Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Godless Dave · 08-21-2002, 09:24 AM

I remember going to the local planetarium and watching pictures of Jupiter come in live. Pretty damn cool.

Friar Bellows · 08-21-2002, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by IesusDomini:
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.

There are some people (including a guy called Zubrin if memory serves correct) who think that we don't need the ISS to put humans on Mars, and that we could do it quite cheaply.

Quote:

(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.")

Yes, but a more accurate version is: "why waste billions to put a man on Mars when there are plenty of ways to waste billions here on Earth?".

And I prefer to ask: "why waste billions here on Earth when we could spend billions on worthwhile projects in the Solar System?".

Friar Bellows · 08-21-2002, 03:27 PM

Quote:

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

Yep. Sounds to me like Hubble and Galileo complimented each other quite well on that one. Which proves my point: Hubble does worthwhile planetary science. And space telescopes like Hubble will continue to do worthwhile planetary science long after Galileo and Cassini are gone.

Notice, nowhere in this thread have I made "futile comparisons" between Earth-orbiting telescopes like Hubble and solar system probes like Galileo. The ISS, on the other hand, is another story!

echidna · 08-21-2002, 04:16 PM

Maybe it�s the intangible sense that our physical presence is travelling to these places, that in a sense we can reach out and touch these objects so inconceivably far away, not just passively watch the universe like sedentary goldfish.

Certainly that�s the sense that it invokes with me. It�s certainly worth my 20 cents (AUS$2.83) each year anyway (especially when it's someone else's taxes).

Abacus · 08-21-2002, 05:18 PM

Here's an excerpt from Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot along with a picture of earth taken by Voyager 1 from a distance of 4 billion miles. Pretty humbling, I'd say.

<a href="http://www.planetary.org/html/society/advisors/sagandot.html" target="_blank">The Planetary Society</a>

MattR · 08-21-2002, 08:23 PM

I would also like to give special mention to Pioneer 10, also beyond the solar system, launched in 1972 and still functioning. The spacecraft carries the famous plaque giving Earth's location and composite drawings of a man & woman. It comforts me to know that when our sun is burned out and the earth dead these probes will still be traveling the galaxy. The Voyagers and Pioneers maybe the longest lasting products of humanity.

echidna · 08-21-2002, 08:26 PM

I find it disturbing that Brady Bunch transmissions will be echoing through space long after humanity has been forgotten.

beoba · 08-21-2002, 08:33 PM

<a href="http://heritage.stsci.edu/gallery/galindex.html" target="_blank">http://heritage.stsci.edu/gallery/galindex.html</a>

All Hubble images, along with the background story for each image. Enjoy!

beoba · 08-21-2002, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by echidna:
I find it disturbing that Brady Bunch transmissions will be echoing through space long after humanity has been forgotten.

Hopefully if anyone intercepts it, they wont understand it.

echidna · 08-21-2002, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by echidna:
I find it disturbing that Brady Bunch transmissions will be echoing through space long after humanity has been forgotten.

In fact to take this further, say Star Trek The Motion Picture�s V�ger had intercepted a Season #1 Brady Bunch episode. Somehow the movie might have taken a slightly different spin �

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08-21-2002, 09:24 AM	#21
Godless Dave Contributor Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: With 10,000 lakes who needs a coast? Posts: 10,762	I remember going to the local planetarium and watching pictures of Jupiter come in live. Pretty damn cool.

08-21-2002, 04:16 PM	#24
echidna Veteran Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,832	Maybe it�s the intangible sense that our physical presence is travelling to these places, that in a sense we can reach out and touch these objects so inconceivably far away, not just passively watch the universe like sedentary goldfish. Certainly that�s the sense that it invokes with me. It�s certainly worth my 20 cents (AUS$2.83) each year anyway (especially when it's someone else's taxes).

08-21-2002, 05:18 PM	#25
Abacus Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: South Dakota Posts: 2,214	Here's an excerpt from Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot along with a picture of earth taken by Voyager 1 from a distance of 4 billion miles. Pretty humbling, I'd say. <a href="http://www.planetary.org/html/society/advisors/sagandot.html" target="_blank">The Planetary Society</a>

08-21-2002, 08:23 PM	#26
MattR Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: PA Posts: 46	I would also like to give special mention to Pioneer 10, also beyond the solar system, launched in 1972 and still functioning. The spacecraft carries the famous plaque giving Earth's location and composite drawings of a man & woman. It comforts me to know that when our sun is burned out and the earth dead these probes will still be traveling the galaxy. The Voyagers and Pioneers maybe the longest lasting products of humanity.

08-21-2002, 08:26 PM	#27
echidna Veteran Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,832	I find it disturbing that Brady Bunch transmissions will be echoing through space long after humanity has been forgotten.

08-21-2002, 08:33 PM	#28
beoba Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Boston Posts: 699	<a href="http://heritage.stsci.edu/gallery/galindex.html" target="_blank">http://heritage.stsci.edu/gallery/galindex.html</a> All Hubble images, along with the background story for each image. Enjoy!

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