NASA's More Obscure Lunar Research 59
MickDownUnder writes "Ever wondered what the moon smells like (and no it's not like wensleydale) ?
Or how good the skiing is there?
If you do decide to hit the lunar slopes you may want to take a torch with you in case you run into your own shadow."
Mmmmm....... (Score:2)
Re:Mmmmm....... (Score:2)
I wouldn't want to be breathing that stuff in, though.
Re:Mmmmm....... (Score:2)
Why not? Burning gunpowder smells great. Really wonderful. I may just associate it with lots of great memories, but it's certainly not repulsive, by any means, even to someone who's never smelled it before.
Re:Mmmmm....... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Mmmmm....... (Score:2)
Sounds like a good way to ruin your skis... (Score:2)
Re:Sounds like a good way to ruin your skis... (Score:5, Informative)
Water and wind to be specific. All that tumbling around takes the sharp edges off the sand grains.
I imagine the sand/dust on Mars will be closer in quality to the sand & dust on Earth, than the Moon's.
Re:Sounds like a good way to ruin your skis... (Score:2)
erosion? (Score:3, Insightful)
Not exactly (Score:3, Informative)
Your are right to point out, though, that this eventually ends up in rock again in some form or another. And this rock gets exhumed and eroded into big particles, some of which may break further down to sand, silt, clay...
So the answer lies in the fact that on earth, additional large debris is gene
Of course the moon smelled like gunpowder... (Score:3, Funny)
Lunar Snowmobiles? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'll have to patent this now and then charge megabucks for the idea when Moonbase Alpha goes in. At least I'll be able to collect up until the moon gets blown out of orbit.
Re:Lunar Snowmobiles? (Score:1)
Re:Lunar Snowmobiles? (Score:2)
You're assuming that the wheels can stay (mostly) above the surface. If they're digging and displacing a lot of ground (i.e. slipping constantly), you might as well use skis, as there's no reason to waste the energy in rolling resistance if you're going to slip no matter what.
Of course, the lunar rovers didn't seem to actually slip that much, so for most of the Moon, they're probably fine.
Re:Lunar Snowmobiles? (Score:1)
Re:Lunar Snowmobiles? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Lunar Snowmobiles? (Score:1)
Skiing along like that might allow them to expend less battery power on locomotion, and move from place to place much faster.
That might be true as long as you only need to go downhill. Of course, unless someone puts a ski lift at the bottom of every crater, you might have a reasonably exhausting walk upslope.
Re:Lunar Snowmobiles? (Score:3, Funny)
I vote for dog sled.
Of course, they'd have to be robotic dogs, because as we know there is no dog food on the moon.
Re:Lunar Snowmobiles? (Score:1)
I'd wait for at least Moonbase Beta... preferably Moonbase v1.0.
Re:Torch = Flashlight, for Americans (Score:2, Offtopic)
Flashlight = Torch, for
Considering that flashlights were invented in the United States (by The American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Co. later known as Eveready)... and named because of the fact that in the late 1800s batteries didn't last too long. So they were "flashed" on and off when needed to conserve the battery. That is why so many flashlights still have that flash function today.
Bill
Moon dust formed by violence? (Score:5, Funny)
This is more than a science issue, it is a religious issue. And I would hate to think that young people would only be getting one-half of this debate from NASA. That would mean we had failed to properly educate the very people who rely on us for factual information the most.
Re:Moon dust formed by violence? (Score:1)
Re:Moon dust formed by violence? (Score:3, Funny)
To be entirely honest, I'm not sure I'm happy with the cheese theory either, since making cheese involves the curdling of milk. And curdling is a pretty violent process if you happen to be a milk protein! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curd [wikipedia.org])
This being such a contentious issue, I would prefer if NASA took the Moon off the agenda entirely. The very people who rely on us for factual information the most could be easily confused by th
Re:Moon dust formed by violence? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Moon dust formed by violence? (Score:3, Funny)
Do I detect a new
The Moon: A Ridiculous Liberal Myth (Score:1)
The Moon: A Ridiulous Liberal Myth [slashdot.org].
<DISCLAIMER>
I am not claiming authorship of this, and as such, am only posting a link to the first version of it I found.
Self-moderated down with No Karma Bonus.
</DISCLAIMER>
On a more serious note .... (Score:4, Interesting)
Since the weather on the moon will not replenish the "powder" upslope in anything resembling a useful timeframe on the scale of human lives (or even human civilizations), that will be the end of that. No more "powder" on the slope and no more "skiing."
Which, I suppose, is by way of wondering what other unwitting long-term effects the presence of people on the moon may wind up causing.
Re:On a more serious note .... (Score:2, Interesting)
Of course, the dust would be compacted a bit, and it wouldn't be nice powder per se, but I'm sure if that's what the moon skiers really want, it won't
Bulldoze it back up. (Score:2)
Re:On a more serious note .... (Score:2)
Re:On a more serious note .... (Score:2)
Re:On a more serious note .... (Score:2)
Since the weather on the moon will not replenish the "powder" upslope in anything resembling a useful timeframe on the scale of human lives (or even human civilizations), that will be the end of that. No more "powder" on the slope and no more "skiing."
Considering the moon has about the same surface area as Africa, I wouldn't really worry about a few Astronauts ruining the "skiing" for everyone else just yet.
Poo in Space (Score:2)
Re:Poo in Space (Score:2)
Are you kidding?! (Score:2)
Not that I buy into the conspirary theories (Score:1)
Re:Not that I buy into the conspirary theories (Score:3, Informative)
Good explanation! (Score:2)
Re:Not that I buy into the conspirary theories (Score:2)
You'll notice that there are parts of the lander that look pitch black like the shadows, such as inside the folds of the reflective material and the underside.
Re:Not that I buy into the conspirary theories (Score:1)
The upper portion of the LEM is not as reflective, but you can still see bright panels where they are aligned to reflect light back toward the camera.
Why did it smell like gunpowder? (Score:3, Funny)
Ahh, secret project A119 (Score:1, Interesting)
Shocking Revelation (Score:1)
Moon's charge (Score:1)
Re:Moon's charge (Score:1)
Charge isn't relative. Charge is either positive or negative, in some number of coulombs. Which reflects the balance of electrons per atom, a real physical quantity.
The Earth's charge is zero (at least at or near the surface, where we've measured it). The Earth's capacitance and conductivity (at least in the crust) is great enough that it remains effectively zero, even when charges are applied to it. That's why electrical devices are "grounded" by connection to "earth": the
Why NOT go back to the moon, or to Mars? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Why NOT go back to the moon, or to Mars? (Score:1)
Well, if you pay, why not?
Re:Why NOT go back to the moon, or to Mars? (Score:2)
Re:Why NOT go back to the moon, or to Mars? (Score:1)
Re:Why NOT go back to the moon, or to Mars? (Score:2)
Why don't you prove to me that you're right? It seems to me we have a lot more terrorism outside the US since Bush started his `war against terror.' But what do you care, you live in America.
The usefulness of space exploration as such can indeed be debated, but don't forget about all the spin-offs such an operation produces. We take a lot of things that were o
Re:Why NOT go back to the moon, or to Mars? (Score:1)
Very interesting article (Score:4, Insightful)
Spent gunpowder smell (Score:1)
Reality Distortion Field (Score:1)
But "it turned out [the ground] was real flat," rejoined Conrad."
Good news, no need to find yourself a job at Apple Computer anymore to experience the Reality Distortion Field, you just gotta go to the moon