# The Great Ongoing Space Exploration Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [November 16, 2020, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703 "2020-11-16T12:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 106
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2103 "2025-05-10T12:07:20Z")
Here a few hours later I don’t know where it landed. Other than, just like Powerball wins, it didn’t land on me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2104 "2025-05-10T12:16:17Z")
> [@ESA](#): > > **Status 10 May 09:56 CEST** > > As the descent craft was not spotted by radar over Germany at the expected 07:32 UTC / 09:32 CEST pass, it is most likely that the reentry has already occurred. > Brian ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2105 "2025-05-10T17:00:31Z")
Minor problem with Psyche mission. Drop of pressure in xenon feed line. > **[NASA’s Psyche Mission Looking Into Propulsion System - NASA Science](https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/psyche/2025/04/29/nasas-psyche-mission-looking-into-propulsion-system/)** > > Engineers with NASA’s Psyche mission are working to determine what caused a recent decrease in fuel pressure in the spacecraft’s propulsion system. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2106 "2025-05-18T20:59:53Z")
> **[Russia, China Sign Agreement To Build Nuclear Power Station On Moon](https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-china-sign-agreement-to-build-nuclear-power-station-on-moon-8437886)** > > Russia's space agency Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) signed the document earlier this week. Russia is using tanks from WW2 in Ukraine but sure, build a nuclear power plant on the moon. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2107 "2025-05-18T21:08:15Z")
Seems like a Chinese project where they let Russia tag along, like a small child “helping” to make dinner. I dunno, I guess Russia probably still has some nuclear and space expertise left, even if their agencies are in rough shape. Maybe they can contribute knowledge if not much else. Maybe they can just ship all their research notes from when they were actually building nuclear reactors in space. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2108 "2025-05-26T22:52:40Z")
Landing on Mars, according to CNBC: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/ydyB5gb.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/ydyB5gb) It’s like one of those pictures from a kid’s book where you have to figure out how many things are wrong with it. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2109 "2025-05-26T23:19:23Z")
I’ll play! 1. The astronaut is standing lethally close to a landing/launching rocket. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2110 "2025-05-26T23:21:01Z")
Starship flight 9 currently on for 05/27/2025 6:30 P.M. CDT ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2111 "2025-05-26T23:24:34Z")
It’s a Crew Dragon …with the trunk still attached …with landing rockets _inside_ the trunk? And apparently no landing gear. Just plops down like all my Kerbal Space Program landers. Who needs dead weight? Also the rocks and dirt would be flying everywhere, not gently puffing around the immediate area And yeah, don’t stand that close! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2112 "2025-05-26T23:29:28Z")
Also, what’s up with the astronaut’s weird R2-D2 boots? And what’s the other thing that you can barely see behind the guy’s legs? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2113 "2025-05-26T23:34:02Z")
I think that’s the barely-seen legs and an elbow of another astronaut. 1. That’s an Earth sky and clouds. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2114 "2025-05-26T23:41:01Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Starship flight 9 currently on for 05/27/2025 6:30 P.M. CDT Looks like the livestream starts at 5:50 CT: > **[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-9)** > > SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. Let’s hope they fix the upper stage issues! They won’t be catching the booster, and in fact are letting it impact the ocean at fairly high speed to guarantee it’s destroyed. However, it is a mostly reused booster, which is pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2115 "2025-05-26T23:47:55Z")
What’s the purpose behind that– too worn out to be worth reusing? Or they want the extra boost for the upper stage? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2116 "2025-05-26T23:50:54Z")
I think they’re doing some aggressive testing of the various burns, maybe with some engine-out tests. Not worth risking the tower on that, especially since the booster is obsolete. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2117 "2025-05-27T22:15:39Z")
An incredible article on the Max Plank Institute For Astrophysics website about the latest research concerning a boiling surface on Betelgeuse. The article has a wonderful video at the bottom simulating the boiling surface of the star and it seems difficult to believe. > The boiling bubbles can be as large as Earth’s orbit around the Sun, covering a large fraction of Betelgeuse’s surface. They rise and fall at a speed of up to 30 km/s, faster than any crewed spacecraft. [https://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/1094283/hl202403](https://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/1094283/hl202403) [https://streaming-eu.mpg.de/de/institute/mpa/highlights/Betelgeuse\_boiling.mp4](https://streaming-eu.mpg.de/de/institute/mpa/highlights/Betelgeuse_boiling.mp4) NB: this is a year old now, but am just discovering it. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2118 "2025-05-30T23:19:55Z")
A potentially new type of object has been observed, or at least one that challenges our understanding of objects. It is throwing out both radio and x-ray emissions at regular 44 minute intervals. > the radio and X-ray emissions appear perfectly synchronized, both following the same 44.2-minute cycle. This coordination suggests the emissions originate from magnetically linked regions within the system, pointing toward an object with highly ordered magnetic fields. > > Scientists have proposed several explanations, but none perfectly accounts for all observed properties. The object’s 44-minute period places it firmly in the “death valley” of stellar physics - a region where conventional models predict radio emission should cease entirely. [https://scienceblog.com/mysterious-star-pulses-every-44-minutes-in-space-first/](https://scienceblog.com/mysterious-star-pulses-every-44-minutes-in-space-first/) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2025, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2119 "2025-05-30T23:46:24Z")
Probably a Borg hailing frequency. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2120 "2025-05-30T23:47:55Z")
Someone’s playing a real-life version of _Outer Wilds_. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2121 "2025-05-30T23:58:52Z")
Carrier frequency for subspace communications? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2025, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2122 "2025-05-31T02:35:25Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Probably a Borg hailing frequency. If it were 33 minutes instead of 44, it’d be a [Cylon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33_(Battlestar_Galactica)) hailing frequency. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=105) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=107)