply to stage supplies and equipment.
Failure would be nearly intolerable. Even settting the value of the astronaut's life at zero, you won't be able to tolerate losing your craft, which will be fabulously expensive to build and launch.
Can I suggest a more -- incremental? approach? One that reduces risks, costs and increases near term value returned in technology, military and economic spin-offs?
Why not set as a goal cutting the cost to orbit by an order of magnitude or more? This will do several things. Firstly efforts, even somewhat unsuccessful efforts, will have short term value. Second, it will be possible to try a number of "out of the box" ideas because the financial and human costs of failure on a small technological trial is much lower than in a large, man-rated mission. Finally this approach would lay the groundwork for a faster, cheaper, safer manned Mars mission. We might even get there faster. F
What I am proposing would look like this:
Phase 1: Apollo style effort to reduce launch costs by an order of magnitude or more. Occasional robotic missions continue.
Phase 2: Utilizing lowered costs from Phase 1, step up rate of relatively low cost robotic missions from Mars to meet scientific goals, survey the planet, and learn about systems requirements for long term missions to Mars and on the Martian surface. Culminate in a several ambitious sample return missions that will parallel the challenges of a manned mission.
Phase 3: Using engineering knowledge from phase 2, begin a series of missions to stage equipment and supplies for an extended manned mission.
Phase 4: Establish long term Mars base.
So a manned mission would be part of the roadmap, but no specific planning or resources would be commmitted to this until well into phase 2.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Is it about the space program? Russan traditions? Politics/Oil (What a way to slide that one in there!) Take a Ritalin, then rewrite the post.
Stranded.org
Out of curiosity, just what do you think the materials we have today are that have the proper amount of tensile strength while at the same time being light enough to feasably get into geosyncrhonous orbit with today's launch technologies?
Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.
Carbon nanotubes, or a derivitve technology thereof.
What is the astronaut gonna use? An outhouse?
Coderz 4 Life
Carbon nanotubes is certainly the forerunner. Even at todays technology, a carbon nanotube ribbon (very thin but rather wide) would be strong enough for small payloads.
In fact, for very small (100 - 200 lbs) payloads, a spider silk ribbon (which can now be made en masse thanks to the mammory glands in goats) may even be strong enough (a cable about the size of yarn or the ink container inside a bic pen can hold up the largest airplane we have).
Also, to avoid the need for a large winch in space, you have one satellite that is used as a tug to pull the ribbon out into space, using the fixed station as a guide. The satellite flies 62,000 miles out into space, and voila', the payload is at the fixed station.
As it comes back, with a gentle nudge from burners on the payload chassis, and the payload end makes it's way back to earth in a slow and controlled manner (no 15,000 degree heat from going 12,000 MPH through the atmosphere).
The round trip should take about 4 - 6 hours by current, very educated estimates made by highly skilled engineers who are very, very versed on the subject.
People like you and I (and Bush) shouldn't waste our time strainging our tiny little brains to figure out why it won't work. It will.
Lose Weight and Feel Great with Isagenix
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
I'm simply commenting on the fact that there are probably only about 2 dozen people on the planet with the practical, applicable knowledge and experience to say with any sort of certainty that a space elevator was physically impossible and a bad idea, and I highly doubt they are the people who regularly dismiss (not refute) the idea on Slashdot.
Personally I see no reason that it won't work, once the effort and money necessary is put into it.
Lose Weight and Feel Great with Isagenix
not sure what to think about this, but as i was reading this, what song should come up on my iTunes playlist but Peter Schilling's 'Major Tom.'
on a (possibly) more serious tone, what is he thinking, no toilets? are the spacemen supposed to just crap in their pants for 5 months?
i may or may not have crapped in my pants once... it was not a pleasant experiece that which i do not wish to have recur.
can't imagine no toilets.
"Before humanity, the stars shone throughout the heavens. After humanity [has gone], the stars will continue to shine"
From space, Foale saw a large black cloud over the Middle East: smoke from a bombed oil pipeline in Iraq."
Pix please.
Global warming is neither science, nor politics. It is a religion.
Additionally I think you can make pretty good judgements simply by looking at the record of achievement by people in related fields. Without knowing anything about the fabrication of electronic components I can probably make pretty accurate estimates of the processing speed of fast CPUs in 5 years time, say. I don't see why this procedure should magically fail for material science.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
What?
Luxury items are actually a sign of a healthy economy - they mean there's a diversification of the workforce and money being put back into the economy. I'm not sure of exact figures, but I'm fairly certain a large chunk of all religious donations either ends up paying the salary of religious leaders(who then spend that money) or in helping the poor etc, which helps them function in the economy better.
Knowledge is not a golden ideal or an inherent good. After Robert Oppenheimer helped create the atom bomb, he famously remarked that science has known sin. Space exploration, in a similar fashion, had very direct ties to missile technology, which was primarily interesting to the US and USSR for the ability to launch large nuclear warheads thousands of miles in order to kill millions of people from far far away.
As for your comments on war and people, it's hard to reply to such sweeping generalizations. However, suffice to say war is frequently NOT necessary, and the amount of money to be spent on national defense is always up for debate. The consequences of spending too much are historicaly evident, the most recent example being the collapse of the USSR. I hope that no one would agree that we need to spend money to kill, but rather that we need to spend money in order to defend.
Valete!
powder room. Outlandish? Yes, but toiliets? Man, that is out of the equation.
On the Australian space station "Walzing Mathilda" kicking back is a bootable offense.
Carbon nanotubes, or a derivitve technology thereof.
Such a flippant answer implies you can order up thousands of kilometers of nanotubes with a convinient turn-around. But that is not currently possible, the nanotube manufacturing processes are too limited. Unless you are seriouslly saying we should stitch togeter 10 cm segements to make a ribbon able to reach GEO.
If true (this sounds like an urban legend to me) it probably has nothing to do with astronauts. That first "A" in NASA stands for "Aeronautics". Such a findings could be the result of a study of commerical and/or military pilots.
Yeh, it would not look professional with Astronautics being Associated there...
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
And in doing so inspired Scottish hippie-folk-troubador Donovan to write a fairly awful song called "The Intergalactic Laxative," with lyrics like " You may well ask, 'now what becomes of liquid they consume?'/ A tube is led from penis head to a unit in the room
From his 1973 Cosmic Wheels album. I feel bad inflicting knowledge of the song on others, but it seemed relevant.
At today's technology a carbon nanotube ribbon is strong enough, but it is not LONG enough. For the idea to work, it would have to be a single unbroken 62,000 mile long strand. If you have to make it in currently available lengths and then attach the lengths together, it stops having the property of being superstrong yet low in mass.
The idea is sound. The technology, however, is NOT here yet. The irony is that to be able to make a superstrong unbroken long ribbon like that, you end up having to make it out in space.
The ideal solution is for the center of the elevator to be the manufacturing point of the ribbon, spewing out strands in both directions - in to earth and away from earth. That can work, but it will take a lot of time before that technology is here.
As to the tug idea, you do realize that the ribbon will not be fixed in space above a point on the earth if you do that, right? Once you pull the payload up, the center of mass of the elevator drifts outward such that it is no longer in geosynchronous orbit. and the tug will not be directly above the station - it will be pulling laterally on it as it's orbital speed changes and it drifts out of line. This means having to re-position the elevator after each and every launch. Not that this is a bad idea, but your description of the station being fixed in place isn't really accurate if this method is used. The station will need to move itself back to geosynchronous orbit, back over the launch point, and will need to have signifigant propulsion ability of its own to do so. (or you will have to wait a long time between launches if it has to move itself using relatively small propulsion techniques currently used by satellites to keep themselves in place.) This station is becoming a signifigantly complex thing here with this design. Not that this is bad, but the notion of this being possible with today's technology is foolishly optomistic.
The problem with the space elevator is that we still need to be able to fling a lot of mass into orbit to be able to build the thing in the first place, and so there needs to be some intermediate step along the way that does that better than we do it today, before the elevator is buildable.
Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.
nT