Pretty much all the good links I ever post come from Neil Gaiman's website. I could start "The 'Interesting, Neil Gaiman Related News' Thread" Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Just to point out, Ennis's results on homeopathy have been pretty much debunked. Here's the BBC trying to replicate her experiment for the Randi prize (and I think other people have tried, too, and if they have none have managed to reproduce her results in a supervised fashion): http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s827502.htm#transcriptPosts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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As for the New Scientist article, yeah, that was really interesting. I've actually been waiting for my print copy of the issue that contains this article, because I didn't think it was available online. I've been feeling all tantalized when I've seen the headline for that article on the cover of the magazine (in their "this week's issue" photo that's always in the sidebar on their site). I'm glad I was wrong.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Somehow I have difficulty in believing the bit about this not being a test of a weapons system designed to forcibly decommission satellites.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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DART appears to be a re-make of the old OMV (Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle) that was canceled in the late 80's. It's a great idea, and about time!
What NASA seems to have gotten away from is the mechanical interface on the front. The OMV was designed with the ability to change out various payloads, using a quick-disconnect. It could be fitted with a three-clawed grapple set designed to mate up with receivers built in to the back end of the Hubble. It could also attach to a Robonaut (Flight Telerobotic Servicer) payload, or to a large, spinning capture-hand (with a 15-20 foot span) to grab errant satellites.
Oh well, better late than never.
Posts: 1862 | Registered: Mar 2000
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The newly confirmed NASA administrator Michael Griffin will reconsider a rescue/repair mission for orbiting Hubble telescope! Yay!
quote:[during his confirmation hearings] Regarding a possible shuttle mission, Griffin noted the decision made by his predecessor, Sean O'Keefe, not to send a manned spacecraft to service the telescope "was made in the immediate aftermath of the loss of Columbia. When we return to flight it will be with essentially a new vehicle, which will have a new risk analysis associated with it.
"At that time I think we should reassess the earlier decision in light of what we learn after we return to flight," he said.
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Odd that the unhealthy side-effects of inhaling moondust haven't been widely mentioned until now. And apparently, snorting marsdust would be about as nasty as snorting Drano.
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Anybody know how high MUBLCOM is orbiting? Cuz if it's in LowEarthOrbit, DART gave it one hellacious bump to boost the trajectory 5.5kilometres/3.4miles to 9.25km/5.75mi
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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So, it's a really, really big comet that doesn't get close enough to the sun to ignite? Kinda like Pluto?
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Evaporate rather than ignite, but yeah, seems like Pluto is just another BIG comet along with the other Cubewanos and Plutinos.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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A day passes and yet another transNeptunian object. This one is definitely bigger than Pluto, even if one assumes that it bounces light as well as the most reflective natural object in the SolarSystem. Apparently it is bright enough to be seen through high-end amateur telescopes.
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Wow, a tenth planet! I'm so excited! I wonder what they'll name it, and if the IAU will give their stamp of approval to the proposed name?
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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BTW, calling an object a planet is somewhat debatable. There is no sharp dividing line between an asteroid, planetoid, huge comet and a planet, especially Pluto, which many astronomers don't consider a planet. But it seems only logical that if an object is bigger than Pluto, it should be called a planet. The estimate for the diameter of 2003 UB313 is 3000 km, bigger than Pluto's 2,320 km.
If it was up to me, I would say that no object smaller than Pluto should be called a planet. Pluto should be the lower bound, and might as well be called a planet as it has been for the last 75 years.
Hmmm, some want to demote Pluto to planetoid status. BBC link While the idea has some merit, I bet it won't be popular enough, to the general public or to astonomers, to work, at least for the foreseeable future.
If many more larger-than-Pluto Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud objects start popping up, that could change things. As well as give astrologers nervous breakdowns.
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Since many people don't like considering Pluto a planet, and this one is bigger than Pluto, maybe it can replace Pluto as our beloved ninth planet?
My Very Excellent Mother Just Showed Us Nine _____? The possibilities are endless.
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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No, I think we're stuck with Pluto due to it's long history of being called a planet.
quote:"If we were starting anew, undoubtedly Pluto wouldn't be labelled a planet," Professor Iwan Williams, of the IAU, told BBC News Online.
"But we have almost a 100 years of culture that says Pluto's a planet. So the IAU will set up a working group to try to ponder the imponderable."
from my BBC link above
That's a good mnemonic. I always liked the one for star types: Oh, Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me.
O is the hottest group of stars, our sun is G, M is the coolest and smallest. Originally, the types were alphabetical according to temperature, but the early assumptions were wrong and they had to be reordered, with some letter types thrown out as irrelevant. The old labels stuck--much like the planet label sticks to Pluto.
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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quote:If many more larger-than-Pluto Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud objects start popping up, that could change things. As well as give astrologers nervous breakdowns. [Wink]
waitaminnit, we have Oort clouds? You mean Thread is coming???? How long do we have to build stone and metal shelters? And where are our dragons?
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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It's relatively new news, unless I'm mistaken. I read about it yesterday, or maybe the day before, I think; I just haven't been posting as many sciency type links lately.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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A couple neat space books I've been reading:
The Grand Tour: A Traveler's Guide to the Solar System, 3rd edition by William K. Hartmann and Ron Miller. Like the title says, a tour of the solar system, looking at planets, moons, asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, etc. Neat facts, good explanations, some photos, and great scientific illustrations -- what it'd be like to look at Jupiter from one of its moons, what it'd be like to be in Saturn's atmosphere and look up at the rings in the sky... neat!
Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth by Andrew Smith. The author interviews the 9 surviving astronauts who landed on the moon. What the experience was like, what their lives have been since then... really interesting stuff, though it helps a lot to already know a lot of space history. And the author's style is pretty annoying -- sorta New Journalism/Rolling Stone-ish, he tells you way too much about himself (like, he'll tell you what he had for breakfast before he met with one of the astronauts). But if you can skip over that stuff, it's a fascinating book.
Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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The Saturn system is really weird. Take a look at Hyperion.
Okay, the surface is gonna take some explaining, but at least I can come up with a few ideas that might work.
But Hyperion's density of 60% that of ice leading to the NASA site's explanation of "a rubble pile consisting of 40% void" just doesn't work. Rubble would pack much tighter, leaving no room for that much void
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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