THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

  • 29 Mar 2024, 07:15
  • Welcome, Guest
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Poll

Why would Hanners dream end in tears

Faye's burned down one building already
The butler would know
being the eccentric shut in is not as much fun as you'd think
Pintsize

Pages: 1 ... 3 4 [5] 6 7   Go Down

Author Topic: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)  (Read 48779 times)

Akima

  • WoW gold miner on break
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6,523
  • ** 妇女能顶半边天 **
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #200 on: 05 Dec 2014, 00:48 »

2. You ignore that objects that weight less than a couple million or billion of tons will be slowed down by the atmosphere to terminal velocity, which is in all cases below 300 m/sec.
Where on earth did you get that number? 300m/s is lower than the speed of sound at sea-level, and ballistic missiles have been falling onto their targets at supersonic speeds since at least 1944. Terminal velocity is not some sort of fixed speed-limit, but depends on the mass, cross-sectional area, and shape of the falling object. Project Thor, the hypothetical weapon-system on which all this talk of dropping tungsten rods is based, was intended to deliver its very heavy, narrow projectiles at mach ten, which is over 3000m/s.

It creeps me out that Clinton has no freckles. He's all smooth and uncanny valley compared to Claire.
Logged
"I would rather have questions that can't be answered, than answers that can't be questioned." Richard Feynman

Doc

  • Balloon animal serial killer
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 97
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #201 on: 05 Dec 2014, 01:02 »

Oooohh, did I miss the sexy stuff? Oh well.

What happened between Clinton and Hannelore again?
(Episode link anyone plz?)
Logged

hakko504

  • Pneumatic ratchet pants
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 342
  • Geek! Beep Boop!
    • My Profile at Boardgamegeek
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #202 on: 05 Dec 2014, 01:16 »

Oooohh, did I miss the sexy stuff? Oh well.

What happened between Clinton and Hannelore again?
(Episode link anyone plz?)
1900. Though his introduction to the strip was 2 pages earlier.
Logged
"Be excellent to each other!"
Bill S. Preston & Ted "Theodore" Logan

MrNumbers

  • Cthulhu f'tagn
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 526
  • A hoot
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #203 on: 05 Dec 2014, 01:59 »

Thread for December 1-5 now has 1-5 pages.

Meta.
Logged
oh god

snubnose

  • Duck attack survivor
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,572
  • Cape diem
    • Google
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #204 on: 05 Dec 2014, 02:19 »

Where on earth did you get that number?
I assumed the terminal velocity of objects would never exceed the speed of sound, because at that point there is a massive increase of resistance.

Apparently I was wrong.
Logged
Carpe Diem

snubnose

  • Duck attack survivor
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,572
  • Cape diem
    • Google
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #205 on: 05 Dec 2014, 02:54 »

I just keep getting back to todays comic.

Quote
Clinton: I'm just trying to look after you.

Claire: You dont have to. Just be happy for me.

Clinton: I'll be happy for you ... IF you introduce me to one of his hot lady friends.

What ... the ... ?????

Is it just me, or is Clinton, at this point, not established as one really huge douchebag ? I mean he's most obviously NOT trying to "just look after sister". He's just jealous is all.
Logged
Carpe Diem

MooskiNet

  • FIGHT YOU
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 439
  • Better than yesterday.
    • Middleways.net
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #206 on: 05 Dec 2014, 03:16 »

 Much as I love Claire, putting a sick burn on Clinton over how he met Hannelore sort of ignores her own faux pas.   :-D
Logged
Middleways: webcomic / graphic novel / obsession

bhtooefr

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,180
  • ⌘-⌥-⌃-N
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #207 on: 05 Dec 2014, 03:23 »

But her own faux pas doesn't even hold a candle to Clinton's, to be fair.
Logged

Doc

  • Balloon animal serial killer
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 97
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #208 on: 05 Dec 2014, 03:50 »

1900. Though his introduction to the strip was 2 pages earlier.

Thanks!
Logged

Thrillho

  • Global Moderator
  • Awakened
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13,130
  • Tall. Beets.
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #209 on: 05 Dec 2014, 03:51 »

So this dude is an asshole.
Logged
In the end, the thing people will remember is kindness.

ReindeerFlotilla

  • Scrabble hacker
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,339
  • All Your Marriage Are Belong to Everyone
    • Singular Blues
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #210 on: 05 Dec 2014, 03:58 »

Claire didn't go all fangirl or giddy. She was surprised, and then immediately threatened. She didn't handle it well, but she was under a lot of pressure.

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #211 on: 05 Dec 2014, 04:22 »

And she realized she was messing it up. Clinton ... had to be shown.
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

dawolf

  • Not quite a lurker
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 24
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #212 on: 05 Dec 2014, 05:03 »

Am I missing something? Who are all these hot girls Marten can introduce Clinton to?

Faye? Yeah right! No chance
Dora/Tai - in a relationship
Hannelore - already burned that bridge
Marigold - in a relationship
Penelope - in a relationship
Emily - weirdo
Raven - no chance.

Only chance he's have full stop would be with Emily. But she might be weird, she's still not as twattish as him!
Logged

bhtooefr

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,180
  • ⌘-⌥-⌃-N
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #213 on: 05 Dec 2014, 05:31 »

You know, outside of Claire, the most positive female interaction we've seen Clinton have is with Emily: http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2428

And she seemed to have taken some degree of interest in him specifically, to the point of having a clipboard of questions at hand.
Logged

hakko504

  • Pneumatic ratchet pants
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 342
  • Geek! Beep Boop!
    • My Profile at Boardgamegeek
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #214 on: 05 Dec 2014, 05:59 »

Am I missing something? Who are all these hot girls Marten can introduce Clinton to?

Faye? Yeah right! No chance
Dora/Tai - in a relationship
Hannelore - already burned that bridge
Marigold - in a relationship
Penelope - in a relationship
Emily - weirdo
Raven - no chance.

Only chance he's have full stop would be with Emily. But she might be weird, she's still not as twattish as him!
Well, there is Gabby, Rene (from Secret Bakery) and Juicy. Outside of Emily, I'd say Gabby is the most likely. Rene we really don't know much about, except that she used to date Angus, and works at the Secret Bakery, or at least did last time we saw her (sometime before Padma's departure ~2100). And Juicy we obviously don't know much about. Not even if she'll become a regular in the cast at all.

Edit: Come to think about it - if Claire & Marten sets up Clinton with Emily, that would put an end to all speculation about Emily's motive behind her kissing Marten a while ago. We still haven't seen them together since, but surely they must have met at work by now?
Logged
"Be excellent to each other!"
Bill S. Preston & Ted "Theodore" Logan

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #215 on: 05 Dec 2014, 06:09 »

You're all acting as though Clinton realizes he's screwed things up/has no chance.
Went to high school with a guy who ... didn't lack in self-confidence, let's say. Clinton's interaction with Hannelore reminded me of him, both in his assumption that what he was doing was OK and his failure to learn.
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

aliensporebomb

  • Larger than most fish
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 119
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #216 on: 05 Dec 2014, 06:12 »

LOL.  "Juicy".  I hope that isn't her name/nickname. 
Logged

hakko504

  • Pneumatic ratchet pants
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 342
  • Geek! Beep Boop!
    • My Profile at Boardgamegeek
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #217 on: 05 Dec 2014, 06:27 »

LOL.  "Juicy".  I hope that isn't her name/nickname.
Until Jeph tells us otherwise, that's probably the best thing to call her. At least we know whom we're talking about. But it's quite possible she'll never appear again. The joke was quite satisfactory with just those two strips.
Logged
"Be excellent to each other!"
Bill S. Preston & Ted "Theodore" Logan

Mr_Rose

  • Duck attack survivor
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,822
  • Head Canon arms dealer
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #218 on: 05 Dec 2014, 07:20 »

3km/sec is the velocity of an object falling for 300 secs in a constant 1g field in a vacuum (just about). 90000 metres, just on the edge of space. But to double the velocity - so get a yield of 4kg of TNT per kg of mass - you'd need 600 secs of falling - 360,000 metres. Low Earth Orbit. And so on.
1. You ignore that an object launched from orbit STARTS with a bit less than 8 km/sec. So, without atmosphere, the velocity would be 14 km/sec, not 6 km/sec, from an 360km low earth orbit.
All of which, from the PoV of dropping thugs from orbit, is basically sideways instead of down. You have to do something about that, or you will miss a) the target, b) the target's country, or c) the planet entire. And doing something about that costs reaction mass and energy, most of which you have to take with you, costing even more reaction mass and energy in the initial setup.
Logged
"I have been asked, 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." - Charles Babbage

BenRG

  • coprophage
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7,861
  • Boldly Going From The Back Seat!
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #219 on: 05 Dec 2014, 09:08 »

Is it just me, or is Clinton, at this point, not established as one really huge douchebag ? I mean he's most obviously NOT trying to "just look after sister". He's just jealous is all.

For me, it's that Clinton doesn't have much in the way of emotional maturity. He acts like and talks like a teenager. Claire does too but only with him. As a general rule, she actually manages quite mature interactions with most people which, given that she likely had a pretty difficult time growing up due to her Trans status, is quite remarkable really.

Here's the thing: Setting aside apparent triggered behaviours, Claire can be thoughtless and a bit snappy with other people. However, the only time she's out-and-out childishly offensive is with Clinton. I'm wondering if this tells you more about Clinton (and, by extension, how he interacts with Claire) than anything else.
Logged
~~~~

They call me BenRG... But I don't know why!

Kugai

  • CIA Handler of Miss Melody Powers
  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,493
  • Crazy Kiwi Shoujo-Ai Fan
    • My Homepage
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #220 on: 05 Dec 2014, 11:01 »

In some ways I agree with DSL.

It seems to me he's one of those guys who overcompensate for a lack of social confidence and/or graces and can't understand why they keep getting proverbially (and on the odd occasion. literally) kicked in the balls when they say or do something totally douchey.
Logged
James The Kugai 

You can never have too much Coffee.

lot_jockey

  • Emoticontraindication
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 55
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #221 on: 05 Dec 2014, 11:58 »

Is it just me, or is Clinton, at this point, not established as one really huge douchebag ? I mean he's most obviously NOT trying to "just look after sister". He's just jealous is all.

For me, it's that Clinton doesn't have much in the way of emotional maturity. He acts like and talks like a teenager. Claire does too but only with him. As a general rule, she actually manages quite mature interactions with most people which, given that she likely had a pretty difficult time growing up due to her Trans status, is quite remarkable really.

Here's the thing: Setting aside apparent triggered behaviours, Claire can be thoughtless and a bit snappy with other people. However, the only time she's out-and-out childishly offensive is with Clinton. I'm wondering if this tells you more about Clinton (and, by extension, how he interacts with Claire) than anything else.

I agree with your analysis. For what it's worth, Clinton is only 21, which I believe makes him the youngest member of the cast. He really isn't much older than a teenager.
Logged

cesium133

  • Preventing third impact
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6,148
  • Has a fucked-up browser history
    • Cesium Comics
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #222 on: 05 Dec 2014, 12:00 »

Youngest aside from Sam and the AnthroPCs, anyway.

edit -- Sam and the AnthroPCs would be a pretty awesome name for a band.
Logged
The nerdy comic I update sometimes: Cesium Comics

Unofficial character tag thingy for QC

DrBear

  • Pneumatic ratchet pants
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 334
  • Icon being from guest comic by the Hjinks Ensue.
    • Blog about my book
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #223 on: 05 Dec 2014, 13:00 »


I agree with your analysis. For what it's worth, Clinton is only 21, which I believe makes him the youngest member of the cast. He really isn't much older than a teenager.
Well, except for Sam. And they do have a lot in common in behavior.
Logged
I'm working on slashfic involving Lily from AT&T, Jan from Toyota and Jake from State Farm.

lot_jockey

  • Emoticontraindication
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 55
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #224 on: 05 Dec 2014, 13:59 »


I agree with your analysis. For what it's worth, Clinton is only 21, which I believe makes him the youngest member of the cast. He really isn't much older than a teenager.
Well, except for Sam. And they do have a lot in common in behavior.

Fair, I forgot about Sam.
Logged

Rimwolf

  • Larger than most fish
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 109
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #225 on: 05 Dec 2014, 15:07 »

LOL.  "Juicy".  I hope that isn't her name/nickname.

Well, it's better than "Sweet Tits". Somewhat.
Logged

Rghfrgl

  • 1-800-SCABIES
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 859
  • *Crunch* *Crunch* *Crunch*
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #226 on: 05 Dec 2014, 16:43 »

It feels like thursday. I want another comic.
Logged

Kugai

  • CIA Handler of Miss Melody Powers
  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,493
  • Crazy Kiwi Shoujo-Ai Fan
    • My Homepage
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #227 on: 05 Dec 2014, 18:07 »

You have trouble with Thursdays?


Never mind, have a Beer and go sit over there with Arthur and Ford.


:-D
Logged
James The Kugai 

You can never have too much Coffee.

jwhouk

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,022
  • The Valley of the Sun
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #228 on: 05 Dec 2014, 18:40 »

FAIL.

"I could never get the hang of Tuesdays," said Arthur Dent.
Logged
"Character is what you are in the Dark." - D.L. Moody
There is no joke that can be made online without someone being offended by it.
Life's too short to be ashamed of how you were born.
Just another Joe like 46

Kugai

  • CIA Handler of Miss Melody Powers
  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 11,493
  • Crazy Kiwi Shoujo-Ai Fan
    • My Homepage
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #229 on: 05 Dec 2014, 18:52 »

Oh

PISSWHISKERS!!!

 :P
Logged
James The Kugai 

You can never have too much Coffee.

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #230 on: 05 Dec 2014, 18:56 »

Eddies in the space-time continuum.

That's his sofa. Care for a jinnan tonix?
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

vforvancouver

  • Balloon animal serial killer
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 82
  • I'm a blood donor: I play rugby.
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #231 on: 05 Dec 2014, 19:06 »

85% of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonnyx, or gee-N'N-T'N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand or more variations on the same phonetic theme. The drinks themselves are not the same, and vary between the Sivolvian "chinanto/mnigs" which is ordinary water served at slightly above room temperature, and the Gagrakackan "tzjin-anthony-ks" which kills cows at a hundred paces; and in fact the one common factor between all of them, beyond the fact that the names sound the same, is that they were all invented and named before the worlds concerned made contact with any other worlds. 

:psyduck:
Logged
—When I was a little girl...
—Wups. Did I heard you correctly?
—Who's telling the story?

Estron

  • Emoticontraindication
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 70
  • Old-fart QC aficionado
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #232 on: 05 Dec 2014, 20:25 »

So . . . .
            Much . . . . .
                             Red . . . . . . . . .
Logged

hedgie

  • Methuselah's mentor
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5,382
  • No Pasarán!
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #233 on: 05 Dec 2014, 20:28 »

FAIL.

"I could never get the hang of Tuesdays," said Arthur Dent.
Wrong:

Douglas Adams
“This must be Thursday,' said Arthur to himself, sinking low over his beer. 'I never could get the hang of Thursdays.”
Logged
"The highest treason in the USA is to say Americans are not loved, no matter where they are, no matter what they are doing there." -- Vonnegut

GarandMarine

  • Awakened
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 10,307
  • Kawaii in the streets, Senpai in the sheets
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #234 on: 05 Dec 2014, 20:39 »

85% of all known worlds in the Galaxy, be they primitive or highly advanced, have invented a drink called jynnan tonnyx, or gee-N'N-T'N-ix, or jinond-o-nicks, or any one of a thousand or more variations on the same phonetic theme. The drinks themselves are not the same, and vary between the Sivolvian "chinanto/mnigs" which is ordinary water served at slightly above room temperature, and the Gagrakackan "tzjin-anthony-ks" which kills cows at a hundred paces; and in fact the one common factor between all of them, beyond the fact that the names sound the same, is that they were all invented and named before the worlds concerned made contact with any other worlds. 

:psyduck:

I prefer a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Which I have mixed. It involves booze you can light on fire, lemon, and regret.
Logged
I built the walls that make my life a prison, I built them all and cannot be forgiven... ...Sold my soul to carry your vendetta, So let me go before you can regret it, You've made your choice and now it's come to this, But that's price you pay when you're a monster with no name.

hedgie

  • Methuselah's mentor
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5,382
  • No Pasarán!
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #235 on: 05 Dec 2014, 21:07 »

Don't forget the large gold brick to wrap the lemon around.
Logged
"The highest treason in the USA is to say Americans are not loved, no matter where they are, no matter what they are doing there." -- Vonnegut

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #236 on: 06 Dec 2014, 01:50 »

Never mind the second officer. His B Ark is worse thsn his bite.

Now, this "fire" thing. You're so smart, what color should it be?
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

Loki

  • comeback tour!
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5,532
  • The mischief that dwells within
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #237 on: 06 Dec 2014, 02:22 »

pink
Logged
The future is a weird place and you never know where it will take you.
the careful illusion of shit-togetherness

KOK

  • Higher than Ol' Scratch
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 672
  • We are many who are few
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #238 on: 06 Dec 2014, 02:23 »

I don't see why Raven wouldn't give him a chance. As for Juicy, she is not a friend of Claire (as far as we know).

Clinton and the fairy girl would make a cute couple.
Logged
Quote from: Marten
You're cute when you're reasonable.

Pilchard123

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,131
  • I always name them Bitey.
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #239 on: 06 Dec 2014, 02:29 »

pink

As designed by a ten year old girl, unlike the Cabinet.
Logged
Piglet wondered how it was that every conversation with Eeyore seemed to go wrong.

ZoeB

  • GET ON THE NIGHT TRAIN
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,673
  • -
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #240 on: 06 Dec 2014, 02:59 »

Did anyone else watch the entire Orion flight on NASA TV?
I admit that after 3am local, I was a bit on the tired side.

Huge congrats to the team. I have extreme misgivings about the complexity of the re-entry process - so very, very many things that can go wrong - but they got it right first go.
Logged
Akima wrote thus : " Besides which, forgiving other people is something you do for yourself, not for them. "

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #241 on: 06 Dec 2014, 04:47 »

I watched it, and was excited. My misgivings stem from the feeling of watching my country basically relearning knowledge and experience that was allowed to molder on a shelf because of various flsvors of politics . A comment that brought me up short was the comment from the Orion engineer/manager who said, "Apollo was before I was born."
And here we are again. I remember what the Shuttle was sold as, and the station was sold as, and seeing both wasted instead as multipurpose and occasionally duplicative efforts. I kept wondering why weren't, by now, testing out a multilayered space program with a deep=space element, a true shuttle for earth-to-orbit and a way station in orbit linking both, so that the tail end of a long and arduous deep space mission doesn't involve trying to thread a fiery needle at insane speed.
I'm sure the more technically savvy people on this forum --the ones who are, in fact, rocket surgeons -- will hasten to tell this here journalism-degree holder why he doesn't have it right, but it's never made sense to me.
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

BenRG

  • coprophage
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7,861
  • Boldly Going From The Back Seat!
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #242 on: 06 Dec 2014, 05:16 »

And here we are again. I remember what the Shuttle was sold as, and the station was sold as, and seeing both wasted instead as multipurpose and occasionally duplicative efforts. I kept wondering why weren't, by now, testing out a multilayered space program with a deep=space element, a true shuttle for earth-to-orbit and a way station in orbit linking both, so that the tail end of a long and arduous deep space mission doesn't involve trying to thread a fiery needle at insane speed.

It doesn't have to be, no. However, it is by far the easiest way and the only way so far proven to work in practice.

The problem with Orion is, during the development of the program way back in the early noughties, the leadership of NASA got fixated in recreating Project Apollo only on a physically larger scale. Once this paradigm was accepted, everything had to be Apollo-like. Orion had to look like an Apollo but bigger. The lander, Altair, had to look like the LEM but bigger. This had the consequence of imposing penalties and restrictions on the design that made everything more complex, less innovative and more expensive.

The "We must recreate Apollo but bigger" mindset is still in play. Look at pictures of the proposed launcher, SLS. They're going to paint it to look like the Saturn-V. The only apparent reason for doing so appears to be that they want it to look like a Saturn V.
Logged
~~~~

They call me BenRG... But I don't know why!

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #243 on: 06 Dec 2014, 06:23 »

I hold on to the hope that the various vehicles under private development play some role in the earth-to-orbit link of a multilayered program ... a quick ants relatively cheap way of getting people to space. What we had with the Shuttle was a semi truck that was occasionally uses to run to the corner store.
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

KOK

  • Higher than Ol' Scratch
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 672
  • We are many who are few
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #244 on: 06 Dec 2014, 06:38 »

And here we are again. I remember what the Shuttle was sold as, and the station was sold as, and seeing both wasted instead as multipurpose and occasionally duplicative efforts. I kept wondering why weren't, by now, testing out a multilayered space program with a deep=space element, a true shuttle for earth-to-orbit and a way station in orbit linking both, so that the tail end of a long and arduous deep space mission doesn't involve trying to thread a fiery needle at insane speed.
I'm sure the more technically savvy people on this forum --the ones who are, in fact, rocket surgeons -- will hasten to tell this here journalism-degree holder why he doesn't have it right, but it's never made sense to me.

I am no rocket scentist. But slowing down a vehicle from Mars requires either an unrealistic amount of fuel or using the atmosphere. Or, just maybe, something really clever no one has thought of yet.
Logged
Quote from: Marten
You're cute when you're reasonable.

BenRG

  • coprophage
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7,861
  • Boldly Going From The Back Seat!
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #245 on: 06 Dec 2014, 06:43 »

I hold on to the hope that the various vehicles under private development play some role in the earth-to-orbit link of a multilayered program ... a quick ants relatively cheap way of getting people to space. What we had with the Shuttle was a semi truck that was occasionally uses to run to the corner store.

The only missions carried out by the Shuttle that were really in line with its original intended purpose was the construction of the ISS and the various satellite recovery and repair missions. Everything else was more-or-less filler developed and flown because the space station project was delayed around 20 years; it should have been amongst the first major programs but kept getting de-funded.
Logged
~~~~

They call me BenRG... But I don't know why!

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #246 on: 06 Dec 2014, 06:48 »

Oh, people have thought of it, and will probably think of more. It just involves more delta-vee, and therefore more fuel/reaction mass, than you can realistically carry if you have to load everything up at the starting point.
It's got to be easier, once the infrastructure is in place, to decelerate to parking orbit and ride a shuttle down than it is to scream in from deep space and aim it so you don't bounce or burn.
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

KOK

  • Higher than Ol' Scratch
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 672
  • We are many who are few
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #247 on: 06 Dec 2014, 07:02 »

What kind of infrastructure would help slow the ship down to parking orbit speed? And what has this got to do with QC?
Logged
Quote from: Marten
You're cute when you're reasonable.

DSL

  • Older than Moses
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,097
    • Don Lee Cartoons
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #248 on: 06 Dec 2014, 07:09 »

1.) Having a way to gas up at mission destination so you have the fuel to do so without having to load it all at the start and carry it around (spending more delta-vie to do so) until you need it.
2.) QC forumites have lots of interests and talk about them until drowned out by other interests. There's a space station in this comic ...
Logged
"We are who we pretend to be. So we had better be careful who we pretend to be."  -- Kurt Vonnegut.

cesium133

  • Preventing third impact
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6,148
  • Has a fucked-up browser history
    • Cesium Comics
Re: WCDT December 1-5, 2014 (2845-2849)
« Reply #249 on: 06 Dec 2014, 08:04 »

Oh, people have thought of it, and will probably think of more. It just involves more delta-vee, and therefore more fuel/reaction mass, than you can realistically carry if you have to load everything up at the starting point.
It's got to be easier, once the infrastructure is in place, to decelerate to parking orbit and ride a shuttle down than it is to scream in from deep space and aim it so you don't bounce or burn.
The speed when you're coming in is such that you have to worry about that no matter what. A shuttle isn't really much better in this regard (in fact it was a major problem for the Space Shuttle; the heating on reentry destroyed the Columbia). If you're reentering the Earth's atmosphere from low orbit, you have to burn off a bit under 8 km/s of delta-V, regardless of whether you're in a shuttle or a capsule.
Logged
The nerdy comic I update sometimes: Cesium Comics

Unofficial character tag thingy for QC
Pages: 1 ... 3 4 [5] 6 7   Go Up