One advantage of that mirror design is that they don’t need to be aligned in any meaningful fashion. If you can hit it with a laser the beam will come directly back at you.
Dueling conspiracy theories!
No, but setting aside the habitat requirements and much larger mass and volume of the “payload” for a crewed system, the fundamental technologies are essentially the same. So, either the engineer familiar with the o.p. must believe that most if not all space exploration technology does not actually exist or is not workable, or that there is some kind of techno-mystical reason why people can’t travel outside the atmosphere. Given the large number of people who have been at least to Low Earth Orbit or beyond and the vast number of engineers and scientists who have operated systems and collected data that could only plausibly come from space vehicles and systems, either explanation is implausible to the extreme.
Stranger
I swear I recently read something saying that, of all the science-based professions, engineers are the most likely to believe in conspiracy theories. Of course I can’t find it now, so maybe I imagined it. Or maybe the engineers got it removed from the internet :eek:
Corner cubes are not perfect. They still need some aiming. Still mighty tricky for a robot with 60’s technology.
Look, right now it’s an intellectual game on his end. He has nothing real at stake (what difference does it make in his life if he believes the conspiracy or not?), so he’s just essentially playing (for fun and for ego) the game of ‘let’s see if I’m clever enough to rationalize away whatever evidence someone brings up’.
IMHO, the only way you could possibly achieve anything is to not play that game. Instead turn it around and ask him what evidence would make him reconsider his opinion (that’s how real science works, right?). Most likely, he’ll refuse to give a real answer, at which point you can make it clear to everyone that a) there’s no point in talking about it anymore because he’s admitted he will never change his mind, and b) he’s, well, “intellectually bankrupt” is a harsh term but maybe it fits here. Again, there’s just about no hope of him publicly admitting you’re right, but at least you won’t have to hear him talk about it anymore, which is really the best you can hope for.
That rings a bell for me, too. Maybe it was in a recent truther thread in Great Debates. I’ma look for that later when I’m not boarding via phone.
Thanks for the answers everyone! 
That wasn’t a slap.
I am not one to condone violence in response to words, but that video always makes me smile.
Thank you! I’ve never actually seen the video, I’ve just been content knowing it happened. I’m impressed, Buzz!
But then, Aldrin was in a transformers movie, so he lost some credibility with me there. 
He does seem to be somewhat ‘down with the kids’, he lent his name to the rather awesome early 90’s space simulator ‘Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space’ and narrated the epilogue to the Mass Effect games trilogy for example (as if those games weren’t awesome enough already).
And yeah, if anyone was ever asking for it it was that guy.
I believe that I’ve read that these clowns think the reason for the fakery is that the van Allen Belts doesn’t allow people to travel through them because they are ooo radiation.
We didn’t land because of not having the technology is a new one to me. Wonder why they think we aren’t doing it now?
he was just helping the guy understand how craters formed on the moon, because he saw the results up close,
I consider it more than just words. Sibrel had lured him there under false pretenses, was harassing the man, poking him with his recorder, looming over him, insulting him, and much more. He got everything he deserved. When he went whining to the DA they took one look at his tape and said ‘You’ve got to be kidding’ and told him to take a hike.
he also has been funny on the Simpsons, Futurama and Big Bang Theory (twice).
Mostly off-topic, but did anybody else read the thread title and start thinking about how to establish a beachhead against Lunarian aggression?
I, for one, welcome our new Lunarian overlords.
Yeah, I was going to recommend a couple of .30-caliber door gunners.
From just the title, I thought it was “defend” as in “justify”. Like, defend that we spent so much money just to beat the Russians.
Though I admit I like your interpretation. The line is drawn HERE!
Well, the Van Allen belts are hazardous…if you decide to pitch a tent in an orbit that intersects one. However, the average peak charged particle flux from solar sources is actually a greater hazard for the duration of a lunar trajectory. Basically, the only way you can buy that rationale is being completely ignorant of the effects of exposure levels and durations.
Stranger