Space and Science BS Thread

https://www.space.com/astronaut-spaceflight-cancer-dna-mutations-study

Made me think of a conversation I had on a plane with a guy who said he worked for NASA (I was reading Story Musgrave’s bio). He said NASA found a high incidence of cancer among Shuttle astronauts who flew high inclination orbits.

 

Getting above the Van Allen belts on higher inclinations?

 

I wonder how it compares to SR-71 crews and air crews in general. Whether it’s the shorter term level of higher exposure or longer term at lower exposure. I know from personal experience in even moderate altitude sports there’s a huge difference in uv exposure.

 

Roger Wilco, Space Janitor, to the rescue!

Entry doesn't have to work. Ascent does, but I'm sure that they can manage to keep the rocket pressurized to keep up stability through max-q. Fuel transfers, however, also needs to work. You can hypothetically fly HLS in an expendable mode (it'll cost a tanker + superheavy every time, though).

 

Yeah, the discussion was around the Van Allen Radiation belts and how the protection diminished towards the poles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Allen_radiation_belt

 

Post saved and archived for a 12/31/26 response

 

OH! I'll put it in my sig!

 

Related- NASA said they aren’t expecting the Starship HLS Demo to lift off the lunar surface..

 

C’mon guys, let’s limit the ribbing to B. O. and B. O. E. I. N. G.
None of us really know how this will all play out yet. One can be skeptical about particular achievement dates and still be hopeful about the outcome. It’s not like plowing a field or planting rice(sorry!)where you can easily extrapolate the finish time. There will Shirley be rocks in the field.
That said, should we have a pool for estimating some particular event or series of events?
Full inner or outer group static fire (month, year)
Full 33 engine static fire (month, year)
Orbital launch attempt (month, year)
Successful “ “ “ (month, year)
Successful reentry and landing of Starship from orbit (month, year)
Successful booster catch (month, year), no dents!
Successful Starship Starlink mission, 400 or more with catch(month, year)
Skeleton suborbital flight test and landing (month, year)
Tanker launch (month, year)
Successful tanker refueling (month, year)
Final tanker refueling for trans lunar injection supply (month, year)
SH skeleton launch, tanker rendezvous, refueling (month, year)
Skeleton lunar landing (month, year) *
Rollout of HLS crew hab ready (month, year)
Flight test of HLS (month, year)
Crew certification of HLS (month, year)
Just for shits and grins
RUD’s (month, year) **

anything else?

* Need not coincide with any Artemis missions.
** Multiple dates okay, in fact, how about an over/under?

 

They also said they don’t want it to ruin one of the preferred sites with an RUD but what happens after the landing is entirely up to Spacex.

 

SpaceX is due to have it's first space walk with the next Polaris Dawn mission. Wouldn't it be super ballsy and over the top of they put some of their own astronauts on the HLS demo?

 

Besides the politics is the main reason for going to the moon on Orion the launch abort system required for crewed launches?

I wouldn’t mind seeing a small mannequin named Marvin complete with ray gun but that might be jumping the gun. Since Sean is taken maybe Wallace and Grommit? With rats in shades manning the tanker?

 

That would be hilarious.

Or another Roadster!

 

No one’s gonna be on the Demo. Artemis III is supposed to be the one w people.

 

I know. But I think it would be the ultimate power play if they got their "first" instead of Artemis 3.

 

https://twitter.com/rocketlab/status/1567272418162671617?s=21&t=Basc-LbYVeg7ex28iVqrEw

 

That’ll never happen.

However, once NASA gets their “person of color and first woman” there, and SLS is on schedule for a 2035 launch date for Artemis IV, all bets are off.

 

I wonder if this is suborbital trajectories? Basically ICBMs?

 

Oh, I know it won't. But the idea of it tickles my funny bone. Especially if SpaceX were to also also send a person of color and first woman.