OT: Space: The Final Frontier---The Launch of Admiral James Tiberius Kirk
As I post this, the Blue Origin launch is just 27 minutes away and 90-year old William Shatter & friends have just climbed aboard (pre-launch showing live on several networks).
The good news is that none of them are wearing red shirts.
Godspeed, Admiral Kirk! ?
October 13th, 2021 at 10:10 AM ^
and when he sees those enemy satellites, he'll do this...
October 13th, 2021 at 10:11 AM ^
This is cool. I mean, it's possible that Bezos is a dumber Khan, and is trying to kill the only starship captain who can stop his evil plans... but Captain Kirk going to space is cool.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:11 AM ^
Remember though, he was demoted back to Captain for insubordination at the end of Star Trek IV....
#ResidentTrekkie
#NerdMoment
Sorry to butt in with that. In all seriousness, a very cool moment.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:12 AM ^
Are they bringing him back?
October 13th, 2021 at 10:40 AM ^
It's only $1,000 to get him up into space.
Once he's up there, he'll learn that it's another $2 million to get back to earth!
October 13th, 2021 at 11:56 AM ^
Ugh. I always miss some mundane detail.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:16 AM ^
Zoltan Mesko is next in line.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:19 AM ^
Space, Bitches...Space
October 13th, 2021 at 10:22 AM ^
Although I would prefer that they launched from SE Michigan to boost the local economy, I can understand why they'd want to avoid Romulus.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:28 AM ^
The planned welcoming committee for when Shatner returns to Earth:
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October 13th, 2021 at 10:41 AM ^
Get your hands off of me, you damn dirty apes!
October 13th, 2021 at 10:52 AM ^
Wait, is this thread about the Shatner rocket launch or East Lansing?
October 13th, 2021 at 2:37 PM ^
Upvote no matter what, but the pedant in me has to remind you that the line is, "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!" That is some serious shit talk in Ape, let me tell you.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:29 AM ^
Attention https://mgoblog.com/users/thespacepope , could you please give a pre-launch blessing, your holiness?
October 13th, 2021 at 10:38 AM ^
I am almost halfway to 90 years old. I hope to be as active as James Tiberius when I get there...if I get there.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:40 AM ^
I was surprised to read he was 90. He looks pretty good.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:50 AM ^
When you have the money to afford the best plastic surgeons in the world, you always have the ability to look good.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:12 AM ^
Was thinking the same thing, but plastic surgery can't make you more active. Good on him for staying in shape without (I think) drinking the blood of little children.
October 13th, 2021 at 6:28 PM ^
In shape? If you're talking about the shape of a Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloon float of Captain Kirk, then yeah, he's been in that shape the past 20-30 years. I was wondering when this was announced if they had an XXL spacesuit in stock.
October 13th, 2021 at 8:36 PM ^
They made him climb eight flights of stairs, no mean feat for a person in the 50s let alone 90 years old.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:41 AM ^
T -8:00 and counting...
October 13th, 2021 at 10:42 AM ^
I’m watching! Laughing a little bit as I remember Owen Wilson’s portrayal of Bezos on SNL this season.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
...our twelve minute mission...
Truly, what a thrill for Mr. Shatner.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
This is incredible. I still routinely watch the original series of Star Trek.
The campy acting, yet thoughtful social context of the scripts and stories, still hold true to today.
The over-acting of Shatner and his portrayal of a brash yet, at times thoughtful Captain of a diverse group of people working together for their survival & exploration is iconic for science fiction. He was essentially the first leader in outer space.
If there was ever an actor to be launched into space - it's Captain Kirk.
Live Long and Prosper!
PS - Spock's father Sarek (Mark Lenard) is a UM alum. Go Blue and Prosper!
October 13th, 2021 at 11:01 AM ^
Star Trek was ahead of its time in some ways. It showed the first interracial kiss in American television history. Some stations refused to carry the episode.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:23 PM ^
and Yoeman Janice Rand--Grace Lee Whitney was from Ann Arbor.
October 13th, 2021 at 10:46 AM ^
Bezos is a flaming hot asshole that is trying his level best to destroy plans to get back to the moon in the name of profit. I hate that Capt Kirk is going up on that schlong shaped half-ship, but it is so very cool that he's getting into space! It's where he was always destined to go.
Douchebag, or not, Bezos does have the safer of the two suborbital rides - I wouldn't trust Branson's version with my life! And I can see where 3 days in orbit would be too much for the 90 year old Shattner. So good luck, godspeed, and have a helluva good time!!
October 13th, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
Honest question, is there much value in going back to the moon? I mean, assuming you believe we've actually already been there that is.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:06 AM ^
In the way that Bezos wants to, no, no value whatsoever. Bezos wants nothing more than a one time flags and footprints mission so he can reap the benefits of being the guy who put men back on the moon. His Blue Moon lander design sucks ass and is way too expensive for only a one-time use.
NASA's eventual goal is to foster a space based economy where there is mining/manufacturing on the moon, and or Mars. Obviously, that's a long way away... Nonetheless, you have to start basic research and pathfinder missions at some point. And, I believe, that point is now. So give me something better than 'Blue Moon' and the lawsuits Bezos is using to hold up everything. Fuck him...
(BTW, you don't have to like Elon Musk or SpaceX. But their solution was - by far - the best put forward. If you have a better solution, please submit it to NASA or build it yourself...)
October 13th, 2021 at 11:21 AM ^
NASA probably has a long way to go before it can send a human to the moon. They ended the shuttle program 10 years ago, and even the shuttle couldn't make it to the moon. As far as I know, NASA doesn't have the rocket technology to compete with Bezos etc. (I could be wrong). At this point, all we have is Bezos/Musk to get us there.
But with that, I agree with you that it looks like more of ego thing to them.
Lastly, this is a bit dated, but I did go to Space Camp in the late 80s. Great experience, but I remember a discussion with one of the astronauts and a kid in my group asked why we (meaning people) haven't been to the moon. His reply (parapharsing) "There's nothing else to learn from the moon that requires people. We know what its made of, and how it reacts. Unless there is something unusual on the dark side of the moon, there is no need to send people, we can send probes"
October 13th, 2021 at 2:22 PM ^
NASA has the tech (barely), Bezos does not. The only thing Bezos has is New Shepard, which is suborbital. He hasn't delivered anything else - no engines to ULA, no orbital class rocket, nothing. So that leaves SpaceX and NASA's SLS, which has been under development for >10 years and cost ~$17B so far. Bezos' Blue Moon depends on SLS, at ~$1B/flight, and neither is reusable. It's useless...
October 13th, 2021 at 3:22 PM ^
Bezos has the tech, but he wants NASA to pay to implement it. And I think NASA said to pound sand.
October 13th, 2021 at 7:45 PM ^
No, he doesn't. His engines don't work and his orbital class rocket is years late. As for the lander, it isn't even fully designed, let alone partially tested! The mock-up he had for NASA included cardboard and balloons - literally! But yeah, he does want NASA to pay for it...
October 13th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
I was thinking along the lines that if we are doing manned missions to planet(ary objects), more might be gained going somewhere like Mars than going to the moon again. Mining on the moon is an interesting long term goal, but it would seem that getting anything back in any quantity of value is extremely far out.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
I'm not up on the very latest plans for sending Astronauts to Mars, but plenty of talk over the last several years has involved using the relatively short moonflight and round trip as proving grounds missions to test the new equipment and technology needed for much longer Mars missions. Eventually too, the Moon may be used as a stepping stone in future cargo missions or even human flights to Mars.
In other words, the moon could/would be a semi-permanent space base and launching pad as we expand further space exploration.
October 13th, 2021 at 12:46 PM ^
The logistics of mining on the moon versus mining on Mars would be tons more doable. It would behoove us to get the kinks worked out before we go interplanetary.
October 13th, 2021 at 1:38 PM ^
Not only mining, but simply living on the Moon would be an excellent test-bed to confront the multitude of technological and engineering hurdles involved in constructing living quarters on a planetoid that doesn't have the atmosphere and magnetic field to deflect deadly solar radiation that Earth provides.
October 13th, 2021 at 2:23 PM ^
Most if not all of those factors can be simulated very accurately on earth. The only thing that cannot be effectively simulated is reduction in gravity, but can be modeled. The advantage is that the gravity on the moon is less than earth. If it was the opposite, it would not be an advantage.
What most people don't realize is that the moon is quite far away from the earth. The standard space shuttle can only get to about a fraction of the distance to the moon. So it's not easy to get there.
October 13th, 2021 at 4:19 PM ^
You can have all the simulations you want, but actually physically building something in a lunar environment is still going to be a huge practical challenge.
October 13th, 2021 at 7:21 PM ^
Yes it is a huge practical challenge not really because of the environment, but rather because the moon super far away.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:14 AM ^
I mean, assuming you believe we've actually already been there that is.
We've been to the moon several times. Are you implying you don't believe we have?
October 13th, 2021 at 11:40 AM ^
I'm implying that there are absolutely people who don't think we've been to the moon, a quick Google search says about 10% of Americans polled think the moon landing was fake. Poll error and all of that, but that's a shockingly high number IMO.
Yes, I believe we have been to the moon, for the record.
October 13th, 2021 at 9:50 PM ^
A reflection upon the current state of affairs of our education system? I'm guessing the poll you're referencing is an undefined poll described by PC Magazine? People in my age group, >54 largely believe humans walked on the moon. 97%-3%. From the same poll, people in age group 18-34 are the most prone to believe the moon landings were faked. A whopping 18%. 8% of age group 35-54 subscribe to fakery.
The only recent and reputable poll, Gallup, I could find was from 1999 in which it was found that 6% of Americans subscribe to the fakery. Gallup notes that 6% is a common result for such questions.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:21 AM ^
Don't we owe it to future generations, albeit way, way in the future, to continue to push forward on space exploration? Our sun will burn out and we are going to need someplace to go to.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:46 AM ^
While the sun will eventually burn out, that event in the process won’t be the one that ultimately end the earth. Once the sun fuses enough of its gases, it will expand considerably and engulf at least all planets out to Mars (maybe more). It will burn for another million years before an eventual supernova occurs. All this is about 4.5 billion years away. So we got some time.
With that, methinks we’ll be long dead/extinct before that event. IMO, if we can’t figure out fusion energy (or population control), we got about 1000 years left.
October 13th, 2021 at 12:42 PM ^
1000 years huh?
You are quite the optimist.
October 13th, 2021 at 1:19 PM ^
Well I do think we'll figure how to utilize fusion power for energy on earth in the coming 50-100 years, so I'll think we'll be fine. There is more than enough deuterium in the top layer of the ocean to fuel the world's fusion power needs for billions of years.
If not, I'm not sure we have enough energy available for more than 1000 years unless the population severely declines. Perhaps if we can embrace standard fission nuclear power more, then we can extend another 500 or so years.
October 13th, 2021 at 11:36 AM ^
user name not checking out. everybody knows the moon is made of green cheese, lecheezus. duh. let's put wisconsin out of business
October 13th, 2021 at 12:03 PM ^
As an intermediate step, it absolutely has value. You can test habitats and technology in a hostile environment much closer to Earth. If something goes wrong you're days away from help rather than months.
October 13th, 2021 at 1:04 PM ^
Establishing a forward operating base on the Moon is essential for supporting longer term missions to other planets or moons. The key incentive in doing that would be to harvest water ice, which has been discovered in the polar regions of the Moon. The water ice could be converted to liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which are of course fundamental components of rocket fuel. The weight of say, a Space Shuttle, launched from Earth is about 95% fuel in order to propel the 5% proportion that is the spacecraft mass up to escape velocity. Also note that of that 5% of spacecraft mass, perhaps a third is what might be considered the "payload", or cargo that is hauled up into orbit. So, the economic incentive of having a fuel supply that is already "in orbit" is huge, particularly when considering that yet another escape-velocity launch is required for the return trip from any other "gravity well" that might be explored.