OT: Congrats to NASA

[pk500]

Congrats to NASA today on the successful launch of the New Horizons spacecraft going to Pluto. The baby will reach 47,000 mph en route to the edge of the solar system -- that's bringing the freight!

I'm more jacked about this kind of mission than a Shuttle mission, honestly. Seeing the edges of the solar system and close-up pictures of the furthest planet from the Sun will be pretty b*tchin', even if it takes a 10-year wait.

This is true space exploration, not just going into space to conduct experiments. Much like the first landing on the Moon, we're going places with New Horizons no one else has. Very cool.

Were you involved in this project at all, F308GTB?

P.S.: Yeah, I'm a space program geek who hates sci fi. Go figure. I guess I prefer my space missions to be in reality, not fantasy.

Take care,
PK

[JackDiggity]

This is impressive. I can't wait to see the pictures. Let's start the countdown. 3650 more days to go!

[DivotMaker]

Were you involved in this project at all, F308GTB?

I am not F308GTB, but my next door neighbor is in upper management at NASA and has been for the 13+ years we have been neighbors. I'll pass along your sentiments, PK.

[Murph]

Seeing the edges of the solar system and close-up pictures of the furthest planet from the Sun will be pretty b*tchin', even if it takes a 10-year wait.

It would have taken less time to get to Uranus.

[Trax]

They processed the New Horizons 3rd Stage at my facility (Cape Canaveral AFS)...Amazing effort given the Boeing machinist union strike...

Working with spacecraft is an awesome job!

[bdunn13]

Yes PK, please send me a reminder in 10 years.

bd13
-out

[Gurantsu]

I am a geek for all this stuff, I love my NASA channel! I stayed up all night watching the Mars landings. My wife shakes her head, but I think it is fascinating.

[pk500]

I am a geek for all this stuff, I love my NASA channel! I stayed up all night watching the Mars landings. My wife shakes her head, but I think it is fascinating.

Same thing in our house. My 5-year-old son digs it, too, so it's fun to see space travel light up his eyes just as it did to me 35 years ago at that age.

Take care,
PK

[snaz16]

Congrats to NASA today on the successful launch of the New Horizons spacecraft going to Pluto. The baby will reach 47,000 mph en route to the edge of the solar system -- that's bringing the freight!

I'm more jacked about this kind of mission than a Shuttle mission, honestly. Seeing the edges of the solar system and close-up pictures of the furthest planet from the Sun will be pretty b*tchin', even if it takes a 10-year wait.

This is true space exploration, not just going into space to conduct experiments. Much like the first landing on the Moon, we're going places with New Horizons no one else has. Very cool.

Were you involved in this project at all, F308GTB?

P.S.: Yeah, I'm a space program geek who hates sci fi. Go figure. I guess I prefer my space missions to be in reality, not fantasy.

Take care,
PK

PK..you must have forgot the the latest discovery of the planet Xena,now thought to be the furthest planet orbiting our sun.

http://www.telescopes.com/new-planet/index.php

[pk500]

If they really named that planet after the TV show "Xena," I'll f*cking puke.

Take care,
PK

[spooky157]

Can't Xena just be a large asteroid? Scientists have hesitated to classify Pluto as a true planet. Anything beyond Pluto must be in even greater doubt.

Count me amongst those who are very excited about this project. Ever since I saw Shoemaker-Levy 9 crash into Jupiter I've been fascinated by astronomy.

[rayray00]

With that thing traveling at 47,000kps and taking 9 years to get there, how long will it take to get transmissions back? I haven't seen anything about that...

-Ray!!

[pk500]

With that thing traveling at 47,000kps and taking 9 years to get there, how long will it take to get transmissions back? I haven't seen anything about that...

-Ray!!

I hope they have broadband ...

Take care,
PK

[F308GTB]

Thanks. Didn't have any part in this project as we only do the manned stuff. But I must agree with you Paul, the unmanned stuff is awesome. I personally think our focus should be on unmanned voyages to celestial bodies. We can do so much more with machines. They can venture into environments we can't. The Mars missions have been fantastic. Those robotic missions capture the American public more than the manned stuff, and going to the moon or Mars with people, while one heck of an adventure, just doesn't make sense financially.

Nonetheless a good week for us. The landing of the cometary sample probe is freaking amazing. To chase a comet, scoop up some dust, and land back home is just incredible.

James

[JRod]

Question. If DSP is still running in 10 years and PK wants to post pictures from the mission, would he need to search for this thread or can he start a new thread.

[Leebo33]

LOL, JRod.

[bdunn13]

With that thing traveling at 47,000kps and taking 9 years to get there, how long will it take to get transmissions back? I haven't seen anything about that...

-Ray!!

Pluto is around 3.5 billion miles away and the speed of light is 670 616 629 m/hour so roughly 5 hours and 15 minutes.

[wco81]

Unmanned missions are suppose to be a lot more bang for the buck, while manned missions used to have star power and made it easier to secure big funding from Washington.

The Right Stuff kind of hinted at this dynamic, how the stars of the space program were the faces of the astronauts.

But it seems a lot of the astronomers would rather see more unmanned probes and more radio telescopes.

Still, if it wasn't for the space program in the '60s and the aspirations articulated by JFK, you wonder if we'd be doing as well in science and engineering. The space (and of course defense) programs funded a lot of university science depts. But just as important, a ton of scientists and engineers went into those disciplines because they were inspired as kids by the moon missions.

[fsquid]

Mars, bitches