Space detritus

[marquis_de_sad]

The other day I saw this, which is the last photo taken by the Cassini mission to Saturn:



Pretty, innit? It sent me off on a wikipedia trail, reading about the mission and looking at other (quite low-res) photos that it's sent back to Earth of lakes of liquid methane on Titan and suchlike.

The only problem with the photo above is it's fake. Or it's not a photo anyway, it's an artist's depiction of one of Cassini's last moments after it went through Saturn's rings.

Got any random space stuff to share? Interesting trivia very welcome. We had this thread about Mars recently, but I didn't want to incur the benign wrath of Mssr. Admin by bumping it.

[Mr Eggs]

I like the hole made by a drill on the ISS. Reckon some cunt got pissed and tried to hang a picture.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/sep/05/space-station-air-leak-someone-drilled-the-hole-say-russians

"There were several attempts at drilling," Rogozin said late on Monday in televised comments, adding that the drill appeared to have been held by a "wavering hand".

PISHED IN SPACE.

[Alberon]

I'm on holiday at the moment so not in a position to properly participate, but the New Horizons probe that visited Pluto was woken up recently to take a photo of the small Kuiper Belt object it is visiting next. I'll add that next week if someone else doesn't, though it isn't visually impressive.

[bgmnts]

I wish that were my album cover.

[mothman]

It's possible that everybody has watched it at this point, but I always feel I should mention Erik Wernquist's short film Wanderers, which I love:

http://www.erikwernquist.com/wanderers/

[marquis_de_sad]

I'm on holiday at the moment so not in a position to properly participate, but the New Horizons probe that visited Pluto was woken up recently to take a photo of the small Kuiper Belt object it is visiting next. I'll add that next week if someone else doesn't, though it isn't visually impressive.

Is that this?

The figure on the left is a composite image produced by adding 48 different exposures from the News Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), each with an exposure time of 29.967 seconds, taken on Aug. 16, 2018. The predicted position of the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule is at the center of the yellow box, and is indicated by the yellow crosshairs, just above and left of a nearby star that is approximately 17 times brighter than Ultima. At right is a magnified view of the region in the yellow box, after subtraction of a background star field "template" taken by LORRI in September 2017 before it could detect the object itself. Ultima is clearly detected in this star-subtracted image and is very close to where scientists predicted, indicating to the team that New Horizons is being targeted in the right direction. The many artifacts in the star-subtracted image are caused either by small mis-registrations between the new LORRI images and the template, or by intrinsic brightness variations of the stars. At the time of these observations, Ultima Thule was 107 million miles (172 million kilometers) from the New Horizons spacecraft and 4 billion miles (6.5 billion kilometers) from the Sun. (Image credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)

It's possible that everybody has watched it at this point, but I always feel I should mention Erik Wernquist's short film Wanderers, which I love:

http://www.erikwernquist.com/wanderers/

I had missed that somehow, thanks. Is he the bloke behind the Crazy Frog?

[mothman]

It would appear he is. Didn't know that. But I'll forgive him, just about, because Wanderers really is quite wonderful. That bit at the end where the girl just smiles behind her mask, is delightful. This is a future I want to live in. I wasn't sure when he added the Sagan voiceover, I didn't feel the original version needed it; but it works.

[Buelligan]

I just had the weirdest walk home so far.  Warm night, no breeze, totally clear but moon not risen, very, very dark, absolutely no light pollution.  Masses of stars though, lovely big fat Milky Way, completely silent except for the cicadas and boars snorting with disgust when they realised I was near.

It was so dark in some parts, my eyes felt deaf or like they'd fallen through a hole into nothingness.  Anyway, I'll get on with it. 

I noticed a flash, like a really big lightning flash but there was no sound at all and it's a fine night.  Thought perhaps a hunter was up on the mountain using a 4x4 with spots and had flashed me.  Listened but no engine sound.  Carried on.  Lots more flashes, some so bright it felt like God was playing with the lights, literally day for a split second.  One so bright, I was blinking when it happened, it made me see the world pink through my eyelids.  No sound at all.  Continued all the way home, about 40 mins. 

Spent that time trying to think what it might be, remembered seeing this thread (but not reading it) and thought, ahh, there must be some crap burning up in the atmosphere and it's in the news but that's not what this thread's about.  Just thought I'd mention it.

[marquis_de_sad]

It would appear he is. Didn't know that. But I'll forgive him, just about, because Wanderers really is quite wonderful. That bit at the end where the girl just smiles behind her mask, is delightful. This is a future I want to live in. I wasn't sure when he added the Sagan voiceover, I didn't feel the original version needed it; but it works.

Yeah I have to admit I was a little bit apprehensive when I heard Sagan's voice, but like you say it works. Another reason why that mask bit is good is that in most Hollywood films they have to give people these unlikely, over-lit fishbowls so you can see the actors' faces. Something awe-inspiring about all the humans being tiny and anonymous.

It says he was inspired in part by the work of Kim Stanley Robinson. I've been meaning to read him after MoonDust posted some reviews on here not that long ago.

Spent that time trying to think what it might be, remembered seeing this thread (but not reading it) and thought, ahh, there must be some crap burning up in the atmosphere and it's in the news but that's not what this thread's about.  Just thought I'd mention it.

Seems to fit the theme of space detritus pretty well!

[mothman]

KSR has written a lot, some I like, others not so much. But relevant to Wanderers, I would say the Mars trilogy (Red / Green / Blue Mars) is essential reading, it's a blueprint for terraforming Mars (and colonising the rest of the System) and now I think of it the last few paras of Blue Mars are one of my favourite passages in any book, and also convey that sense of delight and wonder.

[littlenell]

The other day I saw this, which is the last photo taken by the Cassini mission to Saturn:



Pretty, innit? It sent me off on a wikipedia trail, reading about the mission and looking at other (quite low-res) photos that it's sent back to Earth of lakes of liquid methane on Titan and suchlike.

The only problem with the photo above is it's fake. Or it's not a photo anyway, it's an artist's depiction of one of Cassini's last moments after it went through Saturn's rings.

Got any random space stuff to share? Interesting trivia very welcome. We had this thread about Mars recently, but I didn't want to incur the benign wrath of Mssr. Admin by bumping it.

I love this, what a wonderful depiction, the artist is inspired!

I originally misread that you 'didn't want to incur the benign wrath of Mars' ha ha. I nearly replied 'Forget Mars, its Neptune who you should be wary around. He can be  very sensitive...' which would have been a rather odd comment, and off-putting Im sure.

[Alberon]

Russian Space Shuttle rotting away forgotten in Kazakhstan. Click the picture for super bigness.



The main story is behind a paywall on the Telegraph, but it is a fantastic photo. Apparently taken by an 'urban explorer'.

[Zetetic]

What seems odd about the various Buran bits (^) being abandoned (and obliterated by neglect in one case) is that there do seem to be museums who'd be more than happy to pay for transport and the like - they wouldn't even need to sell, I assume, just loan.

Can't imagine what would be sensitive enough at this point not to try for that; but perhaps I lack imagination. Maybe I'm overestimating the interest.

[Blumf]

Video from last year of some people sneaking in (and sleeping over) to explore the site is worth a look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q7ZVXOU3kM

[mothman]

Great video, thanks for linking to it. It's very sad. Those ships were complete bloody white elephants, but they don't deserve to rot there in a dilapidated hanger in a semi-abandoned military base at the arse end of a desert in Kazakhstan. What is meant to be happening with them? Wouldn't surprise me if some ex-Soviet general commandeered them to be his retirement nest egg, only nobody wanted to buy them. The only vaguely operational model was destroyed when its hangar collapsed?! Fuck's sake.

[Sebastian Cobb]

What seems odd about the various Buran bits (^) being abandoned (and obliterated by neglect in one case) is that there do seem to be museums who'd be more than happy to pay for transport and the like - they wouldn't even need to sell, I assume, just loan.

Can't imagine what would be sensitive enough at this point not to try for that; but perhaps I lack imagination. Maybe I'm overestimating the interest.

The Buran symbolises failed propaganda and poor management of the Russian space program, it's no wonder Russia would prefer it's forgotten about.

[Zetetic]

There already Buran orbiters - well, mostly aerodynamic testing models - in various places, including in foreign museums and in parks in Moscow.