Astrophysics and Cosmology - Discuss the Universe here

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

Thanks for the link KS.

[ks3484]

Thanks for the link KS.

de nada.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

First Orion mission successful. 




It still looks like a pretty hard landing if you imagine astronauts inside.

[b_dubb]

First Orion mission successful. 

It still looks like a pretty hard landing if you imagine astronauts inside.

Not sure why this is a big deal. We've been orbiting the earth for half a century. ESA just landed a probe on a comet. We need to stop resting on our laurels

[ks3484]

~NASA~

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Orion Soars on First Flight Test

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Orion Soars on First Flight Test

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Orion’s First Flight Test Reviewed

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Orion's First Flight Test Reviewed

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[area51drone]

Not sure why this is a big deal. We've been orbiting the earth for half a century. ESA just landed a probe on a comet. We need to stop resting on our laurels

It's a big deal because it's the new platform that will take a man to mars. 

[zeebo]

It's a big deal because it's the new platform that will take a man to mars.

Good point, and hey a51 I'm curious what you think of Robert Zubrin's ideas of Mars colonization?  I've always thought he's got some cool ideas, but he seems not accepted by the mainstream folks.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

Not sure why this is a big deal. We've been orbiting the earth for half a century. ESA just landed a probe on a comet. We need to stop resting on our laurels

It's America's first deep space capable crew vehicle since the Apollo.  Anything else out there right now can only get people into low Earth orbit and the US currently doesn't even have the means to do that.

[area51drone]

Good point, and hey a51 I'm curious what you think of Robert Zubrin's ideas of Mars colonization?  I've always thought he's got some cool ideas, but he seems not accepted by the mainstream folks.

I am sure I have heard bits and pieces of Mars Direct over the years, but I don't think I have read very much about it until just scanning the wikipedia article on it now.   It definitely sounds like the guy knows what he's talking about.  I like his idea of putting generators ahead of the crew for manufacturing the return fuel.   But I think we should have a plan to seriously colonize Mars. Not just send visitors but to send people to live there permanently.   Keep sending supplies and more people.  Once you have enough manpower there, they'll start building real infrastructure and then it's game on.  Hopefully by that time we've developed some kind of new transportation technology that would get us to Mars in a more reasonable time frame.   

[zeebo]

I am sure I have heard bits and pieces of Mars Direct over the years...

You and others may be interested in Zubrin's interview with Jimmy Church earlier this year.  It starts about an hour in.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY8wWlTbykQ

Everyone seems mad at Jimmy these days but in any case I thought it was interesting.

[area51drone]

I'll try to listen to it.   Here's an interview with Elon Musk about Mars colonization that was just posted today

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/05/travel/future-of-travel-overview/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

[area51drone]

Life on Mars?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-finds-evidence-of-life-on-mars-9929510.html

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

Playing around with Coronal Mass Ejections (or maybe just a flare), this one taken from four or five hours ago. 
I want to put it on my tree.

[Agent : Orange]

http://time.com/3636857/voyager-1-tsunami-space/

Hope everyone is doing well out there and happy holidays. Sorry I have still not had much time to myself to post much of anything, still taking care of my sick relative and trying to get some papers out the door too.

The mention of solar flares reminded me of this story, which deals with CMEs. I did a few small spots on a local station recently and this story was one of the things they wanted to touch on. So recently I had a day devoted to reviewing the basics of physics dealing with the Sun. 

Hope everyone is well, and hanging in there. Happy holidays. And hopefully I will once again get to spend more time on here soon!

[West of the Rockies]

I so appreciate this thread!  There are no obnoxious trolls slinging juvenile insults at everyone:  just a passionate, informed, speculative discussion of science.  What a concept....

Is there a solid guess as to when a wo(manned) craft might touch down on Mars?

[wr250]

I so appreciate this thread!  There are no obnoxious trolls slinging juvenile insults at everyone:  just a passionate, informed, speculative discussion of science.  What a concept....

Is there a solid guess as to when a wo(manned) craft night touch down on Mars?

the sooner the better. thats when noorys contract will end.

[Agent : Orange]

Is there a solid guess as to when a wo(manned) craft might touch down on Mars?

Still a while... right now it looks like NASA plans to go forward in collaboration with SpaceX.

The first thing to do is get the F9R test out of the way on Jan 7, 2015:
http://www.universetoday.com/117480/rocket-issues-force-spacex-and-nasa-to-postpone-falcon-9-rocket-launch-to-january-2015/

Then once reusable rocket parts have pulled back the curtains start putting more ambitious goals center stage:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dragon_%28spacecraft%29
http://www.universetoday.com/115408/how-nasa-and-spacex-are-working-together-to-land-on-mars/

In the meantime, you'll get some pictures of Pluto in July next year to amuse you:
http://theconversation.com/rise-and-shine-new-horizons-awakes-ahead-of-a-date-with-pluto-35332

the sooner the better. thats when noorys contract will end.

I really love that this is the inspiration and driving force behind the bellGab space program...

[area51drone]

Wouldn't it be quite the coup if the Chinese sent the first man to Mars? 

[area51drone]

BTW Agent.. I'm still waiting.  Patiently, but still waiting     I hope you have a great holiday and I hope your relative gets better soon.

[Agent : Orange]

BTW Agent.. I'm still waiting.  Patiently, but still waiting     I hope you have a great holiday and I hope your relative gets better soon.

Yeah I know :\

I have a text file sitting on my desktop that has some text in it from you, I have been slowly filling in a response but I need a few free hours to put something thoughtful down (as opposed to a mash of links) and I just haven't had the time to spare. Sorry to keep you hanging man but glad you're still interested in talking anyway
I came back on today because I got a pm, and stopped by "just to answer it". But then got caught up in catching up

Happy holidays to you too by the way, all the best

[wr250]

Yeah I know :\

I have a text file sitting on my desktop that has some text in it from you, I have been slowly filling in a response but I need a few free hours to put something thoughtful down (as opposed to a mash of links) and I just haven't had the time to spare. Sorry to keep you hanging man

np, take care of family first

but glad you're still interested in talking anyway
I came back on today because I got a pm, and stopped by "just to answer it". But then got caught up in catching up

Happy holidays to you too by the way, all the best

hope you have happy holidays and a great new year

[wr250]

neutrinos faster than light?


http://phys.org/news/2014-12-faster-than-light-particles.html


i find the article poorly written, perhaps agent : Orange can chime in when he finds time.
i was put off at the beginning where it is stated that :

tachyons having an imaginary mass, or a negative mass squared

mathematically an imaginary number is the square root  of a negative number ,written bi where

Code Select Expand

i=−b^2, not the square. perhaps it works differently with mass equations (but i doubt it), or they mean

Code Select Expand

−b^2 . a negative number squared is always a positive number. EX: -22 (-2 multiplied by -2) is 4 (not -4) .


note i had to use the code tags to prevent autoformatting ,which made a huge mess of the post.

[maureen]

Could thought be faster than light?

[wr250]

hubble snaps new pics of the pillars of creation
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2015/01/image/e/

[zeebo]

Ok so I got this from the c2c site, but it's still very cool:

Kepler mission hits 1000th discovered exoplanet ...

http://www.space.com/28105-nasa-kepler-spacecraft-1000-exoplanets.html

[eddie dean]

The Beagle-2 has been found! In 2003 the UK's Mars lander failed to send back a signal after it landed Christmas day 2003 on the red planet.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/beagle-2-lander-found-on-mars-01192015/

[attachimg=1]

[wr250]

neutrinos faster than light?


http://phys.org/news/2014-12-faster-than-light-particles.html


i find the article poorly written, perhaps agent : Orange can chime in when he finds time.
i was put off at the beginning where it is stated that : mathematically an imaginary number is the square root  of a negative number ,written bi where

Code Select Expand

i=−b^2, not the square. perhaps it works differently with mass equations (but i doubt it), or they mean

Code Select Expand

−b^2 . a negative number squared is always a positive number. EX: -22 (-2 multiplied by -2) is 4 (not -4) .


note i had to use the code tags to prevent autoformatting ,which made a huge mess of the post.

a month later i figure that the equation above is wrong. probably due to autoformatting.

-b^2 is -b squared which would be a postive number.
what was meant was i=SQROOT of -b

[Mind Flayer Monk]

I see it was found next to a concert hall and water tower on Mars.

[eddie dean]

I see it was found next to a concert hall and water tower on Mars.

A water tower?
That's rediculous!
It's clearly a partially inflated bubble dome stadium for their NFL team.
oops, it should be MFL=Martian Football League

[zeebo]

a month later i figure that the equation above is wrong. probably due to autoformatting.

-b^2 is -b squared which would be a postive number.
what was meant was i=SQROOT of -b

Don't worry about it, the imaginary number isn't really there.