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Project M Could Send Every Scientist To the Moon, By Proxy

Posted by timothy on from the why-leave-the-house dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this interesting bit of speculation: "NASA can put humanoids on the Moon in just 1000 days. They would be controlled by scientists on Earth using motion capture suits, giving them the feeling of being on the lunar surface. If they can achieve this for real, the results for science research of our satellite could be amazing."

6 of 150 comments (clear)

  1. Obvious Hoax by QuantumG · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wow.. the Internet really is an echo chamber isn't it?

    This nonsense video has been floating around for months now. There's no confirmation from NASA.. no-one even knows who made it.

    If you RTFA you'll see the last paragraph reads:

    Whoever did this at NASA should put together an actual budget as soon as possible. And while you are at it, make it possible for regular people to use one, maybe at the Johnson Space Center or some selected museums through the world. That will definitely inspire people.

    Send an email to Jesus Diaz, the author of this post, at jesus@gizmodo.com.

    Hey Jesus Diaz, were you sick the day of journalism school when they taught chasing up sources? Maybe if you called JSC and heard the exasperated public relations officer explain, again, that no there is no Project M but thanks for your call, you could save yourself some embarrassment.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
    1. Re:Obvious Hoax by westlake · · Score: 2, Informative

      Slashdot will post bait stories especially when it comes to anything regarding MS/Apple/YRO where the main purpose is to let people vent. In such cases, I don't really see it as a mistake, or "wrong", partly because anyone with high karma doesn't see ads, so at most it's "pandering", rather than something used to boost page views.

      Pandering is pandering. The poster with his high Karma perks doesn't pay the bills. He's there to lend an air of respectability to the proceedings.

  2. Wikipedia + google calculator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    363104km = moon's orbital perigee.
    405696km = moon's apogee.

    2*363104 km/c = 2.42236914 seconds of round-trip signal delay.
    2*405696 km/c = 2.70651238 s

    So maybe we don't need round-trip time, but just one-way streaming time. Divide by two.

    1. Re:Wikipedia + google calculator by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Informative

      Most of the delay on the Deep Space Network is a result of the 30 year old hardware that processes and transmit the signals.. the speed of light defines a minimum that is never practically met. Emory Stagmer talks about it in his interview on Spacevidcast.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    2. Re:Wikipedia + google calculator by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 4, Informative

      Add a varying amount between 0 and 1/2 the circumference of the earth, with the 1/2 being best-case. I don't know what the velocity factor of optical fiber is. Yes, there's also a signal-processing delay, but let's not assume we're using 30-year-old equipment so it should not add very much.

      --
      Bruce Perens.
  3. Re:Why something so complex? by TapeCutter · · Score: 3, Informative

    "Plus, the moon is slightly less likely to have the dust devils that have been graciously dusting off the panels."

    It's also less likely to have dust suspended in a vacum above the ground, just design the moon rover so it doesn't kick sand in it's own face. Maybe something high tech like mud gaurds over the wheels

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.