What is Digg?131 Comments
- AlaskaLoneWolf, on 01/09/2009, -4/+103Ok, I don't get it, where's the Starbucks?
- DearSergio, on 01/09/2009, -2/+59I love the ISS! It represents a wonderful unity of the human race, added with the pinnacle of technology. It's truly amazing.
- jcpudd, on 01/09/2009, -4/+49They should have taken the "Big 3" bailout and put the money into this. Get some photon torpedo tubes or phasers on this puppy!
- inactive, on 01/09/2009, -1/+38Ion Cannon is in construction.
- CrazyCarl22, on 01/09/2009, -0/+30This is not a waste of resources, we need to keep researching and space is the frontier. The ability to work at constant freefall (zero g) is a amazing research method.
- fcrow, on 01/09/2009, -0/+23This is one slideshow I don't hate, very well done sir.
- bpwrinn, on 01/09/2009, -5/+26"Proposed final configuration"? I hope not!
- Cojafoji, on 01/09/2009, -1/+21Yes, yes. I know we all want DS9 (Terok Nor), but we've got to settle for this for now. Still pretty freaking awesome though.
- RogerStrong, on 01/09/2009, -0/+19My guess: Lack of docking experience.
With all those solar panels and radiators extending out from the ISS, and the Mir collision in recent memory, the Americans and Russians are understandably sensitive about this.
While the European were new at it with the ATV, their docking system design would have been heavily audited, examined and certified by the Americans and Russians - it's unlikely that the Chinese would allow this level of inspection and oversight. The ATV also had the Russian system to fall back on. And it was a necessary risk.
When SpaceX's Dragon arrives at the station it won't dock; it'll be berthed. That is, it'll fly near the station, and a robot arm on the station will reach out, grab it, and attach it to a docking port. This sort of thing could bruise Chinese national pride. And again, the Dragon is being heavily audited, examined and certified by NASA.
The orbital module on Shenzhou gets seperated before the reentry burn for use as docking target for later flights. But so far, they haven't tried it. - inactive, on 01/09/2009, -1/+18This is one of the few worthwhile things humanity is currently working on.
BTW, why aren't the Chinese involved with this project? It seems like a good way to bring them even further into the international community, and to help in funding and expansion of the project. - aparatoc, on 01/09/2009, -1/+17Dugg for Chron.com
- timothycrash01, on 01/09/2009, -0/+12Dude - it's 2009. If you still haven't read / heard of all the everyday life benefits of space exploration, then you better start reading and catch up with the rest of us.
http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/spinoff/database
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/spin ...
You know - before the entire globe had been travelled, the 'known' world also had problems. Do you really believe they should have waited till every disease, political problem, etc. was solved before they built a long range sailing vessel. New environments and new challenges always create solutions to old problems. It's been proven time and time again throughout history. The more we learn about energy, propulsion, weightlessness, our atmosphere (weather, etc.), let alone the entire universe, the more capable we become in solving bigger and bigger problems. - RogerStrong, on 01/09/2009, -4/+16It's no surprise, the way congress manages the project.
If you keep making politically motivated changes to the design - AFTER construction starts - costs go up.
If you add a series of shuttle flights to Mir - at a $billion each - costs go up.
If the State Department is worried about unemployed Russian scientists being hired by Iran, you get ordered to add Russia to the project. A whole new level of management in ANOTHER LANGUAGE, in a time zone on the other side of the planet is added. Costs go up.
If you change the planned orbit to one with a much higher inclination so that the Russian Soyuz can reach it, you don't get as much boost from the rotation of the earth. The payload capacity on the shuttle is suddenly a third less. Modules need to be redesigned. Modules that would have gone up in one launch now need a seperate launchs for the interior and exterior furnishings - at a $billion a launch - plus spacewalks to install those furnishings.
If you add a bunch more partners - so now your hardware is being built by different teams in different languages and it all has to work together - costs go up.
If you design and successfully test the emergency earth return vehicle, THEN cancel it in favor of buying more Soyus flights, costs go up.
If Congress adds their own riders to the ISS budgets before they're passed, so that the ISS budget includes everything from road building in Alaska to a fisheries research center on the east coast, costs go up. - Nidy1, on 01/09/2009, -0/+11Just to put things in perspective, if the War in Iraq never happened and that money instead went to the space program, we could have head 5+ more of these in space. Just putting that out there.
- inactive, on 01/09/2009, -1/+12Yeah, we should spend the money on paying fatass government bureaucrats to sit on their asses pushing pencils all day instead.
If we followed your short-sighted advice, the pilgrims would have never left England for the New World, because "we still haven't fixed England's problems yet."
How stupid are you? - gabron, on 01/09/2009, -0/+10Space and military spending make money, not waste money. The vast majority of daily conveniences have their roots directly or indirectly tied to the billions of dollars we dump into to the general advance of technology. The economy feeds off the brainpower that this budget buys. Simply put, the poor would be more poor and worse off if we didn't enhance technology to improve and make more efficient building materials, insulation, energy sources, computers, etc... It raises the standard of living for everyone, its an investment, not to be used as a per diem for a select group of people.
- RogerStrong, on 01/09/2009, -0/+10Don't expect it to be deorbited.
It's responsible of them to have pland for deorbiting it when they're finished with it. And since they only plan ahead x years, they deorbit plans are for right after x years. But like Galilao, Cassini, the Mars rovers and other projects, if it's still running, they'd probably continue to fund it. - inactive, on 01/09/2009, -1/+11Probably one of the coolest stories I've seen on Digg.
- RogerStrong, on 01/10/2009, -0/+10The Europeans supplied a lab and plenty of other equipment. The Node 2 module, the hub of the station, was built in Italy. So was the Node 3 module, and the Cupola. Shuttle resupply missions use the Italian-made logistics modules.
The first European ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle), Jules Verne, had a very successful mission last year. It delivered pallets of equipement for the various labs. More are coming.
Japan supplied the largest lab, taking three launches to deliver. The first Japanese HTV transfer vehicle will launch later this year to resupply ISS.
Canada supplied the robot arm, hands, vision system and related equipment.
And of course the Russians supplied a couple major modules. They launch crews to the station on Soyuz spacecraft, which also act as the lifeboats. Thier Progress automated freighters are used for resupply.
Yeah, it really is that international. - chronopublish, on 01/09/2009, -0/+10I disagree. I want to see a war in space in my lifetime.
- jbmcb, on 01/09/2009, -0/+9Because the Chinese don't OEM space ships, they have nothing to copy for half the price. Apparently having spies in the JPL isn't quite enough for a decent space program.
- inactive, on 01/09/2009, -0/+9It looks expandable to me.
- PRlME, on 01/10/2009, -1/+9where are the lasers?
- PNooch, on 01/09/2009, -0/+8And furthermore, will I have free wi-fi while I sip my latte?
- Verdanic, on 01/10/2009, -0/+8That's what she said.
- armakaryk, on 01/09/2009, -0/+8iss is like a giant, expensive lego kit. yeah, you could put it together like it is on the box and just leave it, but wheres the fun in that? youre compelled to play around with the pieces, maybe even add a few more.
- anillop, on 01/09/2009, -0/+8Obviously you don't know how much money it costs to put things into orbit.
- BoneheadFarker, on 01/09/2009, -0/+8Gotta start somewhere. Remember the space station segment of the Enterprise opening theme? That's the IIS...
- RogerStrong, on 01/09/2009, -0/+7We'll ALWAYS have problems on earth.
The money and resources spent on space exploration are insignificant compared to what's spent on wars, organized sports, alcohol, etc.
In the’70s the USAF calculated that using satellites to conduct weather reconnaissance saved $100,000 a day over the cost of flying airplanes to get the job done.
"We've spent $35 or $40 billion on the space program. And if nothing else had come out of it except the knowledge that we gained from space photography, it would be worth ten times what the whole program has cost. Because tonight we know how many missiles the enemy has and, it turned out, our guesses were way off. We were doing things we didn't need to do. We were building things we didn't need to build. We were harboring fears we didn't need to harbor."
- President Johnson - Defenestrator09, on 01/10/2009, -0/+7I really hope people like you are just trolls. If not, I weep for humanity
- CreamySmooth, on 01/10/2009, -0/+7why cant all the money for wars and ***** like that go towards amazing projects like this. Space is amazing, I wanna know what the hell lies out there. Imagine if all the money for wars and ***** in the last 10 years was put into space research. Im sure the results would be incredible.
- freebird09, on 01/10/2009, -0/+7some MK III turbolaser batteries were slated for early 2010 if I remember correctly...
- RogerStrong, on 01/09/2009, -1/+7Why not?
- inactive, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6The only construction site you won't ever hear catcalls. Ever.
- Drazzim12, on 01/10/2009, -0/+6Why? Is that when Rapture occurs? Sorry, I can never keep track; the date keeps getting pushed back.
- maximilen, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6And the vodka bar?
- yngtimmy, on 01/09/2009, -1/+7Where's the holodeck module?
- super_spyder, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6would you want to go in a module made in China?
- goalieguy314, on 01/10/2009, -0/+6Thank you. Well said sir.
- wit21, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6It's cool, but will it stand up to Dominion attack? I don't think so...
- dkybruce, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6the only major paper that 'gets' the web.
- inactive, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6ah, the i.s.s., the last thing that doesn't make me say the human race is going straight teh hell.
- jbmcb, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6Why not? The next few add-ons don't look that impressive because the thing is almost finished. In the last two years alone it practically doubled in size.
- HumanNouveau, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5I'll grant there could be more, but I hear about cool new stuff in the medical field every day, to name just one field where people are working hard and doing cool things together on an international level.
- FolkTheory, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5the cupola is awesome! how much would i pay for an hour or two in there (more than i have)...
- SneakyNinja, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5Seriously?
- kjajames, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5Do you really think humanity can fix our problems? All we have done here on this planet is kill each other and destroy our environment. Unless we have our minds busy on something productive, we will find some reason to hate one another. I think we need space more than anything right now.
Space exploration represents a huge mountain in which the whole world can work together to climb. Humans have explored the entire planet and now we are fighting over who gets what resource. Why not just work at expanding our reach and maybe work on a mars backup plan, if, you know, humans up and destroy earth by war or other means. - sexybobo, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5as do I. But i want the big weapons to be on US satellites not a satellite with Russians on it.
- RogerStrong, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5Oh really? Then where does the other 97% come from? Bake sales?
- anagoge, on 01/09/2009, -0/+4If there's no Jadzia Dax I'm not going.
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