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International Effort Brings an Open Standard For Docking In Space

Posted by timothy on from the best-place-to-dock dept.

FTL writes "Engineers from the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe have come together to publish an International Docking Standard for spaceships. Currently the space station has three different types of incompatible docking ports, and the Chinese are developing their own. Standardizing on one type would permit interoperability and facilitate emergency rescues."

8 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. In Communist China... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Space docking ports standardize you!

    Posting anon for obvious reasons.

    1. Re:In Communist China... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Open standards are a terrible way to go about this docking in space crap. What if someone finds an exploit to the docking procedure and is able to copy these docking procedures elsewhere?

      What about the engineers that came up with these standards? Why don't they get to benefit from their work by patenting them?

    2. Re:In Communist China... by digitig · · Score: 3, Funny

      More likely, somebody will produce a proprietary "enhanced" version of the docking standard and claim that it is now the de-facto standard, and start charging fees to anybody who tries to dock with it.

      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
  2. Re:Atmosphere by Lord_of_the_nerf · · Score: 5, Funny

    I also hear the Americans like Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf playing when they open the doors, whereas the Soviets are more inclined to Tchaikovsky.

  3. Imagine by MrEricSir · · Score: 4, Funny

    Imagine if *humans* didn't have standard docking ports.

    "Hey babe, you in the mood?"
    "Yes, but you have a TR-71 and I have a OML 3.0. We'll need to go to HumanShack and get a converter first."
    "Eh... never mind, let's just watch TV instead."

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  4. Watch the polarity guys by Yvan256 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Better build diode bridges into every connection! You wouldn't want an astronaut from the opposite side of the sun to try and dock with the ISS to cause a polarity inversion!

  5. Hurry... by Snufu · · Score: 4, Funny

    Microsoft is greasing palms to fastrack their open docking standard, dockx.

  6. Re:Atmosphere by hcdejong · · Score: 2, Funny

    Because Mission Control would have a hard time keeping a straight face due to the Chipmunk effect?