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Space Science

Space Blog 113

Posted by michael from the blogs...-in...-space dept.
LooseChanj writes "Ed Lu, a member of the Expedition 7 crew of the ISS has been sending back some extremely well written and interesting commentary about his mission, and some of the things one has to deal with in space. This is exactly the kind of stuff we need to see more of out of NASA!"
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  • What I thought we needed more of from NASA... (Score:5, Funny)

    by egg troll ( 515396 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:15AM (#6381111) Homepage Journal
    ...were successful missions. But apparently, I was wrong.

  • What happens to Farts in weightlessness ????????? (Score:3, Funny)

    by zymano ( 581466 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:17AM (#6381116)
    something to ponder.

  • yay! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:17AM (#6381120)
    Yay! The world's.. err.. galaxy's... first splog!!

    (space log)

  • Godzilla (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Raul654 ( 453029 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:20AM (#6381134) Homepage
    It's nice to see that at $20,000/pound [cato.org], we're sending gozilla toys into orbit. The true irony would be if he were doing it from the Japanese Experiment Module [nasda.go.jp]
    • I am sure he told the guys at NASA command that he would eat a light breakfast to compensate for the weight difference. ;) What fun would space be if you couldn't play with toys?

    • Re:Godzilla (Score:5, Insightful)

      by pyrrho ( 167252 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:36AM (#6381181) Journal
      It doesn't actually cost by the ounce. They have a total pull they will take and they divide the cost by the weight to get numbers like that..., it's not actually directly proportional and the personal items the astonauts take up easily fit in the margins and don't actually cost much more in extra fuel.
    • Why, you may ask?

      Because we can.

    • It's nice to see that at $20,000/pound, we're sending gozilla toys into orbit.

      Okay, fine. When you go up for your six month shift, you'll only be allowed one carryon item.

      My personal choice would be to take balloons up. Attach an inflated balloon to godzilla with a contrivance to open the balloon after a set time interval. (I'm sure a modified egg timer will work) Then send gozilla floating down a corridor perpendicular to the area my crewmates are sleeping in...

  • Mixed feelings (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Rxke ( 644923 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:26AM (#6381151) Homepage
    To be sure: Since ed's logs appeared on spaceref , I've been looking out for each new installment, they are good, really. but... since the Colombia 'mishap' (what a stupid word, why don't they call a disaster a disaster, for that what is it, for NASA, at least) NASA seems to do everything to polish up their public image, in a way that's great, but they're sometimes too obvious, and start looking ridiculous. Nasa's newsletter used to be informative, but since Colombia it's just one 'come over to the party' rag; no hard info anymore, only things like kids at nasa, nasa ont tv blablabla. I'm afraid they actually pressed lu to publish these things, because he has a good pen. I can imagine those 2 guys have a hard time up there, and nasa nagging 'hey Lu, when's the next article coming down, you can sleep if you're back on earth! Ok a bit exaggerated, i guess, but still...

    • Not a weblog (Was:Mixed feelings) (Score:5, Interesting)

      by RobotWisdom ( 25776 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @04:58AM (#6381768) Homepage
      As the guy who coined the term, I retain a godlike power to declare what is and isn't a weblog, and this isn't, sorry.

      As a longtime fan of NasaWatch [nasawatch.com] (which is a weblog), I'd loooove to see a real ISS weblog, which would be updated continually with all the tidbits passing thru the crewman's interest, and addressed to his peers.

      But what Lu is doing isn't even a Web journal-- he's writing long essays on set topics that are targeted for a popular audience by 'talking down'.

    • NASA seems to do everything to polish up their public image, in a way that's great, but they're sometimes too obvious, and start looking ridiculous.

      While NASA may well be polishing their image up (doesn't it need some shining?), Ed wasn't the first one doing this sort of thing. Don Pettit [nasa.gov], Science Officer on Expedition Six) [nasa.gov] did something similar, called Space Chronicles [nasa.gov] before Columbia was lost. He also did Saturday Morning Science [nasa.gov] basically in his own free time and of his own volition.

      --buck

      • Heh, there goes my rant... Of course it's a natural thing to happen, spaceflight getting a bit more routine, so the people up there are a bit less restricted in what they do and say, it's only natural, once you are a member of a permanent crew, to kinda organise your free time the way you want to. If i remember correctly, that was the biggest problem for crew one, people on the ground wanted to control almost literally every single minute of the crews life, and it led to some irritated remarks from Shepherd

  • It all makes sense now (Score:5, Funny)

    by Call Me Black Cloud ( 616282 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:45AM (#6381205)

    When Kirk would start out with "Captain's log..." he was really making an entry into his weblog. Man, I'd love to see the feedback on that thing:

    Captain's log, stardate 1234: Banged the green chick again today - what a wild one!

    Feedback:

    SpacemanSpiff: Dude! What are you drinking, Romulan Ale? Green means 1 of two things: not ripe or spoiled and either way that's one place you don't want to go where no man has gone before...

  • Good stuff (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Teahouse ( 267087 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:54AM (#6381223)
    Good job Ed. He has little enough time up there maintaining that thing without having to worry about posting a blog for those of us destined to dig in the dirt our whole lives. I for one am glad he posted these, even if some are a bit bland technically for an engineer.

  • Science Officer's Blog (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 07, 2003 @12:57AM (#6381234)
    April 26: Wow, what a ride! Everything went perfectly! I really like the crew. They're so nice.

    April 30: The Commander is a little gruff at times and the payload specialist has been laying some major payloads of flatulence, but overall it's not so bad.

    May 5: The crew acts nice and polite when I'm around, but I suspect they don't like me. They always stop whispering when they see me.

    May 18: If I catch Yuri with my wife's picture again doing what he was doing, he's going to be doing some unscheduled EVA, suit optional.

    May 31: They're up to something alright. They think I can't see their little conspiratorial glances and such, but I can, oh I can.

    June 12: The voices are growing louder now. They're telling me the crew's true plan. Act normal, I can't let them know I'm on to them. Not yet.

    June 29: I've taken advantage of the short periods I have alone to set up a little surprise for these aliens posing as my human crewmates. Almost ready. Soon, soon I'll be free.

    July 7: This is my last blog entry All is prepared. The crew knows I know now. I have only miuntes now to save the world. Just one push of a button and it will be all over for these invaders.

  • Nixon's unused speech (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 07, 2003 @01:08AM (#6381271)
    Given the high risks inherent in each mission, I wonder what NASA really feels about astronauts blogging from space. NASA probably has mixed feelings about "personalizing" these high risk individuals. Did you all catch that recent story of the speech Nixon [bbc.co.uk] had ready had the Apollo 11 crew been unable to return from the moon. Compelling stuff.
    Nixon's unused speech [bbc.co.uk]
    • Thanks for that.

      And I have to congratulate Nixon's speechwritter(s)...this is much better, much 'true-er' stuff than what NASA came up with after the last bit of fireworks.
    • Nixon's unused speech isn't very unusual. Presidents try to be prepared for the worst outcome of any situation so as not to be caught off guard. A notable example (sadly I cannot find an online reference, but I have seen it in text books) is a speech that was prepared by FDR to the American people incase Operation Overloard (eg: the invasion of normandy, D-Day) failed.

      I agree with your comment and find it insightful, I just wanted to add that Nixon's unused speech is not as uncommon of a practice as one
      • I couldn't find anything on Roosevelt's speech, but Eisenhower wrote an apology for the failure of D-day that was never needed.
        Eisenhower apology [hyperionbooks.com]
        (the actual note is at the very bottom)
        • I stand corrected, my memory was mistaken. Since Eisenhower later became President, I incorrectly referenced his speech in my memory as "President during WWII wrote apology speech in case of D-day failure". (That explains why I couldn't find FDR's apology speech on Google, it never existed!).

          Although the example I gave turned out not be of a prepared president, but a prepared Commander of the allied forces, I still stand by my point. It is not uncommon for those in positions of leadership to be prepared
      • Of course GWB had the speech ready if WMD's were used on our troops. What GWB didn't have ready was the speech to use if WMD's were not used on our troops . . . or not encountered by our troops . . . or not found after a couple of months of really hard searching.
    • From the 'unused speech' article:

      Recently discovered documents detail the steps Nasa and the Nixon administration would have taken had the Apollo XI astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin been unable to return from the moon.

      Man, I'd be utterly pissed off if I was that third guy no-one ever remembered. Future generations will probably think he was a cardboard cutout.

      "Yeah, I'm Michael Collins"
      "Who?"
      "MICHAEL COLLINS. I was 1/3 of the first moon landing"
      "Ahhh, come on. I know it was Aldrin a

  • Best. Picture. Ever. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    They have a Godzilla [nasa.gov] toy onboard the ISS.

    The desks of geeks are all very similar... even in space. I'm glad they're allowed to keep a sense of humor even though they're in space - despite what it would have cost to loft that toy into orbit. :)

  • Visualize... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 07, 2003 @01:18AM (#6381298)
    On orbiting: "A good way to imagine our view is to stand up and look down at your feet." He continued, "For some of you this will be an exercise in imagination. If you lack imagination, clown shoes will also do the trick."

  • see more? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by kipsate ( 314423 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @02:09AM (#6381412)
    This is exactly the kind of stuff we need to see more of out of NASA!

    Count me out. Manned space flight is very expensive and risky. I'd rather see NASA explore Venus or Io or put more budget into their space telescopes a la Hubble.

    • no, i think you are wrong (Score:5, Insightful)

      by lingqi ( 577227 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @04:24AM (#6381705) Journal
      did you actually read any of his entries? how do you know they don't provide value if you didn't?

      Given that I will probably never have the chance for long-term spaceflight in my physically capable lifetime, I would darn well like to know what it feels like to sit in a capsule, and what it's like to have a few million pounds of highly explosive stuff behind you blast you up at incredible speeds - the moments when the boosters are jettisoned, etc.

      I'd like to know what it's like to fly through a space-station, and what particular difficulties are encountered during what's run of the mill on earth (eat, sleep, brush your teech, go to the restroom).

      I'd like to know the views, the feelings, the daily life - because even if I cannot make it up there physically, for at least a short while my imagination can.

      So, you think tax dollars are better spent to make some astronomers giddy about this nebula or that galaxy they can see? well, those nebulas and galaxies arn't going anywhere for the next few billion years. But there are people who might be interested in what space is like but won't ever have a chance to go up there. They won't last nearly that long.

      What's wrong with providing a taste of space for everyone like that? do we not deserve some piece of the rewards for all these achievements in space? human experience should be shared by all, not just a few scientists, methinks.
      • So, you think tax dollars are better spent to make some astronomers giddy about this nebula or that galaxy they can see?

        I implied that it would be better to explore Venus or Io (or other objects within reach), instead of doing expensive manned spaceflights. There might be lifeforms elsewhere in our solar system, for instance. A bigger Hubble could discover planets around other stars. I find that much more interesting than reading the blog of an astronaut getting giddy about floating around in space. NASA

  • Cool (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Smartcowboy ( 679871 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @03:22AM (#6381582)
    It will be cool, too, if we can read the weblog of the astronauts that will go to mars in n years.

    Right now I'm reading Mars, by Ben Bova [amazon.com]. This is a really great novel if space exploration and/or Mars exploration interrests you. BTW Ben Bova work[ed?] for the NASA so he knows what he talk about, from the technical point of view.

    If China succeed with its space ambition to go to the moon one day (they are still very far from that goal, see various Slashdot articles in the last few weeks), it can be cool to read the weblog of this mission, too. This one maybe of less interrests because the Appolo mission was very well documented but the detail, expectation and goal of the mission will likely be somewhat different.
    • but be warned: The sequel sucks. Return to Mars is a disgrace to the trees that had to die for it to appear in print. When you finish Mars, savor it. It is a masterpiece. Just don't get pulled into buying the second one.

  • Food, drink, but no "log" log? (Score:3, Funny)

    by cliveholloway ( 132299 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @04:13AM (#6381683) Homepage Journal
    OK. Maybe it's just me, but it takes them two days to get to the space station. What happens if they need a shit on the way? Are they on drugs or what?

    And I didn't read a single entry about using the toilet in the whole blog.

    Come on, there's gotta be a humorous story somewhere up there about someone "following through" when farting as they were getting dressed ("one in the eye" for international relations? :).

    Zillions of dollars and no toilet humor? Tch, what is the world coming to?

    .02

    cLive ;-)

  • My favourite quote (Score:2, Insightful)

    by oniony ( 228405 )
    When talking about 'flying' in space:

    I am ignoring the effect of air resistance and air currents because it doesn't have too much effect on human flying (it does for much lighter objects).


    Lighter objects? In zero-G? I think he may mean objects with large surface areas compared to their mass, :)

  • The things Ed didn't mentioned (Score:5, Interesting)

    by varjag ( 415848 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @06:29AM (#6381947)
    Each spaceflight has a number of fun events and ceremonies that never go to official press releases. For instance, I hoped that Ed wouldn't be a hypocrite and will clearly state that he had to piss on a Russian bus as a part of the 'piss ceremony' [wvfc.org] (scroll down to the Baikonur piece), but no, he shamefully tosses that fact and tells us the dull story of leaving signature at the apartment's wall. He didn't even mention that every single Soyuz spacecraft carrier gets 'Tatiana' name hand-painted on it shortly before launch.

    I think if NASA wants to popularize space exploration among the youth, it should openly declare that antisocial behaviour and graffiti are mandatory parts of space travel.

    • Re:The things Ed didn't mentioned (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Not 'Tatyana', but 'Tanya'. And that is just because all the manned launches are done from Baykonur. In Plesetsk they write 'Olya' on the rockets.

  • Good job Ed (Score:3, Interesting)

    by nshravan ( 652679 ) on Monday July 07, 2003 @06:37AM (#6381969)

    The blogs are extremely informative..Its nice to see Lu mentioning in intricate detail about orbits,the ride to the station in the Soyuz, the mating of Progress with the ISS (about the lag in response of the Progress to impulses provided by Yuri and Ed's joystick and compensation & patience results thereof).

    Nice to see him talking about trivial things like what they have for dinner and how. While not getting into the larger debate of the ISS being this huge waste of money, I must admit this is pretty interesting stuff, and I'm sure it will help in ensuring sustained interest of the common man in the space program.

    I'm sure Ed will get into more interesting sermons like experiments aboard the ISS, EVA's, LOS/AOS and TDRS satellites and probably with the shuttle mission coming up in December or January,and since I think the Columbia commission's recommendations call on all future Shuttle missions making it to the ISS, there will be some interesting observations on that,if and when it happens.

    Nice work Ed! Keep up the good work!
  • "Captain's log. Commander Hoëk here, on a thirty-six year mission to the Crab Nebula. We've made this trip dozens of times. You know, they say sometimes people go CRAZY on these long trips. They get the, eh... SPACE MADNESS. Heh. Space madness."
  • BLOGS... IN... SPAAAAAAAAACE!
  • In the entry about eating aboard the ISS, I was stunned to read that much of the Russian space food comes in cans, which they open with a can opener. Cans?? The Russians haul food up to a space station in CANS??? My American preconception of the Russian space program as somewhat clunky (re: the cigarette-smoking fuel station attendant in Armageddon) just did an Olympic triple back-flip.

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