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1500 questions
21
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2 answers
Curiosity is still dirty! How will the ExoMARS Rover keep its solar panels dust-free and collecting sufficient power?
update:
Current events makes this question even more poignant
sols 5183 to 5189, Aug. 23, 2018 - Aug. 29, 2018: Team Continues to Listen for Opportunity
Curiosity selfie has been released just a few days ago, showing better the collection of sand…
uhoh
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21
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4 answers
How does a simple construction keep a firing rocket on the ground?
Today I have seen this report of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket test firing. The force of a burning rocket is tremendous, and in the video we see an apparently simple construction keeping the rocket (or rocket stage in this case) tied to the ground.
How…
James C
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21
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1 answer
Does NASA address libido of astronauts that are in space for prolonged periods of time?
Libido can affect behaviour, judgement, group dynamics etc, which could pose a risk for the effectiveness of a mission. Is this somehow addressed by NASA, for example in screening during recruitment, in training, in space-lifestyle design or in…
Sparkler
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21
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4 answers
SpaceX first stage landing: Why not use an elevated net above the landing platform to catch the rocket?
The rocket would keep same descent system as now (no parachute). But instead of landing on feet, it would have long grid fins on its top that would be caught by an elevated cable net.
The previous SpaceX attempts showed that the landing position is…
Gaddy
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21
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2 answers
Is it real to patch an opening to the vacuum with plastic tarp and duct tape as in Martian?
In the Martian movie Watney patched a broken door to the martian surface with plastic tarp and duct tape.
The pressure on Mars is 0.5 kPa, which is 200 times smaller, that on Earth (100 kPa), i.e. it is approximately vacuum outside.
The pressure…
Dims
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21
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2 answers
When Mir's attitude control computer failed, why did the station immediately start rotating?
Re-reading Linenger's Off the Planet and encountered a question from long ago that I never had found an answer to.
During Mir's troubled old age, the attitude control computer would fail frequently. The station then immediately started rotating and…
Organic Marble
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21
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6 answers
Why not build rockets out of composite materials?
Considering how important mass ratio is for the rocket equation, why are rockets built still out of aluminium, and not some lighter material, perhaps carbon/glass fiber composites?
I'm aware composites are used here and there for some parts of…
radex
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21
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2 answers
How did the Falcon 9's 1st stage return back to Cape Canaveral?
SpaceX's original plan was landing the 1st stage to a landing ship, that waits far away from the launch site, and it was like this:
But tonight, the rocket's first stage landed at Cape Canaveral. Looking at this original plan slowing down and…
dvdmn
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2 answers
Is water on Mars the same as Earth water?
I would like to know how similar Mars water is to Earth water.
Can we survive on Mars with Martian water without any major health issues etc?
goodyzain
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21
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Why did Soyuz TMA-18M take two days to reach the ISS?
Typically, a Soyuz crew vehicle takes 4 orbits to reach the ISS, but the Soyuz TMA-18M took 34 orbits or 2 days to reach it. Why is there so much variation from typical missions?
abr ga
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2 answers
Do astronauts get Netflix on ISS?
I've been wondering about the internet connection on the ISS, and how it's used. We were talking in chat about astronauts personal belongings and free time, and it made me wonder about how they use the internet. This made me wonder about their…
duzzy
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21
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4 answers
Does the Moon have any captured objects orbiting it?
Does our moon have any captured objects orbiting it that have been discovered, such as asteroids or other debris?
If it doesn't, is it possible that it could capture them in the future, given the right circumstances? If so, what would be the maximum…
Ezra Bailey
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21
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How is the International Space Station protected against orbital debris?
ISS is at an altitude of about 400 km (approximately). But there will be some of space debris at that altitude (since some of the space debris orbits decay over time). So the debris has a probability of coming in contact (colliding) with the ISS.…
Hash
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20
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3 answers
Space debris half life
In case there will be zero space launches starting at some point in time. How long will it take for the space debris mass in LEO to be halved?
user54
20
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3 answers
How much of an advantage do equator-proximal launch sites provide?
Comparing ESA's Kourou (5° off) with NASA's Cape Canaveral (28°) and JAXA's Tanegashima (30°) launch sites, how advantageous is proximity to the equator? Considering the fact that the ESA and all of Arianespace's clients are happy to transport…
coleopterist
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