It got off at about 1900 GMT today, it is really cranking, it will pass
by the orbit of the moon in about 9 hours. One year to Jupiter where
it gets a slingshot boost and even with that boost, another 8 years
to get to pluto. They want to analyze the surface which is now
supposedly exposed to view but in twenty years or so it will get cold
enough for nitrogen snow which would mean the planetologists would
not have a chance to analyze the surface from orbit.
Originally posted by sonhouseIs there a website where you're getting this info from? If so, I'd be interested in checking it out. 🙂
It got off at about 1900 GMT today, it is really cranking, it will pass
by the orbit of the moon in about 9 hours. One year to Jupiter where
it gets a slingshot boost and even with that boost, another 8 years
to get to pluto. They want to analyze the surface which is now
supposedly exposed to view but in twenty years or so it will get cold
enough for ...[text shortened]... which would mean the planetologists would
not have a chance to analyze the surface from orbit.
1 edit
Originally posted by sonhouseThat's fascinating to me. I mean, I haven't been in complete isolation from the world my whole life, but I'm still fascinated by the mere fact that we can even fly. That to me is an extrordinary, mind-bogling achievement. And here they are, sending probes to a planet that is an incredible 2793 million miles away. Maaaan! That's far! I can't even believe they've managed to take off the ground, let alone break free from the atmosphere and using another planet as a slingshot. Whooooo... Now that's impressive. 😲🙂
It got off at about 1900 GMT today, it is really cranking, it will pass
by the orbit of the moon in about 9 hours. One year to Jupiter where
it gets a slingshot boost and even with that boost, another 8 years
to get to pluto. They want to analyze the surface which is now
supposedly exposed to view but in twenty years or so it will get cold
enough for ...[text shortened]... which would mean the planetologists would
not have a chance to analyze the surface from orbit.
I'd like to take a minute in aw for all those scientists and visionaries who made that possible. :
2 edits
Originally posted by stockenYou can fly? Now THATS impressive🙂
That's fascinating to me. I mean, I haven't been in complete isolation from the world my whole life, but I'm still fascinated by the mere fact that we can even fly. That to me is an extrordinary, mind-bogling achievement. And here they are, sending probes to a planet that is an incredible 2793 million miles away. Maaaan! That's far! I can't even believe they o take a minute in aw for all those scientists and visionaries who made that possible. :
BTW, I had a tiny hand in all that, was a technician on
"Apollo tracking and timing". That technology followed how far
out the apollo's went from earth, accurate to within 50 feet.
It could have been upgraded to be accurate to with in 0.5 foot but
it never was deemed neccessary. The timing stuff was a triple
clock system at every tracking site, like where I was at Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland and in the west at
Goldstone space tracking center and Burmuda.
They used a Cesium beam atomic clock as primary ( they wanted to
be able to have handovers to the next site when one site lost
the signal, and keep the timing ticks within 100 Nanoseconds, one
tenth of a microsecond) so the Cesium beam was the primary,
then a not as accurate Rhubidium beam atomic clock as secondary
and an even less accurate Quartz crystal clock as tertiary.
As far as I know, they never had to even use the Rhubidium clocks.
I was later offered a job at Goldstone and was saddened to see
the outline on the floor where all the apollo equipment was stripped
out by the republicans, Nixon was not about to finance a dreaded
democrat started project (JFK) so he killed it and with it my dreams.
Originally posted by sonhouseYou can fly? Now THATS impressive🙂
You can fly? Now THATS impressive🙂
BTW, I had a tiny hand in all that, was a technician on
"Apollo tracking and timing". That technology followed how far
out the apollo's went from earth, accurate to within 50 feet.
It could have been upgraded to be accurate to with in 0.5 foot but
it never was deemed neccessary. The timing stuff was a triple
clock s ...[text shortened]... t to finance a dreaded
democrat started project (JFK) so he killed it and with it my dreams.
Very funny. 😉
...so he killed it and with it my dreams.
That's too bad. The apollo project is still in progress, though. Isn't it? (Please forgive my ignorance if I've missed something.)
Originally posted by stockenNo, Apollo was the moon flights, Neil Armstrong, etc. Killed by
You can fly? Now THATS impressive🙂
Very funny. 😉
...so he killed it and with it my dreams.
That's too bad. The apollo project is still in progress, though. Isn't it? (Please forgive my ignorance if I've missed something.)
nixon in '73. Forty years later we have not gone back to the moon.
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Originally posted by sonhouseYes, I realized you were talking about the late sixties (early seventies) when you referred to John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. But, here are apollo projects all over the place:
No, Apollo was the moon flights, Neil Armstrong, etc. Killed by
nixon in '73. Forty years later we have not gone back to the moon.
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo.html
Of course, they are not the apollo, but continuations of that project. I realize that now.
Sorry about that. 😳
[Even more embarrassing to me, I now realize that they're not very current at all. 😳😵. Yea, I'll just be here in the dumb-corner with this pointy hat on my head for a while, if you need me. ]
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Originally posted by stockenThankee, thankee, Aw shucks folks, it was nuttin.....
That's fascinating though. You were actually involved in the making of pioneer space history. That's awesome!
Seriously, I did have a couple of epiphanistic moments, one when
I personally locked in to a mars probe that we used as a training
exercise, and I'm thinking, Wow, this thing is orbiting mars and
about 50 million miles away, I am locking onto this thing with a
20 foot TRAINING dish and the probe had a 5 watt transmitter, the
same as a CB radio! I am a ham so that was awesome.
The second time, even more epiphanic, was being given the
opportunity to hold a moon rock in my hand. I was thinking at the
time, Jeez, why are they letting me hold this incredible rock in my
BARE HANDS! It was the most alien thing I ever have had a chance
to actually touch for sure.
Originally posted by sonhouseNASA's new plan to return to the moon sure looks a lot like Apollo.
Well NOW. I mean in 7 MORE years they still won't have returned to
the moon!
Anyways, good luck to the Pluto mission and kudos to the recent comet mission which is already showing comet dust in its collector.
Originally posted by KneverKnightIts amazing to me that aerogel which is 99% air could stop a
NASA's new plan to return to the moon sure looks a lot like Apollo.
Anyways, good luck to the Pluto mission and kudos to the recent comet mission which is already showing comet dust in its collector.
millimeter sized grain going 36,000 MPH in a couple of inches.
That one left a track the size of a small carrot in the aerogel so
they say. Can't wait to see the micrographs, they have 50,000
volunteers now, I am one, and they are looking for more.
Here is the link once more if you want to pre-register, it gets going
full bore in a few months:
http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
They need help examining all the million photos that will come from
it.
Originally posted by sonhouseYes, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that from the back of the aerogel exposed to stardust?
Its amazing to me that aerogel which is 99% air could stop a
millimeter sized grain going 36,000 MPH in a couple of inches.
That one left a track the size of a small carrot in the aerogel so
they say. Can't wait to see the micrographs, they have 50,000
volunteers now, I am one, and they are looking for more.
Here is the link once more if you want to p ...[text shortened]... ome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
They need help examining all the million photos that will come from
it.
Extremely small particles and hard to spot.
Anyways, great mission, should be studied for itself and why and how things went right.