Author Topic: The Official Space Exploration Thread  (Read 230414 times)

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1185 on: January 28, 2016, 10:21 AM »



Offline Chris M

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1186 on: January 28, 2016, 05:55 PM »
I've said this before, although not in this thread...as a nation, we have led the way in space exploration.  With all the programs, and all the flights, it is amazing that only 17 astronauts have lost their lives on official missions.
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Offline DSJ™

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Offline Rob

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1188 on: April 8, 2016, 10:44 PM »
So freaking great.

Offline Nicklab

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1189 on: April 9, 2016, 09:31 AM »
Pretty amazing to see this concept finally work.  Being able to re-use a booster like that one will be a major step forward in cutting down the costs of launching payloads into orbit.
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Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1190 on: May 6, 2016, 09:59 AM »

Offline Dave

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1191 on: May 6, 2016, 10:10 AM »
I don't know where I read it, but Elon Musk is the real Tony Stark.  That guy can do some amazing things.

He is hoping to land stuff on Mars every two years starting in 2018

I think he should get half of NASA's budget.  He should be responsible for rockets/space exploration and NASA can do the probes and science stuff.

With his team dreaming big and working fast we could do some amazing things.  NASA is too tied to politics and academia to do anything efficiently.

Offline Rob

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1192 on: May 6, 2016, 11:10 AM »
I don't know if I buy that... NASA does some amazing things, and yes this reusable rocket is particularly flashy and all - but JPL has a lot on tap and NASA is also developing a new heavy lift launch vehicle, there's the Orion spacecraft... missions aiming to put astronauts on an asteroid, on Mars, etc...

Yes, there's more bureaucracy and they're slower, but that doesn't mean they're not doing amazing things.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/?type=future

Offline Nicklab

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1193 on: May 12, 2016, 12:09 PM »
My job often requires me to get up for work VERY early.  And quite often that means leaving the house for work an hour or two before sunrise. 

This morning I went outside to see some amazing stars since it was a totally cloudless sky.  Mars was in full view and on the verge of setting.  But then I caught sight of something moving overhead from the Southwest.  While I do regularly see air traffic on approach to Newark airport and some of the private aviation fields, there's not too much traffic at 4 AM.  Plus, there were no blinking lights.

That's when I remembered seeing something about NASA's Spot The Station page which they provide if you want to catch a glimpse of the International Space Station.  You enter your basic geographic location and the app will let you know when you might be able to see the ISS passing overhead.  I put in my own information, and sure enough the ISS was passing overhead at my location at 4:16 AM.  I was genuinely surprised by how bright it was in the night sky.  I had seen a satellite pass overhead once before at night over the east coast of Florida, but the ISS was far brighter and bigger than that previous sighting. 
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Offline Phrubruh

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1194 on: May 12, 2016, 01:02 PM »
It's pretty cool watching satellites pass over head. They get brighter and darker depending on how the sun is reflecting off them. ISS is pretty big. What you got to worry about is those satellites that move in one direction and then suddenly change direction.
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1196 on: May 16, 2016, 04:59 PM »
If we shot it to Neptune, it would almost be there by now.  :D
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Offline Darby

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1197 on: August 18, 2016, 04:22 PM »
Maybe (just maybe) one of the most important discoveries of all time:

http://www.universetoday.com/130276/earth-like-planet-around-proxima-centauri-discovered/

Hopefully it's confirmed.

Offline Rob

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1198 on: August 18, 2016, 10:20 PM »
It's amazing to think about... I read it would take like 80,000 years to get there with today's tech though.

Offline Phrubruh

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #1199 on: August 19, 2016, 09:43 AM »
It's amazing to think about... I read it would take like 80,000 years to get there with today's tech though.

Article says 20 years with a Count Dooku solar sail.
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