Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - Super Irish

Pages: 1 ... 171819 2021 ... 201
541
Serious / In two weeks, the Cassini Spaceprobe will burn up over Saturn
« on: September 01, 2017, 05:52:37 PM »

YouTube


Unless you've been absent since April, this has been going around newsfeeds and the internet at large that the Cassini spaceprobe (as part of the Cassini-Huygens probes) is soon to end it's mission in a blaze of glory by hitting Saturn's upper atmosphere at ~110,000km/h (or ~120,000km relative to Saturn's centre). It was launched in 1997 and completed it's original mission objectives by 2008, and has since been on two extended missions since that lasted until about now. Cassini's Grand Finale mission began in April 26th this year, when its orbit around Saturn took it between the gas giant and the rings, making it smaller and more elliptical. That is, until it takes its 22nd and final orbit, its periapsis will take it into the atmosphere, causing it to tumble and burn up.

A brief overview of the Cassini-Huygens mission:

Quote
(Source: Science Overview)

Before Cassini, we had only brief glimpses of the discoveries awaiting us at Saturn. Pioneer 11 and Voyagers 1 and 2 conducted flybys decades ago, taking pictures, measurements and observations as they zoomed past. These missions shed new light on Saturn’s complicated ring system, discovered new moons and made the first measurements of Saturn’s magnetosphere. But these quick encounters didn’t allow time for more extensive scientific research.

Cassini changed all that. It began the first in-depth, up-close study of Saturn and its system of rings and moons in 2004. It became the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, beginning a mission that yielded troves of new insights over more than a decade. The Saturnian system proved to be rich ground for exploration and discoveries, and Cassini's science findings changed the course of future planetary exploration.

"We're looking at a string of remarkable discoveries -- about Saturn's magnificent rings, its amazing moons, its dynamic magnetosphere and Titan's surface and atmosphere," said Linda Spilker, Cassini's project scientist. "Some of the mission highlights so far include discovering that Titan has Earth-like processes and that the small moon Enceladus has a hot-spot at its southern pole, plus jets on the surface that spew out ice crystals, and liquid water beneath its surface."

 
Studying Saturn’s Many Moons
Some of the most surprising scientific findings have come from encounters with Saturn’s fascinating, dynamic moons. Cassini's observations of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, have given scientists a glimpse of what Earth might have been like before life evolved. They now believe Titan possesses many parallels to Earth, including lakes, rivers, channels, dunes, rain, clouds, mountains and possibly volcanoes.

The data from the Cassini spacecraft and the European Space Agency's Huygens probe, which plunged through Titan's dense, smoggy atmosphere to land on its surface in 2005, have generated hundreds of scientific articles and been the subject of special issues of the world’s most important scientific journals.

Enceladus, too, proved to be a rich source of discovery. The spray of icy particles from the surface jets forms a towering plume three times taller than the width of Enceladus itself. Cassini confirmed that the plume feeds particles into Saturn's most expansive ring, the E ring. The spacecraft has come as close as 15 miles (25 kilometers) from the moon's icy surface during its investigation, revealing the presence of a global subsurface ocean that might have conditions suitable for life.


Extending the Mission
The Cassini mission has seen two mission extensions, allowing for more flybys, investigations and measurements, over a longer span of time. When its initial four-year tour of the Saturn system was complete in 2008, the Cassini-Huygens saga had brought a new dimension of understanding to the complex and diverse Saturn system.

The two-year Cassini Equinox Mission brought continued excitement. During that first extended mission, the spacecraft made 60 additional orbits of Saturn, 26 flybys of Titan, seven of Enceladus, and one each of Dione, Rhea and Helene. The Equinox mission allowed for observations of Saturn's rings as the sun lit them edge-on, revealing a host of never-before-seen insights into the rings' structure.

Since 2010, the spacecraft has conducted a second, seven-year-long, extended mission called the Cassini Solstice Mission. This final mission will conclude with a phase known as The Grand Finale -- 22 deep dives between Saturn's cloud tops and innermost ring before it plunges into the giant planet's atmosphere.

First and last (most recent) viable images taken by Cassini

Taken: Feb. 20, 2004 1:11 AM
Received: Feb. 22, 2004 12:42 AM
The camera was pointing toward DIONE, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters.


(Saturn centred)

Taken: Feb. 20, 2004 2:59 AM
Received: Feb. 22, 2004 1:06 AM
The camera was pointing toward SATURN, and the image was taken using the CL1 and MT2 filters.



Taken: Aug. 31, 2017 2:50 PM
Received: Sep. 1, 2017 4:41 AM
The camera was pointing toward SATURN, and the image was taken using the MT2 and CL2 filters.



As of now, it's <700,000 km/<400,000 mi from Saturn, travelling at ~28,700 kmph/~17,800 mph relative to Saturn, and will cross the rings of Saturn for the final time in 14 hours and 20 minutes.

Since the original video release in April I've been using stills of the video above for my desktop, and was awaiting some form of NASA livestream to "watch" it - sure there'd be nothing more than a diagram of it's trajectory until it blipped off the proverbial radar and stopped transmitting data, but it was something at least. However, plans got in the way and now it's unlikely I'll be keeping up to date until a few weeks later. So I thought hey, why not make a thread on the thing.

There's not really a point of discussion here, so I'll leave you with this from the FAQ;

Quote
FAQ
Was it always planned that Cassini would end its mission by plunging into Saturn, or did this decision come about recently?

The preferred end-of-mission plan for Cassini has always been to safely dispose of the spacecraft in the upper atmosphere of Saturn. The exact “when” and “how” of the mission’s conclusion has evolved over the years as the scientifically productive mission has been granted three extensions by NASA. The current “Grand Finale” scenario – to send the spacecraft on a series of orbits between the planet and its rings -- has been part of the mission plan since 2010 and was developed in detail over the past four years.

Could microbes really have survived onboard Cassini for this long in space? Is this truly a concern that influenced the decision to deorbit into Saturn?

Based upon exposure experiments on the Space Station, it is known that some microbes and microbial spores from Earth are able to survive many years in the space environment– even with no air or water, and minimal protection from radiation.  Therefore, NASA has chosen to dispose of the spacecraft in Saturn’s atmosphere in order to avoid the possibility that viable microbes from Cassini could potentially contaminate Saturn’s moons at some time in the future.

Why is it safe to dispose of a spacecraft by burning it up in Saturn’s atmosphere? Are we polluting Saturn? What about the possibility of life there?

Disposing of Cassini in Saturn’s atmosphere is safe. The spacecraft will enter Saturn’s atmosphere at high speed and will burn up like a meteor. Any spacecraft material that survives atmospheric entry, potentially including its radioisotope fuel, will sink deep into the planet where it will melt and become completely diluted as it mixes with the hot, high-pressure atmosphere of the giant planet. Saturn’s atmosphere does not have conditions that would be favorable to life as we know it, according to evaluations by the Committee on Space Research of the International Council for Science.

With the "Grand Finale" being planned to prevent the risk of microbial contamination from Earth to potential moons orbiting Saturn, do you think we should have more regulations on space-waste like this? Even missions like the rovers on Mars with what knowledge we have today have that risk we may have to consider in future, whereas missions like Rosetta on the 67P Comet don't matter if you slam a probe into it.

542
The Flood / Re: Road Trip
« on: August 30, 2017, 08:23:18 PM »
I dunno, like 8-10 hours over 2 days.

Driving between birthplace and visiting cousins in Ireland, ended up sleeping in the car.

Reeeeaaaaally uncomfortable.
Sleeping I the car, oh how I have become used to it.
Wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't have to sleep upright, but the car was packed with crap.

543
The Flood / Re: Road Trip
« on: August 30, 2017, 08:17:38 PM »
I dunno, like 8-10 hours over 2 days.

Driving between birthplace and visiting cousins in Ireland, ended up sleeping in the car.

Reeeeaaaaally uncomfortable.

544
The Flood / Re: What are the worst 'boos?
« on: August 30, 2017, 06:57:40 PM »
I didn't even know there was more than 2.


545
The Flood / Re: have you ever been in a car crasH?
« on: August 30, 2017, 07:06:30 AM »
Only ever caught in a bus crash. Old fogie drove his tiny Ford Ka into the side while not looking at a junction. We didn't even realise until the bus driver stopped and told us to hop out.

546
The Flood / Re: next anarchy when
« on: August 29, 2017, 06:42:38 PM »
5th November.

Bring out the V for Vendetta banner again, and it's back in business.

547
Gaming / Re: Streaming - Dark Souls LIVE NOW
« on: August 29, 2017, 05:26:43 PM »
You guys are missing some serious Flee Puppy pictures right now.

548
The Flood / Re: why do I get flak for posting fun things
« on: August 29, 2017, 02:47:25 PM »
Sucking dick under a highway for meth is not "fun".

549
This is the srs bidness board.

550
The Flood / Re: CHALLY! Chally are you proud of me?!?!
« on: August 29, 2017, 09:12:42 AM »
Good man.

551
The Flood / Re: Games of Thrones Season 7 finale tonight
« on: August 28, 2017, 06:16:33 PM »
Spoiler
- Normal Dragon has orange flame, with some sort of pressure-furnace brewing in it's stomach (based on fire exploding out the dragon after getting javelin'd).

- Zombie dragon has a hotter blue flame, despite i) having a rupture in it's fire chamber/stomach and ii) will be decaying the whole time making shit like wings and chambers of FIRE useless.

Really when the zombie dragon tried to let rip on the wall, he should have fucking exploded or at the very least burnt himself to death.
 

The fact that zombies can walk and swing weapons without any muscle tissue should clue you into the notion that wights are powered by handwavium magic.

Eh, some amount of hand waving is expected but not when they made a point of it in the last episode.

552
The Flood / Re: Games of Thrones Season 7 finale tonight
« on: August 28, 2017, 05:46:05 PM »
Spoiler
- Normal Dragon has orange flame, with some sort of pressure-furnace brewing in it's stomach (based on fire exploding out the dragon after getting javelin'd).

- Zombie dragon has a hotter blue flame, despite i) having a rupture in it's fire chamber/stomach and ii) will be decaying the whole time making shit like wings and chambers of FIRE useless.

Really when the zombie dragon tried to let rip on the wall, he should have fucking exploded or at the very least burnt himself to death.
 

553
The Flood / Re: Worse thing you've done to someone
« on: August 28, 2017, 05:08:50 PM »
Flirting with this girl that had a crush on me for a few months and I didn't pick up. Confided to her first that I like her friend, and dated her instead.

I felt like a soul crusher a few months later after we broke up, and started thinking back on the whole thing.

554
The Flood / Re: Going to see my super duper Christian ex-gf
« on: August 27, 2017, 08:34:04 AM »
You going for a Hatred look?

A good black leather trenchcoat with lots of straps is what you need. Oh and pockets for all the guns n grenades.

555
Hold up.

You're saying one of the planets closer to the than Earth will just move to the outer rings to say hi to a gas giant, transfer it's (almost entirely atmospheric) heat through the vacuum of space to make hydrogen just float away from the second largest gravity well in the solar system?



Spoiler
There's gotta be more fantasy science in there, but that alone would be some cool sci-fi shit to see.




556
The Flood / Re: what are you drinking tonight
« on: August 27, 2017, 06:37:04 AM »
Guinness, maybe some tequila slammers thrown in.

It's gonna be a fuzzy bank holiday.

Edit - It was very fuzzy indeed. Lost my tequila by the wayside, but got a kebab. Small victories.

557
Gaming / Re: What's the earliest game you remember?
« on: August 23, 2017, 06:52:28 PM »
Either Gran Turismo (Winner of the 1999 "Best Graphics" according to PlayStation Official Magazine);


Or Wipeout 3/Destruction Derby 2 (as part of a combo pack). All 3 on PS one (the original playstation's "slim" version)
Spoiler


Before that, my older cousin had a gameboy (not sure which version, it was purple), and I tried to play Rayman on it but the batteries were out, so every time I turned it on I only got to the intro screen before it turned off.


558
The Flood / Re: When is deci going to come back
« on: August 23, 2017, 03:17:50 PM »
Give it two months, that's usually how long it takes for him to have "changed".

559
The Flood / Re: Things that should be free that aren't
« on: August 22, 2017, 05:54:29 PM »
Contraceptives
Stuff for the disabled, mentally or physically (drugs, counselling, wheelchairs/prosthetics, etc)

I'll think of more later.

560
The Flood / Re: Is it your own responsibility to avoid spoilers?
« on: August 22, 2017, 07:01:59 AM »
Somewhat.

If you know your friends have seen it and are the spoiler-blurting type, you'd avoid Facebook. If a website is known for spoiling things just for the sake of it, obviously it's on you to avoid the site if you want to watch it unspoiled. If you're really into the show and browse fansites or wikipedias, etc, I'd avoid those too to be on the safe side since it's expected to be up-to-date there.

It's not on everyone else to control what they spill if you've failed to keep up, or that you get in a raging fit about a show you apparently care deeply about but not enough to take some precautions if you aren't able to watch it on time. It's a courtesy for others to mark spoiler tags or warnings, but it shouldn't be expected.

561
Winona Ryder wouldn't be blowing dudes under the highway with drugs, now would she.

562
The Flood / Re: Can you sleep well in a strange place?
« on: August 20, 2017, 09:06:15 PM »
I can sleep anywhere except cars.

Sitting upright in a seat trying to sleep is uncomfortable.

563
The Flood / Re: Oh no
« on: August 20, 2017, 06:09:20 PM »
>It's spreading to 4chan

That's the campaign fucked then. Anti-natalism will become the next icon of white supremacy.
/pol/ and /lit/ have been friendly with the idea for quite a while actually
Well I was joking tbh but...

Holy shit.

564
The Flood / Re: Oh no
« on: August 20, 2017, 04:57:20 PM »
>It's spreading to 4chan

That's the campaign fucked then. Anti-natalism will become the next icon of white supremacy.

565
The Flood / Re: People say I am crazy for taking this job.
« on: August 20, 2017, 08:02:49 AM »
I hear the US has great insurance plans (among other things) by working offshore, even if the work schedule is strenuous, somewhat more dangerous, and different than most.

You offshore from the US or further afield? Angola, Cameroon and Nigeria are up-and-coming resources these days.
US. My platform is in the GoM.

My employer gives us the choice of what ever insurance we want. And they pay 80% of the monthly premium.

Shit that's great.

One of my lecturers taught a module on Health and Safety, and got fucking screwed over by insurance when he got in a plane crash between rigs in the 80's. Survived fine, but no insurance payout or possible claim because of some loopholes at the time.

566
The Flood / Re: People say I am crazy for taking this job.
« on: August 20, 2017, 07:31:38 AM »
I hear the US has great insurance plans (among other things) by working offshore, even if the work schedule is strenuous, somewhat more dangerous, and different than most.

You offshore from the US or further afield? Angola, Cameroon and Nigeria are up-and-coming resources these days.

567
The Flood / Re: I had a fucking adventure today
« on: August 20, 2017, 06:44:38 AM »
Christ alive, get fucking tested for hepatitis.

568
The Flood / Re: Public speaking
« on: August 18, 2017, 06:53:14 PM »
Apparently I'm good at it, but I hate doing it.

I need good preparation beforehand though. Trying to talk about a subject I know I don't know streses me out, then the audience know too, and that makes my jitters worse.

Not great with the eye contact part, but I can the rest of it down if I work at it. I don't know if I fidget in the talks I've done, but most the time I've been pointing towards something on the presentation so I can hide it that way.

569
The Flood / Re: would you let me rub your feet
« on: August 17, 2017, 09:47:54 PM »
Only if you're good at it.

Also, alcohol.
I'm a pro dw

and YES

I want to get so drunk I forget what I say

please make fun of me please

Why? Get pissed and have fun, maybe the locals will laugh.
I like it when people talk down to me

not even sexual like some people think, it gives me validation

Nah you're good.

Spoiler
NOT WORTH IT ANYWAY

570
The Flood / Re: would you let me rub your feet
« on: August 17, 2017, 09:25:27 PM »
Only if you're good at it.

Also, alcohol.
I'm a pro dw

and YES

I want to get so drunk I forget what I say

please make fun of me please

Why? Get pissed and have fun, maybe the locals will laugh.

Pages: 1 ... 171819 2021 ... 201