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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2016 - 03:11pm PT
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Clinker-
I guess we're talking about "what's hard?" For Slick, there are lots of women involved! ;-)
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Apr 30, 2016 - 03:57pm PT
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Lots of things that have benefited man have come from NASA and the Apollo program.
My favorite is the computer microchip: modern microchips descend from integrated circuits used in the Apollo Guidance Computer.
It's hard to calculate the return on investment. Some NASA boosters say it's as high a 7 to 1. But even if it's 2 to 1. It's probably better than the majority of public spending. Infrastructure and education probably have return. But lots of spending has no return.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2016 - 05:08pm PT
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Going to Mars is no longer a conceptual challenge but now is an engineering problem. My plant chemical engineer at the executive council meetings always had the same answer, when asked if he could build an XYZ system: sure, all it takes is time and money. That's exactly where we are now , w/r to Mars.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Apr 30, 2016 - 06:26pm PT
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Maybe. Radiation shielding may also turn out to be more than a simple engineering problem depending on how much shielding mass is involved.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2016 - 09:06pm PT
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SpaceX returning the Falcon 9 to Hawthorne, CA as a yard ornament in front of their facility. This is one humongous rocket!
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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What a massive pain in the ass to move something that big so far over surface roads...
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JC Marin
Trad climber
CA
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How bout all them first ascents just waiting for us on mars...and maybe david bowie will be there...
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
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More super duper PROGRESS in commercial space flight early this morning.
(1)
(2)
Three engine reentry successful landing... a first.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - May 6, 2016 - 07:58am PT
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To see the latest launch and first stage landing webcast, go to the SpaceX website:
http://www.spacex.com
This is a significant milestone in reducing the overall cost of space access. No more use it once and throw it away $65 Million rockets.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Will be interesting to see which launch will re-use one of the recovered stages.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - May 6, 2016 - 04:45pm PT
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Healyje-
I watched an interview a few weeks ago of Elon Musk, where he discussed offering a discount satellite insertion for $45 Million instead of the normal $65 Million, provided the booster was one previously used. Don't know if there have been any takers.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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I wonder what the actual cost is to re-use a rocket. Besides the fuel, that'd be same as the new one. What is the cost to render one of the used rockets re-useable? Can't be that much, relatively speaking.
Also, a used rocket may be MORE RELIABLE in many regards, than a new, un-tested one.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Yep. Kinda like 'burning it in'.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - May 7, 2016 - 06:57am PT
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The ESA (European Space Agency) and Roscosmos State Corporation of Russia have postponed the launch of their ExoMars mission from 2018 to 2020, due to contractor delays in construction of the planned rover and other science packages.
Who knows? Maybe Elon Musk will be there awaiting the arrival of the delayed rover and science mission?
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Who knows? Maybe Elon Musk will be there awaiting the arrival of the delayed rover and science mission?
Musketeers?
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - May 7, 2016 - 05:05pm PT
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SpaceX has scheduled a test of their Falcon Heavy rocket for later this year, in November. It consists of 3 Falcon 9 FT first stages strapped together, and will become the heaviest lift US rocket since Apollo V vehicle.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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May 18, 2016 - 09:18am PT
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Space Radiation Risks for Astronauts on Multiple International Space Station Missions
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The IOM noted in their 2001 Safe Passage report [48] and re-affirming an earlier SSB report [49], “Until the radiation hazards to astronauts can be controlled or otherwise mitigated by physical shielding, a 1998 National Research Council report states, ‘long-duration space travel should be postponed (SSB and NRC, 1998)’. Even if an effective physical radiation shield is developed, it in no way diminishes the need for clinical study, including monitoring of crewmembers’ exposures, long-term medical follow-up, and the development of preventive medical treatments to make astronauts more resistant to deep space-induced radiation damage”. In reviewing the NASA PELs [1], which stated the career radiation limit of 3% Risk of Exposure Induced Death (%REID) at the 95% confidence level (CL), the NRC noted [10], “The committee strongly recommends that the permissible exposure limits specified in the current NASA radiation protection standards not be violated to meet engineering resources available at a particular level of funding.” These external safety recommendations to NASA [10], [48], [49] were focused on deep space missions, however it is shown in this report that similar concerns hold for multiple or long-term (1 year or longer) ISS missions especially for missions near solar minimum were dose-rates dominated by GCR can approach 1 mSv/day and about 2-fold higher than missions near solar maximum for similar ISS altitudes.
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