Space Exploration

[jksmith269]

OK On the eve of our return to space I thought I would see what everyone here thinks about our exploration or lack there of, of space.

First I'm very glad to see the shuttle go back to space. I was living in Coco Beach when the Challenger exploded and was outside watching the launch when it happened. Now after what happened to the Columbia I think its more important than ever to get back on the Bike as the saying goes. And I pray that this mission goes off with out a hitch.

Second, On July 4th we crashed a probe into a Asteroid; which I think is a very risky thing to do. I mean all these flying rocks have paths that they have been following for ever and who are we to potientially alter that course without knowing exactly what would happen and if it would change the course. I mean if you alter its course just a foot how many other objects will you alter as a result of this?

Lastly, Do you think there is life out there? I don't believe in the theroy of Evaloution but I do think there is life out there. God never said we where alone. I mean with all the stars and planets out there why couldn't there be?

I don't know about any of you but I find it amazing when looking at the stars, and our world at the beauty God created Its just amazing.

 

[Qwickdraw]

It's really all mind boggling to say the least when you attempt to fathom the vast exspanses and infinite numbers of galaxies in space. So much so that I think a person of average intelligence is not able to even grasp the simpler concepts of it.

I have always been a big follower of the space exploration programs and JPL missions, etc. I witnessed a lauch while living FLA also and my cousin is a scientist with NCState University so I have had access to and witnessed some neat experiments, telescopes, etc. I wonder how many here have actually seen the moon when it is a quarter lit by the sun through a 20" or more mirrored telescope. It is breathtaking and you will never look at the moon the same again.

I was flabbergasted on July 4th when we impacted a comet on the "Deep Impact" mission. Not because of my views on it but because it hardly received any news coverage whatsoever. No one on this board even mentioned it. I was watching it live on NASA TV over the net and it was PHENOMENAL to say the least. It was a complete success. Whether you agree or not with the experiment, you should at least be able appreciate the amazing feat itself and that mankind is able to execute such experiments with incredible accuracy using math, etc. The comet was 80 million miles away, 9 miles across in size, and was traveling at a speed of 26,000 mph and we were able to nail it with in a meter of our target spot! I just get ticked off because by and large, people are more concerned with what's happening on "Amearican Idol" tonight or what shirt goes with their Louis Vatton handbag than they are with what is "out there" and what it may mean about our own existence and our future.

Just a sidenote... though it may sound like someting from Hollywood, many believe this latest experiment colliding with a comet is an attempt to learn about our ability to destroy one should we ever need to to protect our own planet. NASA has a threat level ranking system for comets and asteroids, etc. that will pass near Earth in the future. You can view these levels and their respective asteroids on their website as well as chart their positions in the sky now and in the future. I found one in my research that looks like it might pose a major threat to the planet in 2040 by passing dangerously close or even making impact with Earth. Believe or not but it's interesting none the less. Go see for yourself sometime.

Here's a picture from the flyby craft that jetisoned the impactor (a copper disc, 300 lbs, the size of a washing machine) into the comet and proceed to turn and take pictures of the impact that followed. There are also pictures available at nasa.gov and the jpl website taken by the impactor itself as it was overtaken by the speeding comet. Amazing...

http://img338.*************/img338/6341/121575mainhri9375161dr.jpg

Just a few months ago we landed a probe on one of Saturn's moons, "Titan" (The Cassini-Huygens mission). They received pictures of the landing and from the surface on a high res camera during the mission as well as studied the surface properties, etc. Why Titan? Because it is very similar in appearance and size, etc. to Earth. By exploring these worlds we may find liquid water present elsewhere someday. The presence of liquid water would mean a presence of oxygen and thus a high possibility for sustaining life. Not only would this be a step forward in discovering other lifeforms but we could extract oxygen from liquid water to provide to colonies, etc. on other planets therefor creating the ability to sustain human life.

 

[jksmith269]

I think its amazing it took 6 mos for the probe to reach the Asteroid but only 6 minutes for the pictures to reach earth. If we hope to ever do deep exploration we need to develope new propulsion systems that can go much faster.

As for the "Deep Impact" I think it was very cool I just hope they took all the probabilities from doing this into consideration before hand. Such as how much of its course will it actually change. Also I don't know if this had secondary reasons such as you said being able to destroy one if we needed to but I wouldn't put it past the Military.

 

[Doomsday101]

I have always supported NASA and the work they do.

Little side note, As a kid my little league coach worked for the Houston Post and did a news story on me trying out space food (This was back in the early 60's) 25 years later they came back to do a new interview. I guess that was my 15 min of fame

 

[joseephuss]

I love that the shuttle is going back up tomorrow. Space exploration is a way of studying ourselves. Whether it is by using telescopes or actually launching probes, we gather history and knowledge that can help us.

We need to develop new technologies for space exploration. The shuttle itself is out dated. Heck, by the time they actually got the first one launched the technology was old. The shuttle also has never been very efficient. It is like using a Mercedes to do the work of a pick up truck. It is time to get to the next generation of flying vehicles. Private developments such as Space Ship One are what is going to take us that next step. Fascinating stuff.


What do you not believe in regards to the theory of evolution? Is it all facets of the evolution or just the a few parts? It just looks pretty clear that man has evolved. There are definite physical differences between present day man and cro-magnon man. Pehaps we aren't descended from monkeys or lung fish, but there has been a development in our physical features that can be seen through the generations.

 

[Qwickdraw]

I think its amazing it took 6 mos for the probe to reach the Asteroid but only 6 minutes for the pictures to reach earth. If we hope to ever do deep exploration we need to develope new propulsion systems that can go much faster.

As for the "Deep Impact" I think it was very cool I just hope they took all the probabilities from doing this into consideration before hand. Such as how much of its course will it actually change. Also I don't know if this had secondary reasons such as you said being able to destroy one if we needed to but I wouldn't put it past the Military.

You have to realize that these comets, etc. impact all sorts of debris throughout their travels that are much larger than what we deployed. I'm not saying that we shouldnt consider the ramifications but we probably hardly dented the object in comparison to other collisions it encounters naturally.

 

[DallasEast]

OK On the eve of our return to space I thought I would see what everyone here thinks about our exploration or lack there of, of space.

First I'm very glad to see the shuttle go back to space. I was living in Coco Beach when the Challenger exploded and was outside watching the launch when it happened. Now after what happened to the Columbia I think its more important than ever to get back on the Bike as the saying goes. And I pray that this mission goes off with out a hitch.

Not only do I believe that we should return to space, I think it's a necessity. By nature, humanity has always needed to explore the unknown. While there is still much to discovery here on Earth, space is the biggest, unexplored challenge that people have ever faced. And people, especially Americans, must tackle the challenges that confront them to prove themselves worthy in the grand scheme of things.

Second, On July 4th we crashed a probe into a Asteroid; which I think is a very risky thing to do. I mean all these flying rocks have paths that they have been following for ever and who are we to potientially alter that course without knowing exactly what would happen and if it would change the course. I mean if you alter its course just a foot how many other objects will you alter as a result of this?

If we hadn't hit it, something else would have (and will). The knowledge gained from the impact far outweighs the astronomical risk.

Lastly, Do you think there is life out there? I don't believe in the theroy of Evaloution but I do think there is life out there. God never said we where alone. I mean with all the stars and planets out there why couldn't there be?

I don't know about any of you but I find it amazing when looking at the stars, and our world at the beauty God created Its just amazing.

I know that there is life out there. I can't prove it, but I know.

Jodie Foster said it best in Carl Sagan's Contact--when her character, Ellie Arroway, stated, "I'll tell you one thing about the universe, though. The universe is a pretty big place. It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it's just us... seems like an awful waste of space. Right?"