The Outer Space Thread

[kfrankie]

2 hours ago, Corcaigh said:

Which part are you questioning?

Four parts:

(1) Is U.S. is in possession of alien crafts?;

(2) Are the alien crafts propelled by an antigravity reactor or engine?;

(3) Does the craft(s) engine(s) runs on element 114?; and

(4) Was element 114 was given to government by Zeta Reticulans?

 

So if the answer to #1 is "Yes, he was lying" then no need to go on to #2-4.  If the answer to #1 is "I think that's true" then go onto #2, and so on.  Also, on a side note, if you're answer to #3 is that he's lying because element 114's half life is like 1/10 of a second, could it the fuel be an isotope of 114 existing on the theorized island of stability?  Answers that reach the level of moral certainty are not required, simply more likely than not. I'll also accept qualified/conditional answers.

[Jabbyrwock]

1 hour ago, kfrankie said:

(1) Is U.S. is in possession of alien crafts?

 

Yes.  They gave us a lovely Popsicle stick white house.  Turns out most of the reason they come to earth is due to an intergalactic shortage of used Popsicle sticks, and they were very appreciative of the number our species creates.  At least we think that's what they meant...their language is a bit nuanced.  Grammatically they said we were "fantastic suckers".

 

1 hour ago, kfrankie said:

(2) Are the alien crafts propelled by an antigravity reactor or engine?;

 

We experimented by dropping the Popsicle stick white house from about 4 feet and it immediately boosted to an approximately 0g non-inertial reference frame for about half a second.  Totally amazing!

 

1 hour ago, kfrankie said:

(3) Does the craft(s) engine(s) runs on element 114?

 

No.  Most of their Popsicle crafts seem to run on something called a "rubber band".  Were working on reverse engineering the technology.

 

early results are mixed.

 

1 hour ago, kfrankie said:

(4) Was element 114 was given to government by Zeta Reticulans?

 

Well I certainly have some.  Typical woke Biden administration, tho, dealing with Zeta Reticulans rather than the Alphas.

[mistertim]

4 hours ago, China said:

NASA hears signal from Voyager 2 after days of silence

 

NASA has heard a signal from Voyager 2 billions of miles away following days of silence after flight controllers sent the wrong command nearly two weeks ago, cutting off the spacecraft’s communications with Earth.

 

NASA’s Deep Space Network, an array of giant radio antennas across the world, detected a “heartbeat signal,” indicating the spacecraft is alive and working, project manager Suzanne Dodd told The Associated Press in an email.

 

Voyager 2 is more than 12.3 billion miles from Earth, according to NASA. The wrong command on July 21 caused the attendant to point 2 degrees from Earth, taking away its ability to receive commands or transit data back to Earth. 

 

Dodd said the signal “buoyed our spirits,” as flight controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California are now attempting to turn Voyager 2’s antenna back towards Earth. If this does not work — and controllers doubt it will — operators will have to wait for its program to reset its orientation on Oct. 15, which should resume communications. NASA previously said it expects the nearly 46-year-old craft to stay on its planned trajectory in the meantime. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

Can you imagine being the person who fat fingered the command? 

 

"Um, sir...I think I accidentally > /dev/null 2>&1"

 

"You WHAT?"

[kfrankie]

16 hours ago, mistertim said:

 

Can you imagine being the person who fat fingered the command? 

 

"Um, sir...I think I accidentally > /dev/null 2>&1"

 

"You WHAT?"

 

How about this one.  $125 Million Mars Orbiter down the tubes back in 1999 because some idiot didn't convert Imperial to Metric units.

 

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-01-mn-17288-story.html

Edited August 2, 2023 by kfrankie

[The 12th Commandment]

Just watched this flying across the sky.  Probably Virgin.  Shot almost a minute of video too.   Incredibly bright.

 

[China]

Looks like a UFO sighting...

 

[Fergasun]

Vandenberg rocket launch...

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

 

[The 12th Commandment]

This is terrible news for us. Us being New Mexicans as we bet big on the British billionaire.  One of those you got nothing, you got nothing to lose situations.  Only we do have plenty to lose.  Meanwhile Elmo's SpaceX seems to be kicking butt, even more discouraging.  Really hope they turn it around somehow.

 

https://www.abqjournal.com/business/virgin-galactic-announces-layoffs-pause-of-space-flights/article_7ccbfbfc-7e91-11ee-9152-3f5ef871c8d1.html

 

Virgin Galactic announced Wednesday it would be scaling back and then pausing flights to space next year from Spaceport America and that the company instead will funnel resources into developing its next generation spacecraft.

[LD0506]

On 9/20/2023 at 10:43 AM, Califan007 The Constipated said:

 

 

 

Dammit, ES is down again

[CousinsCowgirl84]

2 hours ago, The 12th Commandment said:

This is terrible news for us. Us being New Mexicans as we bet big on the British billionaire.  One of those you got nothing, you got nothing to lose situations.  Only we do have plenty to lose.  Meanwhile Elmo's SpaceX seems to be kicking butt, even more discouraging.  Really hope they turn it around somehow.

 

https://www.abqjournal.com/business/virgin-galactic-announces-layoffs-pause-of-space-flights/article_7ccbfbfc-7e91-11ee-9152-3f5ef871c8d1.html

 

Virgin Galactic announced Wednesday it would be scaling back and then pausing flights to space next year from Spaceport America and that the company instead will funnel resources into developing its next generation spacecraft.

They kinda brought it on themselves. Not limiting feathering until the appropriate time seems like a huge oversight. It’s a shame really, because virgin galactic seemed like the one that had the best chance to translate in to affordable space tourism in the near future.

[China]

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory slashing 8% of workforce

 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced on Tuesday that it is slashing 530 employees, or roughly 8% of its workforce, due to uncertainty about its federal funding.

 

The Pasadena-based research and development lab said the layoffs impact technical and support staff and approximately 40 contractors.

 

“These are painful but necessary adjustments that will enable us to adhere to our budget allocation while continuing our important work for NASA and our nation,” JPL said in a statement.

 

In a memo, JPL Director Laurie Leshin told staffers the lab has not yet received approval for its 2024 fiscal year budget, including the $300 million anticipated for its Mars Sample Return project.

 

As its name implies, the project aims to send a rover to the Red Planet to collect and return samples to Earth. The mission is being planned in collaboration with the European Space Agency.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[CousinsCowgirl84]

On 8/1/2023 at 7:57 PM, Jabbyrwock said:

 

Yes.  They gave us a lovely Popsicle stick white house.  Turns out most of the reason they come to earth is due to an intergalactic shortage of used Popsicle sticks, and they were very appreciative of the number our species creates.  At least we think that's what they meant...their language is a bit nuanced.  Grammatically they said we were "fantastic suckers".

 

 

We experimented by dropping the Popsicle stick white house from about 4 feet and it immediately boosted to an approximately 0g non-inertial reference frame for about half a second.  Totally amazing!

 

 

No.  Most of their Popsicle crafts seem to run on something called a "rubber band".  Were working on reverse engineering the technology.

 

early results are mixed.

 

 

Well I certainly have some.  Typical woke Biden administration, tho, dealing with Zeta Reticulans rather than the Alphas.

I thought old grand dad came in plastic bottles only 🤔

[China]

NASA James Webb Space telescope finds signs of possible lights on planet 47 light years away

 

In huge news for astronomy fans, NASA may have made an intriguing breakthrough in the field of space exploration.

 

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was launched on Christmas Day in 2021, sent into space to outperform the long-standing Hubble Telescope and capture crystal-clear images of newly-discovered stars, planets, galaxies, and more.

 

The $10 billion telescope has already captured amazing photos of Uranus in our solar system... stop laughing.

 

And it looks like it may have just made a ground-breaking discovery light-years outside our solar system.

 

Despite social media rumours of the discovery of 'city lights' on exoplanet Proxima Centauri b, which shares similar characteristics to Earth, signalling signs of extraterrestrial life, it has since been debunked.

 

It turns out that the discovery is something just as interesting.

 

In a statement released on the official JWST website, it was announced that the telescope may just have found 'aurorae' appearing as lights on what is known as a 'brown dwarf'.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[CousinsCowgirl84]

Auroras on other planets isn’t as exciting as city lights on other planets.

[Larry]

"Swamp gas caused a thermal inversion which reflected the light from Venus."

[Jabbyrwock]

Lunar Landing live stream:

 

 

[China]

A U.S.-built spacecraft lands on the moon for the first time in half a century.

 

For the first time in more than 50 years, an American spacecraft has landed on the moon.

 

The lander, named Odysseus, was built by Intuitive Machines of Houston. Minutes after beginning its landing sequence at 6:11 p.m. Eastern time the spacecraft touched the ground, making it the first privately built spacecraft to land in one piece on the lunar surface.

 

While the spacecraft is on the moon and transmitting signals to Earth, Tim Crain, the mission director and Intuitive Machines’ chief technology officer, said it was uncertain if the spacecraft would be able to achieve its objectives.

 

The landing site was a flat area near the Malapert A crater, about 185 miles north of the moon’s south pole. The moon’s polar regions have attracted much interest in recent years because of water ice hidden in the shadows of craters there.

 

Odysseus left Earth early on Feb. 15 aboard a SpaceX rocket. It pulled into lunar orbit on Wednesday. About 12 minutes before landing on Thursday, it fired its engine to begin its descent to the surface.

 

From this point onward in the landing sequence, Odysseus was operating completely on its own, with flight controllers at Intuitive Machines’ control center powerless to change what happened.

 

To accomplish the landing, Intuitive Machines had to overcome late technical issues with the flight. During the coverage of the landing, a company spokesman said a laser instrument on the spacecraft that was to provide data on its altitude and velocity was not working.

 

That problem explained why the spacecraft took an extra orbit around the moon, which provided two hours for changes in the spacecraft’s software that allowed the use of an experimental NASA lidar instrument on the spacecraft instead.

 

Click on the link for more

[China]

Private US spacecraft is on its side on the moon with some antennas covered up, the company says

 

A private U.S. lunar lander tipped over at touchdown and ended up on its side near the moon’s south pole, hampering communications, company officials said Friday.

 

Intuitive Machines initially believed its six-footed lander, Odysseus, was upright after Thursday’s touchdown. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the craft “caught a foot in the surface,” falling onto its side and, quite possibly, leaning against a rock. He said it was coming in too fast and may have snapped a leg.

 

“So far, we have quite a bit of operational capability even though we’re tipped over,” he told reporters.

 

But some antennas were pointed toward the surface, limiting flight controllers’ ability to get data down, Altemus said. The antennas were stationed high on the 14-foot (4.3-meter) lander to facilitate communications at the hilly, cratered and shadowed south polar region.

 

Odysseus — the first U.S. lander in more than 50 years — is thought to be within a few miles (kilometers) of its intended landing site near the Malapert A crater, less than 200 miles (300 kilometers) from the south pole. NASA, the main customer, wanted to get as close as possible to the pole to scout out the area before astronauts show up later this decade.

 

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will attempt to pinpoint the lander’s location, as it flies overhead this weekend.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Larry]

Won't try to claim I'm not disappointed. 

 

But the nice thing about sending robots is, just send another one. 

[Renegade7]

1 hour ago, Larry said:

Won't try to claim I'm not disappointed. 

 

But the nice thing about sending robots is, just send another one. 

 

I don't even get why we sending probes instead of people when it comes to the moon...jus go plant another flag on the south pole and start building a base before someone else does.

[CousinsCowgirl84]

3 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

I don't even get why we sending probes instead of people when it comes to the moon...jus go plant another flag on the south pole and start building a base before someone else does.

I’ll give you a hint: This one crash landed and the one before it didn’t even make it to the moon.

[Renegade7]

18 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

I’ll give you a hint: This one crash landed and the one before it didn’t even make it to the moon.

 

That's not a hint or an answer.

 

We used to land people on the moon multiple times.

 

Calculating a robot to land when there's a delay requires programming it land on its own.

 

Going there we can manual override if we see something, not jus land on our side because that was decided by accident back on Earth.

Edited February 24 by Renegade7

[Larry]

1 hour ago, Renegade7 said:

 

I don't even get why we sending probes instead of people when it comes to the moon...jus go plant another flag on the south pole and start building a base before someone else does.

 

Might be wise to, you know, scout out the place. Before you plunk some people down and hope they can find the things they need. 

 

I mean, it's one thing if the plan is to go there, live off of the 24 hours worth of supplies that you brought with you, and leave. 

 

If you're planning on staying, it's more complicated. 

 

Does the plan even include them having a way to get home if they suddenly need to?  

[Corcaigh]

3 hours ago, China said:

Private US spacecraft is on its side on the moon with some antennas covered up, the company says

 

A private U.S. lunar lander tipped over at touchdown and ended up on its side near the moon’s south pole, hampering communications, company officials said Friday.

 

Intuitive Machines initially believed its six-footed lander, Odysseus, was upright after Thursday’s touchdown. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the craft “caught a foot in the surface,” falling onto its side and, quite possibly, leaning against a rock. He said it was coming in too fast and may have snapped a leg.

 

“So far, we have quite a bit of operational capability even though we’re tipped over,” he told reporters.

 

But some antennas were pointed toward the surface, limiting flight controllers’ ability to get data down, Altemus said. The antennas were stationed high on the 14-foot (4.3-meter) lander to facilitate communications at the hilly, cratered and shadowed south polar region.

 

Odysseus — the first U.S. lander in more than 50 years — is thought to be within a few miles (kilometers) of its intended landing site near the Malapert A crater, less than 200 miles (300 kilometers) from the south pole. NASA, the main customer, wanted to get as close as possible to the pole to scout out the area before astronauts show up later this decade.

 

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will attempt to pinpoint the lander’s location, as it flies overhead this weekend.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Bunch of negative naysayers in here. It's not dead, it's resting on its side.