What's the stupidest space-related thing you've ever heard someone say?

[SlabGizor117]

No, thank you. I absolutely understand the frustration some uneducated people might cause you, but I don't think it warrants ridiculing them.

As I said to another post about this, I have no real intention to, this isn't necessarily meant to make fun of them, I just wondered what replies I would get. I apologize for that, though, I didn't think of the perspective of the other end of the joke. I must say though, I'm impressed that you guys would say this, I kinda stole the idea from an askreddit question, but without the space related context, and there was none of this, "being nice" stuff...

So, thank you for reminding me, I try not to be rude, but I'm glad that you did remind me!

-Slab

[razark]

I'd like to see it explain the 50 other articles called "Science Proves We Landed on the Moon"

They're all taken in by/part of the conspiracy.

[SlabGizor117]

I sure hope these people weren't serious.

One can only hope.

[Bill Phil]

One of my teachers asked me the first american in space. I said Alan Shepherd. Apparently the question was asking for orbit.... I guess orbit equals space to most people, huh? I used to think so (way way waaaaay back then....) but I think we need more of a distinction.

Plus, more budget for space AND education.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Bill Phil

[SlabGizor117]

How about the American northeast blackout in 2003? ( thats a real. long exposure picture ) People freaked out at all these "lights in the sky" and some thought they were the cause of the blackout. They were stars...

Yeah, light pollution does crazy things. I live in the city, but my relatives are in the countryside of Georgia, and whenever me and my dad are outside at night, I'll always say, "Oh yeah! I forgot that Georgia has stars!"

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Oog. I volunteer at the local Science museum, and some of the people there were incredible. Let me reenact some short scenes.

Setting: Me, in front of a picture of Mars. To the side of the picture, there are large block letters that say "Mars," along with a brief description. A mother walks by, tugging her young child.

Mother: Look, Ben! This is the Moon!

Me: Actually ---

The mother walks away.

~~~

Setting: Me, next to a display of the Sun. A twenty-something woman stops in front of the display.

Her: Hey! How's it going?

Me: Fine. How are you?

Her: Good. Now, I think I know about the Sun pretty well. I just have one question.

Me: Yes...?

Her: Why does the sun go across the sky? Y'know, why does it rise and set?

I'm incredibly proud that I managed to keep a stiff upper lip and an even tone of voice as I gave her the explanation.

~~~

Setting: Me in front of a model of the International Space Station. A guy walks over.

Me: How are you today?

Guy: I'm doing alright. This is a satellite, right?

Me: Yes. It's actually the biggest satellite we've ever put up there. It's called the International Space Station.

Guy: Oh, right! I remember that from Gravity.

Me: Yep. That's the one.

Guy: Isn't it cool that there is no gravity up there? If you got even a little too far away from Earth, you would just keep going. You'd never come back!

Me: Um...

Setting: Same model of the ISS. Another guy walks up.

Other Guy: Hey! How's it going?

Me: Good, how about you?

Other Guy: I'm doing great. ...So this is the International Space Station, right?

Me: You're right! Very good.

Other guy: The one with people on it.

Me: Yes. The ISS has six people onboard right now!

Other guy: ...and that's where all of the outer-space communications are made from, right?

Me: Actually ---

Other guy: And where we send the shuttles to the Moon from! (gestures to the station's modules) So which one of these is a Moon shuttle?

Me: ...

Setting: Me in front of a giant model of the Earth. A couple walks up.

Me: How are you today?

Her: I'm doing good.

Him: Yeah, I'm doing alright, too.

(I'm not making the next part up.)

Him: Do you see that, there? (He points to the meteor crater lake in Canada. The large one.)

Me: ...Yes?

Him: Do you know what it's caused by?

Me: A long time ago, there was an asteroid that got a little too close to Earth. It fell through the sky as a meteor --

Him: That's what they're telling you. But it's wrong.

Me: ...

Him: That spot has a strange disturbance in the Earth's magnetic field. It's actually a giant UFO that's hidden underground.

Me: ...

Him: This UFO may rise out of the ground in the next fifty years. There's already tectonic activity and stuff over there.

Me:...

Yep, that happened.

It deeply troubles me that these people are the ones who are interested enough in science to actually visit a science museum. I'm probably dealing with a group that's smarter than average.

Although it hasn't been all bad. I've met some really intelligent people, including one who worked on the Apollo spacecraft, two astronauts, and a few KSP players. Nobody who recognized the Forum handle UpsilonAerospace, though.

-Upsilon

That's really cool, I would love to do something like that. I should look into volunteering at the science museum here, too! My grandfather worked on rockets too, I believe Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo! I think he worked on engines.

[razark]

One of my teachers asked me the first man in space. I said Alan Shepherd. Apparently the question was asking for orbit....

Shepard was neither.

Gagarin was both.

[SlabGizor117]

Shepard was neither.

Gagarin was both.

Im worrying myself with the fact that I didn't catch that o.o

[Bill Phil]

Shepard was neither.

Gagarin was both.

Correction: First AMERICAN.

[Whirligig Girl]

"Who invented Space?"

I then took the opportunity to describe the Karman Line, and how even before then it was known that air pressure drops off with altitude, and you'd eventually have a vacuum.

[EdFred]

So how much do some of you know about gardening, molecular gastronomy, metallurgy, steel detailing, knitting or a myriad of other subjects?

I bet it would be rather easy to find a number of subjects for any of you, where someone could make it seem like you were bumbling idiots as well.

Oh, wait Kasper already did that, didn't he?

[SlabGizor117]

So how much do some of you know about gardening, molecular gastronomy, metallurgy, steel detailing, knitting or a myriad of other subjects?

I bet it would be rather easy to find a number of subjects for any of you, where someone could make it seem like you were bumbling idiots as well.

Oh, wait Kasper already did that, didn't he?

Well spoken. You may know all about gardening, but I know all about ROCKET SCIENCE!! >

but seriously, I know very little about aerodynamics, as close as it is to "ROCKET SCIENCE!!".

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Darnit! Kerbal emotes strike again! *>:-D

[tygoo7]

"What's a planet?"

[Justy]

So how much do some of you know about gardening, molecular gastronomy, metallurgy, steel detailing, knitting or a myriad of other subjects?

I know the basics of some of what you've listed, and almost nothing about others. Heck, I had to look up "steel detailing." The difference is that while so-and-so knows it is an honest indisputable fact that we're sending shuttles to the Moon from the ISS, I understand that I don't know anything about steel detailing.

[Robotengineer]

So how much do some of you know about gardening, molecular gastronomy, metallurgy, steel detailing, knitting or a myriad of other subjects?

I bet it would be rather easy to find a number of subjects for any of you, where someone could make it seem like you were bumbling idiots as well.

Oh, wait Kasper already did that, didn't he?

And you've never been made to look like a bumbling idiot? I don't think anyone who believed the Forum hoax looked like a bumbling idiot, you really should know that some people take things at face value and/or don't have a strong sense of (cruel) humor. It is always good to know even a little about a variety of subjects rather than know all the knowledge on one subject and know nothing of anything else.

[CelticCossack51]

When I was in middle school, our social studies class had to do research on world religions. The group that was doing Sikhism said that it was connected to NASA...

[Roadkill]

The fact that he thinks that NASA's (pathetically small) budget should be given to the military and not the public school system makes me incredibly angry and sad at the same time. No wonder people have so many misconceptions about science and space, if our education system is being run by people like this.

I've seen more than one reference to NASA's budget in this thread. Google search show NASA's budget to be 18.4 billion. Is this figure accurate? And would you consider 18.4 billion to be "pathetically small"? The gross domestic product of 30+ African Nations are less than 18.4 billion. Do you think that they think that 18.4 billion is pathetically small?

[Cuky]

So how much do some of you know about gardening, molecular gastronomy, metallurgy, steel detailing, knitting or a myriad of other subjects?

I bet it would be rather easy to find a number of subjects for any of you, where someone could make it seem like you were bumbling idiots as well.

That is true.

But, at least in my case, when I don't know something and I am interested in knowing more about it I as questions however dumb I may look asking them. What I don't do is assert things that are wrong about things I don't know anything about and cry when someone tries to correct me for being wrong.

[Yukon0009]

A few of my friends think I'm loony because I like spaceships.

[Technical Ben]

So how much do some of you know about gardening, molecular gastronomy, metallurgy, steel detailing, knitting or a myriad of other subjects?

I bet it would be rather easy to find a number of subjects for any of you, where someone could make it seem like you were bumbling idiots as well.

Oh, wait Kasper already did that, didn't he?

And how would you feel if someone asked "how do sheep knit jumpers anyhow?" Or "where do they get the pink sheep from for my jumper" or said knitting was fake as we all know jumpers come from cotton?

Granted, people do not do that with things they do know, but they often do it with things they do not know, sadly.

[Motokid600]

I've seen more than one reference to NASA's budget in this thread. Google search show NASA's budget to be 18.4 billion. Is this figure accurate? And would you consider 18.4 billion to be "pathetically small"? The gross domestic product of 30+ African Nations are less than 18.4 billion. Do you think that they think that 18.4 billion is pathetically small?

18.4 billion isn't the number to concern yourself with. It's 0.5%. That 18.4 billion is 0.5% of the federal budget. So yes. That is pathetically small. Your African nation comment is a straw man. Refraim from that.

[ShawnPhillips]

I've seen more than one reference to NASA's budget in this thread. Google search show NASA's budget to be 18.4 billion. Is this figure accurate? And would you consider 18.4 billion to be "pathetically small"? The gross domestic product of 30+ African Nations are less than 18.4 billion. Do you think that they think that 18.4 billion is pathetically small?

Considering the US Air Force Base I am stationed at has over 5 billion dollars worth of fighter jets on our flight line, 18.4 billion for all of NASA does seem fairly small.

[gmpd2000]

I've seen more than one reference to NASA's budget in this thread. Google search show NASA's budget to be 18.4 billion. Is this figure accurate? And would you consider 18.4 billion to be "pathetically small"? The gross domestic product of 30+ African Nations are less than 18.4 billion. Do you think that they think that 18.4 billion is pathetically small?

But when you compare:

It is pathetically small.

[SlabGizor117]

Considering the US Air Force Base I am stationed at has over 5 billion dollars worth of fighter jets on our flight line, 18.4 billion for all of NASA does seem fairly small.

Thanks for your service. What planes do you have there? F-16s are the only land based fighters I know and 5 billion dollars doesn't sound like any F-35.

[Superfluous J]

"Why don't we just toss all that nuclear waste into the Sun?"

I said that. On more than one occasion. And I even had an answer: If the ship blew up it'd rain nuclear fire down on us. I didn't know the REAL (or at least the OTHER) reason until I played KSP: It's actually really hard to hit the Sun.

[SlabGizor117]

"Why don't we just toss all that nuclear waste into the Sun?"

I said that. On more than one occasion. And I even had an answer: If the ship blew up it'd rain nuclear fire down on us. I didn't know the REAL (or at least the OTHER) reason until I played KSP: It's actually really hard to hit the Sun.

If it wouldn't take the national debt to do that, it'd be a good idea...