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1500 questions
19
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Why does this journey to the moon take so long?
I remember the Apollo missions and I'm pretty sure it took about three days to reach the moon.
India’s space agency is set to launch its homegrown Chandrayaan-3 moon mission from the southeastern island of Sriharikota, at the Satish Dhawan Space…
Tim Richards
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19
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Is the failure to separate Starship from the Super Heavy booster a "dumb failure" and does it tell something about the project reliability?
Sorry for the possibly dumb question, but I don't know much about rocket technology.
As I gather, the main problem in the recently failed Elon Musk's Starship launch was that the Starship "capsule" couldn't separate from the booster and that forced…
LorenzoDonati4Ukraine-OnStrike
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19
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1 answer
How did STS-27 survive reentry after losing a thermal tile?
My buddies and I have been arguing about this for a while, speculating about the upcoming Starship test.
STS-27 suffered damage on ascent that knocked off a tile & damaged hundreds more. It only survived because the tile was below a component that…
Anton Hengst
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19
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2 answers
How far from the Sun can solar power be used as a reliable energy source?
Space probes headed for the far reaches of our Solar System rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators for power (Cassini–Huygens, Voyager 1, Voyager 2).
Presumably this is because solar power isn't feasible at large distances from the Sun. With…
JohnB
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2 answers
What is the accuracy / uncertainty of Two Line Elements (TLEs)?
I use TLE sets supplied on this website to find the future position of satellites (well usually just the ISS) using the SGP4 propagation method implemented in C++.
My question is:
What is the accuracy of the satellite position in the supplied TLEs…
James C
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19
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3 answers
Why were they using segmented boosters on Space Shuttle?
After learning how the solid fuel is protecting the casing of the SRB from the heat of the combustion in this answer I have to ask this question.
As we know, it's exactly this segmentation of the boosters that led to the Challenger Disaster
Sure,…
TrySCE2AUX
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19
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1 answer
What is the orange material seen within the window frames of the Columbia Shuttle?
I'm seeing this orange material within the windows of Columbia shuttles -- any thoughts on its precise function? The ISS's Cupola also contains similar international orange bands, though they seem less fabric-y there.
Sylvester Silencio
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19
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3 answers
Why are Soyuz rockets painted with different colors?
The different parts of the Soyuz rocket have different colors:
White
Dark gray
Orange
Progress rockets I saw have different "liveries", multicolored like this
and white like this:
I suppose they are painted like that (sometimes multicolored,…
user3049
19
votes
9 answers
Is the air "sucked out" or "blown out" into space when the hatch opens?
In a somewhat famous Star Trek: The Next Generation quote Data corrects Riker on the 'correct term' for a scenario where a hatch on a space capsule breaks open and all the crew are killed.
Riker: "You were right. Somebody blew out the hatch. They…
user6587
19
votes
5 answers
Why is the speed of James Webb Space Telescope decreasing?
Can anybody explain why is the speed of Webb slowing down as it is moving away from earth?
Stars Tracker
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Do any spacecraft use GNSS for attitude determination?
In principle, by placing a GNSS-receiver on all extremities of a spacecraft (or aircraft, for that matter), one can determine the orientation of the satellite. Google lists some studies, but have such systems been used in real spacecraft? On the…
gerrit
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19
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5 answers
What is the deepest position in space we can get a GPS signal?
Can we use GPS in orbit at the moon? What about on Mars?
Kamic
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19
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1 answer
What is this pin on John Glenn's suit jacket?
I'm watching the documentary "The Real Right Stuff". Around the 14 minute mark they show a clip of a news interview of the 7 mercury astronauts describing how their family feels about them embarking on their historic mission.
After this clip the…
KDecker
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19
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1 answer
Interstellar Travel Thought Experiment
I have been going over a bit of a thought experiment in my head lately. And wondering if someone more informed on the matter can share their thoughts
Let's start with the premise that rocket/ propulsion technology is continuing to develop at some…
VapeLord86
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3 answers
My space station is filling with water
This question may be a bit silly, but this video of Chris Hadfield wringing out a wet washcloth on the ISS got me thinking...
In the video you can clearly see drops of water floating away from the cloth, and as I understand it, they'll be sucked…
Calvin's Hobbies
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