# 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:** 64
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1262 "2024-03-17T05:38:10Z")
This solar flare would have possibly have been interesting if it was pointed this way: > **[Mercury slammed by gargantuan eruption from the sun's hidden far side,...](https://www.space.com/mercury-slammed-by-gargantuan-eruption-from-the-suns-hidden-far-side-possibly-triggering-x-ray-auroras)** > > A gigantic plasma eruption from the sun's hidden far side recently launched a sizable coronal mass ejection that slammed into Mercury, potentially triggering invisible X-ray auroras around the planet's rocky surface. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1263 "2024-03-17T23:12:31Z")
I’m not an expert, but “X-ray aurora” sounds like something I’d rather experience from a different planet. > The goggles! They do nothing! Arrrghhhh!!1! ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1264 "2024-03-23T06:39:56Z")
> **[World’s 1st nuclear fusion-powered electric propulsion drive unveiled -...](https://interestingengineering.com/space/nuclear-fusion-powered-electric-propulsion-drive)** > > RocketStar Inc. has showcased its advanced nuclear-based propulsion technology called the FireStar Drive.  Sounds like science fiction. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2024, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1265 "2024-03-23T06:56:40Z")
The picture of their “device” is AI-generated nonsense. I am… not confident in their claims. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1266 "2024-03-23T10:33:04Z")
A discussion on / . [https://m.slashdot.org/story/426381](https://m.slashdot.org/story/426381) ---
**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:** [March 23, 2024, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1267 "2024-03-23T22:30:08Z")
Here’s their press release: > **[FireStar-Discovery-Release\_FINAL-1.pdf](https://rocketstar.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FireStar-Discovery-Release_FINAL-1.pdf)** > > 155.73 KB One big “that’s funny” thing: they claimed they acquired Miles Space and hired Wes Faler as their CTO. I actually worked with these guys years ago (circa 2017) on the Team Miles cubesat that launched on Artemis I. I was helping with their comms, putting together some code to support Turbo Codes. Long-range, error resistant comms was a primary goal of the mission. Don’t think they ever used any of my work, though. Lost contact after a while. Anyway, allegedly they’re injecting boron into the exhaust of their ion thruster and claiming that it causes fusion and enhances thrust. I am more than dubious. proton-boron fusion needs ion energies of around 600k eV, which for a proton is around 11 million meters/sec (3% of c). But a typical ion engine is more like 50 thousand m/s exhaust velocity. So they’re off by 2-3 orders of magnitude. They say they measured an increase in thrust… but that’s almost certainly just due to the extra propellant. Injecting stuff into hot exhaust increases thrust–that’s not a surprise. The trick is to do it while increasing specific impulse. They say they measured fusion events–well, _maybe_ they could have detected some infinitesimal amount of fusion going on, but there’s no way it contributed meaningfully to the energy output. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1268 "2024-03-23T23:46:01Z")
I choked when I got to 'aneutronic fusion created by injecting boron into the thruster exhaust." Aneutronic fusion is really difficult, way harder than the typical fusion we’re trying to harness for power. Petawatt lasers are needed in the attempt to create aneutronic fusion. Who knew you could just throw a little boron into the exhaust and hey presto? ---
**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:** [March 23, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1269 "2024-03-23T23:56:34Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Petawatt lasers are needed in the attempt to create aneutronic fusion. Well, fusion–even aneutronic–isn’t _quite_ that hard. Just get a proton accelerator that can achieve 600 keV (not that hard) and shoot it into a boron target. You’ll get some fusion. It’s just that this level of fusion is useless for anything but experiments. The accelerator will use far more energy than you gain from the fusion for a variety of reasons. But an ion engine doesn’t even achieve that, since it doesn’t achieve even a tiny fraction of c. So yeah–pretty much on par with cold fusion claims. Tunnelling allows you to be a bit below the coulomb barrier, but not by 3 orders of magnitude. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1270 "2024-03-23T23:57:21Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Who knew you could just throw a little boron into the exhaust and hey presto? But it’s _special_ boron, which has been prepared by their proprietory process… ---
**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:** [March 24, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1271 "2024-03-24T02:00:42Z")
It’s homeopathic boron. At that dilution they avoid all the pesky hazards associated with actual boron in macroscopic quantities and concentrations. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1272 "2024-03-24T02:28:46Z")
There’s gotta be some quantum effects in there somewhere to make it really sciency. Or, someone finally tried reversing the polarity on the ion drive, creating a wormhole that contains the fusion. Yeah, that’s it. ---
**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:** [March 24, 2024, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1273 "2024-03-24T12:04:33Z")
Somehow I read this > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Or, someone finally tried reversing the polarity on the ion drive, creating a wormhole that contains the fusion. as > Or, someone finally tried reversing the polarity on the ion drive, creating a wombat that contains the fusion. It made just about as much sense my way as **Sam** ’s way. The whole press release / article is nothing but Treknobabble. Well-played there @Sam_Stone. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1274 "2024-03-24T14:12:17Z")
Flying with a fusion-containing wombat makes exactly as much sense as Star Trek Discovery’s “spore drive”. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1275 "2024-03-24T15:21:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > someone finally tried reversing the polarity on the ion drive, creating a wombat that contains the fusion. Used that as a prompt. [![](https://i.postimg.cc/7PTN6YYq/6f2cf40c-25f7-4b09-b614-7543561a0683.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/7PTN6YYq/6f2cf40c-25f7-4b09-b614-7543561a0683.jpg) ---
**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:** [March 24, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1276 "2024-03-24T15:51:37Z")
That looks more like the fusion contains the wombat. But it’s still funny. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1277 "2024-03-24T17:42:05Z")
Clearly we need to do a lot of work on wombat genetic engineering. To create one which lives in space with a metabolism based on fusion (or maybe even direct mass-energy conversion). Of course there have been quite a few such entities over the Star Track catalog history… ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1278 "2024-03-24T17:54:19Z")
Wombat pouches are rear-facing, so there’s plenty of opportunity here for maintaining their cuteness while keeping all the, er, plumbing, out of sight. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1279 "2024-03-24T18:06:03Z")
But the $64,000 question: do space wombats still poop in cubes? ‘[Wombat poop: Scientists reveal mystery behind cube-shaped droppings - BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-46258616)’ ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1280 "2024-03-24T20:13:36Z")
That looks like a wombat in an iron lung. It also looks way too pleased with itself for being there. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1281 "2024-03-25T14:53:58Z")
What they need to do is reverse the polarity of the wombat’s flux capacitor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=63) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=65)