I really wish I could find information on how data transfer across those distances even happens. The amount of data loss and corruption that has to be accounted for at hour long latency times must be high.
<3
My google fu was failing me.
Start at 1:20 ish
Latest on the “random” transiting star, interview with one of the papers authors.
Haha these “spherical Earthers” will go to any length to fake evidence!
Yeah, if you look closely you can see how they folded the obviously flat picture to make a ball!
CraigM
3136
I love how the crazy distortion of a fisheye lens makes it look like Mexico is the size of Europe.
That.
Is.
Amazing.
Also, her books are really, really good!
Matt_W
3139
Now I’m curious about the Expanse novels. Most of the time, even when they’re under thrust, it’s significantly less than 1g. I wonder how well our plumbing works at, say the 1/3g of Mars, and what the long term effects of pooping in low gravity would be. I’ve read a bunch of stuff about how to poop in zero g, but almost nothing about what it’s like to poop in the 1/6g of the moon. The last 3 Apollo missions each spent about 3 days on the lunar surface, so there must have been some pooping happening.
Really? In the show, they do the whole anti-g serum thing for combat manoeuvers and there’s quite a few extreme acceleration scenes.
Matt_W
3141
One of the main premises of The Expanse universe rests on the creation of the Epstein drive, which allows virtually unlimited fuel efficiency. All of the vessels in the series are normally under thrust for the whole duration of their journey. (I suspect there’s some handwaving here. A month at a constant 1g would produce enough velocity that relativistic effects would be noticeable, and they never mention relativity.) The thrust provides gravity to the ship’s crew, but it seems like they normally operate the thrust at about 1/3g. The Belters, for instance, can’t undergo extended periods of 1g+ without a special training regimen and/or physical modification. There are very few scenes in the books where they’re in freefall microgravity. On Tycho or Ceres, the stations are rotated to produce rotational gravity. And there’s an interesting discussion (almost an aside) in one of the books where Alex discusses how a vessel under constant thrust, but with a small angular velocity would spin in circles, but have thrust gravity tangent to the circle, not radial, as in a rotating station.
They only use high g when they’re in combat or they need to get somewhere very quickly.
Editer
3143
I just finished both of @MaryRobinette’s Lady Astronaut books. They’re wonderfully well researched looks at what an accelerated space program starting in the 50s might have looked like. Plus, good stories!
Agreed. Absolutely delightful books.
RichVR
3145
Another article about astronaut pooping.
You will probably want to eat some proactive yogurt when you’re in Space next time. No wiping!
Matt_W
3147
There’s a scene in Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars where she tries out an astronaut toilet. It had me howling. I had to drop the book to catch my breath from laughing so hard.
