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ISS To Get Man Cave

Posted by samzenpus on from the floating-cheese-curls dept.

Nancy_A writes "There might be a new favorite hang-out for astronauts aboard the International Space Station later this year. The Leonardo Multi Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) will become a permanent module on the station, and will be brought up on the STS-133 mission, scheduled for September 2010. The new module might provide a haven for astronauts to get away from it all. '"The thought is, the PMM might become sort of a 'man cave,'" said Mike Kinslow, the Boeing payload manager at the Kennedy Space Center. "It won't have all the background noise of fans, computers and other equipment running like in the laboratories, so it will be a quieter atmosphere that might appeal to the astronauts during their off-duty hours."' Plus, NASA's Robonaut 2, or R2 will be brought up on the same flight. Any chance R2 could be programmed to serve drinks or bring food into the man cave?"

30 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, Mike... by spun · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Man Cave?" Really? That's just wrong on so many levels, I don't know where to start.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    1. Re:Oh, Mike... by spun · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Okay, I've had a think and I believe I know where to start.

      1.) It conjures up images of a Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor in space, "ooh, ooh, ohh. Look, I've turbo charged the vacuum toilet to AAIIIiii."

      2.) It's such a dated cultural reference that the gay subculture has adopted the term ironically to refer to their rectums.

      3.) There are women up there, too, right? So, claiming you got some hot action in your man cave, well, see point two.

      4.) It is, and always has been, a corny phrase. Say it will be your "fortress of solitude" or something.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    2. Re:Oh, Mike... by Sulphur · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's no cave.

    3. Re:Oh, Mike... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      There's a gay bar in my town called ... Man Cave. Lots of bears.

    4. Re:Oh, Mike... by ZeroExistenZ · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, the term "man cave" is used by idiotic jock-wannabes.

      The concept has been introduced in the 90s in the "new man" pseudo-psychology thinking of/for women.
      The "mancave"-state of mind is described in "Men are from Mars, Women from Venus", where they describe men need some off-time staring in the fire to wind down, while women need to verbalize and socialize to achieve the same thing.

      Hence resulting in conflict as the "man" wants to chil lout, watch a game, do man-stuff to process his day or forget about it, while the wife is verbalizing hoping for an emotional response, while the man is just "mhhmmhhh"-ing resuling in a perceived neglect on the wifes' side.

      Though, this representation of "man" vs "woman" with their mismatching doesn't compliment my worldview as I find it very single-sided (one author feeding the masses what they think they want to hear taking it as truth) and a bit flawed kindof perception. (projection from within himself outwards to the world, which reeks a bit of sense of superiourity and inflexibility in one's ability to rationalize and come to new insights: "my experience and way I'm navigating life can be extrapolated to absolute truth to apply to most or even all man and with my absolute knowledge I can guide people to be more as I".

      --
      I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
  2. Gosh, I wonder what THAT will be used for.... by deglr6328 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just remember to turn the mic to Houston off of VOX.

    HOUSTON: "Uhhh, were getting a pretty steady 2-3 Hz slapping sound down here guys. Are all systems ok up there, and any ideas on a cause?"

    --
    - "Hear that?! The percolations are imminent! Cease your ingress!"
    1. Re:Gosh, I wonder what THAT will be used for.... by Kitkoan · · Score: 2, Funny

      Just remember to turn the mic to Houston off of VOX.

      HOUSTON: "Uhhh, were getting a pretty steady 2-3 Hz slapping sound down here guys. Are all systems ok up there, and any ideas on a cause?"

      Houston, we have lift off

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    2. Re:Gosh, I wonder what THAT will be used for.... by cosm · · Score: 2, Funny

      That also happens to be the resonant frequency of Columbia's foam insulation. It explains the investigator's mental masturbation of the disaster, after all.

      --
      'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
    3. Re:Gosh, I wonder what THAT will be used for.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I christen thee: The Masturbation Station!

    4. Re:Gosh, I wonder what THAT will be used for.... by Kitkoan · · Score: 3, Funny

      I christen thee: The Masturbation Station!

      Better then calling it the Man Hole I guess

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
    5. Re:Gosh, I wonder what THAT will be used for.... by plover · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Just remember to turn the mic to Houston off of VOX.

      HOUSTON: "Uhhh, were getting a pretty steady 2-3 Hz slapping sound down here guys. Are all systems ok up there, and any ideas on a cause?"

      Houston, ISS. We report it as a steady 2-3 Hz fapping sound, not slapping. The cause appears to be us being STUCK IN ORBIT FOR SIX MONTHS! Over.

      --
      John
    6. Re:Gosh, I wonder what THAT will be used for.... by fyoder · · Score: 2, Funny

      There are lady astronauts as well. Perhaps it could be a make out pad. They could put a sign on the door that says "Don't come a knockin' if the module's a rockin'".

      --
      Loose lips lose spit.
  3. Man Cave = Trash Can by Virtucon · · Score: 3, Funny

    The Leonardo Logistics Module is most commonly used as a Trash Can, bringing garbage back from the ISS.

    That seems appropriate as a Man Cave.

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    1. Re:Man Cave = Trash Can by confused+one · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Think recycled air, no outside ventilation, electronic equipment running constantly... Oh, and apparently there's a burnt metallic odor whenever they return from an EVA. You get the idea?

  4. OMG! NOOOO!!! by Khan · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is how "Silent Running" started! ;-)

    --

    "Klaatu, verada, necktie!" -Ash

  5. Yawn... by Brad1138 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wake me up when they install the holodeck.

    --
    If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
    1. Re:Yawn... by Dogtanian · · Score: 3, Funny

      Given that approximately 40% of the plots, er... numerous life-threatening situations the ST:TNG crew ran into were caused by the holodeck going sentient, that's probably not a good idea.

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  6. Come on Slashdot by Zouden · · Score: 4, Informative

    I can understand that a mainstream (non-tech) news website would focus on a cutesy term like "man cave" to describe this new module, but would it have killed the Slashdot editors to include something about what the module is actually going to be used for?

    (turns out it'll be used as a storeroom. It doesn't have enough radiation shielding to allow it to be used as crew quarters).

    No, it's not a "man cave", and no, the R2 robot will not be used to serve drinks. It'll be used to investigate the potential of robots to perform EVA duties.

    --
    "A week in the lab saves an hour in the library"
    1. Re:Come on Slashdot by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Interesting

      As far as I'm aware, Robonaut 2 isn't even functional yet, let alone ready for flight testing. Did the writer just make this up?

      Can anyone provide any references to show that Robonaut 2 is going to fly on STS-133? So far as I can tell, this is the only article on the web that even ties Robonaut 2 to the PMM.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    2. Re:Come on Slashdot by Kitkoan · · Score: 4, Informative

      I can understand that a mainstream (non-tech) news website would focus on a cutesy term like "man cave" to describe this new module, but would it have killed the Slashdot editors to include something about what the module is actually going to be used for?

      (turns out it'll be used as a storeroom. It doesn't have enough radiation shielding to allow it to be used as crew quarters).

      No, it's not a "man cave", and no, the R2 robot will not be used to serve drinks. It'll be used to investigate the potential of robots to perform EVA duties.

      The article states that at the moment it doesn't have enough radiation shielding yet, but it will have it and be ready in 4 months. From the article:

      "Turning Leonardo into a permanent module will take some work, said NASA Payload Manager Joe Delai. "Once it returns from this flight we will beef up the external shield and change things internally to become a permanent module. It will be about a four month process to get it ready."

      Thats why it will be re-launched in September this year. And when it is relaunched and made a permanent module it will become their 'man cave'.

      --
      Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
  7. Serving drinks by atomicstrawberry · · Score: 3, Insightful

    R2 was perfectly capable of serving drinks on Jabba's sail barge so I don't see why he couldn't do it on the ISS?

    1. Re:Serving drinks by rockNme2349 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well since the ISS spends most of its time in free fall, it is a zero-g environment.

      --
      Sewage Treatment Facilities - "Our duty is clear."
  8. Yay! Cave men in space! by ignavus · · Score: 2, Funny

    No need to shave or change clothes.

    A man's paradise.

    --
    I am anarch of all I survey.
  9. In space... by bobdotorg · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... no one can hear you wank.

    --
    __ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
  10. Women have one too by Boawk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Evidently the female astronauts were up in arms about this so NASA has promised to add a special module for them called "The Kitchen".

    1. Re:Women have one too by cosm · · Score: 3, Funny

      +5 Sexist Hilarity

      --
      'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
  11. Doesn't space travel need masturbation rooms? by Aargau · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sure, I can hold out for a few days but there' no way I'd last over a month in space without a little private time.

  12. drinks in space by LS · · Score: 2, Interesting

    are astronauts allowed to drink any alcohol?

    --
    There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
    1. Re:drinks in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Sure, just at 4:20 when they smoke up. Thank God for geosynchronous orbits.

  13. Caution: Big Question by psbrogna · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why can't people use words the way they want to use them instead of the way you'd prefer they use them?