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1500 questions
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Who filmed the Apollo 11 trans-lunar injection?
In the recent Apollo 11 documentary we're shown footage of the mission undertaking a 'trans-lunar injection' burn after having conducted two orbits of the Earth.
Who was filming this sequence?
Richard
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Could colonizing Moon dangerously affect its gravity?
If we colonized Moon it would mean we are moving matter from Earth to Moon. Since Moon is much smaller than Earth could these changes somehow affect its trajectory/movement to the point we could notice?
How much material would we have to move to…
Petr Peller
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Why do rockets not glide back?
After stage separation, why do the rockets not glide back to Earth with wings?
Is retro propulsion a better idea than gliding rockets back to 'Earth'? Take Energia-II as an example:
Source: buran.ru
In Energia-II, all stages (including payload…
Red Orbiter 10.1
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How far have astronauts been in space?
I just listened to a podcast where it was said that astronauts have only been at most 400 miles from Earth (except for the moon of course in the '60s/'70s). Is this true?
I know that the ISS orbits at a paltry ~250 miles so lets ignore that!
Have…
Richard
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How are dead animals disposed of on the ISS?
After reading the question Have any animals that have been studied onboard the ISS come back alive?, my first thought was this: what about the ones that don't live?
It would seem that this wouldn't be an uncommon occurrence at least at first -…
user12
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How easy would opening an Apollo capsule following dry landing be?
To help frame the problem, I have written the following scenario:
It's December 19, 1972 and the Apollo 17 has returned to Earth, but something went wrong and they landed in the middle of the Outback. Luckily, I happened to be nearby with my ute and…
called2voyage
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Does the Soyuz spacecraft use chemically stabilized hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) to remain ISS-dockable for 200+ days?
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from the local shop (dilute, 2-3%) sometimes has a stabilizer to slow its breakdown rate and increase its "shelf-life", since we'd like to keep it around the house on our shelf for years, and the shop would like the option…
uhoh
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How would a long pole be transported to space?
Can a long pole or a set of poles be strapped to the out side of a rocket (like a bottle rocket)or on the nose as an external payload without interfering with the aerodynamics of the rocket? How would a very long thin pole .5 km or longer be…
Muze
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Usage of Apollo Lunar Surface Hasselblad Camera with 500 mm lens?
Here is a list of photographic cameras used for Apollo 16.
There were two Lunar Surface Data Hasselblads equipped with a 60 mm lens for both astronauts to be used with chest mounts to the space suits. The astronauts had special training to use them…
Uwe
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Can we detect the cell phone, satellite phone, or walkie talkie of someone walking on Mars from Earth?
We certainly cannot see a person walking on Mars from Earth.
But what if the person is trying to use a cell phone, walkie talkie, or satellite phone? Although he won't have much luck using any of those devices, can we detect the signal from Earth…
gerrit
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Can a reentry be done slowly?
The usual approach to reentry is fast and hot. There's a lot of energy to be lost, and doing it quickly has some advantages: You can dump energy into hypersonic air, and then leave that heat behind so that the hot part is over before the inside of…
Bob Jacobsen
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Which astronaut travelled farthest from Earth?
To-date who has flown farthest from the center of the Earth?
Is he alive now?
Michele
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How far have autophage rockets been developed?
Ars Technica reports on a May 24 phys.org press release/precis on a University of Glasgow paper in Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets about a solid rocket intended to consume itself during use rather than require staging to improve its mass fraction…
Erin Anne
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What is the purpose of the satellite that China is putting in lunar orbit?
I was just reading an article about the satellite that China is putting in Lunar orbit as phase one for their exploration of the far side of the Moon.
Is this satellite just to be used as a signal relayer for when they actually land their rover in…
jedicurt
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Why is Falcon 9's fairing so big?
The Falcon 9 fairing costs millions of dollars. It is 5.2 meters wide while the rocket itself is only 3.7 meters wide. There is no aerodynamic reason that the fairing has to be so big, since Dragon has the same width as the booster. For small…
Adám
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