# 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:** 90
**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:** [December 28, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1782 "2024-12-28T19:39:21Z")
The maverick theory that radioactive decay is somehow affected by proximity to the Sun is probably not true, but I’ve thought it should be definitely put to rest by adding such an experiment to a solar probe. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1783 "2024-12-28T23:21:04Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The maverick theory that radioactive decay is somehow affected by proximity to the Sun is probably not true I hadn’t heard of that one. Where did it come from? ---
**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:** [December 28, 2024, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1784 "2024-12-28T23:28:25Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > > [@Lumpy](#): > > > > The maverick theory that radioactive decay is somehow affected by proximity to the Sun > > I hadn’t heard of that one. Where did it come from? Some people claimed to have measured a seasonal variation of radioactive decay that apparently matched the Earth’s elliptical orbit. The current consensus is that the measurements were being affected by poor control of environmental factors on the experimental apparatus and/or random measurement errors. Still, it’s the sort of thing that would be so revolutionary if it **were** true that I would think it worth at least a kilo or two on a spacecraft to check. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1785 "2024-12-28T23:47:25Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Some people claimed to have measured a seasonal variation of radioactive decay that apparently matched the Earth’s elliptical orbit. How odd. Were these researchers at any reputable institution? It seems like crackpot fringe stuff which contradicts a lot of known and well-studied physics. Of course a _few_ things once contradicted known physics of the time (like radioactivity itself, of course), and opened up whole new areas of knowledge. But I rather doubt this is one of them? ---
**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:** [December 29, 2024, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1786 "2024-12-29T00:17:11Z")
Here are brief summaries from 2008 and 2010. The researchers are from Purdue University, but the theory is controversial. > **[The mystery of the varying nuclear decay – Physics World](https://physicsworld.com/a/the-mystery-of-the-varying-nuclear-decay/)** > > Two researchers in the US are making the bold claim that nuclear decay rates are not constant, as is widely thought > **[Radioactive decay rates vary with the sun's rotation: research](https://phys.org/news/2010-08-radioactive-vary-sun-rotation.html)** > > Radioactive decay rates, thought to be unique physical constants and counted on in such fields as medicine and anthropology, may be more variable than once thought. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2024, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1787 "2024-12-29T04:32:30Z")
Hmm, interesting. Never heard that before. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1788 "2024-12-30T17:11:59Z")
Eric Berger has written an article: > **[A Cold War mystery: Why did Jimmy Carter save the space shuttle?](https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/12/a-cold-war-mystery-why-did-jimmy-carter-save-the-space-shuttle/)** > > Ars solves the mystery by going directly to a primary source—the president himself. The mystery is because Jimmy Carter was not a strong supporter of human space exploration (other problems more important)–while he did support robotic, etc scientific space exploration. The question is would the U.S. have been better off if it had been canceled? [And continued using expendable launches for human space exploration]. Would SpaceX type companies would have arrived faster? … ---
**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:** [December 30, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1789 "2024-12-30T18:54:42Z")
The success or failure of the Shuttle hinged on two technologies that were completely new at the time: reusable engines and a refurbishable thermal protection system. Both ultimately proved problematic. It was perhaps overoptimistic to simply presume that both **would** work, in a program that due to budget constraints could brook no delays. In hindsight maybe a subscale research model to demonstrate the technology should have been done first, but realistically a slow-and-steady developmental approach wasn’t going to be politically possible. To get approved at all, the Shuttle program had to promise an up and flying system. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1790 "2025-01-03T02:10:51Z")
Lately it’s been in the news that Dream Chaser is expected to fly in the near future. Nice, but other than the convenience of returning crew and experiments to a central base I’m not sure what’s the point. It will be launched on an expendable booster; space glider concepts as the payload for expendable boosters go all the way back to the proposed X-20 DynaSoar, and the weight gain over a conventional capsule was never thought worth it until the unmanned X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle the DoD currently operates for whatever purpose that serves. What will Dream Chaser do that Crew Dragon cannot? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2025, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1791 "2025-01-05T02:58:57Z")
According to this article, New Glenn will launch Wesnesday, Jan 8th, at about 1:00 a.m. with a backup window on Friday. > **[Bezos's Blue Origin poised for first orbital launch next week](https://www.yahoo.com/news/bezoss-blue-origin-poised-first-013636534.html)** > > Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin is poised to launch its first orbital rocket next week, marking a pivotal moment in the commercial space race currently dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. > Named New Glenn, the rocket is scheduled to lift... ---
**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:** [January 5, 2025, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1792 "2025-01-05T03:10:04Z")
An exciting week! And SpaceX plans to launch the next Starship on Jan 10. I might actually be more excited about New Glenn. Although _overall_ I have more interest in Starship, the next flight will largely be more of what we’ve seen already, while New Glenn is brand new and has the first reusable booster outside of SpaceX. I’m looking forward to them providing some real competition. And we’ll see if their slow-and-steady approach pays off. Although I like explosions, it’s possible that they’ll manage to land it on the barge on the first try. Blue Origin is definitely moving a lot faster now that they got that Honeywell doofus out of the picture. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1793 "2025-01-07T13:20:20Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > An exciting week! And SpaceX plans to launch the next Starship on Jan 10. Latest news straight from Blue Origin: Launch will be no earlier than Jan 10. Launch window opens at 1:00 a.m. (10:00 p.m. Pacific time) and lasts 3 hours. So not just an exciting week but an exciting day! And they’re going to try to land the booster on their barge. Ambitious, but they’re going for it. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1794 "2025-01-07T22:47:53Z")
The barge is named after Bezos’ mom. An honor, I guess? But I can’t help but think “Yo mamma’s a barge and I plowed my rocket into her last night.” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1795 "2025-01-10T22:21:22Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Latest news straight from Blue Origin: Launch will be no earlier than Jan 10. Launch window opens at 1:00 a.m. (10:00 p.m. Pacific time) and lasts 3 hours. Launch delayed due to poor weather for booster recovery. They’ll try again on Sunday, Jan 12, same time. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1796 "2025-01-10T22:42:03Z")
Dumb Q but I’m on my phone. Where is blue origin’s launch site? ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1797 "2025-01-10T22:47:03Z")
Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex 36 specifically. ETA: Though in the future they plan on launching from Vandenberg, CA. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1798 "2025-01-10T22:53:41Z")
I hoped so. From my balcony I can’t see a Canaveral launch much below 40K ft. But the rest of the show to the top of the atmosphere is great if the wx is clear. Which it has been the last few days. Shame about the time of day. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1799 "2025-01-10T23:13:00Z")
Too bad you guys don’t get northern polar launches. You’d get a nicer view. Most of those go out of Vandenberg, and the exceptions go southeast with a dogleg. The Cubans get a nice view, I guess. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2025, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1800 "2025-01-10T23:27:01Z")
The Falcons are nice. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1801 "2025-01-11T15:49:44Z")
The ESA’s BepiColombo probe has just sent back images of Mercury from its most recent flyby: [ESA - Top three images from BepiColombo’s sixth Mercury flyby](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/Top_three_images_from_BepiColombo_s_sixth_Mercury_flyby) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=89) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=91)