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Voyager 2 Set to Reach Termination Shock

Invisible Pink Unicorn writes "A computer model simulation developed at UC Riverside has predicted that in late 2007 to early 2008, the interplanetary spacecraft Voyager 2 will cross the termination shock, the spherical shell around the solar system that marks where the solar wind slows down to subsonic speed. At the termination shock, located at 7-8.5 billion miles from the sun, the solar wind is decelerated to less than the speed of sound. The boundary of the termination shock is not fixed, however, but wobbly, fluctuating in both time and distance from the sun, depending on solar activity. Because of this fluctuation, the spacecraft is also predicted to cross the boundary again in middle 2008. The article abstract is available from The Astrophysical Journal."

3 of 308 comments (clear)

  1. Re:And then what? by MvD_Moscow · · Score: 0, Troll

    You might have geographic and climatic diversity, but USA has literally zero cultural diversity. It's all the same stuff: dull suburbia, run down urban areas and rural areas. With the exception of NY (Manhattan), DC (downtown area) and a few other places, it's all the same crap. Strip malls, houses, cheap apartment, similar looking downtown areas...

    In contrast, other parts of the world are much more diverse. Just take a look at India. Almost every state has it's own language/culture/history. Rajasthan is nothing like northern or southern India. Even a relatively small country like Ukraine has a quite a lot of cultural variety. From the Russian speaking east to the Ukrainian-speaking west.

    So stop pretending that Americans don't check out foreign places because they have everything they need in their own country. Americans are so USA-centric because they are largely ignorant of foreign cultures/countries and they tend to be pretty cheap.

    I just love when Americans (who know I am foreigner from the other side of the ocean) ask me whether I went back home for Thanksgiving, and I study in one of the top 25 universities in the USA. I can never understand how people can ace Calc IV without studying and yet they are too ignorant to know that Georgia isn't simply a state. It's nation with a 3000 year old history, no less.

  2. Re:And then what? by MvD_Moscow · · Score: 0, Troll

    Yadda yadda bla bla. I am fool for questioning American cultural diversity... Get the fuck out of your suburb and check out the world. Let me put it this way: compared to every other country I've been to (17 + Uzbekistan where I stayed for a day when I was like 3), USA has a pretty bland culture. For a country this size, it has very little variety and culture in general.

    If you think I am wrong in my conclusion, you can go fuck yourself. Spend a fortnight in Paris and a fortnight in say LA and then tell me which experience was better. Having different kinds of immigrants in the ghetto is not culture. USA is good at something and sux for other things. It's in terms of economic opportunity and economic growth. It sux in terms of culture and partying (frats? fuk that shit! And why don't clubs stay open until at least 4am. How can a club close at 2am? Americans really need to stop Christians from enforcing social policies).

    "I'm not saying that the US is the pinnacle of culture across the globe, but saying they have literally zero diversity? That's beyond ignorant, but you are obviously an idiot and a bigot, so I don't expect any less"

    I though you believed that USA is one of the most culturally diverse nations on the planet?

  3. Re:And then what? by MvD_Moscow · · Score: 0, Troll

    LOL, have you been to Holland? Are you seriously saying that there is bigger difference between Massachusetts and Arizona than between USA and Holland. You have no clue what the fuck you are talking about.

    I'd like to check out an authentic Native American reservation, hopefully one that does not include a casino...