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ISS Releases Baby Sputnik

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the outer-space-births dept.

illumina+us writes "CNN is running an article about the recent space walk taken by the personnel of the International Space Station. On today's walk the two astronauts 'carried out a 1-foot-long, 11-pound satellite called Nanosputnik, designed for experimental maneuvering by ground controllers.'" The article also has some tidbits on the ISS's gyroscope problems and how the thrusters used to compensate have caused problems for spacewalks in the past.

23 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Sound Idea by filmmaker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Each time, Russian thrusters have to take over, potentially exposing the crew to toxic fuel. This time, flight controllers were careful not to fire the thrusters until the spacewalkers were at a safe distance.

    That's probably a sound idea. Definitely pin that up next to "Use either Metric or Imperial units consistently throughout."

    --
    I Want To Believe
    1. Re:Sound Idea by lxs · · Score: 4, Funny

      If only the crew could wear some kind of air tight suits during the spacewalk, then it wouldn't be a problem.

    2. Re:Sound Idea by igny · · Score: 5, Funny
      'carried out a 1- foot-long, 1-pound satellite called Nano-sputnik,
      "Use either Metric or Imperial units consistently throughout."

      I think, lack of consistency is evident.
      --
      In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. - Yogi Berra
    3. Re:Sound Idea by crawling_chaos · · Score: 2, Funny

      To be perfectly pedantic, there are no metric units used anywhere in that phrase. Unless there's a new SI unit for satellite size called the Sputnik that I am unaware of, of course.

      --
      You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
      -- Colonel Adolphus Busch
    4. Re:Sound Idea by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 2, Funny

      See, that's why I make my kids take their muddy shoes off OUTSIDE...

  2. Awe. Its so cute. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Have you started a college savings program for it yet

  3. Nanosputnik by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm offended. Clearly, the Visputnik is superior!

    1. Re:Nanosputnik by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

      Actually the Emacsputnik is a lot better, but they couldn't even lift it off the ground...

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  4. Toxic ?? by Sperryfreak01 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Exposing the crew to toxic fuel I thought they were in space suits, they only thing toxic they should be exposed to is if one of them had the three bean salad for dinner

    1. Re:Toxic ?? by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 2, Funny

      Russian Rocket fuel is nasty stuff that you don't want to be breathing in or touching.

      I feel the same way with their ubiquitous cabbage soup...

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    2. Re:Toxic ?? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 2, Funny
      I feel the same way with their ubiquitous cabbage soup...
      You obviously haven't had any proper cabbage soup (borscht); it can be very tasty. Also keep in mind the old Russian saying: "the more you beat the wife, the better the soup will taste".
      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  5. OMFG!!!!!!!111!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    I saw this through my telescope and thought:
    "OMG the ISS is spawning!" ...or releasing spores, or something...

  6. ...like in the movies by lxt · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Everything is like in the movies, and it's hard to believe.", Sharipov said... ...you mean, everything was faked then? :)

  7. 1 ft, 11 pound? by Eunuch · · Score: 2, Funny

    That sounds like something to be proud of!

    --
    Transcend Humanity. Please.
  8. See? by PornMaster · · Score: 3, Funny

    No wonder we don't switch to metric!

    Even the people who use it don't know how to use it.

    Actually, it pisses me off that people who use metric will say 5000 kilometers instead of 5 megameters... effectively changing the base unit to suit their scale.

    --
    500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
  9. Units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    1 Foot = 1 Nanodecamile

  10. No Jokes?? by lilrowdy18 · · Score: 1, Funny

    10 posts about a Russian satellite with no Yakov Smirnoff jokes. Maybe the slashdot crowd has matured a bit ......

  11. Re:This by Nine+Tenths+of+The+W · · Score: 2, Funny

    In federated Commonwealth of Independent States Baby Sputnik launches YOU!

    --
    Slashdot: News for Nerds, Stuff that matters only to them
  12. Conversation by Chemisor · · Score: 4, Funny

    Astronaut 1: Oops. I think I just dropped our navigation module.
    Houston: No problem. We'll just call it "nanosputnik" and everyone will think you did it because we told you to.

  13. What it really is by Patrick+Mannion · · Score: 1, Funny

    It's actually Baby Death Star. Heh, good god. I just got the creepiest thought of George Lucas launching a Baby Star Wars franchise! GOOD GOD!

    --
    In America, you spam computers In Soviet Russia, computers spam you!
  14. Navigation issue by ADRenalyn · · Score: 2, Funny

    I hope they aren't using Dual Shock controllers to remote pilot that thing.

  15. O_o by DeathByDuke · · Score: 1, Funny

    he _threw_ the satellite?

    Russian space program must be really very cash strapped...

    (for those who ask, http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/exp10_eva2_05 0328.html)
    'He later deployed the small satellite by tossing it into space'

  16. how small is it? by zixor · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nanosputnik?? Does that mean its somewhere between microsputnik and picosputnik?