Blowing shit up in outer space (1012 hits)
Category: Science & EnvironmentalRating: 0.38 on 24 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by TheSpook (View user info) at 2005-07-07 14:59:35 EDT
Space exploration is a very interesting thing to me. I find it amazing that so much more exists beyond our already giant planet. I also find it amazing how we go about exploring and researching the final frontier.
According to this story, fireworks erupted in outer space for the Fourth of July.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/07/05/deep.impact.ap/index.html
Joint NASA / ESA's Deep Impact spacecraft traveled 268 million miles in order to collide with the comet Tempel 1. This "research" project involved building a small space probe, aiming it at a comet, and smashing into it at 23,000 mph. According to scientists, this endeavor will tell us "the secrets of the solar system".
"The energy produced from the impact was equivalent to exploding five tons of dynamite and it caused the comet to shine six times brighter than normal."
Because the best way to learn about an unexplored object is to shoot explosives at it and see what happens. Despite being one of the coolest things ever, it's also a giant waste of time. I wonder how much time and money was spent paying engineers and these so-called scientists to design and execute such a flawless collision? Why the hell am I working here? I could be shooting things in outer space!
"The Deep Impact mission brought the world together in an excellent opportunity to make a new step into the advancement of cometary science,"
Advancement eh? I can think of nothing more advanced than loading the biggest fucking potato gun ever and firing it into the depths of the solar system. What did they do after they smashed it? Took pictures of course. This will help us in the future by proving that after you smash into something at 7 times the speed of sound, a bunch of shit flies around. It also proves to us that, craters do, in fact, exist.
I love how people try to justify this as some sort of great achievement. By portraying this as some kind of scientific journey, they practically have to come up with some bullshit account of support evidence.
"What did we learn form this ordeal?"
"Things, especially things that are shot, will explode in space."
"Terrific! Let's load up another potato...err probe just to be sure."
If scientists ever discover any comets soaring towards mother Earth anytime soon, at least we can have faith in shooting missiles at it.
User Reviews
Submitted by Doneupandin (user info) at 2005-08-07 19:08:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Bitch.
Submitted by Doneupandin (user info) at 2005-08-06 12:19:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Proving once again that you suck at life. Way to go homo the assclown.
Submitted by kai070169 (user info) at 2005-08-03 13:12:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
this was boring, dude.
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2005-07-08 13:19:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I like how you consider yourself intelligent and have posts with pictures of planets with peeners.
Your superior intellect sure shines through brightly on this website.
Submitted by Duke_Diggler (user info) at 2005-07-08 12:54:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I love how all of you blue collar pieces of white trash pretend you actually have viable degrees from anything other than a community college. You make me laugh. HAHAHA
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2005-07-08 08:43:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I have an engineering degree.
Fortunately, I also have a sense of humor and reading comprehension skills.
Submitted by Duke_Diggler (user info) at 2005-07-07 17:51:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
You are a fool. As an engineer, I can tell you that it is a great achievement to be able to intercept a celestial body moving at the speed of a comet. And the ice/dust conglomerate samples that were collected are very valuable to understanding how earth formed.
STFU and die you stupid, poor, blue-collar piece of shit.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:40:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Teephphah (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:26:20 (#)
Ranking: 2
Another +2 for Tim's gratuitous use of "glavin" in this oh-so-nerdily-appropriate setting.
Submitted by Wiggles (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:28:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by Professional_Peon (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:10:44 (#)
Ranking: 1
What will happen when Bruce Willis is too old to save us all?
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Then Affleck will just have to take one for the team.
Submitted by Wiggles (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:27:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
NASA is useless. I live right down the road from Kennedy Space Center, and I don't give a shit what it does to the "local economy", I say shut down NASA. One of the biggest wastes of money, labor, and resources in the history of mankind. Sure, it's interesting shit, but what's the point? We could probably wipe out homelessness in North America with that kind of cash, and with the amount of effort going into the space program diverted to alternative energy research, we could probably end our dependence on fossil fuels within the next 30 or 40 years.
Submitted by c1ndy (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:22:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I'm going to do that
Submitted by Professional_Peon (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:10:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I heard it cost something like 300 million to fund... And that's what the Russian woman is suing for.
Even though it's all scientificky and all I am highly against blowing shit up in space. From what I understand they didn't blow it up, just blew a chunk off. What worries me is what happens in 50 years (or however long it takes for the comet to come back around) and the trajectory is altered from our little 'Deep Impact' project. After slingshotting around the sun it ends up heading straight for earth.
You know it will, just because the name 'Deep Impact' was "coincidental." We have officially asked for trouble.
What will happen when Bruce Willis is too old to save us all?
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:09:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Next time I poke fun at something, I'll make sure to warn you dorks that it's just a joke.
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:06:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by InsoManiac (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:53:50 (#)
Ranking: -2
Dont be so ignorant. If you had READ that article, or the many articles preceding this event, you would have realized, if your mind could comprehend it, that there really were many scientific studies going on with this. You cant exactly go to a comet, collect a sample, and bring it back. But you can, however, go to the comet with a probe, and see whats inside. Do you know how to penetrate the surface of a comet that is moving at 23,000 miles per hour? You cant exactly pull an Armaggedon-style landing on it. That was a movie. This is the real world. You HAVE to smash into it.
Duh.
Thank you, ignorant business major.
Submitted by android (user info) at 2005-07-07 16:05:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Also, reportedly this very comet will be heading straight for our planet somewhere down the road. Atleast the scientist will be able to understand what it's made of and blow it up if need be. If your so concerned right your congressman.
Submitted by InsoManiac (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:53:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Dont be so ignorant. If you had READ that article, or the many articles preceding this event, you would have realized, if your mind could comprehend it, that there really were many scientific studies going on with this. You cant exactly go to a comet, collect a sample, and bring it back. But you can, however, go to the comet with a probe, and see whats inside. Do you know how to penetrate the surface of a comet that is moving at 23,000 miles per hour? You cant exactly pull an Armaggedon-style landing on it. That was a movie. This is the real world. You HAVE to smash into it.
Duh.
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:45:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I don't find it trivial, I just find it funny.
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:34:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I've been to that crater, it's the Wilcox Crater, in Northern Arizona - it's pretty. freaking. big.
Submitted by Teephphah (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:26:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Another +2 for Tim's gratuitous use of "glavin" in this oh-so-nerdily-appropriate setting.
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:17:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
its definately not as trivial as you think.
try aiming something at somethign else that its not going to hit for several years. and by t hings are going at 70times the speed of sound. and you hvae asteroids and gravity and space time and martians and glOOoOavin! to deal with and shit. but mostly gravity.
so you aim this one thing at this other thing almost 5 quadrillion meters away. 300 billion miles.
5,000,000,000,000,000 meters.
and you hit it.
and from the collision, you can find out what the other thing was made out of, something that nobody knows. you can find out how old it is, something that nobody knows. you can find out where it came from (maybe).
its cool.
plus you get to shoot shit in space, which is very cool.
Submitted by Teephphah (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:13:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
There was an article on Drudge yesterday. Some psychic in Russia is attempting to sue NASA for blowing up the comet. She claims it will effect her horoscopes.
I'm not kidding.
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:10:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Fuck. I had a whole picture post on this nearly complete. Was gonna post today, until al Qaeda and London made news in such an unfortunate way.
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:04:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
70 times the speed of sound, that is.
Submitted by Sphagnum (user info) at 2005-07-07 15:03:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Good call.