Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Abacus · 08-20-2002, 05:20 PM

It's too bad Galileo was still over a year away when that comet collided with Jupiter. That would have rocked even more.

echidna · 08-20-2002, 06:22 PM

I was 12 when they were launched.

Initiated as a 4 year mission !!! It seems as indomitable as Star Trek. One wonders which will outlive the other.

Heh, at least when your HST fucks up you�ve got the luxury of sending up a �roadside service� shuttle. Servicing a Voyager fuckup is a bit trickier �

Abacus · 08-20-2002, 06:56 PM

I wasn't even born yet when the Voyagers were launched (though I might have been conceived by then

). It's really amazing that they are still functioning.

But you know what really blows one's mind? Millions of years from now, those spacecraft will still be out there, drifting among the stars many light-years away from Sol. Homo Sapiens may well be extinct by this time.

Hedwig · 08-20-2002, 09:41 PM

Wow...what I wouldn't give to be able to see the rest of the Universe for myself. *sigh*

bluefugue · 08-21-2002, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Friar Bellows:


Does it ever! Check it out:

I stand corrected.

Voyager still holds a special place in my heart, though. They actually went to those planets, dammit!

Friar Bellows · 08-21-2002, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by IesusDomini:
Voyager still holds a special place in my heart, though. They actually went to those planets, dammit!

Exactly. How many Voyagers or Hubbles could we have done with the money wasted on that Space Station dinosaur? (I don't actually know)

bluefugue · 08-21-2002, 02:52 AM

I agree the ISS is a white elephant, but still, it's the only thing at this point keeping the dream of human spaceflight alive (albeit on wheezing life-support). The irony is that man-in-space missions probably don't return anywhere near the scientific dividends for their expense that the less glamorous unmanned probes do; but I still find my imagination captured by the idea of manned missions. I would like to see a man on Mars before I die (though I'm not optimistic about it), and if the research done on ISS can in anyway help with that goal, then maybe it's not a total waste. (Though there is always the argument, "why waste billions to put a man on Mars when there are plenty of problems to be solved here on Earth, etc.")

Secular Pinoy · 08-21-2002, 06:10 AM

Hubble takes spectacular pictures, but it's the unmanned probes that got us most of the data on planets. They got priceless readings on athmosphere, geological features, surface heat, chemical composition, organic chemicals and settled several long-standing debates in Planetary Science. They had the instruments that made empirical observations and tests. They made Planetary Science (and to some extent, Exobiology) a rigorous discipline.

Hubble is of some use in our Solar System, but its true value lies among the stars. It gave several tantalizing looks into far away lands that could help us understand the more bizaare heavenly objects like quasars and Black Holes.

beausoleil · 08-21-2002, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Friar Bellows:
Just as an example, without the HST, we wouldn't have got such fine pictures/data of the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter, and the subsequent evolution of the impact zones. I mean, aside from its obvious scientific worth, this just rocks:

And, since the impact site couldn't be seen from Earth, our only data on the actual impacts comes from Galileo

theyeti · 08-21-2002, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by beausoleil:


Yep, apples are much more important than oranges. The Apollo mission were more important than either IMHO, but that's just throwing bananas into the mix.

Comparing them is daft.

Umm, I'm not the one who started making comparisons. IMO, the ISS and various planetary probes are like apples and oranges too. A planetary probe won't tell you anything about how humans adjust to living in space, international cooperation, protein crystalography, or... well, space station construction. But if you're going to compare them to see which one gets the most scientific bang for the buck, I think the HSS wins out over the others. Of course, I think we should fund all of them, because they are cool. Much cooler than National Missle Defense, for instance.

theyeti

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08-20-2002, 05:20 PM	#11
Abacus Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: South Dakota Posts: 2,214	It's too bad Galileo was still over a year away when that comet collided with Jupiter. That would have rocked even more.

08-20-2002, 06:22 PM	#12
echidna Veteran Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,832	I was 12 when they were launched. Initiated as a 4 year mission !!! It seems as indomitable as Star Trek. One wonders which will outlive the other. Heh, at least when your HST fucks up you�ve got the luxury of sending up a �roadside service� shuttle. Servicing a Voyager fuckup is a bit trickier �

08-20-2002, 06:56 PM	#13
Abacus Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: South Dakota Posts: 2,214	I wasn't even born yet when the Voyagers were launched (though I might have been conceived by then ). It's really amazing that they are still functioning. But you know what really blows one's mind? Millions of years from now, those spacecraft will still be out there, drifting among the stars many light-years away from Sol. Homo Sapiens may well be extinct by this time.

08-20-2002, 09:41 PM	#14
Hedwig Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 3,921	Wow...what I wouldn't give to be able to see the rest of the Universe for myself. sigh

08-21-2002, 02:52 AM	#17
bluefugue Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,427	I agree the ISS is a white elephant, but still, it's the only thing at this point keeping the dream of human spaceflight alive (albeit on wheezing life-support). The irony is that man-in-space missions probably don't return anywhere near the scientific dividends for their expense that the less glamorous unmanned probes do; but I still find my imagination captured by the idea of manned missions. I would like to see a man on Mars before I die (though I'm not optimistic about it), and if the research done on ISS can in anyway help with that goal, then maybe it's not a total waste. (Though there is always the argument, "why waste billions to put a man on Mars when there are plenty of problems to be solved here on Earth, etc.")

08-21-2002, 06:10 AM	#18
Secular Pinoy Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Quezon City, Philippines Posts: 1,994	Hubble takes spectacular pictures, but it's the unmanned probes that got us most of the data on planets. They got priceless readings on athmosphere, geological features, surface heat, chemical composition, organic chemicals and settled several long-standing debates in Planetary Science. They had the instruments that made empirical observations and tests. They made Planetary Science (and to some extent, Exobiology) a rigorous discipline. Hubble is of some use in our Solar System, but its true value lies among the stars. It gave several tantalizing looks into far away lands that could help us understand the more bizaare heavenly objects like quasars and Black Holes.

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