Space Exploration

Are NASA's future missions and budget justified?

  • It's worth the time and expenditures

    Votes: 223 66.0%

  • Complete waste of money

    Votes: 41 12.1%

  • We need to explore, but not at the current cost

    Votes: 74 21.9%
  • Total voters
    338
#3,953
#3,953
An interesting Hubble photo of a gravitationally lensed galaxy 9.4 LY away. Even though there is a bright galaxy near the center of the photo it is actually being lensed by a group of galaxies. The magnification caused by lensing is about 20X. Hubble only has a 2.5M mirror but the lensing effect gives the image the equivalent of a photo taken with a telescope with a 48M mirror. Even though several galaxies have been lensed this is one of the most detailed ones found to date. Spiral arms can actually be discerned. I can't wait to see what the JWST has in store for us.

Astronomers Study ‘Molten Einstein Ring’ in Detail | Sci-News.com


image_9147-Molten-Ring.jpg
 
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#3,954
#3,954
Hunerwadel said:
An interesting Hubble photo of a gravitationally lensed galaxy 9.4 LY away. Even though there is a bright galaxy near the center of the photo it is actually being lensed by a group of galaxies. The magnification caused by lensing is about 20X. Hubble only has a 2.5M mirror but the lensing effect gives the image the equivalent of a photo taken with a telescope with a 48M mirror. Even though several galaxies have been lensed this is one of the most detailed ones found to date. Spiral arms can actually be discerned. I can't wait to see what the JWST has in store for us.

Astronomers Study ‘Molten Einstein Ring’ in Detail | Sci-News.com


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Agree.

But they still need to find a way to save Hubble. It truly is a national treasure.
 
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#3,966
#3,966
I watched William Shatner, Jeff Bezos and a few unknown rich people ride a crude rocket into "space" today and then fall back to earth and semi-crash land under a few parachutes. Nothing even close to what SpaceX has done, but I found it comical how the TV news minion was hailing this as a monumental moment when ordinary people can travel to space. At the price of $250,000 for an 11 minute ride, I'm apparently pretty low class and far from ordinary.
 
#3,967
#3,967
VolStrom said:
I watched William Shatner, Jeff Bezos and a few unknown rich people ride a crude rocket into "space" today and then fall back to earth and semi-crash land under a few parachutes. Nothing even close to what SpaceX has done, but I found it comical how the TV news minion was hailing this as a monumental moment when ordinary people can travel to space. At the price of $250,000 for an 11 minute ride, I'm apparently pretty low class and far from ordinary.
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Remember, air travel was an expensive, largely short(er) range method of travel until the 1950s or so. But the technology continued being refined and costs were driven down over the long term.

What Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are doing right now does seem insignificant in the "big picture" way of thinking. But they are the small steps that need to be taken before the next logical steps.

Having said that to say this, SpaceX certainly has cranked it up to 11. While BO and Virgin are messing around with the proverbial Curtiss Jenny, they are building the 747.
 
#3,968
#3,968
Grand Vol said:
Remember, air travel was an expensive, largely short(er) range method of travel until the 1950s or so. But the technology continued being refined and costs were driven down over the long term.

What Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are doing right now does seem insignificant in the "big picture" way of thinking. But they are the small steps that need to be taken before the next logical steps.

Having said that to say this, SpaceX certainly has cranked it up to 11. While BO and Virgin are messing around with the proverbial Curtiss Jenny, they are building the 747.
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The rest are lucky that SpaceX is largely sticking to their lane. Right now they could completely monopolize private space going measures with how far ahead they are. Musk is leaving the competition room and niches to fill.
 
#3,969
#3,969
LouderVol said:
The rest are lucky that SpaceX is largely sticking to their lane. Right now they could completely monopolize private space going measures with how far ahead they are. Musk is leaving the competition room and niches to fill.
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I think Elon Musk completely understands the concept of "free market" and knows more competition will drive down prices over the long run. While he'd probably love to corner the market on launch systems, there are areas he's kind of "ignored" to an extent. Like the cube and small sat delivery systems. Honestly, the Falcon 1 would have been ideal for such a thing especially if they were able to make the first stage reusable. (No reason that couldn't have been done) But they seem content to just do the "ride share" thing with other payload and let other companies take that specific set of launch criteria on.

So, it's not just the space tourism thing they are "allowing" other groups to join the competition, it's other areas as well.
 
#3,970
#3,970
Grand Vol said:
I think Elon Musk completely understands the concept of "free market" and knows more competition will drive down prices over the long run. While he'd probably love to corner the market on launch systems, there are areas he's kind of "ignored" to an extent. Like the cube and small sat delivery systems. Honestly, the Falcon 1 would have been ideal for such a thing especially if they were able to make the first stage reusable. (No reason that couldn't have been done) But they seem content to just do the "ride share" thing with other payload and let other companies take that specific set of launch criteria on.

So, it's not just the space tourism thing they are "allowing" other groups to join the competition, it's other areas as well.
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Agreed.
 
#3,972
#3,972
VolStrom said:
I watched William Shatner, Jeff Bezos and a few unknown rich people ride a crude rocket into "space" today and then fall back to earth and semi-crash land under a few parachutes. Nothing even close to what SpaceX has done, but I found it comical how the TV news minion was hailing this as a monumental moment when ordinary people can travel to space. At the price of $250,000 for an 11 minute ride, I'm apparently pretty low class and far from ordinary.
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Being weightless for a few minutes would be pretty cool.
 
#3,974
#3,974
VolStrom said:
I'm sure it would be. I guess the more "ordinary" people that have $250k for an 11 minute ride are lucky.
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There’s also the view. The rush at liftoff. Plus the notoriety. Played well, many could re-coop a lot of that $250k. Something like 600 people in history have left the planet that over 100 billion have lived on. Captain Kirk might have been gifted his ride, but he’s back in the spot light and should get millions more in endorsements had he just faded away in his 90s.
 
#3,975
#3,975
VolStrom said:
I watched William Shatner, Jeff Bezos and a few unknown rich people ride a crude rocket into "space" today and then fall back to earth and semi-crash land under a few parachutes. Nothing even close to what SpaceX has done, but I found it comical how the TV news minion was hailing this as a monumental moment when ordinary people can travel to space. At the price of $250,000 for an 11 minute ride, I'm apparently pretty low class and far from ordinary.
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The MSM completely over looked "regular" people who orbited higher than the ISS for 3 days and raised several million for St. Jude a couple of weeks ago.
 
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