Slashdot Mirror
Conquering the LaGrange Points?
3laws_safe writes "For decades, people have dreamed about building colonies at the five LaGrange points, intersections in space where gravitational and centrifugal forces balance out to provide orbital stability. But now, the official magazine of the U.S. Space Command advocates seizing control of the LaGrange points before other nations do it. From the article: 'We face the need to control the chokepoints of the solar system.' Arthur C. Clarke, who depicted a LaGrange colony in his classic 1961 novel A Fall of Moondust, is not very happy about this. He argues we should not 'export national rivalries beyond the atmosphere.' Is he right? Or should we prepare for the fact that such rivalries are inevitable, even in space?"
...Linking to horrible html since 1996.
What if we just chip in and buy the Space Command Generals a few star registry names - maybe that will keep them happy.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
Clearly. I would rather the US control those points than someone frankly and overtly evil.
Or should we prepare for the fact that such rivalries are inevitable, even in space?
Long Answer:
Look, if we keep fighting for first posts (see above) in a website, where we gain nothing but make such morons of ourselves, what moral authority do we have to stop the nations from fighting for the LaGrange points? "-1, greedy"?
Short Answer:
Yes, such rivalries are inevitable.
All your lagrange points are belong to U.S.
Obviously, you're not thinking either. Where are we going to get enough hydrogen if all the consumers are using it up? It's not like there's huge reservoirs of H just lying around and falling from the sky.
What's the difference? The US will just outsource control of the LaGrange points to the Chinese, Indians, or Russians anyway!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
[ ] Create confusion by referring to Intel's CPU isolation and privilege strategy as LaGrange
[ ] Suggest renaming these imaginary, 3D coordinates the "Delarge" points - in honor of Alex from "A Clockwork Orange"
[ ] Mmmmmmm! Tasty fairy-cake!
[ ] Bend over, and kiss your asteroid goodbye.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Damn those French!! And "Lagrange points"??? I say we call them "Freedom Points". PS: Btw, dude's name was Lagrange not LaGrange.
I guess you will hate me for this...but so you know there is no such thing as a force.
Rumor spreadin' round, Colorado town,
'Bout that chokepoint at Lagrange,
(Burt knows what I'm talkin' about)
Just let me know - if you wanna go,
To that station on the range
(Branson gotta hotel fulla nice girls there)
A-hmm, how, how, ho--*CLANG*owww!
"Gawddamn, Billy, ah know our guitars look fuzzier in zero-G, an' ah know we can grow us beards longer without trippin' on 'em alla time like back on Earth, but howinnahell's we s'posed to play guitar like this?"
"Hey Dusty, get the beard outa yer guitar while I sing a verse of Home on LaGrange!"
(screeching of guitars and shifting of gears as Billy breaks into the next track and Frank figures out how to use drums in zero-G...)
Clean slate, O2
Past low-earth orbit's where I'm goin' to,
Space suit, peroxide,
Got Allen's funding and my reason why,
They're buyin' tickets just as fast as they can,
'Cause every geek's crazy 'bout an L-5 man...
Top coat, top hat,
An overfunded NASA's budget fat.
Black tiles, white knight,
Lookin' sharp, ready for flight,
They're buyin' tickets just as fast as they can,
'Cause every geek's crazy 'bout an L-5 man...
This is history. Prepare to repeat it.
especially when slashdot will dupe the article in a day or two
Dear Mr IRS,
:
You are welcome to come and collect !
Here are my coordinates
Lagrange Point N.3
You cannot miss it, it's just beind the mine field, to the left of the laser battery.
Best Regards....
It takes 40+ muscles to frown, but only four to extend your arm and bitchslap the motherfucker
I'd pick cuba. Won't someone PLEASE think of the cigars.
No it's not, asshole.
After all, I am strangely colored.
"Those who wish to get them should get while the getting is good. I'd much rather the US take control of them than China, who seems to be the only other power with something like the capability."
Mr President! we cannot afford a LaGrange point gap!
I'll just use my special getting high powers one more time...
Come up here to L5 and say that, punk! :)
I, for one, welcome our new Ur-Quan masters.
you can have my violent video games when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.
Prime UID Club
As a conservative, I favor the policy that ensures maximum violence.
Sounds like a great place to hide your stash, man!
You're browsing the web on your way home?!?! Crap, I thought cell phone drivers were dangerous!
(no, I don't know there are other ways to get hom besides automobile)
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
Damn those French!! And "Lagrange points"??? I say we call them "Freedom Points".
"Freedom" fries, "freedom" toast, "freedom" points, "frogs" -- so much effort to avoid the word "French".
Well, don't be shy! Don't be hesitant! Go the whole way. Call the country "Freedom".
-- The price of eternal vigilance is a dollar a day and half an hour of your time.
Carefully choose a responsible newspaper. Support it, read it, write to it.
Terrorists can't threaten a country's freedom and democracy. Only lawmakers and voters can do that.
If I had a choice [...] I'll pick personal hygiene every time.
You must be new here.
-- The price of eternal vigilance is a dollar a day and half an hour of your time.
Carefully choose a responsible newspaper. Support it, read it, write to it.
Terrorists can't threaten a country's freedom and democracy. Only lawmakers and voters can do that.
Hahaha. Nice try with your Tory lies.
Next you're going to tell me that "Father, I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree" story was all made up.
'Scuse me while I wipe my tears from laughing so hard.
Jenna or Barbara?
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
We must avoid a Lagrange point gap!
...using the shuttle, China, Korea and Japan will have nothing to worry about.
``Tension, apprehension & dissension have begun!'' - Duffy Wyg&, in Alfred Bester's _The Demolished Man_