http://www.spacenews.com/launch/100423-af-launches-space-plane.html
Air Force Launches Orbital Space Plane Experiment
Air Force Launches Orbital Space Plane Experiment
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Space: The Final Frontier
- Thread starter Windu
- Start date
besada said:http://www.spacenews.com/launch/100423-af-launches-space-plane.html
Air Force Launches Orbital Space Plane Experiment
I like the title of Wired's article about the X-37B best.
Air Force Launches Secretive Space Plane; We Dont Know When Its Coming Back
CharlieDigital
Banned
This image is very relevant:
It was annoying reading some of the comments on the CNN article on this yesterday since some of the people simply couldn't fathom why we would spend millions of dollars to observe and study the Sun...
It was annoying reading some of the comments on the CNN article on this yesterday since some of the people simply couldn't fathom why we would spend millions of dollars to observe and study the Sun...
Naked Snake
Member
besada said:
Ugliest space craft ever?
besada said:http://www.spacenews.com/launch/100423-af-launches-space-plane.html
Air Force Launches Orbital Space Plane Experiment
We need a new color scheme.
.besada said:http://www.spacenews.com/launch/100423-af-launches-space-plane.html
Air Force Launches Orbital Space Plane Experiment
Scientists have found a small magnetic field on the moon.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36806530/ns/technology_and_science-discoverycom/
We need to get some people up there as soon as we can so they can dig up the monolith!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36806530/ns/technology_and_science-discoverycom/
We need to get some people up there as soon as we can so they can dig up the monolith!
Buggy Loop
Gold Member
Hazaro said:
Some of the largest prominences recorded could fit dozens of earths inside.
looks like there's a new stephen hawking discovery channel show http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/stephen-hawking/about/about.html
James Cameron helps restore Curiosity rover's 3D HD Mastcam
from www.marketsaw.com
James Cameron...is there anything he can't do?
from www.marketsaw.com
James Cameron...is there anything he can't do?
ElectricBlue187
Member
Buggy Loop said:Some of the largest prominences recorded could fit dozens of earths inside.
wat.
Forceatowulf
G***n S**n*bi
Those images of the Sun are ridiculous. God damn.
bosskoss21
Member
i love space
FindMyFarms
Member
Taiser said:
That same fucking star is bigger than the space covered by Jupiter's orbit (empty red circle, neptune's orbit is the blue circle) in the solar system.
Fuck the universe I can't comprehend this shit.
Naked Snake
Member
Hey that'll be on my birthday!
Jtones said:
Anyone played Artstyle Orbient (WiiWare)? Very simple concept and visuals, but I really enjoyed it.
Naked Snake said:Hey that'll be on my birthday!
Anyone played Artstyle Orbient (WiiWare)? Very simple concept and visuals, but I really enjoyed it.
One of the best downloadable games of all time. Seriously a fantastic addition to WiiWare and a great remake of a never-released-stateside GBA game.
Naked Snake
Member
Taiser said:
Bullshit!
just kidding... kinda
Windu said:
Whoa, John Carmack! Didn't expect to see his name there. This is an awesome development, but for only a few minutes in suborbital space sounds underwhelming. Hopefully if/when I can afford such a thing, the deal will be much sweeter.
Dunno if it was posted before, thought might interest some of ya': Welcome to the Universe.
I don't know if you chaps visit the gaming side but I figre you'd probably get a kick out of this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7eREddMjt4&feature=player_embedded&fmt=22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3muhlQYFgLE&feature=related&fmt=22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7eREddMjt4&feature=player_embedded&fmt=22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3muhlQYFgLE&feature=related&fmt=22
ElectricBlue187
Member
Taiser said:
I've seen this before. I'm just amazed that the sun's phenomena can be so dramatic and massive. It's quite terrifying!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8664318.stm
Herschel space telescope pierces giant star bubble
A colossal star many times the mass of our own Sun is seen growing in a bubble of gas and dust just pictured by the Herschel space observatory.
The image of the bubble, known as RCW 120, has been released a few days ahead of the European telescope's first birthday in orbit on 14 May.
Herschel's infrared detectors are tuned to see the cold materials that give birth to stars.
Pictures like RCW 120 will help explain how really giant ones are made.
The monster in this picture is seen as the white blob on the bottom edge of the bubble.
THE HERSCHEL SPACE TELESCOPE
Herschel Space Observatory (Esa)
The observatory is positioned 1.5m km from Earth
Its instruments sense far-infrared and sub-millimetre radiation
Its 3.5m diameter mirror is the largest ever flown in space
Herschel can probe clouds of gas and dust to see stars being born
It will investigate how galaxies have evolved through time
The mission will end when its helium refrigerant boils off
Seeking the cold cosmos
The "baby" star is already some eight to 10 times the mass of our Sun but is surrounded by about 200 times as much material.
...
abstract alien
Member
The sun is one of the most horrifically beautiful things I've ever seen...
I've always wondered about the type of supernova and blackhole that could potentially form with something so enormous...Taiser said:
"4th form" of water discovered in space:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/weird-charged-space-water-found-100507.html
A new 'phase' of water that is electrically charged has been discovered in space for the first time.
The weird space water vapor was discovered in an interstellar dust cloud by the European Space Agency's Herschel space observatory.
Unlike the three more familiar phases of water namely solid ice, liquid water and gaseous steam this newfound 'phase' doesn't occur naturally on Earth.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/weird-charged-space-water-found-100507.html
A new 'phase' of water that is electrically charged has been discovered in space for the first time.
The weird space water vapor was discovered in an interstellar dust cloud by the European Space Agency's Herschel space observatory.
Unlike the three more familiar phases of water namely solid ice, liquid water and gaseous steam this newfound 'phase' doesn't occur naturally on Earth.
Peronthious
Member
ionized water vapor sounds like water plasma.
I don't know how unprecedented this is, just that it hasn't been observed naturally before.
I don't know how unprecedented this is, just that it hasn't been observed naturally before.
abstract alien
Member
Wow, that's pretty damn amazing. Question though...how is it still "water" if its changed on a molecular level? The differences between ice and steam are all about temperature, molecular speed, and molecular density...not about any actual changes in the molecules, correct? The hotter they get, the faster they move and farther apart they get, and vise vera for lowering temperatures. If this is the case, how can water still be water if one of its electrons are knocked out? How does it not change the chemical?
Also, I'm curious as to how electrically charged the water becomes. Is it enough to knock you down, blow you up, or just jolt you a bit.
Hopefully, I didn't get molecules and particles mixed up during those questions lol
Also, I'm curious as to how electrically charged the water becomes. Is it enough to knock you down, blow you up, or just jolt you a bit.
Hopefully, I didn't get molecules and particles mixed up during those questions lol
abstract alien
Member
Oh no, my statement about the enormous star was referring to the huge one that makes our sun look like a needle point.OuterWorldVoice said:
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
The pressure is on at SpaceX
SpaceX founder Elon Musk says it's hard to imagine being under more pressure than he is now, during preparations for the first launch of a rocket that's being put forward as a replacement for the space shuttle system.
If the California-based company's Falcon 9 rocket delivers as promised, it could start delivering cargo to the International Space Station as early as next year. And if NASA gives the go-ahead, the Falcon 9 and its Dragon capsule could be configured to carry astronauts as well in as little as three years' time.
But those are a couple of big ifs, particularly for critics such as Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. "Today, the commercial providers that NASA has contracted with cannot even carry the trash back from the space station, much less carry humans to or from space safely," Shelby said last month during a Senate hearing.
A successful Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida would go a long way toward assuring NASA, the White House and Congress that SpaceX can indeed carry the trash and eventually astronauts as well. A significant launch failure, however, would strengthen the hand of Shelby and others who want NASA to resurrect the Ares 1 rocket development program. Ares 1 was part of NASA's Constellation return-to-the-moon program, but is currently marked for cancellation.
The way Musk sees it, this whole issue is not just about SpaceX: He points out that the potential beneficiaries of NASA's move toward commercializing space transport include the Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin, which currently co-manage the shuttle program (through their venture United Space Alliance). Their Atlas and Delta rockets have launched the vast majority of spacecraft for the space agency as well as the U.S. military (through another joint venture, United Launch Alliance).
"The thing is that it's much harder for Constellation's proponents to attack the Atlas and Delta than to attack Falcon 9, which has not yet launched," Musk told me last week.
But Musk doesn't want the Falcon 9 to be just another Atlas or Delta: His motivation in founding SpaceX eight years ago was to bring about a dramatic reduction in the cost of going to space, thus taking one giant leap toward the settlement of other worlds. The list price for a Falcon 9 launch is around $50 million, compared with $138 million or more for an Atlas 5.
Musk, a 38-year-old emigre who was born in South Africa, earned millions of dollars through his involvement in early dot-com ventures such as PayPal. He's a top executive in start-ups focusing on electric cars (Tesla Motors) and solar power (SolarCity). But right now, it's his role as a space entrepreneur that's putting him most in the public eye. During a Cape Canaveral visit last month, President Barack Obama made a point of touring the Falcon 9's launch pad with Musk at his side.
All that attention just adds to the pressure as launch day approaches. The stakes are much higher for the Falcon 9 than they were for SpaceX's less powerful model, the Falcon 1, which went through three launches that were less than fully successful before reaching orbit on the fourth and fifth tries.
SpaceX is currently waiting for the Air Force to sign off on the Falcon 9's flight termination system. "We're not sure when that will finish - if the testing goes well or if there are additional issues," Musk said. The waiting game means that SpaceX's first opportunity for a launch won't come until the latter half of May at the earliest.
Even then, Musk expects that the first countdown may not go all the way to zero. If anything looks the least bit suspicious, the count will be stopped and the launch will be rescheduled.
"There's a lot that has to go right on launch day, and we're also going to be extremely careful. ... We don't want to leave any stone unturned. We want to turn over stones two or three times, in fact," he said.
SpaceX has fallen behind its original schedule for developing the Falcon 9 and the Dragon, which has provided some ammunition for Musk's critics. But the company is aiming to launch three additional test flights of the Falcon-Dragon system by the end of this year, culminating in a berthing demonstration at the space station. That would open the way for robotic cargo deliveries that could earn SpaceX $1.6 billion through 2016.
Although Musk's main focus right now is getting the first Falcon 9 off on a successful flight, he pointed out that the next rockets are already in production, with a new Falcon 9 rolling off the line every three to four months.
"It's not like this is just some one-off demonstration," he told me. "There's a lot of weight placed on this first Falcon 9 flight, and there should be. But it's most important to bear in mind that there's a whole production line of vehicles coming out after that."
During our interview, Musk not only discussed the upcoming launch but also touched upon the bigger picture for SpaceX and spaceflight. Here's an edited Q&A:
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, shown here in an artist's conception, is designed to carry cargo, scientific experiments or even astronauts into orbit.
###############
You can read the Q&A at the link. I'm really really pulling for SpaceX. If they do this right, it really could mean NASA could focus compeletly on get us to high earth orbit and beyond.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk says it's hard to imagine being under more pressure than he is now, during preparations for the first launch of a rocket that's being put forward as a replacement for the space shuttle system.
If the California-based company's Falcon 9 rocket delivers as promised, it could start delivering cargo to the International Space Station as early as next year. And if NASA gives the go-ahead, the Falcon 9 and its Dragon capsule could be configured to carry astronauts as well in as little as three years' time.
But those are a couple of big ifs, particularly for critics such as Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. "Today, the commercial providers that NASA has contracted with cannot even carry the trash back from the space station, much less carry humans to or from space safely," Shelby said last month during a Senate hearing.
A successful Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida would go a long way toward assuring NASA, the White House and Congress that SpaceX can indeed carry the trash and eventually astronauts as well. A significant launch failure, however, would strengthen the hand of Shelby and others who want NASA to resurrect the Ares 1 rocket development program. Ares 1 was part of NASA's Constellation return-to-the-moon program, but is currently marked for cancellation.
The way Musk sees it, this whole issue is not just about SpaceX: He points out that the potential beneficiaries of NASA's move toward commercializing space transport include the Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin, which currently co-manage the shuttle program (through their venture United Space Alliance). Their Atlas and Delta rockets have launched the vast majority of spacecraft for the space agency as well as the U.S. military (through another joint venture, United Launch Alliance).
"The thing is that it's much harder for Constellation's proponents to attack the Atlas and Delta than to attack Falcon 9, which has not yet launched," Musk told me last week.
But Musk doesn't want the Falcon 9 to be just another Atlas or Delta: His motivation in founding SpaceX eight years ago was to bring about a dramatic reduction in the cost of going to space, thus taking one giant leap toward the settlement of other worlds. The list price for a Falcon 9 launch is around $50 million, compared with $138 million or more for an Atlas 5.
Musk, a 38-year-old emigre who was born in South Africa, earned millions of dollars through his involvement in early dot-com ventures such as PayPal. He's a top executive in start-ups focusing on electric cars (Tesla Motors) and solar power (SolarCity). But right now, it's his role as a space entrepreneur that's putting him most in the public eye. During a Cape Canaveral visit last month, President Barack Obama made a point of touring the Falcon 9's launch pad with Musk at his side.
All that attention just adds to the pressure as launch day approaches. The stakes are much higher for the Falcon 9 than they were for SpaceX's less powerful model, the Falcon 1, which went through three launches that were less than fully successful before reaching orbit on the fourth and fifth tries.
SpaceX is currently waiting for the Air Force to sign off on the Falcon 9's flight termination system. "We're not sure when that will finish - if the testing goes well or if there are additional issues," Musk said. The waiting game means that SpaceX's first opportunity for a launch won't come until the latter half of May at the earliest.
Even then, Musk expects that the first countdown may not go all the way to zero. If anything looks the least bit suspicious, the count will be stopped and the launch will be rescheduled.
"There's a lot that has to go right on launch day, and we're also going to be extremely careful. ... We don't want to leave any stone unturned. We want to turn over stones two or three times, in fact," he said.
SpaceX has fallen behind its original schedule for developing the Falcon 9 and the Dragon, which has provided some ammunition for Musk's critics. But the company is aiming to launch three additional test flights of the Falcon-Dragon system by the end of this year, culminating in a berthing demonstration at the space station. That would open the way for robotic cargo deliveries that could earn SpaceX $1.6 billion through 2016.
Although Musk's main focus right now is getting the first Falcon 9 off on a successful flight, he pointed out that the next rockets are already in production, with a new Falcon 9 rolling off the line every three to four months.
"It's not like this is just some one-off demonstration," he told me. "There's a lot of weight placed on this first Falcon 9 flight, and there should be. But it's most important to bear in mind that there's a whole production line of vehicles coming out after that."
During our interview, Musk not only discussed the upcoming launch but also touched upon the bigger picture for SpaceX and spaceflight. Here's an edited Q&A:
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, shown here in an artist's conception, is designed to carry cargo, scientific experiments or even astronauts into orbit.
###############
You can read the Q&A at the link. I'm really really pulling for SpaceX. If they do this right, it really could mean NASA could focus compeletly on get us to high earth orbit and beyond.
abstract alien
Member
Not trying to make a joke here, but that has to be the most dangerous projectile in the entire universe. It's almost a bit frightening...
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1662.html
Runaway Star
A heavy runaway star is rushing away from a nearby stellar nursery at more than 250,000 miles an hour, a speed at which one could travel to the our moon and back in two hours. This is the most extreme case of a very massive star that has been kicked out of its home by a group of even heftier siblings.
The homeless star is on the outskirts of the 30 Doradus Nebula, a raucous stellar breeding ground in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. The stellar nusery is seen at the center of this image. The finding bolsters evidence that the most massive stars in the local universe reside in 30 Doradus, making it a unique laboratory for studying heavyweight stars. Also called the Tarantula Nebula, 30 Doradus is roughly 170,000 light-years from Earth.
Tantalizing clues from three observatories, including the Hubble Space Telescope's newly installed Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), and some old- fashioned detective work, suggest that the star may have traveled about 375 light-years from its suspected home, a giant star cluster called R136. Nestled in the core of 30 Doradus, R136 contains several stars topping 100 solar masses each.
I'd say the only thing more dangerous, if not a black hole, would be a Neutron Star hurling in our direction.
Heck, it'd only have to enter our Solar System to put an end to the orbital harmony of the planets.
I wonder how many games out there realistically showcase space-time dilation due to relativistic travel? Or even simple things like redshift / blueshift and headlight effects.
Heck, it'd only have to enter our Solar System to put an end to the orbital harmony of the planets.
Orgun said:
Now that is mind blowing. Would have been unreal if it showed some more realistic fluid resistance during entry of the planet's atmosphere.
I wonder how many games out there realistically showcase space-time dilation due to relativistic travel? Or even simple things like redshift / blueshift and headlight effects.
