The thread for space cadets!

[Crezth]

Mars One is dismissed offhand as little more than an unfunctional vanity project by everyone I know who works in the field. They're very convinced it won't get off the ground.

 

[Winner]

So any current/past space programs you wonderful people want to talk about?
I love this thread!

Well, I am still hoping ESA/Arianespace scrap plans for Ariane-6 and decide to fund Skylon instead.

One can dream

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Mars One is dismissed offhand as little more than an unfunctional vanity project by everyone I know who works in the field. They're very convinced it won't get off the ground.

I'm convinced it won't work either. Just thought it was interesting and worth sharing.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Well, I am still hoping ESA/Arianespace scrap plans for Ariane-6 and decide to fund Skylon instead.

One can dream

I didn't know there were plans for an Ariane VI. You got an pictures?

Here's some of Skylon (so damn sexy). It looks like a Sith/Jedi space cruiser.

 

[Winner]

I didn't know there were plans for an Ariane VI. You got an pictures?

No actual design has been proposed yet, it's all in the stage of discussion between ESA partners.

The problem is that it is supposed to be a medium-lift launcher, less capable than Ariane-5. Arianespace wants something lighter than Ariane-5 to launch single satellites to GEO.

In my opinion, going for just another expendable launcher which will end up being more expensive than comparable rockets (Falcon-9 and whatever the Chinese and Russians come up with next) is a folly. Europe needs to take the risk and go for something revolutionary to maintain its fair share (50% ) of the launch market. Skylon with an evolved reusable upper stage would be the greatest coup in spaceflight since Sputnik. And we could launch it from French Guyana as well.

Of course it's not going to happen because of the French.

EDIT: It is especially idiotic since we have only recently introduced Soyuz to French Guyana, which provides all the medium-lift capability we need while being cheap and reliable, and we keep the Russians on our good side.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

That does sound pretty dumb...

 

[Winner]

A commented slideshow showing the best amateur astronomy photos of 2012. Great pictures there.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Those are some great pictures. It's a goal of mine to see the milky way and the aurora borealis with my own eyes before I die.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

For those who are into reading actual scientific papers, here's something interesting (haven't read it myself yet): http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.4362

In it, basically TWO planets transiting their parent sun simultaneously, AND each other, are detailed.

 

[SouthernKing]

For those who are into reading actual scientific papers, here's something interesting (haven't read it myself yet): http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.4362

In it, basically TWO planets transiting their parent sun simultaneously, AND each other, are detailed.

Thanks for sharing that, reading already
Yeah, this thread IMO has to be one of the best on CFC right now, no joke.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Best thread ever.

Are there any concrete plans for the Chinese space station?

BTW - I think not letting them join the ISS is stupid. As are plans to deorbit it after 2020.

 

[bugwar]

Best thread ever.

Are there any concrete plans for the Chinese space station?

BTW - I think not letting them join the ISS is stupid. As are plans to deorbit it after 2020.

Depends on how long it would take them to get the nukes... err... I mean multiple redundant radioisotope power supplies tucked onboard.

 

[Winner]

Are there any concrete plans for the Chinese space station?

They want to have one by 2020. They're testing the Tiangong modules and automatic Shenzhous now, and once Long March 5 is fully operational, they'll be able to launch a heavier core module (~20 tonnes).

BTW - I think not letting them join the ISS is stupid. As are plans to deorbit it after 2020.

If I am allowed to soothsay for a moment, it's gonna stay up for much longer. Perhaps not in the same configuration, but I seriously doubt any member of the ISS project is stupid enough to let go of a $100 billion spacelab until every last bit of data has been squeezed out of it and it can't hold in one piece any longer (In other words, Mir II).

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I don't think they will deorbit the ISS ever, actually. At least not for a long, long time.

However, I wouldn't put it past the US government to cut funding in a fit. We do stupid stuff like that all time, like that supercollider we started and then stopped after construction had started and billions had been stopped.

Of course, if Russia and the EU want to pick up the tab at that point, maybe they will save it. However, given the history of other international funding arrangements (e.g. the UN), I doubt this will happen.

I just find the idea that it was built to be deorbited rather quickly to be absolutely absurd.

The same goes for the refusal to let the Chinese in on the ISS, though I guess that was for 'national security' interests.

 

[Winner]

Well, the Chinese have a history of stealing technology from the West. I don't think this would have helped them very much, but in general I understand the US reluctance to let China close to its cutting edge space toys.

 

[Crezth]

As opposed to Russia, noble people they.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

As opposed to Russia, noble people they.

Right?

Of course, you could argue they already have much of the tech. But I still think the restrictions are very near-sighted. The Chinese will catch up very soon, and the Russians are helping them do so.

 

[Winner]

As opposed to Russia, noble people they.

There would be no ISS without Russia, plus Russia doesn't have the money to be a real competitor any more. China is on the rise, so in this sense I understand why the US isn't eager to speed it up.

BTW, if we're talking international cooperation here, the sooner the US scraps/reforms ITAR, the better.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

There would be no ISS without Russia, plus Russia doesn't have the money to be a real competitor any more. China is on the rise, so in this sense I understand why the US isn't eager to speed it up.

BTW, if we're talking international cooperation here, the sooner the US scraps/reforms ITAR, the better.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that there wouldn't have been an ISS without Russia. That's the way it turned out, for sure, but it doesn't follow that it had to be that way.

 

[Winner]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that there wouldn't have been an ISS without Russia. That's the way it turned out, for sure, but it doesn't follow that it had to be that way.

Well there perhaps would have been a smaller US station with a European and/or Japanese module. I wouldn't exactly call that an "International Space Station"