Space and Science BS Thread

the simple answer is money, with enough money neither the usa nor russia would care about current diplomatic retaliations

well at least as far as one seat in the taxi goes...

 

It would take a lot of Taco Bell for that to work.

 

Stick him far enough out on a tether, and gravity gradient will eventually pull him 'down' (look up "gravity gradient stabilization"). However, I wouldn't want to try to ride that rope down through the atmosphere, and we haven't figured out how to manufacture the unobtanium needed to make that a reality anyway.

 

that was a jetpack!!!

but you bring up another great question...

 

I hadn’t heard of it, thanks for the heads up! I’ll get to it as soon as I can

 

Remember, Crew Dragon can seat up to 7 - tight fit though…

 

How do you propose to do that sticking since every foot he travels down requires thrust to slow to that orbital altitude. Both he and the rope would need thrusters since both start with the same orbital velocity as the ISS. A single push in any direction would change the orbit but it would still be an orbit and not a continuous descent.

 

https://twitter.com/faanews/status/1467936892905836552?s=21

 

Looks like SpaceX might be losing their Flight Surgeon

 

Ok, I'll try again. Reel anything out on a tether in space, and the gravity gradient (assuming no other greater forces/torques) will orient the two bodies into an up-down orientation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity-gradient_stabilization
Would it be a practical way to get anywhere away from ISS? Not really, but it's a fun idea to play with, and does have some uses.

 

He’s not the first SpaceX employee picked to be a NASA astronaut.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna904576

I hope they all stick it out

 

Anyone else remember 1972?

https://twitter.com/nasahistory/status/1467975145868439558?s=21

 

Sounds more theoretical than actual since ”reeling anything out on a tether” seems to skip all of the details that make it not happen as described. Plus, the ISS isn’t in a geostationary orbit so at some point the rope will be dragging through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. Rope idea don’t work. A shove would likewise need to give him negative hypersonic velocity relative to the station to put him at rest relative to a point on earth he could fall towards. Even if only near supersonic is enough I don’t think suit thrusters are up to that.
and then there’s the fall…
Anyone know what maximum terminal velocity at say 75km? It’s far higher than it is at say 5km. At 100km “g” is still around 9.4 m/s^2 and he’s got a lot of seconds before then falling from 350km. At 250km it’s 9.08 and at 350 km still 8.4 m/s^2. Assuming an average of 9 m/s^2:
The approximate time it takes to descend 250 km to the Karman line is given by solving x=1/2A*t^2 for “t”.
t = sqrt (2x/A) or sqrt (500,000/9)= 236 seconds
Velocity(approximate)= At or 9m/s^2 x 236s = 2121m/s or Mach 6.1 give or take.
Fun fact the speed record for skydiving is just over 600k/hr or around Mach.5. Probably will still be accelerating for at least awhile after passing below 100km. If they ever figure out the ejection and chute mechanics I’d rather take this ride than BO or VG.

 

Hubble ain’t done yet:

https://twitter.com/nasahubble/status/1468232355827654676?s=21

 

I wonder why Airbus needs a satellite...

 

I assume GPS/communication, but you would think it would be cheaper to just buy the services of another company with satellites already up there.

Also, I think you have the coolest job of any of us in here...

 

https://twitter.com/airandspace/status/1468267843007488015?s=21

 

Ok. So like I buy something from Boeing, Airbus ships it, but SpaceX actually gets it there.

 

Airbus be like a major playa up there:

https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/space