# 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:** 66
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2024, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1302 "2024-05-04T04:45:37Z")
The far side is “always” dark and we don’t know what’s there? The lip sync is way off - I think this is a spoof. The link to Natural News isn’t filling me with confidence. > **[Natural News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_News)** > > Natural News (formerly NewsTarget, which is now a separate sister site) is a far-right, anti-vaccination conspiracy theory and fake news website known for promoting alternative medicine, pseudoscience, disinformation, and far-right extremism. The website began publishing articles in 2008 and is based in the United States. > The site's founder, Michael Allen "Mike" Adams, gained attention after posting a blog entry implying a call for violence against proponents of GMO foods, and then allegedly... ---
**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 4, 2024, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1303 "2024-05-04T07:27:22Z")
Here’s the full video on the official House Appropriations Committee YouTube channel: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NISFxcWeZNA/maxresdefault.jpg "Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NISFxcWeZNA&t=5789) Sorry for the initial janky link, but it’s the only one I found that was trimmed down to the right moment. ---
**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 4, 2024, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1304 "2024-05-04T07:33:39Z")
Maybe it’ll work for you, but when I replayed the clip, it didn’t actually go to the proper spot. It’s at 1:36:29 if the link doesn’t work. Or maybe try this non-inline link: [https://youtu.be/NISFxcWeZNA?t=5789](https://youtu.be/NISFxcWeZNA?t=5789) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2024, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1305 "2024-05-04T07:44:30Z")
Two things. The clip you posted above goes to the right point for me (Microsoft Edge), and Bill Nelson sounds not only like a total moron, but also sounds drunk, or suffering from some cognitive disability. Seems like one of Biden’s mistakes. ---
**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 4, 2024, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1306 "2024-05-04T07:58:34Z")
Sort of ironic that the previous admin–Jim Bridenstine–was appointed by Trump and a climate change denier. But he changed his mind on the matter and was a very reasonable administrator. We sorta lucked into that one. ---
**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 4, 2024, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1307 "2024-05-04T22:02:10Z")
New EVA suit just dropped: > It’s going to be used on the Polaris Dawn mission–a private mission with an EVA session. It’s an improved version of the current IVA suit (which is intended only to protect the crew in case of depressurization). It has, among other things, a heads-up display and rotation bearings in the shoulders and forearm for better arm mobility. There’s no life support backpack at the moment–it’s going to be tethered to the Dragon. And the Dragon doesn’t have an airlock, so they’ll have to drop that down to vacuum when exiting. But Dragon already supported that for safety reasons and they’ve done additional testing. Also, the EVA suit is pressurized to 5.1 psi, while Dragon nominally runs at atmospheric (~15 psi). So they’ll slowly reduce pressure as the mission progresses while increasing the oxygen component (or rather, they’ll just reduce the partial pressure of the nitrogen). ---
**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:** [May 6, 2024, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1308 "2024-05-06T13:23:12Z")
Flight of Starliner tonight, May 6 (unless it gets delayed), with liftoff set for 10:34 p.m. EDT: > **[Boeing Starliner 1st astronaut flight: Live updates](https://www.space.com/news/live/boeing-starliner-live-updates)** > > Boeing will launch its first-ever Starliner astronaut mission for NASA as early as this evening (May 6). > **[Boeing prepares for Starliner's first crewed launch into space after several...](https://www.npr.org/2024/05/06/1249243643/boeing-starliner-crewed-launch-nasa-international-space-station)** > > The latest test flight comes after multiple delays in the Starliner program and increased scrutiny of Boeing for safety lapses in the production of its commercial aircraft. ---
**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 6, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1309 "2024-05-06T16:40:16Z")
I hope the crew are getting hazard pay. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1310 "2024-05-06T18:16:52Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > New EVA suit just dropped: I’ve been on the Dope too long, as evidenced by the fact that my first understanding of that sentence is “who is suing whom about space walking?” ---
**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:** [May 6, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1311 "2024-05-06T18:27:57Z")
Here’s more on it: [https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/05/world/boeing-starliner-launch-preview-scn/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/05/world/boeing-starliner-launch-preview-scn/index.html) ---
**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 6, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1312 "2024-05-06T22:48:46Z")
NASA stream here: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wb3qcR2tUQs/maxresdefault.jpg "NASA’s Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test Launch") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb3qcR2tUQs) It’s live, but the launch is still 3.75 hrs off. ---
**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 7, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1313 "2024-05-07T00:34:38Z")
Scrubbed. No details yet. ETA: Flaky oxygen relief valve on the second stage (Centaur) ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1314 "2024-05-07T00:46:03Z")
And the universe continues to shit on Boeing. I understand that NASA needs a option other than SpaceX, but c’mon, this is entering the realm of government purchasing farce. ---
**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 7, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1315 "2024-05-07T00:56:23Z")
Starship would be cheaper even if it was completely expendable. If it makes its reusability goals it will be able to support lunar missions entirely independent of NASA. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1316 "2024-05-07T19:16:07Z")
I noticed that for the two astronauts: Suni William is 58 years old while Butch Williams is 61 years old. At this age your reflexes aren’t as fast… My impression is that earlier astronauts were significantly younger. Any thoughts on this? ---
**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 7, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1317 "2024-05-07T19:22:25Z")
They’re spam in a can, as it were. No great demand for fast reflexes. ---
**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 7, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1318 "2024-05-07T21:55:53Z")
Nothing happens in space at a pace where reflexes matter. Either you have hours, or you were dead before you’d noticed. As the learned @Dr.Strangelove said, modern space vehicles are driven by their computers, not by their passengers. ---
**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 7, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1319 "2024-05-07T22:09:29Z")
I haven’t found a picture yet of Starliner’s emergency controls. Here are Dragon’s: [![](https://i.imgur.com/dizArPz.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/dizArPz.jpg) None of these warrant fast reflexes. On the contrary: you want to be really, really sure before you engage any of them. The big “eject” handle should really never be used at all since even in a launch escape system engagement, the rocket should be doing everything for you. It’s really tough to imagine a situation where the rocket is failing but the system hasn’t engaged, since to a first approximation it engages when the “Everything is ok! Everything is ok!” signals stop coming in. There are also the deorbit controls, both for water (recommended since the craft is designed for water landings) and “now” (which is less desirable but probably still survivable in most cases). You really want to be sure what you’re doing when you engage those systems. I expect that Starliner is fairly similar with respect to the emergency options. And of course, all of these can be commanded from the ground if required. So they’re only relevant in the case where a lot of things have gone wrong all at once, including communications. ---
**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 7, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1320 "2024-05-07T23:35:58Z")
Starliner launch delayed to 5/17: [https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/](https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/) I dunno, man. 11 days? Seems like a lot. The second Dragon flight also had a flaky valve. They replaced it that same day, and launched again less than 3 days later. They probably could have launched even earlier, but orbital mechanics doesn’t always allow that. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2024, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1321 "2024-05-08T01:07:41Z")
Consider the Apollo 13 situation. The crew there was an average of 20 years younger than this crew. Would a 60 year old crew have done as well? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=65) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=67)