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1500 questions
67
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What was Apollo 13's "Little Jolt" after MECO?
Disclaimer: This is a question about the 1995 film Apollo 13; I know Hollywood should always be taken with a moon-sized grain of salt, so the question should read as both "Is this true" and "What was going on?"
During the Saturn V launch (about…
Diego Sánchez
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66
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3 answers
How fast will 1g get you there?
If you have the energy for a constant 1G thrust, how long would it take to get to the planets in our solar system? How long for the 5 nearest solar systems?
Assuming turn over and decelerate at halfway.
James Jenkins
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66
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1 answer
Why do astronauts wear heels?
I was reading another question on the site when I noticed the EVA suit sports heels.
Why do they put heels on space suits? (cropped detailed view)
Erik
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66
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6 answers
Can I drive Elon Musk's Tesla after it's been in space for 100 Years?
We know that the the payload of the maiden Falcon Heavy flight will be... Elon Musks's Tesla Which will be placed in "Mars Orbit"
Assuming it is serviced and road ready when launched with the keys in the ignition...
100 Years later, someone plucks…
James Jenkins
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65
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4 answers
Why do ISS crew members often cross their arms?
I am watching live stream from ISS to follow the return of two ISS crew members, Thomas Pesquet and Oleg Novitskiy.
At several moments, they crossed their arms in a not really natural way:
Why do they cross their arms like that? Is that a standard…
le_daim
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64
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7 answers
Why is the breathing atmosphere of the ISS a standard atmosphere (at 1 atm containing nitrogen)?
The Wikipedia page for the International Space Station says that it has a fairly Earth-like, sea-level atmosphere: 21% oxygen, balance nitrogen at 101.3 kPa. Supposedly it's because a pure-oxygen environment is dangerous as in the Apollo 1 disaster,…
Nick T
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64
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1 answer
How is stacking oranges in 24 dimensions related to receiving and decoding signals from the Voyagers?
I was listening to Sphere Packing Solved in Higher Dimensions; A Ukrainian mathematician has solved the centuries-old sphere-packing problem in dimensions eight and 24. and reading the transcript there.
Mathematicians have been studying sphere…
uhoh
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63
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Is a Moon-base inherently more dangerous than a Space Station?
Living in space is pretty dangerous, and the wonderful people of the ISS float around the Earth at risk of radiation and micrometeoroids. I'm curious if they're any more safe than if they simply were on a base on the Moon. It seems to me the same…
simontemplar
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63
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1 answer
63
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8 answers
How do we know the Apollo Moon landings are real?
Since about 1976, conspiracy theories denying the Moon landing and claiming it was all faked have cropped up. As a website devoted to answering questions about space exploration, we receive questions about this idea regularly.
In order to spare the…
kim holder
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63
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3 answers
Is there no physical security in space, other than being in space?
I saw Gravity the other day and while visually and emotionally compelling, and besides the liberties taken with orbits, something else struck me as unrealistic, but I'm not sure if it is or isn't: the apparently lack of physical security on…
Nick T
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63
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4 answers
How did people know how to build the first space ship?
How did the early designers of spacecrafts have any idea what space was actually like?
How was a vessel ever constructed that actually flew through Earth's atmosphere without burning up, and then was able to travel around once it reached space…
korrinab
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63
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1 answer
Which Apollo "mystery" was said to be finally solved by a better rendering engine?
I remember reading several years ago about a mystery or puzzle about a photograph from an Apollo moon landing mission that had to do with why someone's suit was as bright as it was in the photo. There were quantitative questions beyond the normal…
uhoh
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62
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Why does the SpaceX reusable launcher use vertical rather than horizontal landing?
As alternatives to vertical retro-engines landing:
horizontal landing using wings, already discussed in Why is it preferable for SpaceX to land their booster vertically rather than fly it down with wings?.
horizontal landing using using airbags,…
mins
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62
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3 answers
Washing clothes in space: are there any technical challenges?
Currently, the ISS is resupplied with fresh clothes from the Earth. I remember reading a report on NTRS stating that the requirements for fresh clothes proved to be much higher than expected.
Thus, several related questions:
Will it be feasible to…
Deer Hunter
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