U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame

[biggunsbob]

It needs to be cheaper, but it's not clear to me that the space elevator is the way to go. The launch loop sound equally probable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_loop) but so do the old nuclear propulsion ideas...which is to say, they all sound pretty unlikely to me. I think it will get cheaper, I just don't know what to bet on being the way we do it.

If you're unaware of nuclear propulsion, skip to the 9 minute mark of this video to see crazy people building devices that ride a series of small explosions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcidu6ppcFg

Yeah that is pretty cool.. But not sure how I would feel to be on a rocket ship that used exploding bombs for propulsion... I agree sooner or later we will find a cheaper way to do it if we don't kill each other first..

 

[Michchamp]

i still say space elevator. red, you're just wrong.

 

[Gulo Blue]

i still say space elevator. red, you're just wrong.

I'm all for the space elevator. One of the main hurdles is a material science one. We don't have a material that's light and strong enough. The thicker the cable, the heavier it is, the heavier it is, the greater the tension, the greater the tension, the thicker it needs to be. Carbon nanotubes could do it, but we need to be able to mass produce long tubes.

If we overcome the material problem, we'll solve other problems along the way. There are fusion and fission reactor ideas out there waiting for better materials too. If we solve one of those first, then maybe power won't be a problem and we'll be able to railgun stuff into space.

 

[Thumb]

Woo! Does this mean you see me as the primary board religious nut?

No, just that you're the one most likely to be conflicted between the science and the supernatural.

I actually think there are minimum of 4 people who are far bigger "religious nut(s)" than you. But also less likely they would post in this thread.

 

[tinselwolverine]

One of the main hurdles is a material science one. We don't have a material that's light and strong enough.

What about, like, adamantium?

 

[Gulo Blue]

No, just that you're the one most likely to be conflicted between the science and the supernatural.

I actually think there are minimum of 4 people who are far bigger "religious nut(s)" than you. But also less likely they would post in this thread.

Oh. Well, I'm not conflicted in that way at all. I think they are compatible. I've pointed to the Pontifical Academy of Science many times as an example.

Bummer. Sometimes I feel like I could use a little more religious nut cred.

 

[Thumb]

What about, like, adamantium?

Adamantium is heavy though.


What about horizontal launch vehicles? Going almost straight up takes an enormous amount of thrust, but what about spaceplanes and such that take off from runways and don't need as much thrust to make escape velocity?

 

[Thumb]

Oh. Well, I'm not conflicted in that way at all. I think they are compatible. I've pointed to the Pontifical Academy of Science many times as an example.

Bummer. Sometimes I feel like I could use a little more religious nut cred.

 

[byco42]

I see that I need to make more reparations than I thought. Okay.

 

[Gulo Blue]

Adamantium is heavy though.


What about horizontal launch vehicles? Going almost straight up takes an enormous amount of thrust, but what about spaceplanes and such that take off from runways and don't need as much thrust to make escape velocity?

Spaceplanes seem like a good idea. Did that program get cancelled? I don't know how cheap it would be, but it seems like there's been enough work done on the idea, I bet it works on paper, which puts it ahead of everything else we're talking about.

 

[Gulo Blue]

Adamantium is heavy though.


What about horizontal launch vehicles? Going almost straight up takes an enormous amount of thrust, but what about spaceplanes and such that take off from runways and don't need as much thrust to make escape velocity?

I feel like we someone should be able to estimate the density of adamantium because Wolverine weighs something like 400 lbs. Don't know how to guess the tensile strength.

Edit: I was wrong. He's 300 lbs with the adamantium, 200 without. A powerized human skeleton fills a 6" cube according to someone on an archaeology website. That's 45kg in 0.0035 m^3 = 12,700 kg/m^3 which is about 50% more dense than steel. I think it's safe to say the tensile strength is much higher than steel, so the strength to weight ratio is higher. The carbon nanotubes that could get the job done have a better strength to weight ratio by a factor of 300. Adamanitum is 50% more dense, so if adamantium was 450 times stronger than steel, it could get the job done.

 

[Michchamp]

thumb... you win. you win the politics section, and the entire board as far as I'm concerned.

that was the funniest thing i've seen on the internet in a long time, maybe ever.

I'd go make a thread about it, but I don't want to embarrass you.

ha.

damn that's funny. I scrolled through the whole thing slowly too, and then was like "Why is Jesus in this... Oh hahahahaha"

 

[Michchamp]

I feel like we someone should be able to estimate the density of adamantium because Wolverine weighs something like 400 lbs. Don't know how to guess the tensile strength.

Edit: I was wrong. He's 300 lbs with the adamantium, 200 without. A powerized human skeleton fills a 6" cube according to someone on an archaeology website. That's 45kg in 0.0035 m^3 = 12,700 kg/m^3 which is about 50% more dense than steel. I think it's safe to say the tensile strength is much higher than steel, so the strength to weight ratio is higher. The carbon nanotubes that could get the job done have a better strength to weight ratio by a factor of 300. Adamanitum is 50% more dense, so if adamantium was 450 times stronger than steel, it could get the job done.

this entire post is garbage compared to what Thumb posted.

 

[Gulo Blue]

this entire post is garbage compared to what Thumb posted.

So I take it that's the 1st time you've seen that.

Here: http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism
You might like a few things on that link.

 

[Michchamp]

So I take it that's the 1st time you've seen that.

true.

maybe I need to visit more places on the internet than my "lib" blogs, lawyer blogs, news sites, and this goddamn board.

but either way, I'm happy.

 

[Gulo Blue]

true.

maybe I need to visit more places on the internet than my "lib" blogs, lawyer blogs, news sites, and this goddamn board.

but either way, I'm happy.

I was too slow with the edit, but I linked such a place. Actually, I think there's a better one, but I'm trying to remember where it's at.

edit: The 1st link will have more stuff like that picture. http://www.reddit.com/r/TrueAtheism will have more serious discussions.

 

[Michchamp]

I was too slow with the edit, but I linked such a place. Actually, I think there's a better one, but I'm trying to remember where it's at.

edit: The 1st link will have more stuff like that picture. http://www.reddit.com/r/TrueAtheism will have more serious discussions.

ah. I've avoided reddit, as well setting up an RSS feed for a while. Not sure why. I guess I just get enough content/news the way it is.

 

[Gulo Blue]

ah. I've avoided reddit, as well setting up an RSS feed for a while. Not sure why. I guess I just get enough content/news the way it is.

Reddit can be pretty dumb. It's hit or miss and worth a search when wikipedia isn't the right thing to turn to.

 

[Michchamp]

Reddit can be pretty dumb. It's hit or miss and worth a search when wikipedia isn't the right thing to turn to.

i heard bad things about reddit (namely some dumb things their editors did, and then the whole fiasco where they misidentified suspects to the Boston bombings) before having any experiences there, positive or negative, so I figured it wasn't worth my browsing time.

 

[Gulo Blue]

i heard bad things about reddit (namely some dumb things their editors did, and then the whole fiasco where they misidentified suspects to the Boston bombings) before having any experiences there, positive or negative, so I figured it wasn't worth my browsing time.

Different topics draw different types of people. I think pretty much anyone can start a subreddit on whatever they want, so there's quantum physics and there's Toddlers and Tiaras (I presume). On the rare occasion I post something to the michigan board that didn't come from MGoBlog, there's a good chance it came from
http://www.reddit.com/r/cfb
or maybe (but probably not)
http://www.reddit.com/r/uofm/