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Space Forum / Shuttle / June 2007Space Station Orbits 3/8 inch Above Globe
Take a look at a 12 inch globe of the Earth as sold by Walmart. Now note the scale, 1 inch = 660 miles. The ISS orbits 225 miles or so above sea level. This works out to about 1/3 inch or roughly 3/8 inch above this 12 inch globe. Science teachers out there, tell this to your students for it will greatly unimpress them. To spend billions of dollars on space ships which literally skim the Earth's atmosphere is absurd. Even way back in 1951, we built a ship for mere millions of dollars capable of carrying 44 passengers and a Noah's Ark full of animals to make a successful landing on the planet Zyra. Our technological prowlness seems to have seriously regressed in the intervening half-century. No further manned space vehicle projects should be developed unless there is a worthwhile destination; ie, Mars. Instead of 3/8 inch, it would be more like a mile. Now, THAT should impress those school kids. Is it a full moon already? Anyway, your first point is sort of valid, but the destination in distance is not the point, the environment is, and close enough to home to make a cock up and get back. Brian  SignatureBrian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email. graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them Email: briang1@blueyonder.co.uk ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ > Take a look at a 12 inch globe of the Earth as sold by Walmart. Now note > the scale, 1 inch = 660 miles. The ISS orbits 225 miles or so above sea [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > is a worthwhile destination; ie, Mars. Instead of 3/8 inch, it would be > more like a mile. Now, THAT should impress those school kids. >Take a look at a 12 inch globe of the Earth as sold by Walmart. Now note >the scale, 1 inch = 660 miles. The ISS orbits 225 miles or so above sea [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >is a worthwhile destination; ie, Mars. Instead of 3/8 inch, it would be >more like a mile. Now, THAT should impress those school kids. Using SI units would help them reach Mars, sticking to "about 1/3 inch or roughly 3/8 inch" almost guarantees that a future Mars mission will end up very wet, 23 miles east of Cape Cod. -- I don't believe you build a craft down here on earth and expect that you will have thought of everything prior to going on a voyage all the way to Mars. You need to do the research first both engineering and physiological. You need to to simulate that as best you can. What ever goes to Mars is probably going to need to be assembled in low earth orbit. Many of these topics are being explored on ISS, along with quite a few ongoing experiments. Low earth orbit is a foothold or stepping off point. http://exploration.nasa.gov/programs/station/list.html > Take a look at a 12 inch globe of the Earth as sold by Walmart. Now note > the scale, 1 inch = 660 miles. The ISS orbits 225 miles or so above sea [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > is a worthwhile destination; ie, Mars. Instead of 3/8 inch, it would be > more like a mile. Now, THAT should impress those school kids. To boldly go where the exploration of a physiological topic that serves as a toehold or jumping off point. SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
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