JoeSchmuckatelli

I'll admit to some nervousness about our pace of flight. On the one hand, its fantastic. On the other, I hope Falcon and associated launches are basically running as a nearly completely autonomous group that isn't under the pressure to develop SS. So long as they're getting the rest they need, the rockets are getting the Q&A work done properly and no corners are being cut - I think its fine for Falcon to do Falcon things and the SS group to push as hard as they feel necessary. But if there is bleed-through, where the SS development stress is affecting the Falcon program... Color me a bit anxious.

Starship to stand on the shoulders of Saturn V and Shuttle at 39A - NASASpaceFlight.com Details some of the construction plans at 39A

Yeah - that's a big part of the message. The 'fish are hard to catch' thing they mention will be solved... and then that layer likely depleted. Hmmm. I was looking for a solution she could do in-house, where she could print stuff for herself and her friends. Going the route you suggest is likely good for later, when she's hitting really top end stuff. I'm just trying to give a talented middle-school kid a way to take stuff off the computer and into the 'real' world.

That got a laugh - thanks!

Totally random question: If I buy a cheap photo printer - will that print graphic arts projects better than my color inkjet? (My daughter is a pretty talented artist - and the inkjet doesn't capture some of the detail she can do with her Wacom).

I had to zoom in real close - but you can see they used Clamp-o-Tron JR attached to the station.

In the sense of "if we can use a catapult, why not a crossbow" it is fantastic satire. Spinlaunch is one of those 'are you cereal' kind of things.

Wow - not at all how I guessed that would go. I kind of thought you'd have gone down a MOND path, where photon mass would make MOND more relevant than hopeful. Shows I have a heck of a lot of reading ahead of me! Thanks!

I know the etymology. And Musk's affinity for the green stuff. It's why I'm slightly concerned it may be a thing.

Probably true - but look at current theoretical alloys for inspiration: Theoretical prediction of high melting temperature for a Mo–Ru–Ta–W HCP multiprincipal element alloy | npj Computational Materials (nature.com) An alloy that retains its memory at high temp | EurekAlert!

Can we have the Project Orion engine as an enormously expensive low tech solution that gets quickly obsolete? Too many people seem to be fascinated by this, compared to what it actually accomplishes as a tech.

Don't you think that once you have the materials science ability to manufacture metallic hydrogen, you would need also have the additional knowledge to use it? From what I can see, you are unnecessarily gimping the ability of your future space farers. Like you require them to use today's materials science with tomorrow's super sauce. Not sure that's fair.

Yeah, but Musk likes to get cute from time to time

This. I just don't understand the fascination with Orion. Even when I first discovered it was possible through reading Niven and Pournell's Footfall in 1985 - I just never found it appealing. Even in the novel it was an act of desperation strategy rather than a cool, smart way of doing space.

420? Crap. You don't think they are setting first flight for April, now, do you?

@K^2 et.al. (hope you will entertain a hypothetical): If researchers discovered that photons actually do have mass would the implications of the discovery affect Relativity or the Standard Model more?

Don't forget that the dreamers do, occasionally, stumble upon something brilliant that no one else did.

Didn't we already go through the limits of the thermobaric once before?

True. One of the odd things I've noticed is that Nature has experimented with giantism a few times and keeps correcting to smaller, more efficient forms. Certainly, giant dinosaurs were around for a very long time - but there at the end, it was already evident that smaller dinosaurs were becoming more prevalent. Similarly, giant mammals roamed the earth, but those that survived are currently smaller than even their cousins from time before the pleistocene

That's one of those problems where some writer is trying to impress the reader with the amazing property of spider silk - and trying to analogize bug scale things to human scale... Except for the fact that it doesn't work that way.

For those interested - a little known bit about the ocean's carbon cycle. Also of interest to fans of Submarines and sonar

You should see the one on New Madrid. Fascinating... And missing part 2 (angry face emoji). Hoping they will publish 2 soon - its really good!

Found this fascinating: It's about a unique type of volcano - one not found along tectonic plate margins - located at the Chinese / NK border. Scientist's access to the region in the last few decades rewrote part of the science of plate movements and contribute to understanding things like the Siberian Traps and other non-plate margin volcanoes (that differ from Mantle-Plume volcanoes like Hawaii and Yellowstone. Worth a watch: and something @steve9728 might find interesting

From Oamuamua, yes a crossbow should work

@Spacescifi should look at this graphic: that would make the toilets work! Which brings up a whole host of 'interior reshuffling' that would have to happen. Example: The seats used for launch would be oriented so that in the 'artificial G' config, you'd have to lay back in them - so they'll need swivels for the space ride to be useable. or just fold out into a bed.