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Space Rope Trick Experiment Goes Awry

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the harder-than-lassoing-cattle dept.

Tjeerd writes "An experiment that envisaged sending a parcel from space to Earth on a 30-kilometre tether fell short of its goal yesterday when the long fibre rope did not fully unwind, Russian Mission Control said. It was intended to deliver a spherical capsule, called Fotino, attached to the end of the tether back to Earth — a relatively simple and cheap technology that could be used in the future to retrieve bulkier cargoes from space.""

8 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. Actually... by The_Isle_of_Mark · · Score: 5, Funny

    I climbed up the rope and hid in my secret magic room until I felt rested. Then, I climbed down and did 10d4 damage to Fotino.

  2. it's funny because it's true by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    An experiment that envisaged sending a parcel from space to Earth on a 30-kilometre tether fell short of its goal yesterday when the long fibre rope did not fully unwind

    So that's how UPS plans on routing packages in the future. Perhaps they realize that the only way to achieve more damage per parcel is to actually drop them from outer space.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:it's funny because it's true by Psychor · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think even dropping from outer space plus the burns from reentry would still damage a package less than the average UPS delivery. They set a pretty high bar, I'm not sure that mere science is enough to top it.

    2. Re:it's funny because it's true by monk.e.boy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Perhaps they should employ my mum: Free physical and emotional damage.

      --
      Open source, flash charts
  3. So much for... by Delusion_ · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...string theory.

  4. Story is not complete by The-Bus · · Score: 5, Funny

    The rope did not only not unwind fully, it started going back into the spacecraft. Representatives from the manufactuer of the rope-unwinding mechanism, Duncan YY Heavy Industries, were unavailable for comment.

    --

    Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

  5. Re:Is a 30km rope by clambake · · Score: 5, Funny

    One would have thought that to drop something 150km one would need a 150km rope?

    You don't know anything about space, clearly, so just shut up. Leave this stuff to us experts.

    (aside: Hey Bob, I have an idea why our space tether idea didn't work our right, get this: what if we used MORE than 30km of...)

  6. Re:after a thourough scientific analysis ... by Anonymous+Monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought it was "ah, I see provlum, wodca lid stuck in gear," and then some kind of wise crack about moose and squirrel.

    --
    We are the Borg...