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One Small Step For Man, One Giant Mess In The Spacecraft

online.wsj.com — NASA is again shooting for the moon, but before a manned mission can get off the ground, scientists must solve a vexing technological challenge: dust.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 18, 2009

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  • waisosrs, on 07/18/2009, -3/+29I don't see how dust can be a problem considering the Moon is made of cheese.
  • TSK05, on 07/18/2009, -1/+24You ever try Cheetos?
  • Akraz, on 07/18/2009, -2/+20Uhh you're an idiot. They are trying to say they don't want it to be a problem again. Not that it's "hard". They want to avoid it.

  • jordantneff, on 07/18/2009, -0/+16I vote we bring water with us and make space mud. Problem solved.
  • Akraz, on 07/18/2009, -0/+9If i read your comment on shrooms, i'd probably die laughing
  • Dumbledorito, on 07/18/2009, -2/+10So is any diploma you might have in your possession.
  • pegothejerk, on 07/18/2009, -0/+7Not to mention that space dust is spectacularly more difficult to deal with than the earth-bound variety. It is super fine, abrasive, some even has electrostatic charge to it, which interferes with electronics, and it's clingy. Very clingy. But the article details a lot of the problems, so there's that.
  • AndrewSnook, on 07/18/2009, -0/+7I nearly did anyway.
  • SaladCactusKing, on 07/18/2009, -1/+8We went to the moon 40 years ago. Man the ***** up and do it again, NASA. Jesus. It's not like technology is worse or something.

    Take some goddamn risks like you did in the Kennedy decade. If we had kept it up, we would've been on Mars by now. Look at how long it took to launch Endeavor because of a little lightning. Jesus. of course there's risk of danger, it's shooting a GIANT VEHICLE STRAPPED WITH EXPLOSIVES INTO OUTER SPACE!
  • strangewill, on 07/18/2009, -1/+7Yeah it was a huge problem last time, and caused a bit of trouble with equipment.
  • TomGfromCanada, on 07/18/2009, -0/+6HELLO!!! Dustbuster?
  • localzuk, on 07/18/2009, -1/+7So coming up with technological solutions to do this, ie. providing jobs for college graduates jobs in a good number of industries, then providing manufacturing jobs for those inventions is a bad thing? Getting money invested back in the country is a bad thing...
  • fuzzybeard, on 07/18/2009, -0/+5Rockhound: You know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has 270,000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder. Makes you feel good, doesn't it?
  • PhoenixAvatar2, on 07/18/2009, -1/+6omg, that was pathetic.
  • inactive, on 07/18/2009, -0/+5Maybe you don't understand how important space travel is. You can be obsessed with your own pathetic little time on this planet, worrying about little economic crises, worrying about preserving the planet, but the fact of the matter is, one day the planet will die. One day the sun will burn out. If humans haven't mastered space travel by that time, then it is the end of our civilization.
  • PhoenixAvatar2, on 07/18/2009, -0/+5I KNO, WHERE'S THE FLYEING CARS?!?!? WE SHOULD HAV THEM NAO!!!
  • fuzzybeard, on 07/18/2009, -0/+4Bring some sugar, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and marshmallow filling too; then we could have Moon Pies!
  • Dougman82, on 07/18/2009, -0/+4@jgzman:

    The "same solution we used last time" was get the visors all scratched up, get dust particles in the astronauts' lungs, and risk damaging the integrity of the astronauts' spacesuits.

    There was no solution before, it was a problem that we simply dealt with, even though there was risk involved. Right now, they're trying to come up with a solution with which those problems can be avoided.
  • irkalla, on 07/18/2009, -1/+5Really? You don't believe the moon landings happened because we haven't figured out how to replicate 4 billion years worth of micro-meteor impacts that occur at over 30,000 miles per hour?

    And if NASA DID faked it, why the hell would this be an issue to begin with? So they're clever enough to fake the Moon landings on a sound stage, but not clever enough to come up with a solution to a problem which (by your logic) was invented by them to begin with?

    Yeah, that totally makes sense.
  • regulan, on 07/18/2009, -0/+3Hmmm lets think about that for a moment. What does the world need right now...... JOBS. The last time we went to the moon it took about 400,000 people. It seams that pumping money into something like a moon shot that could in theory make more jobs would be a good thing in today's economy.
  • hypodan, on 07/18/2009, -0/+3how is moon lamding formed?
  • lordmike, on 07/19/2009, -0/+3Wensleydale, Gromit?
  • MWeather, on 07/19/2009, -0/+3A human being on Mars would collect more data in a day than Spirit and Opportunity have in 5 years.
  • inactive, on 07/18/2009, -0/+3Email this to NASA, you'll be hired on the spot.
  • Dumbledorito, on 07/18/2009, -3/+5It sucks that our leading scientist in this area, Billy Mays, is no longer with us.

    Vince, the Shamwow Guy, needs to step up and serve his country like never before.
  • Joe_rigby, on 07/18/2009, -1/+3Instead of wheels on moon craft, they should use legs... like a moon centipede!
  • inactive, on 07/18/2009, -0/+2Gollum, is that you?
  • Wareznuke, on 07/18/2009, -1/+3Please don't post anymore of that moron's videos. I'm serious too.
  • corbinat, on 07/18/2009, -2/+4we all know that the moon is not made of green cheese, but If it was made of barbecue spare ribs, would you eat it?

    I know I sure would. Heck, I'd ask for seconds.
  • piieerrrree, on 07/18/2009, -0/+2You're an idiot. Do you really think the point and only thing that resulted in the first moon landing was waving your huge dick around to the USSR?
  • fuzzybeard, on 07/18/2009, -0/+2What about treads? Any tankers out there want to fill the rest of us in on the pros and cons?
  • jgzman, on 07/18/2009, -1/+3I'm not sure you would have to ask. Just reach out and grab some. There's plenty to go around.

    2 10^10 cubic kilometers of the stuff? Bring a doggie bag.
  • Dougman82, on 07/18/2009, -0/+2Anyone that can look up into the night sky and see the moon and stars and not dream of going there is beyond my ability to understand. Manned space travel is a HUGE thing and should be right up there on the list of mankind's priorities. It's about relegating things like your job or your boat to the back burner and caring about stuff that matters.
  • Joe_rigby, on 07/23/2009, -0/+1The reason why I thought it would be a good idea to use legs instead of wheels or tracks is that the dust is very abrasive in the joints of the wheels and tracks, but if you use legs, you can just cover them with a material, because noting has to rotate in a complete circle.
  • jgzman, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1Well, fair enough.
  • Groovydoo, on 07/19/2009, -0/+1There is no evidence to support that statement - also Spirit and Opportunity have been on Mars for for almost 7-years and still collecting data.
  • Wareznuke, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1OMG, you're an idiot. How could you not notice that every media outlet (TV, internet, radio) has mentioned the upcoming 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. STFU.
  • fuzzybeard, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1What I was driving at was the development of HEPA filters was driven by the Manhattan Project, which was lead by some of the greatest minds in various scientific disciplines at that time.
  • AraleNorimaki, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwARY7Kk8ek
  • OpCzar, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1Got a dust problem in space? Get Julie Payette vacuum it, jeez!
  • lex0nyc, on 07/18/2009, -1/+2Your Dustbuster can't handle moon dust, man. Not even close!
  • fuzzybeard, on 07/18/2009, -0/+1@ DonAlfred: It was 40 years ago, you nitwit!

    "If you give me ten billion dollars and ten years, I can put a man on Mars!"
    -Werner Von Braun
  • localzuk, on 07/18/2009, -1/+2They'd need a hell of a bag to store it all in!
  • lordmike, on 07/19/2009, -1/+2Mooninites, assemble!!! You cannot defeat the quad laser... look at the size of the bullet! Jumping is useless! It takes awhile...
  • kaosethema, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1i would imagine that going to moon would be like going to the beach...

    sand gets into everything.
  • fuzzybeard, on 07/18/2009, -1/+2@ Jeff901: Quote "I know NASA likes to over-do things, but looking to simple solutions may cut the costs of such missions......it doesn't need to be overly scientific."

    Fail.

    HEPA filter technology was developed as part of the Manhattan Project back in the 40s to filter radioactive residue from the air.
  • fuzzybeard, on 07/18/2009, -1/+2If that's the case, then the North American Saxophone Alliance¹ can't tell their tone holes from a hole in the ground!

    ¹ No, really! The organization does exist! http://www.saxalliance.org/
  • fuzzybeard, on 07/18/2009, -1/+1There's even a simulant commercially available in the dairy case; grated parmesan cheese!
  • jgzman, on 07/18/2009, -1/+1Right, but why don't we just use the same solution we used last time?
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