Author Topic: The Official Space Exploration Thread  (Read 230887 times)

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #795 on: June 23, 2009, 09:33 AM »

Offline BillCable

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #796 on: July 2, 2009, 09:38 AM »
Moon conspiracy folks might have to face facts soon...

But I'll bet those images of the hardware are probably Photoshopped...
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Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #797 on: July 2, 2009, 09:49 AM »
It's pretty bad when they have to Photoshop you're hardware so they can see it!  :P   :-*

You can follow the location of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in the liny below.

LRO's Current Location

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #798 on: July 3, 2009, 11:16 AM »
Check it out, the 1st pics from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.   8)

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has transmitted its first images since reaching the moon on June 23. The spacecraft's two cameras, collectively known as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, were activated June 30. The cameras are working well and have returned images of a region in the lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds).

As the moon rotates beneath LRO, LROC gradually will build up photographic maps of the lunar surface.

"Our first images were taken along the moon's terminator -- the dividing line between day and night -- making us initially unsure of how they would turn out," said LROC Principal Investigator Mark Robinson of Arizona State University in Tempe. "Because of the deep shadowing, subtle topography is exaggerated, suggesting a craggy and inhospitable surface. In reality, the area is similar to the region where the Apollo 16 astronauts safely explored in 1972. While these are magnificent in their own right, the main message is that LROC is nearly ready to begin its mission."

These images show cratered regions near the moon's Mare Nubium region, as photographed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LROC instrument. Impact craters feature prominently in both images. Older craters have softened edges, while younger craters appear crisp. Each image shows a region 1,400 meters (0.87 miles) wide, and features as small as 3 meters (9.8 feet) wide can be discerned. The bottoms of both images face lunar north.

The image below shows the location of these two images in relation to each other. The locator image shows an area 3,542 meters (2.2 miles) wide by 14,000 meters (8.7 miles) long. The scene is at the lunar coordinates 34.4 degrees South by 6.0 degrees West.

Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University.

Clicky pics for larger image.






Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #799 on: July 11, 2009, 05:54 PM »
NASA delays shuttle launch after nearby lightning



A lightning strike at Launch Pad 39A during Friday afternoon's thunderstorm. Sensors counted 11 such strikes within 0.3 miles of the pad. Image credit: NASA TV.

Eight missions to go then the Shuttle is toast.   :'(

Final Countdown: A Guide to NASA's Last Space Shuttle Missions

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #801 on: July 12, 2009, 09:52 PM »
Shuttle launch scrubbed for second straight day

A line of lightning-producing thunderstorms approaching Florida's Kennedy Space Center has forced a scrub of this evening's planned launch of space shuttle Endeavour.

NASA will try again to launch Endeavour on Monday evening.

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #802 on: July 14, 2009, 09:38 AM »
So te weather ***** on the shuttle again:  Shuttle launch postponed for third straight day

Quote
NASA said it will next try to launch Endeavour at 6:03 p.m. Wednesday.

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #803 on: July 15, 2009, 10:39 PM »
Space shuttle Endeavour blasts off after several postponements



The space shuttle Endeavour blasts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 15, 2009 after five false starts to begin the STS-127 mission to the ISS. Credit: NASA TV.

Moon Orbiter to Photograph Apollo 11 Landing Site

NASA's sharp-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is gearing up to look down on the Apollo 11 landing site – the location of the first human foray to the moon 40 years ago this month.

Offline Hemish

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #804 on: July 16, 2009, 04:11 AM »
They showed it on the news this morning.
Still after all the lift offs it gives me goose bumps watching it.
Truly awesome
The problem with America is stupidity I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #805 on: July 16, 2009, 04:46 AM »
I was just watching the launch on the NASA site, sure a thing of beauty.  8)

For those who watched & remembered, today marks the 40th Anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. On July 16, 1969, mans greatest technological achievement was launched carrying Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins & Buzz Aldrin to the moon. Damn! 40 years & we still have not really reached the limits of space.






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"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #806 on: July 16, 2009, 04:43 PM »
The NASA site has put up partial restoration HD videos of the Apollo 11 mission.  8)

Offline Jayson

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Offline DSJ™

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Re: The Official Space Exploration Thread
« Reply #809 on: July 17, 2009, 10:11 AM »
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5 Shuttle Launch Scrubs Cost Millions

The repeated launch delays for the space shuttle Endeavour were not just frustrating, but expensive.

NASA estimates every launch cancelled after fuel tanking has begun can cost as much as $1.2 million dollars. Endeavour endured five liftoff scrubs before successfully launching Wednesday at 6:03 p.m. (2203 GMT), though some of these cancellations occurred before ground crews started loading propellant into the shuttle's external tank. The total price tag for this mission's postponements, which began in mid-June and ended with yesterday's liftoff, was less than $5 million, NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said.

Though NASA tries to operate as cheaply as possible, safety comes first, Beutel said



A close-up of the shuttle Endeavour's external tank reveals small strips of lost foam insulation on the intertank, a region between the vessel's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks. Credit: NASA.



This NASA image highlights areas of suspected foam insulation loss from the shuttle Endeaovur's external tank after its July 15, 2009 launch. Credit: NASA.