Pavel Vinogradov, At 59, Sets New Record As Oldest Spacewalker 32
Florida today reports that cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov on Friday became the oldest person to have completed a spacewalk. From the article: "Working outside the Russian side of the international outpost, Vinogradov and cosmonaut Roman Romanenko put in six hours and 38 minutes of high-flying maintenance work. They set up a plasma physics experiment and retrieved a package that exposed advanced spacecraft materials to the deleterious space environment. They also replaced a reflector that is part of an autonomous rendezvous and docking system that will guide a robotic European space freighter to the station in early June." NASASpaceFlight.com has more details on the spacewalk, as well as the note that Vinogradov edges out "Story Musgrave, who was 58 when he flew the Hubble SM-1 mission in 1993."
6 hours 38 minutes (Score:2)
I don't think I can walk for 6 hours, much less spacewalk, and I'm 30. The training of those guys is amazing.
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It's zero G's. I'm pretty sure that makes it nearly as easy as laying in bed. :-)
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It's zero G's. I'm pretty sure that makes it nearly as easy as laying in bed. :-)
Being a "Vino" probably helps too.
Re:6 hours 38 minutes (Score:4, Informative)
He's in a pressurized suit. So the natural state of the suit is basically gingerbread man shaped. Every movement you make is against the natural pressure of the suit the straiten out. It's a significant workout.
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That's it? 6 hours 28 minutes? Linux topped that easily: the CRUX Linux ISS space walker had an uptime of 8 hours 23 minutes 26 seconds and was only shut down because of a colonel update.
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6 hours of walking is not difficult at all.
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Can't walk for 6 hours in age of 30? That's something quite abnormal, you should be able to pull that off if you're a normal, healthy 30-something.
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Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize statues have internet access and have discovered /.
Onion belt etc (Score:1)
Gad yamit, you kids get off my Lagrange point! Rrrr!
Spacewalk would have gone on even longer but he had to dash back inside for bingo.
Left blinker on his suit was on the whole time.
Cause he's old, see?
Interesting, but does is it a universal policy? (Score:5, Interesting)
How old is their oldest IT or software engineer employee...
I noticed that the Canadian Astronaut, Chris Hadfield, wringing out a wet cloth in microgravity [youtube.com] was getting gray too.
You and I know that the Neck-Beard the Gray is a force to be reckoned with in brain power and efficiency, however Graycial discrimination is still a thing in the tech sector. I started getting gray in my 20's, now in my 30's, it's a sharp contrast to my young looking "baby face". Still, I've had folks consider my apparent age vs my skills and experience (and actual age) frequently -- On paper I look like a great candidate. Show up with gray hair? The job's suddenly not for me. I dyed my hair and my job prospects pick back up, had to turn down the job offers instead of seek them out, and the salaries I was able to negotiate were 10-15% higher. Sometimes at the same company only a few weeks later.
Last decade I decided to be my own boss, so really I was just feeling out the market. (It's always nice to have a plan B). Still interesting to me that that here on Earth if you're getting gray so is your future, but in space no one can see your scalp.
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I would have to support this, employers are mostly looking for younger workers that can be whipped into working like dogs for lower wages.
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And if they can't get any locally... that's why so many companies are lobbying for more H1-B visas. There are plenty of American tech workers who'll work for peanuts, but plenty more elsewhere who'll work for just the crumbs.
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Last decade I decided to be my own boss, so really I was just feeling out the market.
Yes, it's time to become Master Jedi and be on your own. Do you complain that you're not allowed to remain a Padawan for the rest of your life? I'm 42, I'm my own boss, and no damn way I'd like to go back to being a wage slave.
John Glenn (Score:2)
Yes, record? How hard can it be? (Score:2)
Random luck, if you're already an active astronaut.
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His encounter with a moon landing denialist is an interesting video to see even if Aldrin isn't proud of it.
Buzz rules! (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm proud that he hit the idiot with the snappiest argument there is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wcrkxOgzhU [youtube.com]
All the Buzz Aldrin there is!
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Awesome. I usually prefer to settle an argument with superior logic, but with conspiracy nutters that is pointless, so Buzz did the next best thing.
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He didn't settle the argument, there will always be deniers. He simply addressed a personal attack. I am of the opinion that violence is not the answer, but I also believe that words are weapons, so I got gleeful over the event in question myself.
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If somebody applied a boot to Glenn's ass they'd probably have to answer to Aldrin's fist. His encounter with a moon landing denialist is an interesting video to see even if Aldrin isn't proud of it.
Thing is, Aldrin was an active astronaut during Gemini and Apollo. Glenn resigned before Gemini to go into politics. I can overlook a lotta stuff, but becoming a politician?
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In Soviet Russia (Score:1)
Oh, No! I've fallen ... (Score:1)
I could have been an astronaut (Score:3)