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User: dunkelfalke

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Comments · 6,171

  1. Re:The New Wall on 25th Anniversary: When the Berlin Wall Fell · · Score: 2

    You surely jest, since it is the Ukrainian prime minister who wants to build a wall.

  2. Re:Reminder of who not to credit on 25th Anniversary: When the Berlin Wall Fell · · Score: 2

    Not only that, Chernobyl has also helped to bancrupt the USSR. The cleanup cost enormous, more than a yearly military budget.

  3. Re:So what will MH17 and MH370 give us? on The Plane Crash That Gave Us GPS · · Score: 1

    Donetsk was regularily bombed from the air, so it would have been only a matter of time for the rebels to use a SAM. Besides, this tragedy is why I have doubts that the SAM launcher was loaned hardware - the launchers normally don't operate alone and are only designed to be operated alone in an emergency. They usually come with a command post, several launchers, reloading vehicles, missile transporters, a tracking radar vehicle, a power generator vehicle and other supporting machinery. In short a full batallion commanded by a major. I don't think Russians would give just the launcher to "monkeys" - they never have previously.

    Balkans are peaceful nowadays by the way. I hope it stays that way.

  4. Re:So what will MH17 and MH370 give us? on The Plane Crash That Gave Us GPS · · Score: 2

    In-flight telemetry already exists. Has existed for a while, actually. That is why AF447 was found. Unfortunately it is not really real-time (which surprises me - I develop software for vehicle tracking, it is a very sensible thing to do).

    MH17's lesson is: "close the airspace above a war zone". Should be obvious, really.

  5. Re:If only that were enough... on The Plane Crash That Gave Us GPS · · Score: 2

    Now I know that you are bloody conspiracy-theorist. It was even in the ATC transcripts - the dispatcher was trying to shoo the Polish airplane away because there were no landing conditions whatsoever. Two airplanes have tried to land earlier. One of them (Yak-40 with journalists) almost crash-landed, the other (an Il-76) tried to land for two times and has given up.

  6. Re:If only that were enough... on The Plane Crash That Gave Us GPS · · Score: 1

    Are you trying to be funny? GPS would not have helped in either case - both planes were where they were supposed to be.

    And as for the Ukrainians, how exactly would you know? Have you personally inquired where the people responsible for shooting down the flight from Israel are living now?
    Want me to one-up the fun? The officer who authorised the shoot-down of KAL007 was an Ukrainian as well.

  7. Re:Not a win on New GCHQ Chief Says Social Media Aids Terrorists · · Score: 1

    The Spanish inquisition has probably killed less people than were killed at the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. And if I remember correctly, they were, in fact, less cruel than the usual legal practices back then.

  8. Re:Have to take personal time to vote... on US Midterm Elections Discussion · · Score: 1

    Russia does have several time zones. Ten or so. Just saying.

  9. Re:Breaking the stranglehold of other countries on Denmark Plans To Be Coal-Free In 10 Years · · Score: 1

    Your facts may be right, but the conclusion you are making is the conspiracy theory I've meant. Here are also three points for you that are verifiable facts as well.

    1) USA was directly involved in the previous instability, so what? Remember that $5 billion figure Nuland mentioned?

    2) Gas has never been used against Western Europe. Like I already mentioned, even in the worst times of cold war USSR was a reliable supplier and that continued after 1991. Ukraine was the only country where natural gas shipment was used as a political tool - which is even sort of understandable, given their history of stealing gas.

    3) Because Europe was fine with natural gas from Russia and had no need of the much more expensive American gas - LNG terminals cost money and the pipeline has been there for decades. Suddenly a coup in Ukraine happens and Russia is painted as the root of all evil in German media, together with calls for different gas suppliers. It got more moderate by now, but few months ago I thought it is 1980 all over again.

    4) Wouldn't be the first time when USA tries to stage a government change. They have paid the terrorists of Contra, for example.

    My guess is, it is not nearly as simple as you think it is and neither as simple as what I've written, playing the devil's advocate, if you will. To be honest, I don't think that USA has sponsored that coup, but I do think that they deliberately added more fuel to the fire when they saw the opportunity. As you say, realpolitik.

  10. Re:Breaking the stranglehold of other countries on Denmark Plans To Be Coal-Free In 10 Years · · Score: 1

    A conspiracy theory can cut both ways: the coup in the Ukraine was staged by USA to open new markets for their current fracking gas glut. Sounds about as plausible.

  11. Re:Breaking the stranglehold of other countries on Denmark Plans To Be Coal-Free In 10 Years · · Score: 0

    Eh what? Russia has reliably exported natural gas even in the worst times of cold war.

  12. Re:That's the part that "counts" (groan) on Antares Rocket Explodes On Launch · · Score: 1

    Aerojet has bought a bunch of NK-33 for $1.1M each, same price as a Merlin engine, but nearly twice the thrust.

  13. Re:That's the part that "counts" (groan) on Antares Rocket Explodes On Launch · · Score: 1

    Not quite. NK-33 uses an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle, which indeed was considered impossible by Lockheed Martin. SSME used a fuel-rich staged combustion cycle, which is, apparently, less efficient. Technology matters because NK-33 has a very impressive thrust-to-weight ratio (almost twice of SSME while producing 80% of its thrust) and also a good specific impulse.

  14. Re:That's the part that "counts" (groan) on Antares Rocket Explodes On Launch · · Score: 2

    Not quite single use. From what I remember even though the engines were originally meant for a non-reusable rocket, they were manufactured to withstand up to 15 firings. Kusnetsov overengineered them for prospective future use. Thus Aerojet would be able to test-fire each engine several times before passing them to Orbital Sciences.

  15. Re:Designs from what? on Antares Rocket Explodes On Launch · · Score: 1

    Here is your citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...

    As Orbital has little experience with large liquid stages and LOX propellant, some of the Antares first stage work was contracted to the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye SDO, designers of the Zenit series. The core provided by Yuzhnoye includes propellant tanks, pressurization tanks, valves, sensors, feed lines, tubing, wiring and other associated hardware.

  16. Re:Designs from what? on Antares Rocket Explodes On Launch · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It is not the same. Glushko - stubborn as a mule and a squealer - never believed that it was possible to make a so high performant LOX/kerosene engine and so Korolev went to the Kusnetsov design bureau which previously built airplane engines (like the one for Tu-95 or Tu-154). Kusnetsov proved Glushko wrong with NK-33, so Glushko tried to one-up this with Energia's RD-170. So, not the same design, only similar.

  17. Re:Fine, if on The Airplane of the Future May Not Have Windows · · Score: 2

    I have commuted with the train for years before switching to bicycle. Always took a rear-facing seat because they tend to be free, never had any problems. But in a car I get a mild nausea very easily. Go figure...

  18. Re:Theory vs reality? on EU Sets Goal To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions 40% By 2030 · · Score: 0

    The sad reality is that the numbers probably don't lie. After the reunification East Germany was deindustrialised almost overnight. Even works that were competitive with West Germany ones were closed so they won't be.

  19. Re:In Japan on 3D-Printed Gun Earns Man Two Years In Japanese Prison · · Score: 1

    Drunk drivers already are positioning themselves outside of the society. I'd personally prefer to have automatic prison time for that offence.

  20. Re:The mention of Valentina Tereshkova is ridiculo on The Woman Who Should Have Been the First Female Astronaut · · Score: 1

    Different countries - different standards. For example by Soviet standards Alan Shepard's flight was just a political stunt, because the flight was merely suborbital.

  21. Re: All about perception on The Woman Who Should Have Been the First Female Astronaut · · Score: 1

    If that would be the case, Israel would have ceased to exist either in 1948, in 1967 or in 1973, at the very latest in 1982.

  22. Re:German illegal? on How English Beat German As the Language of Science · · Score: 1

    I wonder why. Myself I am from Germany, been often enough in Czech Republic. Czech food is usually boring - basically the same as in Southern Germany - and the bakeries aren't really anything special. You'll probably find more interesting bread in a small German town than anywhere in Prague.

  23. Euro was originally planned this way, and the only reason why these banknotes exist in first place is Germany so rich Germans would be able to continue to bring unreported income to Switzerland easily. Also helps the Christ Democrat Party with their illegal donations

  24. Re:Well yeah on US Remains Top Country For Global Workers · · Score: 2

    Because the revenue of Airbus is only the revenue of the fixed wing aircraft manufacture division while the revenue of Boeing is everything: airplanes, helicopters, rockets and satellites. Better try this.

    And no, not all top pharma companies are US based. Boehringer Ingelheim and Bayer are German, GlaxoSmithKline is British, Novartis and Roche are Swiss, Sanofi is French. Okay, Merck is nowadays American, but it was in fact started as a German company.

    So, before you start flag-waving, better check the facts first.

  25. Re:Very suspisious on Darth Vader, Yoda, Chewbacca Aim To Invade Ukraine's Govt. In Upcoming Elections · · Score: 3, Informative

    No, but then again neither Britain, nor Greece nor France and so on arm their neo-nazis and give them right to kill people. Ukraine does, though.