Slashdot Mirror


Why Astronauts Are Banned From Getting Drunk in Space (bbc.com)

Bryan Lufkin, writing for BBC: "Alcohol is not permitted onboard the International Space Station for consumption," says Daniel G Huot, spokesperson for Nasa's Johnson Space Center. "Use of alcohol and other volatile compounds are controlled on ISS due to impacts their compounds can have on the station's water recovery system." For this reason, astronauts on the space station are not even provided with products that contain alcohol, like mouthwash, perfume, or aftershave. Spilling beer during some drunken orbital hijinks could also risk damaging equipment. [...] There could be another reason to avoid frothy drinks like beer -- without the assistance of gravity, liquid and gases can tumble around in an astronaut's stomach, causing them to produce rather soggy burps.

154 comments

  1. Yes! by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

    Drunk Russians in space...

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:Yes! by HornWumpus · · Score: 3, Informative

      Read the headline carefully, Cosmonauts are not banned from drinking in space, only Astronauts.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:Yes! by davester666 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Russians can hold their liquor, as pretty much all of them are long-term alcholics. American's can't handle their liquor and turn into drunken louts.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    3. Re:Yes! by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Funny

      Old joke: How do you get a Russian to the legal alcohol limit?

      Sober him up for a week or two.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:Yes! by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      Read the headline carefully,

      Read the first line of the submission carefully.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    5. Re:Yes! by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 2

      Russians can hold their liquor

      And we all know that holding stuff in microgravity is actually easier.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    6. Re:Yes! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and ruskies are known for always following the rules.

    7. Re:Yes! by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 3, Funny

      Russians typically get disoriented if there is too much blood in their vodka system.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    8. Re:Yes! by tsqr · · Score: 1

      Read the headline carefully, Cosmonauts are not banned from drinking in space, only Astronauts.

      Read the summary carefully. Alcohol is not allowed on the ISS, regardless of what flavor of naut is under discussion.

    9. Re:Yes! by PPH · · Score: 1

      Alcohol is not allowed on the ISS

      That's why they spend so much time in the Soyuz capsule.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    10. Re:Yes! by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Have you been 'not drinking' again?

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  2. Ruskies to blame? by subk · · Score: 1

    Perhaps I've seen too many movies, but what if the Russians found out the hard way that the vodka flask(s) in the capsule was a bad idea after all?

    --
    Now, if you'll excuse me, I have backups to corrupt.
    1. Re:Ruskies to blame? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have. Fast reading shows the second Russian in orbit, Gherman Titov, suffered space adaptation syndrome and the cosmonaut program had a major delay while they attempted to understand the causes. While at the time it was a dark period for the Soviet space program, today it can be said that they authoritatively pioneered this element of space medicine, too. (Where it is widely believe that U.S. Astronauts kept mum about any difficulties to avoid personal disqualification, until Apollo.)

  3. this future sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Americans elected a Grand Nagus but synthehol is forbidden on the starbase.

    1. Re:this future sucks by thygate · · Score: 1

      -someone- must be earning a lot of latinum..

    2. Re:this future sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bugger my turds, now I'm craving prune juice. To the replimat!

    3. Re:this future sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Neckbeards will be extinct as soon as Dick Stallman and Alan Cocks finally die.

    4. Re:this future sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lighten up Francis

  4. But worse still by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    without beer I notice my girlfriend has facial hair. Now that I think about it, she's got a dick too. That explains a lot of things. Like why I'm not an astronaut. Beer!

  5. Coke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "There could be another reason to avoid frothy drinks like beer -- without the assistance of gravity, liquid and gases can tumble around in an astronaut's stomach, causing them to produce rather soggy burps.'

    But didnt coca cola famously pay nasa a heap of money to put a coke dispenser on board the space shuttle endeavour? They also did experiments with coke soft drinks on the mir space station and the space shuttle discovery. Or is it just okay when the soft drink maker pays them a tonne of dosh?

    1. Re:Coke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know about you but I find Coke is about 1/3 as digestive-gas-inducing as most beers.

    2. Re: Coke by bughunter · · Score: 1

      When I drink a 4 pack of Guinness or Boddingtons (with Nitrogen widgets) I've swallowed so much N2 that the next morning I can toot Reveille out my ass.

      --
      I can see the fnords!
  6. Beer by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 1

    Another reason to ban beer: It would cost the taxpayers several thousand dollars to launch a pint of beer into LEO. The bill for a small Superbowl party on the ISS would easily exceed the average US worker's annual salary.

    If they're going to send up any booze, make it 190 proof grain alchohol. That would only cost about $100 per drink.

    Better yet, ditch the whole manned space flight boondoggle and use the savings to fund more real space science.

    1. Re:Beer by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      They recycle water, but still need to bring some up. Might as well bring up the good stuff.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re: Beer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perrier or Evian?

    3. Re:Beer by geekmux · · Score: 1

      Another reason to ban beer: It would cost the taxpayers several thousand dollars to launch a pint of beer into LEO. The bill for a small Superbowl party on the ISS would easily exceed the average US worker's annual salary...

      Speaking of wasted cost, companies collectively pissed away over $200 million to create stupid commercials during the Superbowl, which is a tad more than the average US worker's annual salary...

    4. Re:Beer by Salgak1 · · Score: 1

      All they really need is the alcohol: they've got Tang. Instant "Orbital Screwdriver". . . .

    5. Re:Beer by dwywit · · Score: 1

      Ha, ha. You funny.

      --
      They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
    6. Re:Beer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They send up tones of "unnecessary" things on each cargo launch (fresh fruits, flavored drinks, games, etc), alcohol would be far from the most useless thing sent to the space station. There MIGHT be some reasoning for excluding it from the astronauts diet but I doubt that is the real reason for the prohibition.

    7. Re:Beer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If Super bowl commercials were so wasteful, companies would not spend money on them. If the commercials were collectively done correct, that $200 million would bring in at least twice that in sales.

      Just you mentioning super bowl commercials means someone is doing something correct.

    8. Re:Beer by geekmux · · Score: 1

      If Super bowl commercials were so wasteful, companies would not spend money on them...

      Yeah right.

      So many utterly pointless and stupid Superbowl commercials have taken place over the history of that advertising, which offered nothing more than a tax write-off.

      Companies piss away plenty of money on pointless shit that has nothing to do with sales. Superbowl commercials are not an example of that, they are the example.

    9. Re:Beer by ChrisMaple · · Score: 2

      A tax write-off, when considered with the loss that allows the write-off, does not generate more money for the company than doing nothing. It's not in the company's best interest to act to create tax write-offs.

      If a company's ad doesn't work, somebody's been fooled: the ad agency by the network, the company by the ad agency, or someone within the company that has a hidden motive for placing the ad.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    10. Re:Beer by countach · · Score: 1

      But think of the valuable research!

  7. Soggy Burps by dohzer · · Score: 1

    Are there any other kinds?

    1. Re:Soggy Burps by freeze128 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Here on Earth, a burp is loud or smelly, but in space, it's a form of THRUST.

    2. Re:Soggy Burps by Megane · · Score: 1

      Vomit would be an even more efficient form of thrust. While the astronauts can be expected to be resistant to motion sickness due to being in free-fall, vomit from being sick due to inebriation could result in quite a mess without gravity.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  8. Re:Volatile Compounds by davester666 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You are doing it wrong, if having sex makes you vomit.

    --
    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  9. New Hit Comedy Coming to FOX This Fall: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Drunk Astronauts!

    If you thought science was a serious business then you haven't met these astronauts! Watch them try to conduct science experiments with an average BAC of 0.15! If you've ever felt light on your feet, see what it's like for trained professionals to be hammered in zero gravity! You'll be sitting on the edge of your seat when these men and women perform spacewalks when they couldn't even walk straight on solid ground!

    Brought to you by Papa Johns, who will be giving away free pizzas whenever the ISS sustains damages of at least $1,000,000 in a single episode.

  10. mouthwash, perfume, or aftershave by HockeyPuck · · Score: 2

    Thought the reason that these were not allowed in space was that the fumes from them cannot easily be removed from the atmosphere. It's not like they can open a window, and air out the fumes. This is a problem with all things that are brought up into space.

    NASA's Odor Evaluation program

    1. Re:mouthwash, perfume, or aftershave by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > mouthwash, perfume, or aftershave

      In Russia, those things are called "ersatz vodka". Related reading:

      The Monotones - Disco Net , Vodka Da

      I was flying in my Soyuz One
      When you Americans shot me down,
      I was put into prison, and here I am -
      Thinking of my Russian town.

      I just got a little radio,
      Now I listen to the late night show -
      But I don't like the music,
      It's much too loud -
      All I hear is stupid disco!

      Women and vodka -
      Is what we like in Russia,
      Dancing and singing
      And playing balalaika,
      Women and vodka -
      Is what we want to have!
      Disco njet! Disco njet!
      Russians early go to bed!
      Vodka da! Vodka da!
      Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

      Now I'm trying to get out of jail,
      Cause that music makes me sick and pale,
      And when I'll get home -
      I'll write you a song,
      I'll send you the record by mail:

      Women and vodka -
      Is what we like in Russia,
      Dancing and singing
      And playing balalaika,
      Women and vodka -
      Is what we want to have!
      Disco njet! Disco njet!
      Russians early go to bed!
      Vodka da! Vodka da!
      Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

    2. Re:mouthwash, perfume, or aftershave by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's not like they can open a window, and air out the fumes.

      Sure they can. In fact it'd do the job really well.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  11. Artificial Gravity by djinn6 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Spilling beer during some drunken orbital hijinks could also risk damaging equipment ... without the assistance of gravity, liquid and gases can tumble around in an astronaut's stomach, causing them to produce rather soggy burps.

    Isn't it about time they started doing the whole artificial gravity thing? From what I've read, it can be done cheaply with a long tether and a counter weight at the other end.

    A lot of special considerations are necessary for space living. Think showers, where you not only need a pump for the water, you also need one sucking the water down the drain. Sleeping? You need straps to keep you in place. Using a laptop? You need external fans to cycle hot air away from it. Even your body starts deteriorating because it's not exercising as much, and you need to devote many hours to physical fitness just to stay healthy. Zero G living is just to foreign to us.

    1. Re:Artificial Gravity by FeelGood314 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Except 99% of the work on the international space station is experiments in zero gravity. The ISS isn't very good for astronomy or taking any kind of cosmic readings and it's not a good platform for making earth observations either. We go to the ISS for zero G.

    2. Re: Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Isn't it about time they started doing the whole artificial gravity thing? From what I've read, it can be done cheaply with a long tether and a counter weight at the other end.

      A) What have you been reading?
      B).That isn't artificial gravity.
      C) A tether attached to what?

    3. Re:Artificial Gravity by DerekLyons · · Score: 4, Insightful

      From what I've read, it can be done cheaply with a long tether and a counter weight at the other end.

      It can be done cheaply in theory... In practice, there's all sort of complications with tether deployment, spin up, and stability. Plus you can't dock with a station spinning like that, so now you encounter the practical problems with spinning down. (All these problems are caused by the fact that tethers aren't rigid.) Any time you need to maneuver the station (for re boost or to avoid debris), you also encounter the spin-up/spin-down problems. Then there are the problems the spin causes in keeping your solar panels aligned with the sun, and your radiators aligned away from the sun. Any directional antennas also suffer from the same problems. Etc... etc...

      Easy in theory, difficult in practice.

    4. Re: Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey. We just like to spout out that everything is easy. Without thinking. You are mean. Not fair.

    5. Re:Artificial Gravity by ledow · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Showers aren't practical in space anyway... forming gravity just for them is ridiculous, and no you don't "need two pumps" (that would be easy!) - you just need air flow. Imagine showering in a wind tunnel - it works just fine and is probably more efficient. The real problem is that you need to seal the entire shower all around as the water will escape from ANY direction.

      Sleeping - some of the best reported sleeps are in space, no weight makes for better comfort. But you don't need to be "strapped down", you just need to be lightly tethered so you don't wander off at any speed. Two bungee cords attached to a harness in space will give you the best sleep you ever had.

      Laptop fans operate just fine in space. Like the shower, airflow is still present even in the absence of gravity. You're not living in a vacuum.

      Body muscles, yes, they deteriorate. Which is why they exercise. But they only deteriorate relative to Earth - for space use they are just fine. Long-term space living, your body adapts to its surroundings rather than building muscle mass that would be wasted anywhere but on Earth.

    6. Re:Artificial Gravity by idji · · Score: 1

      You are going to need a large MASSIVE space wheel to do that easily without causing the rest of the station to wobble. If you want to do it "small" with a counterweight, you will have to balance it perfectly (won't happen) as the person is MOVING around in the rotating space. This will cause wobble in the rest of the space station - destroying the zero g environment you want there. And when the person wants to go to zero G, what are you going to do with all the rotational energy and momentum? So it's not just a counterweight - you need a counter-counterweight that is spinning in the OPPOSITE direction of the person+counterweight to ensure that Total Rotation Momentum = 0. And since it is spinning, the direction of rotation is fixed in space, which means over the 90 minutes of the orbit the rotational section will need to rotate 360 degrees.

    7. Re: Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if you're this dumb, get off this site and to to reddit. you don't need to read anything to figure out the simple method he has in mind. hint: smart people don't need a source for everything - they actually have thoughts themselves.

      you take a ball and a piece of rope and attach it to the station. you then spin the whole thing around. you now have a floor on the station you can walk on. get it sherlock? of course you don't.

    8. Re:Artificial Gravity by geekmux · · Score: 2

      Spilling beer during some drunken orbital hijinks could also risk damaging equipment ... without the assistance of gravity, liquid and gases can tumble around in an astronaut's stomach, causing them to produce rather soggy burps.

      Isn't it about time they started doing the whole artificial gravity thing? From what I've read, it can be done cheaply with a long tether and a counter weight at the other end. A lot of special considerations are necessary for space living. Think showers, where you not only need a pump for the water, you also need one sucking the water down the drain. Sleeping? You need straps to keep you in place. Using a laptop? You need external fans to cycle hot air away from it. Even your body starts deteriorating because it's not exercising as much, and you need to devote many hours to physical fitness just to stay healthy. Zero G living is just to foreign to us.

      I wonder how many millions are spent on plastic surgery due to the effects of gravity on the human body over time.

      I wonder how many millions are spent treating back pain due to bulging and compressed discs due to the effects of gravity on the human body over time.

      Gravity can be a bitch on the body too. Not saying Zero G is the answer, but I'd settle for lunar gravity.

    9. Re:Artificial Gravity by murdocj · · Score: 1

      I used to think that sleeping in space would be great, but I recall running into an article that said that astronauts had difficulty sleeping. Here's one article that details the reasons: http://science.howstuffworks.c...

    10. Re:Artificial Gravity by Salgak1 · · Score: 1

      No such thing as "artificial gravity". What you're referring to is centripetal acceleration. And it's not cheap: the ISS is designed to function in a microgravity environment, and is built as lightly as possible. to minimize launch mass, and thus, lift costs.

      Designing a station utilizing centripetal acceleration would require much stronger materials, and specific designs for load-bearing structures. Currently, the only load the ISS currently has to deal with, is caused by pressurization of the interior environment. . .

    11. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The whole space station doesn't need to rotate in order to create artificial gravity. Just keep the living quarters in the rotating bit and the experiment areas in the none rotating bit. The hard part is probably trying to keep one area stationary while the other rotates. That's going to require something rotating in the opposite direction to cancel out any momentum.

    12. Re:Artificial Gravity by cdrudge · · Score: 1

      Almost all of the issues that are described in that article are less about sleeping in space and more about sleeping in a new environment. If you take someone who is use to sleeping out in the country and put them next to a train station in a busy city, they're going to have problems sleeping. Or take the person use to sleeping next to the train station and put them out in the country where there isn't that same constant background noise.

      The only thing that seemed to be especially unique to a space environment was the unnatural floating which is likely gotten use to with a prolong period in space. Short shuttle or capsule stay, you aren't there long enough to really get use to it. Multi-month space station stay, you get use to it and probably have a problem sleeping when you come back to earth and that pesky gravity thing returns.

    13. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By that asinine distinction there is literally no such thing as zero-G.

    14. Re:Artificial Gravity by wagnerrp · · Score: 1

      The whole space station doesn't need to rotate in order to create artificial gravity. Just keep the living quarters in the rotating bit and the experiment areas in the none rotating bit.

      It's not that simple. If you're rotating on a small radius, you're going to have a noticeable difference in apparent gravity between your feet and your head. Just as we don't know what long duration low gravity does to the human body, we don't know what long duration tidal gravity will do. If you're rotating on a large radius, well now you've got to construct this huge, high strength station. Now obviously, the only way we're ever going to find out is to throw something into orbit, and spend several years manning the thing, but the problem is a complex and not well understood one.

      The hard part is probably trying to keep one area stationary while the other rotates. That's going to require something rotating in the opposite direction to cancel out any momentum.

      Why do you have to cancel out any momentum? Why can the station not have a non-zero rotational momentum? Tons of satellites do.

    15. Re:Artificial Gravity by iris-n · · Score: 1

      Unless you have actually tried to build a rotating space station, your answer is also theoretical. So it would be fair to say "Easy according to a bad theory, difficult according to a better theory".

      --
      entropy happens
    16. Re:Artificial Gravity by GuB-42 · · Score: 1

      Physically there is no way to tell that you are free-falling vs actual zero-G.
      So much that Einstein decided that it was the same thing, did the maths based on this premise and came out with general relativity. Considering how successful his theory is, it is certainly not a bad assumption.

      Well, because the ISS exists in the real world, there are still a few effects that make it not completely zero-G, like tidal forces, but I suppose they are small enough to be negligible.

    17. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you have to cancel out any momentum?

      > Docking.

    18. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In theory, there is no difference between practical and theoretical. In practice, there is.

    19. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You could dock with a spinning station no problem. The center of rotation would have the airlock and you come in from side.

    20. Re:Artificial Gravity by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      The ISS maintains a 14.7 psi atmosphere (surprised me). That requires some structural strength; the additional strength needed to endure the forces caused by rotation are small in comparison.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    21. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >your answer is theoretical
      Spin a filled water bucket over your head.

      That took all of five seconds to look into, so I'm thinking "easy in theory, difficult in practice" is about right.

      Getting it to actually perform stably, on your first and only attempt, in a manner you can sustain for years at the least, on irregular and much larger masses with almost no options for compensation or correction, is difficult. And needlessly verbose.

    22. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >your body adapts
      I'm thinking some atrophy is simply the lack of stress-at-rest, but some might be from physiology confused by miscalibration. Hormones might be un/triggered. I'm sure the research is detailed here.

      >for space use [muscles] are just fine
      Kinda. Sure, most activities are effortless, but masses are still "heavy" and you have to flex if you want to move things without waiting on slow de/accel motions all the time. In particular, stopping your own 50~70Kg mass quickly, on a wall or fixture, for the various possible amounts of surprise and controlled gesture.

    23. Re:Artificial Gravity by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      Artificial gravity is the force in a spacecraft caused by acceleration, either linear or centripetal, to replace mass-caused force. "Artificial gravity" is a good term to use because it identifies not only the cause but the use.

      The force exerted by air on a 14 foot by 14 foot square is 200 tons. That's going to substantially exceed the force required to hold together a space vehicle due to spinning it. Additionally, there's no need to spin up to 1 g; most of the disadvantages of freefall can be removed by a small fraction of a gravity,

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    24. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I always wonder why "in theory" (used without specifying the theory/model) is supposed to be substantially different than the reality. Obviously, if the theory were adequate, there should be little difference. Perhaps it's just a vocabulary problem. Its simple in CONCEPT, but difficult in implementational details. That is: the devil's in the details.

    25. Re:Artificial Gravity by MrNiceguy_KS · · Score: 2

      In theory, that which works in theory also works in practice.
      In practice, this is not the case.

      --
      Redundancy is good And also good.
    26. Re:Artificial Gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No such thing as "artificial gravity".

      WRONG. Both centripetal acceleration and linear-thrust acceleration *ARE* artificial gravity.

      If it looks like gravity, smells like gravity, and acts like gravity, then it's gravity (albeit artificial in these cases).

    27. Re: Artificial Gravity by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      B).That isn't artificial gravity.

      It's "artificial gravity" because it's not a real gravitational force but instead mimics it.

    28. Re:Artificial Gravity by ledow · · Score: 1

      Applying force in space is much more difficult because of the lack of free energy given to help you fight it via friction. It's that energy that any "artificial gravity" would have to supply constantly to let you do anything (e.g. walk across a room).

      Stopping your own mass quickly is dead easy - you just hit something. It'll be like a fall (no 9.8m/s/s to fight) in slow motion for a frail old man. It all cancels out. If you're going fast, you're dead anyway. Because you have NO way to stop no matter how strong your arms are.

      The problem is that you have to find something that will stop you, that's not going to move significantly in the other direction, that you won't damage, that won't damage you, and that won't be moving too fast relative to you (big spinning, large-mass to generate gravity are spinning against you quite fast on a 50-50 basis!)

  12. Alcohol and plastic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They should try some Kentucky whisky through a straw. Nothing beats the taste of alcohol and plastic.

  13. Re:Volatile Compounds by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Total darkness...

    'I look just like Brad Pitt*, in total darkness.' Replace 'Brad Pitt' with age appropriate heart throb's name.

    It's a decent line.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  14. No beer in space ? WTF ?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My dream of being an astronaut is shattered forever. No beer, no buck rogers.

    1. Re:No beer in space ? WTF ?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No casual space travel, no single occupant shuttles to steal, no smuggling ships full of hidden compartments. Hold on. Smuggle beer into space! It's just dumb enough to work.

    2. Re: No beer in space ? WTF ?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obligatory Bloom County reference:

      Astronaut: "Astronat Dallas! Get back to work out there!"
      Steve Dallas: "Hey... It's hot and I'm beat. I deserve a brew."
      Astronaut: "Mister, maybe you were asleep during the NASA physics lecture, but-"
      Steve Dallas: (opens beer can) 'pop!' (propelled away from shuttle) 'phoosh!'
      Astronaut: "Houston! We've got a pre-mature reentry here..."
      Opus: "In space it's never 'Miller time.'"
       

  15. Re:Volatile Compounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    *Christian Slater *For those of us who remember him from when he pumped up the volume.

  16. Holy communion in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I thought Buzz Aldrin celebrated a holy communion on board the Apollo 11.

    Before Armstrong and Aldrin stepped out of the lunar module on July 20, 1969, Aldrin unstowed a small plastic container of wine and some bread. He had brought them to the moon from Webster Presbyterian church near Houston, where he was an elder. Aldrin had received permission from the Presbyterian church's general assembly to administer it to himself.

    "I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon the wine curled slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup. It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements."

    1. Re:Holy communion in space by DaHat · · Score: 1

      Could simply have been non-alcoholic wine... or the rule didn't exist then.

    2. Re:Holy communion in space by dbIII · · Score: 1

      The rule is due to water recycling on the ISS so fairly obviously didn't apply before the ISS was built.
      How is the begging going BTW Brendan?

    3. Re:Holy communion in space by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      There was no water reclamation on the Apollo flights though - urine was dumped overboard and airborne moisture was simply captured. Thus Aldrins communion wine wouldnt have had any negative effects.

    4. Re:Holy communion in space by dargaud · · Score: 2

      Yeah, I don't really understand this rule. It's not like you pee alcohol after drinking it, it's transformed by the body (acetaldehyde, then acetyl).

      Also I tested a water recycler for a year while in Antarctica, which was intended for space use (it was an ESA model, probably different from the NASA one), and there was no limit to the amount of alcohol we could drink (fortunately!!!), yet the only issue was with some shampoo and urine: we had to use the officially sanctioned shampoo and we were forbidden to pee in the shower ! Well, now that I think of it, it could have been due to the high alcohol content ! No, seriously, IIRC it was the urea which would damage the reverse osmosis filters.

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
    5. Re:Holy communion in space by jenningsthecat · · Score: 1

      ... and we were forbidden to pee in the shower !

      Well, that lets me out then! When I can't pee in the shower first thing in the morning, it messes up my whole day!

      --
      'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
    6. Re:Holy communion in space by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      Who said anything about there being an expectation of alcohol in the urine? As you note, alcohol is metabolised into certain chemicals, and its those chemicals in the waste water which is the issue. You will find that there are loads of other things astronauts on the ISS cant eat for precisely the same reasons, this article was just about alcohol because its something most people can relate to.

    7. Re:Holy communion in space by dargaud · · Score: 1

      It gets worse: we couldn't pee in the toilets either ! This was insanely hard not to do and took the training of a yogi master. The reason is that the toilets were actually shit burners and liquids would mess them up, if not straight short-circuit them !

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
    8. Re:Holy communion in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought Buzz Aldrin celebrated a holy communion on board the Apollo 11.

      A religious astronaut... What a sham. Only atheists deserve space travel. Because we know better.

    9. Re:Holy communion in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There was no water reclamation on the Apollo flights though - urine was dumped overboard and airborne moisture was simply captured. Thus Aldrins communion wine wouldnt have had any negative effects.

      So there are particles of Buzz Aldrin's piss orbiting the Moon?

  17. Soda in Space? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hasn't Coke and other sodas been taken to space? I imagine spilling that on your space-keyboard would be as bad as spilling it on Earth. And seriously? Space-burps are a factor for banning alcohol? I'd think inebriation in space would be worth studying, it may turn out people get drunker faster in low-gravity or something. If space-tourism ever gets off the ground, these problems are going to need to be solved. The water-recovery system filters urine (which contains a wide variety of substances) to separate the water; if it can't filter out alcohol, there are likely other things it can't filter out which'll be troublesome to astronauts, even if they avoid alcohol.

    1. Re:Soda in Space? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they can't filter out alcohol, then it will be recycled and all will be equally drunk.

    2. Re:Soda in Space? by MrKaos · · Score: 1

      If they can't filter out alcohol, then it will be recycled and all will be equally drunk.

      So your saying they'll all be pissed.

      --
      My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  18. Vodka by ChadSmith4920 · · Score: 1

    I'm sure the Russians have a bottle or three. a la ruse!

  19. Re: Volatile Compounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bloody kids, I knew the average age was young here but geez Louise that's about 2 decades off me!

  20. Re: Volatile Compounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Three decades ago he was a basement dweller with a pirate radio station. And now he's Mr Robot.

  21. And how do they know this? by willy_me · · Score: 1

    At some point this rule was instigated. Makes one wonder what could have happened to require it. I doubt it is based purely on speculation.

    1. Re:And how do they know this? by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      You don't need to be in space to simulate some of the aspects of a space station. I am sure they found all of this out well before the first manned space flight.

      Which begs the question: Why am I reading about this now? Is this "Slashdot, factoids for nerds"?

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    2. Re:And how do they know this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which begs the question

      Wrong.

    3. Re:And how do they know this? by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      Did you understand what I was saying? Yes? Mission accomplished.

      Language is not a science...

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    4. Re:And how do they know this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think I wasted my life reading this sub-thread.

  22. Re: Volatile Compounds by stealth_finger · · Score: 2

    Bloody kids, I knew the average age was young here but geez Louise that's about 2 decades off me!

    You know you're old when you say thing like geez louise...

    --
    Wanna buy a shirt?
    https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
  23. Because they see it coming. by volodymyrbiryuk · · Score: 1

    A1:"I bet you can't take a butt naked selfie outside the station." A2:"Hold my beer" Although zero-G beer pong would be awesome.

    --
    sudo rm -r -f --no-preserve-root /
  24. The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Gonoff · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The attitudes towards alcohol in the USA are quite bizarre to most of the rest of the planet but we didn't have prohibition.

    When I went to the USA with the British Army, I found that although I was old enough to be an ally with a rifle, I was not old enough to have a beer at 20! I was old enough to go in harms way but not old enough for Budweiser! Your troop transport aircraft was supposed to be dry. I have heard that your naval vessels are dry.

    I have heard that your prohibition was brought about by a, misnamed, temperance movement. Certainly, there are some people who can only be teetotal or drunk. In most cases, this is a matter of education. The best way is to demystify it. I remember at college, you could tell the students who had never been allowed even a glass of shandy. They were the ones who propped up bars every night. They "didn't do morning lectures"! Your country is treating you the same...

    --
    I'll see your Constitution and raise you a Queen.
    1. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Major+Blud · · Score: 1

      Correlation does not imply causation. Various parts of Canada also had prohibition during some of the same timeframe. The drinking age there is also set per province, which interestingly, is also the same for the USA. For example the drinking age in Virginia is 18 for beer and wine but 21 for spirits. When I was growing up in Louisiana, there was a weird loophole law; you could be 18 to buy alcohol but had to be 21 to drink it. It was changed to 21 outright shortly after I turned 18 of course. Although the states can set their own age, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which was passed in 1984, forced the States to lose some of their federal highway funding if they set it lower than 21. This effectively set the national drinking age to 21.

      I agree with you that at the very least members of the military should be able to purchase liquor. It's asinine that somebody can face bullets, or vote, or get legally married, but not be mature enough to purchase alcohol. Thanks MADD!

      --
      If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
    2. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, but the 18th Amendment was ratified nearly 100 years ago, and repealed 13 years later. The temperance movement was around long before and after those two amendments. Even so people were still consuming alcohol during Prohibition.

      Attitudes towards drinking are more rooted in religion and hardly "quite bizarre" if you have traveled around the world.

      Yes legally you may not have been allowed to purchase a beer at 20. But at age 20 most people have figured out how to get around that inconvenience. Enforcement is lax and actually most US college students were drinking in high school anyway.

      Your post is fairly obvious America bashing.

    3. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > When I went to the USA with the British Army

      Is that you, Captain Cook's giant tortoise? Must be awesome having fresh memories of 1812! Is it really true the White House used to be marble-coloured before you burnt it?

    4. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I have heard that your naval vessels are dry.

      well, if your navel vessels aren't dry then you are probably sinking!

      don't worry i will be here all week!

    5. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I remember growing up where the drinking age of 19 in Ontario was higher than New York State, which was 18. We had tons of kids coming across. Then 1984 happened, now its 21 in the US.

      Mind you, its still 18 in Quebec.

    6. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      Your troop transport aircraft was supposed to be dry. I have heard that your naval vessels are dry.

      It only takes one drunk jackass to cause a billion dollars of damage. Reducing risk is a good thing.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    7. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by geekmux · · Score: 1

      ...I agree with you that at the very least members of the military should be able to purchase liquor. It's asinine that somebody can face bullets, or vote, or get legally married, but not be mature enough to purchase alcohol. Thanks MADD!

      Maturity is not magically instilled by wearing a military uniform, which I've seen first-hand. It often comes with life experience, so perhaps you can stop blaming the organization named after Drunk Driving, and instead understand the statistics that clearly present the reasons why young adults should not be drinking, gambling, or even renting cars until they gain a bit more life experience.

      Given the divorce rate and our last few elections, perhaps statistics should be driving up the legal age of other activities as well.

    8. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      The attitudes towards alcohol in the USA are quite bizarre to most of the rest of the planet but we didn't have prohibition.

      When I went to the USA with the British Army, I found that although I was old enough to be an ally with a rifle, I was not old enough to have a beer at 20! I was old enough to go in harms way but not old enough for Budweiser! Your troop transport aircraft was supposed to be dry. I have heard that your naval vessels are dry.

      Off topic, but one of the best times I ever had was drinking with some Welsh soldiers on leave from the British Army, in an Irish pub on the bank of the river in Salzburg, Austria on New Years Eve. Don't know if it's covered in basic training or what, but you guys sure know how to have a good time drinking. Also, we did you a favor on the Budweiser.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    9. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahaha typical. You're just scared of young people now that you're an old faggot. Wearing a military uniform does instill something that could be compared to maturity. A 20 year old person in the military can be reasonably depended on to show up to work, sort of follow the rules.. at least much better than a civilian.

      Are you a boomer? Who enjoyed free love and drugs when you were young enough for it? Had a leave it to beaver upbringing as a child? Cried endlessly about every war you had to fight in. Then changed the drinking age when it wouldn't bother your social circle, raped social security when you were going to get yours and sent off young people to die?

      Fuck you people

    10. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, this is not true. As a young person you can expect that police will be working hard to slap you with a 1000 dollar fine and a criminal charge that may complicate future employment.

    11. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Jesus's first miracle recorded. Turning water into wine.

      Nowhere in the bible is their a prohibition against drinking, not even against getting drunk, just against being a drunkard.

      It's amusing that the worst 'bible literalists' have added alcohol prohibition, the last words in the bible are 'don't add or remove anything from this'. They are going to hell for not drinking.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    12. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      When I went to the USA with the British Army, . . .I was old enough to go in harms way but not old enough for Budweiser!.

      You're welcome.

    13. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, naval risk reduction involves things like ruining your leave or time off work because statistically someone is gonna hurt themselves. It's totally acceptable to assume risks for the benefit of the boss but not for the benefit of the one actually assuming them.

    14. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its not about prohibition but having some morals and ethics (god-fearing). Keeping Sunday as a day of rest (use to have no alcohol sales on sunday) etc.. Simple morals go along way.

    15. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      There wouldn't be a song with the refrain "What do you do with a drunken sailor" if the qualifications for armed force membership were the same as for responsible drinking.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    16. Re: The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They still don't sell liquor on Sunday's in Pennsylvania.

    17. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      You think you can't rest while having a drink?

      There is nothing immoral about drinking, nothing. Even the fictional character, Jesus, drank. His #1 miracle was turning water into good wine.

      By their own rules: They are going to hell for _not_ drinking and claiming the bible says not to drink. Mostly the latter, there is no rule that says you must, just as their is no rule saying you shouldn't.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    18. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maturity is not magically instilled by wearing a military uniform, which I've seen first-hand. It often comes with life experience...

      Very true, but the only way to have a law that's fairly applied is if it has an objective measure. While that does end up being arbitrary, at least it treats everyone equally.

      ... so perhaps you can stop blaming the organization named after Drunk Driving

      If they had stuck to that they'd be fine, but they didn't. They've branched into all forms of anti-alcohol activism, to the point that their founder left the organization in protest. Their goals include:

      • Enacting primary enforcement seat belt laws in all states.
      • Reducing underage drinking.
      • Increasing beer excise taxes to the same level as those for spirits.

      A lot of that list has nothing to do with drunk driving

    19. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wearing a military uniform does instill something that could be compared to maturity. A 20 year old person in the military can be reasonably depended on to show up to work, sort of follow the rules.. at least much better than a civilian.

      That doesn't match the experience I saw from tons of my fellow troops when I was in the military

    20. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahaha typical. You're just scared of young people now that you're an old faggot. Wearing a military uniform does instill something that could be compared to maturity. A 20 year old person in the military can be reasonably depended on to show up to work, sort of follow the rules.. at least much better than a civilian.

      Are you a boomer? Who enjoyed free love and drugs when you were young enough for it? Had a leave it to beaver upbringing as a child? Cried endlessly about every war you had to fight in. Then changed the drinking age when it wouldn't bother your social circle, raped social security when you were going to get yours and sent off young people to die?

      Fuck you people

      Rule #1: Don't ASS-U-ME. That goes for any generation.

      The term "first-hand" means someone has the experience to back up a statement. Your ignorant comments tell me you've likely never worn a uniform, and sure as hell can't identify a "boomer", so kindly shut the fuck up. Your lack of experience is clearly showing with this bullshit trolling rant.

    21. Re: The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you morons can't read worth shit.

    22. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The truth gets buried. Hypocrits

    23. Re: The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      We can't read things obviously written in invisible ink. We leave that to the baptists and their ilk.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    24. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      There is nothing immoral about drinking, nothing. Even the fictional character, Jesus, drank. His #1 miracle was turning water into good wine.

      I would think most Christians would put the "come back from the dead, sins forgiven" to be higher-placed miracles.

    25. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by geekmux · · Score: 1

      ... so perhaps you can stop blaming the organization named after Drunk Driving

      If they had stuck to that they'd be fine, but they didn't. They've branched into all forms of anti-alcohol activism, to the point that their founder left the organization in protest. Their goals include:

      • Enacting primary enforcement seat belt laws in all states.
      • Reducing underage drinking.
      • Increasing beer excise taxes to the same level as those for spirits.

      A lot of that list has nothing to do with drunk driving

      Seat belt laws and combating underage drinking? Sounds like MADD is simply in need of a name change; People for Common Fucking Sense.

    26. Re:The USA hasn't recovered from prohibition. by ebvwfbw · · Score: 1

      And it has had bad effects. Used to be 18. It was changed shortly before I could buy, I think a year or two where I live. Same old leftist BS - it'll save lives. I'm blind... well in the years since then studies have shown they were the ones that were blind, and they admitted it. Yet we're still stuck with it.

      We also have this zero tolerance concept. They're always the leftists doing it. No guns, No drinking, Can't even draw a picture of a gun in school. No cowboys and indians, some schools don't even want dodgeball anymore. It's nuts. Boys can't be boys anymore.

      Maybe things will change to the way they used to be, when things made sense.

  25. Re:Volatile Compounds by michelcolman · · Score: 1

    Significant chance of dying if you vomit in space? Wow, they must have been extremely lucky that nobody has died that way yet, given how pretty much every new arrival at the ISS suffers from space sickness for a few days. Or maybe you're just making things up.

  26. Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement courts may of change by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement courts may of changed that as some ISDS courts can rule that a convenience stores chain profits are being hurt by not being able to sell to people aged 18-20.

  27. Wtf has this got to do with the astronaut?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I mean surly the blame lies with which ever alien creature is doing the drinking.

  28. Not theory by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

    Unless you have actually tried to build a rotating space station, your answer is also theoretical.

    They have tried to extend tethers in space, and run into multiple problems caused by them being not-rigid. Gemini 11 (which was tethered to it's Agena to test just these things) encountered problems with spin-up due to this and other dynamics issues. The problems I cite spring directly from experience, mathematics, and engineering.

    So no, my answer isn't theoretical.

    1. Re:Not theory by iris-n · · Score: 1

      They have tried to extend tethers in space, and run into multiple problems caused by them being not-rigid. Gemini 11 (which was tethered to it's Agena to test just these things) encountered problems with spin-up due to this and other dynamics issues.

      Gemini 11 didn't try to dock while spinning, manoeuvre while spinning, or keep solar panels aligned while spinning.

      The problems I cite spring directly from experience, mathematics, and engineering.

      As any good theory does.

      So no, my answer isn't theoretical.

      You might want to review your definition of "theory". Hint: it is not an insult.

      --
      entropy happens
  29. Zero g vomit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because seriously who wants to clean that shit up

  30. Re:Volatile Compounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Significant chance of dying if you vomit in space? Wow, they must have been extremely lucky that nobody has died that way yet, given how pretty much every new arrival at the ISS suffers from space sickness for a few days. Or maybe you're just making things up.

    Maybe it is made up - I can't see the parent. But it is absolutely possible to choke on emesis down here in a one g field; the complicating factor is that a patient usually has to be so unconscious that they don't wake up. And enough alcohol can do both those things, as can a seizure, as can traumatic brain injury. Interestingly, depressed respirations also increase the risk of emesis and in free fall the body I imagine the body would ventilate less. And also space adaptation syndrome is real. But I imagine they've got the training and equipment (including suction if necessary) to manage it on the station. A fast Google scan doesn't reveal if in free fall the body can clear all the vomitus without worry of tracheal obstruction in free fall.... But just because nobody died from it yet doesn't make it a valid medical concern, any more than lack of problems due to ice damage on the space shuttle meant that it shouldn't have been a safety concern.

  31. No to Alcohol, but yes to Lens cleaning liquid by Trachman · · Score: 1

    Pure ethanol spirit is the best optical equipment cleansing liquid.

    Even in the Soviet Union, which was officially obsessed with anti-alcoholism campaign, this type of designation was both given and taken without questions.

    Joking aside, Russian cosmonauts considered it a matter of principle to smuggle alcohol to the space. Another, equally important principle, is to deny the fact of contraband and consumption to it.

  32. Re:Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement courts may of cha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Idiot.

  33. Re:Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement courts may of cha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The US pulled out of TPP, so not happening.

  34. OK, you're not allowed to get drunk in space. by hey! · · Score: 1

    Can you get high?

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  35. Errrm, ... because they're freakin' Astronauts? by Qbertino · · Score: 1

    What kind of a question is that?

    They are ASTRONAUTS. Flying and operating insanely expensive equipment on massive insanely expensive missions where just about every move has critical consequences. It's the same reason you can't have angry outbursts on the Spaceshuttle. These people a cool. Like, seriously and certified cool.

    Of *course* they're not allowed to get drunk.

    Yes, russian cosmonauts were/are allowed to have a shot of Vodka after long tricky EVAs and similar big events. They're russians, what do you expect?
    The closest to getting drunk in space was when the crew on the Mir decided to access their Vodka supplies of schedule. Vodka supplies being two or three smaller flasks. There are reports of some smaller "parties" on the Mir towards its EOL. But that's about it.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  36. Re:Volatile Compounds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You have your fetishes, I have mine.

  37. Alcohol content by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Isn't it odd that solid foods (many of which contain alcohol) aren't considered here? But since our guts will ferment alcohol from fruit, and it can be enough to get a buzz with, banning alcoholic beverages isn't going to prevent partying given sufficient motivation.

  38. Re: Volatile Compounds by SeriousTube · · Score: 1

    Oh fiddle faddle.

  39. Obviously by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They're just trying to avoid "Hold my beer and watch this!"

  40. Re:Volatile Compounds by countach · · Score: 1

    You are doing it wrong if the girl does NOT vomit.

  41. Wrong again. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

    Gemini 11 didn't try to dock while spinning, manoeuvre while spinning, or keep solar panels aligned while spinning.

    Which is completely irrelevant - because the problems spinning causes those things can be directly determined. There's nothing unknown. They're not theoretical in any sense of the word - they're very real.
     

    You might want to review your definition of "theory". Hint: it is not an insult.

    Hint: I am using the common definition of "theory". I have know idea what definition you're using, but it bears no relationship to reality. The things I discussed are actual effects, well known to anyone with the relevant background. They're in no way "theoretical".

    1. Re:Wrong again. by iris-n · · Score: 1
      --
      entropy happens
  42. Without gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    without the assistance of gravity, liquid and gases can tumble around in an astronaut's stomach, causing them to produce rather soggy farts.

    FTFY

  43. Seems simple by ebvwfbw · · Score: 1

    They are there for science. No having fun and no drunk science experiments like we have on the surface. That's how we end up with junk science where nobody can ever reproduce those results. Ok, I'm being nice. I'm sure there is outright fraud going on in some cases to get their PhD.