End of Conspiracy Theories? Spacecraft Snoops Apollo Moon Sites

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

I'm sure they will claim any photographs were touched up. ](*,) ](*,)

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"It's time to receive our missions from The Head."

I am more worried about the precident of Smart-1 myself:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...te_031028.html

It took forever for that probe to reach the moon. Once again, we focus too much on payloads, when we need to be building bigger rockets.

It took forever, but it also used no more fuel than a mid-sized pickup truck in the transfer. The development of low-cost access to space destinations is crucial to developing it as a self-sustaining commercial enterprise. The lunar "slow boat" has commercial application, if it can be proved viable.

Obviously large boosters will also be required for other applications, but you don't criticize a tugboat or a sailboat simply because it's not a speedboat.

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"Facts are stubborn things." --John Adams
Clavius Moon Base

Oh for crying out loud... Not every challenge in space exploration needs a bloody 30 story roman candle to solve it!! It didn't take 'forever' to reach the moon, it took precisely as long as projected within the operational requirements of the hardware. FYI, if you'd read beyond the performance specs, the ion engine used was a testbed for a maneuvering system in concept for exploring other planets. You may be able to hurl 50 plus tons of junk into orbit with your bloated boomtube, but if you're relying on that alone, you're going nowhere. Ion engine use is more than just specific impulse, its endurance and long term operational capacity as well.

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I'm not completely heartless, the doctor who removed it told me he'd never be able to get it all.

Doodler, you've been warned before about rude posts. I don't care if you disagree with publiusr, but you will do it politely, or you will be banned.

My apologies, I wasn't trying for rude, just emphatic. Just an admission now, this is one of three posts in the last 24 hours I've responded to in similar fashion. I don't completely disagree with his idea that a heavy lifter is important, just not its application as a cut and paste, solve it all solution to every possible mission. It just seemed like it was a repetitive answer handed down without consideration for the particulars of each case in which I replied. Believe me, these weren't meant as attacks on Publiusr, I tried to be absolutely careful to point my replies at the arguement.

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I'm not completely heartless, the doctor who removed it told me he'd never be able to get it all.

We're having to bribe the ESA to keep quiet now too, in addition to the Russians, HAM Radio Operators, and of course everyone who allegedly worked for NASA? It's no wonder our national debt is so big. #-o

Seriously, if/when we ever return to the moon, we need to take several huge nuclear warheads and blow a big smiley face in the moon. I'd love the conspiracy theorists try and prove that away.

Mass hallucinations from chemtrails. Duh.

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"Facts are stubborn things." --John Adams
Clavius Moon Base

Forget the woowoos. They'll just say the images are fake and the ESA is now in on the hoax. I'd like to see some pics though.

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You're a coward and a liar and a thOOF - Bart Sibrel

Sorry, sorry. Off on a tangent for a sec. Saw this signature and had my good laugh for this week. Maybe it's just late. I would have thought Sibrel would have been very honored to have been hit by a fist that had been to the moon.

RBG

Since HBs dismiss all of the evidence from the original missions (rocks, photos, film, testimony of the people involved), a few pictures from the ESA isn't going to convince them. Heck, a lot of them still use "no stars" and "parallel shadow" arguements even though they are easily debunked by just going outside with a camera and taking a few photos.

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Now while I might be amused by Cthulhians, I don't necessarily distrust them to carry out the functions of government. -- JayUtah

What's it like being a skeptic in the Middle East? Check out my blog.

Bah, the conspiracists will concoct anything in order to maintain their beliefs, despite any and all evidence to the contrary. Just based on the first tidbits released from SMART-1, I can't wait to see what's in store as the mission moves forward. The probe's capabilities & instrumentation (given the relatively small size of both the craft and their budget) are quite impressive.

Here we are, always talking about resolution, when all we needed to do was to talk about getting close to the object.
I come to think of an episode of Red dwarf - DNA - where Kryten the android has been changed into a human for a short time. He has some trouble sorting out the practicalities of humanity:

Kryten: Now then, uh, my optical system doesn't appear to have a zoom function.
Lister: No, human eyes don't have a zoom.
Kryten: Well then, how do you bring a small object into sharp focus?
Lister: Well, you just move your head closer to the object.

That has me laughing everytime.
Don't ask about the recharge socket...

LOL

All the best
Trob

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second technician Rimmer, Arnold J., experienced what can only be described as a voyage to trip-out city

And don't go showing your mates double-polaroids! 8)

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Now while I might be amused by Cthulhians, I don't necessarily distrust them to carry out the functions of government. -- JayUtah

What's it like being a skeptic in the Middle East? Check out my blog.

I assumed that there was never enough thrust for those kinds of maneuvers in close lunar proximity. How much thrust does that little puppy have anyway. How far down can it actually go???
Hopefully close enough for a double polaroid of the landingsites LOL :wink:


By the way, Kryten ought to stay away from those appliance catalogues :wink:

All the best
Trob

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second technician Rimmer, Arnold J., experienced what can only be described as a voyage to trip-out city

What a woo-woo wil read. ESA has a time machine?

Mr. President, we cannot allow a time machine gap!

"I believe this nation should commit itself to building a time machine before the last decade was over!"

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To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

Not a lot. hold a piece of notebook paper in your hand and you'll get an idea of how little the actual thrust is. (That's assuming the same engine as used on Deep Space 1.)

- http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEMYWBXO4HD_0.html

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.