The Astronomy Thread

meStevo · Dec 20, 2018

Raw Images | Multimedia – NASA's InSight Mars Lander

Ukerric · Dec 21, 2018

More Mars, but seen from orbit. The Korolev Crater (50 miles wide, 1.1 mile deep ice in the middle).

meStevo · Dec 24, 2018

iannis · Dec 24, 2018

do we not have anything better than steel?

Obviously Elon knows better than me. It seems odd that we don't have anything better than steel.

I'd expect some weird heavy metal alloy is all.

3% cobalt 5% tungsten 75% iron starship!

Big Phoenix · Dec 24, 2018

Looks a little rough. I imagine just a mock up?

Prodigal · Dec 24, 2018

Stainless steel - damn I bet he’s going to have a flux capacitor on that ride.

Ukerric · Dec 25, 2018

Big Phoenix said:
Looks a little rough. I imagine just a mock up?

He said that, given the temperatures for re-entry, there won't be any paint on that.

Otherwise, it's a view from the testbed they have in Texas. Trying a 500m launch/landing, then a 5000m one, before going on full testing.

MusicForFish · Dec 27, 2018

Report: ISS Hole Drilled From the Inside, Cosmonaut Says

Russian cosmonaut Sergei Prokopyev said that the mysterious hole in a Soyuz capsule docked to the International Space Station was drilled from the inside, according to the Associated Press.

Prokopyev was one of two cosmonauts who inspected the hole during an “unprecedented” spacewalk back on Dec. 11. This report is the latest in a months-long saga that’s long since turned weird.

while this might be a new development in the story, it’s not changing much. We still don’t know who drilled the hole or when, and the investigation continues. Prokopyev denied that the hole could have been drilled by an astronaut.

BrutulTM · Dec 27, 2018

I can't think of a better place to go crazy than on the ISS. Seems like it could have easily been a case of somebody spending too much time in isolation and getting a little crazy and deciding to drill a hole in the wall and see what happened. It's kind of surprising more people haven't flipped out up there. Obviously they're chosen very carefully and watched very closely but it's not a good environment for a human at all.

Mudcrush Durtfeet · Dec 27, 2018

Probably drilled by some Russian employee (or some such).

Ukerric · Dec 28, 2018

BrutulTM said:
I can't think of a better place to go crazy than on the ISS. Seems like it could have easily been a case of somebody spending too much time in isolation and getting a little crazy and deciding to drill a hole in the wall and see what happened.

Drilling in micro-g is surprisingly hard (trying to find a way to wedge you against the reaction to the drill torque). That's why everyone says it can't have been done while on the ISS.

MusicForFish · Dec 28, 2018

I think your right about someone going a little crazy.
I dont see how anyone could benefit from the ISS going down besides for political purposes.

pharmakos · Dec 28, 2018

Ukerric said:
Drilling in micro-g is surprisingly hard (trying to find a way to wedge you against the reaction to the drill torque). That's why everyone says it can't have been done while on the ISS.

but if it was done on the ground, it would have been a pretty long time ago, right? why did it not become a problem right away?

BrutulTM · Dec 28, 2018

MusicForFish said:
I think your right about someone going a little crazy.
I dont see how anyone could benefit from the ISS going down besides for political purposes.

I always think about all the people who volunteered for a 1-way trip to Mars a few years back. You're basically volunteering to spend the rest of your life in a winnebago. Sure you know you're in a unique place and seeing things out the window that no one has ever seen before, but after the novelty wears off there's a lot of years of sitting in a box waiting to die.

Ukerric · Dec 28, 2018

pharmakos said:
but if it was done on the ground, it would have been a pretty long time ago, right? why did it not become a problem right away?

Because it apparently had glue covering it. Which worked for a couple weeks, until vacuum&cold made that brittle enough that the seal broke.

Void · Dec 28, 2018

BrutulTM said:
I always think about all the people who volunteered for a 1-way trip to Mars a few years back. You're basically volunteering to spend the rest of your life in a winnebago. Sure you know you're in a unique place and seeing things out the window that no one has ever seen before, but after the novelty wears off there's a lot of years of sitting in a box waiting to die.

Might be better than sitting here in my work chair waiting to die!

I'd miss my forumbros though.

pharmakos · Dec 28, 2018

Ukerric said:
Because it apparently had glue covering it. Which worked for a couple weeks, until vacuum&cold made that brittle enough that the seal broke.

ah. well, glue in space has to be difficult too, that's more evidence that points towards it being done on the ground.

still makes very little sense tho. weird stuff.

Araxen · Dec 28, 2018

Pretty important day next week on Jan 1st with the New Horizon's flyby of Ultima Thule finally happening!

Pluto Is Far in the Rearview. Next Stop: Ultima Thule

Cybsled · Dec 28, 2018

Finally, EQ releases the Plane of Oort Cloud.

meStevo · Dec 28, 2018

The Astronomy Thread

I think your wife's a bigfoot gus.

Bearded Ape

I think your wife's a bigfoot gus.

Musty Nester

Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer

Shitlord, Offender of the Universe

Bearded Ape

Ultra Maga Instinct

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.

Hungry Ogre

Bearded Ape

Ultra Maga Instinct

soʞɐɯɹɐɥd

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.

Bearded Ape

BAU BAU

soʞɐɯɹɐɥd

Golden Baronet of the Realm

Naxxramas 1.0 Raider

I think your wife's a bigfoot gus.