The Space Thread

[xxxxxxxxx]

How about that thing about some idiots wanting to make Pluto not a planet?

Where have you been?

Everywhere but IAU's sites...

And Pluto.

[BTGBullseye]

Where have you been?

Everywhere but IAU's sites...

And Pluto.

No, I was there last night in a dream...

[J.C.]

I just wanted to make a note here, because yesterday marked the beginning of the end of an era: the final launch of the shuttle Atlantis.

 

That's right. No more shuttle launches. Only one landing to go. And that's it.

[The Hamburglar]

Naming your space shuttle after a sunken city is a formula for success.

[Eedo Baba]

I really hope the private sector can pick up where NASA is leaving off. I hate the idea of our civilization just giving up on space exploration.

 

About the pluto talk going on above, I'd say the decision to demote Pluto was kind of dumb. We should have promoted objects like Eris, since there's no reasonable, natural dividing line, currently, between planets and "dwarf planets".

[Blue]

Well the Russian Space Program is still going to be staffing the ISS and continuing the program in that respect.

In fact, the Soyuz manned spacecraft has a better service record than the Shuttles; more have been launched and there have been fewer failures.

[ProHypster]

We need to create Terraformers and Terraform the moon.

[alphabetagamma]

We need to create Terraformers and Terraform the moon.

I don't see that one happening for a while, if ever.

[Eedo Baba]

The technology exists within feasibility to terraform Venus. We just need to commit the resources to it knowing we won't see the benefits for 1000+ years.

[Blue]

If we're going to do any fooling around in space, we should fool around with stuff that would be inconsequential to Earth, seeing as the barycenter of the Moon's orbit is not far from the surface of the Earth- if we started moving it around, it would screw up Earth's orbit which would screw up our time system- let alone the havoc it could wreak on tides.

 

Blow up Neptune or Uranus. Apart from fascinating environmental and chemical studies, no humans would be affected. Jupiter is important though, it's our solar system's vacuum cleaner.

That's a picture of the heat signature when a comet (which could have potentially entered into a dangerous near-Earth solar orbit) was captured by Jovian gravity and crashed into its southern hemisphere. Jupiter is our big bro that sucks up jerk asteroids and whatnot, and probably has been doing so for many millenia.

[alphabetagamma]

and probably has been doing so for many millenia.

Or, you know, over 4 billion years.

[Eedo Baba]

and probably has been doing so for many millenia.

Or, you know, over 4 billion years.

 

Technically, 4 billion years is many millenia.

[alphabetagamma]

and probably has been doing so for many millenia.

Or, you know, over 4 billion years.

 

Technically, 4 billion years is many millenia.

It's like measuring the distance from the earth to the sun in millimeters, but we should discuss something else before this thread derails.

Maybe instead of colonizing planets, Dyson sphere!

[BTGBullseye]

Maybe instead of colonizing planets, Dyson sphere!

Take too long, and would require the destruction of all planets in the solar system. (same for a ringworld)

[alphabetagamma]

Maybe instead of colonizing planets, Dyson sphere!

Take too long, and would require the destruction of all planets in the solar system. (same for a ringworld)

And besides all that, the majority of the sphere would be too low gravity for habitation. I should have said ring

[Dr. Derpy Hooves Ph.D]

Just thought i should add this.

The reason why there's no life on mars is because Chuck Norris has already been there.

[alphabetagamma]

Just thought i should add this.

The reason why there's no life on mars is because Chuck Norris has already been there.

No, you shouldn't.

[Alyxx Thorne]

I think there might have been some life on Mars some time ago, way before we came into existence as a species. Just a theory of course, but since there is actually frozen water on Mars, that might suggest possibilities for life.

[BTGBullseye]

Just a theory of course, but since there is actually frozen water on Mars, that might suggest possibilities for life.

There's frozen water on the moon too...

[PaladinVargas10]

On the subject of Mars, technically, they have found life on mars. I remember hearing on TV that they found little bacteria, algae, etc. on rocks on Mars.

 

So, I guess aliens do exist. Just not the cool ones.....

In our solar system, anyway.