The thread for space cadets!

[hobbsyoyo]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/10/16/space-100-year-starship-initiative.html

Scientists aim to send humans to the stars within 100 years

The project has received DARPA funding.

You realize this is only a paper project right? It's not going to go anywhere. It will outline challenges and research avenues that will need to be studied but that's about it. The only reason I can see why DARPA would fund this is perhaps in anticipation that applicable, weaponizable research avenues will be identified coincidentally by the study.

But honestly the technologies required are so advanced and distant that this document will probably be as predictive or informative to extrasolar exploration as really good and imaginative 'hard' sci fi.

That's why you don't produce them as prototypes. We had this discussion before, and I am quite tired of repeating myself.

Dude, almost all satellites are prototypes. As crezth said, they aren't massed produced. They are all tailored for specific uses from specific orbits and launched by specific rockets.

And honestly, we just haven't had enough experience to crank them out Model T style; although with cubesats and the arrival of cheaper launch systems, we are approaching that.

And yeah it's cheaper at this point to replace a satellite than to refuel one, which isn't even a viable option for most satellites.
________________________________________________
Have you guys played Kerbal Space Program?

Oh man it's stupid fun and super realistic. I highly recommend it.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Neil DeGrasse Tyson made it into a new superman comic.

Pretty cool no?

 

[El_Machinae]

Yeah, that actually is pretty cool. Jon Stewart has a bit of a crush on NGT too. It's cute.

When someone decides to be an educator, things can happen ...

 

[Winner]

Dude, almost all satellites are prototypes. As crezth said, they aren't massed produced. They are all tailored for specific uses from specific orbits and launched by specific rockets.

And honestly, we just haven't had enough experience to crank them out Model T style; although with cubesats and the arrival of cheaper launch systems, we are approaching that.

And yeah it's cheaper at this point to replace a satellite than to refuel one, which isn't even a viable option for most satellites.

That's for supporting my point - what you described *is a part of the problem*. Result: insanely costly space applications. Enjoy.

 

[Crezth]

There just isn't an effective alternate approach.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

I *hate* deGrasse Tyson with a passion. I utterly hate him. I can't tell you how much I hate him. I hate him.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I *hate* deGrasse Tyson with a passion. I utterly hate him. I can't tell you how much I hate him. I hate him.

Is...this...a joke?
OMG WTH PE?
ZOOOOMG

Tyson rocks

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Is...this...a joke?
OMG WTH PE?
ZOOOOMG

Tyson rocks

A) See my username.

B) He dissed my all-time favorite movie, Armageddon (the one with Bruce Willis trying to bust an incoming asteroid), during an interview with Leno (before I lost interest in Leno due to his douchebaggery in '09).

And that's just two off the top of my head. I think there's a few more reasons, but I don't remember for the time being.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

A) See my username.

B) He dissed my all-time favorite movie, Armageddon (the one with Bruce Willis trying to bust an incoming asteroid), during an interview with Leno (before I lost interest in Leno due to his douchebaggery in '09).

And that's just two off the top of my head. I think there's a few more reasons, but I don't remember for the time being.

Those are horrible reasons!

He fixed the sky inTitanic for godssakes!

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.8146

We announce the discovery of a new eclipsing hot subdwarf B + M dwarf binary, EC 10246-2707, and present multi-colour photometric and spectroscopic observations of this system. Similar to other HW Vir-type binaries, the light curve shows both primary and secondary eclipses, along with a strong reflection effect from the M dwarf; no intrinsic light contribution is detected from the cool companion.

I don't know if this is groundbreaking for the more expertly of us CFC'ers (probably not), but wow, that's pretty cool to me. Granted the illuminated side of the M dwarf would be incomprehensibly blindingly bright, I wonder what it might look like when brightness/contrast corrections are applied?

Those are horrible reasons!

He fixed the sky inTitanic for godssakes!

Too bad. Those are my reasons and I'm sticking with them.

Plus, he's a snob. The kind that look down on sci-fi and sci-fa. Big no-no.

 

[Crezth]

Plus, he's a snob.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, a snob. Rofl.

 

[Winner]

Armageddon is without any doubt whatsoever the DUMBEST film ever made, at least in the "science"-fiction category of films that actually pretend to be science-fiction. There are about 5 million violations of the laws of physics and common sense in every second of footage. It's insulting actually - compared to it, its then-rival Deep Impact is a hard sci-fi.

And yes, I am a guy who actually *liked* Avatar. I enjoy guilty pleasures as much as the next man, but Armageddon is a crime against humanity.

 

[LegionSteve]

I really have to agree with Winner about Armageddon.

Now I'm going back to lurking.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

You guys bleeping suck.

 

[warpus]

Yes, Armageddon is one of the worst movies ever made.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Dissing Armageddon is a crime against humanity.

You guys have no respect for creativity.

Really, this just further cements my view that the highest-end intellectuals like you guys, and deGrasse Tyson of course, are snobs of the highest order.

Also, hard sci-fi is

overrated.

I hate you all.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

You realize the more you say you like or dislike things, the more people are going to disagree with you. Not to spite you, but we all have different opinions and you seem highly sensitive to those oppinions.

Such as:
Hard sci-fi is overrated

I love me some Bova brotha



Where do I get a nuke smiley?

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

You realize the more you say you like or dislike things, the more people are going to disagree with you. Not to spite you, but we all have different opinions and you seem highly sensitive to those oppinions.

Some opinions I'm more sensitive to than other opinions, I guess.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Some opinions I'm more sensitive to than other opinions, I guess.

Well I hope you know when I poke fun of you, it's never more than gentle elbowing because I like you.

Also, nuke smilies?

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

Where do I get a nuke smiley?

Well I hope you know when I poke fun of you, it's never more than gentle elbowing because I like you.

Also, nuke smilies?

I made it myself.

As such, it is IP, and thus protected by the Copyright Police.

It's mine.

Spoiler :

http://i.imgur.com/mpWV2.gif