Should NASA be given more operating money?

[sinkoman]

This thread has convinced me to take up some sort of Astronomy major.

Well, not convinced me, but i'm really really considering it now. I've always thought space was ****ing awesome, and looking at pictures of it is deff one of my favorite things to do. If anything, it's better than checking "undecided" for a third semester.

(don't remind me of all the physics and math courses i'll probably end up failing before I realize this isn't a good idea)

 

[Ennui]

Space is awesome, the huge amount of physics and math you need to learn in order to seriously work in space-related fields is considerably less awesome.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Space LANparties? I THINK SO.

 

[sinkoman]

Space LANparties? I THINK SO.

This raises the question, have any astronauts ever had a wank in space?

Which subsequently raises the question, was it ostensibly mo? Or by virtue of being the world's first space-cum, does the universal law of "nohomo" become applicable?

 

[Escaep]

This raises the question, have any astronauts ever had a wank in space?

Which subsequently raises the question, was it ostensibly mo? Or by virtue of being the world's first space-cum, does the universal law of "nohomo" become applicable?

I'd imagine it'd be difficult without any friction.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

They don't coat astronauts in teflon before sending them into space. Friction still exists up there.

 

[Solaris]

I'd imagine it'd be difficult without any friction.

lol moron

 

[Warped]

more pics!!

This new atlas features 30 proplyds, or protoplanetary discs, that were recently discovered in the majestic Orion Nebula using the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/ESA and L. Ricci (ESO)

One of several new protoplanetary discs, or proplyds discovered in the Orion Nebula, 170-249 is one of the bright proplyds that lies relatively close to the nebula’s brightest star, Theta 1 Orionis C. The tadpole-shaped tail is actually a jet of matter flowing away from the excited cusp. The objects are so far away that even with Hubble's keen eye, they appear blurry. Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble and L. Ricci (ESO)

pretty cool stuff, as we speak planets are forming far far away

 

[Escaep]

lol moron

lol iwastotallybeingserious.

 

[kupocake]

This raises the question, have any astronauts ever had a wank in space?

Which subsequently raises the question, was it ostensibly mo? Or by virtue of being the world's first space-cum, does the universal law of "nohomo" become applicable?

Little know fact: In the mid noughties, ISS astronauts were tasked with seeing if it was possible to knock one out whilst thinking about a list of approved celebrity women.

They found that, in space, no one can hear a guy scream "Kirsten ****ing Dunst!" Which is probably for the best since you're going to be in close confinement for some time.

 

[Tyguy]

the pilots who flew during the moon missions had a LOT of free time...i would have stayed naked the entire time

 

[TheHamster22]

Yeah, that'll be useful.... not. We could do all of the experiments we already did over again!

Ahha, but going to the moon IS useful!

You see the moon has vast quantities of helium-3 on its surface which has been deposited there via solar winds. And why is helium-3 so great?

Well, because it is a potential fuel for fusion power generation on the earth which produces no extra neutrons (e.g. cleaner, no radioactive material produced essentially).

Also on top of that it means we won't have to rely on lithium refining to produce tritium for the fusion reaction currently considered the most favourable, lithium is fairly rare on the Earth and everyone will want it to power their electric cars too soon enough. (I think I've read somewhere that lithium is also used for desalination plants, and its pretty harsh on the environment not to mention the future demand for desalination plants due to the lack of fresh water!)

On top of that you actually get a small energy gain of 1MeV per reaction over that of the tritium + deuteron reaction.

So to sum up: He-3 is good because: Cleaner, more abundant and produces more power.

Bad because: It's on the moon ;(

So come on fellas we all know that moon base > mars base. Whats on mars anyway? Iron filings?

 

[dream431ca]

I kinda agree with Burt Rutan on this subject. Check his talk on TED.com. Long story short: the private sector has to do it. Governmental organizations like NASA or ESA will be slowly faded out of the process.

That's a very scary thing. If Nasa becomes private then I can see a pretty big economical mishap. What should happen is a bunch of countries create their own space exploration unit and merge together rather than relying on Nasa to do everything. That would be the best way to go.

 

[Warped]

This Hubble photo of 30 Doradus was taken Oct. 20-27, 2009. The blue color is light from the hottest, most massive stars; the green from the glow of oxygen; and the red from fluorescing hydrogen. Credit: NASA, ESA, and F. Paresce (INAF-IASF, Bologna, Italy), R. O'Connell (University of Virginia, Charlottesville), and the Wide Field Camera 3 Science Oversight Committee

image looks awesome!! need wallpaper?? yes!

 

[Warped]

This wide-field view of the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), lying about 1350 light-years from Earth, was taken with the VISTA infrared survey telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. The new telescope’s huge field of view allows the whole nebula and its surroundings to be imaged in a single picture and its infrared vision also means that it can peer deep into the normally hidden dusty regions and reveal the curious antics of the very active young stars buried there. Credit: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA. Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit

looks sweet, also i would have posted this in the image thread but we hit 5000!

Live video feed of shuttle repairs

 

[DEATHMASTER]

"curious antics"