I really feel for the teams that put these missions together, it must take years of work, thousands of person-hours, and exquisite engineering. So when a mission fails - which happens a lot - I can only imagine how heart-breaking it would be for those teams. — Wayfarer

:up: And yet all those folks are committed to James T. Kirk-san's motto: "Risk is our business!"
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4ErkeFA-QWk

:nerd:

I guess. If they're stoic or zen about it, they can move on OK but I still think it would be a bitter blow. (Fantastic Shatner clip, that dude really lived the dream.)

:up:

Rise and shine: Japanese moon probe back to work after sun reaches its solar panels (Mari Yamaguchi · AP · Jan 30, 2024)

Yaay :)

:cool:

:party: Good news for them! Although I seem to recall another article that one of its ancillary bots had photographed it, and it was lying on its side, so it's not totally out of the woods (not that there's any woods :yikes: ). Still, good news for the team.

De profundis ad astra ...

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/05/astronomy-telescope-chile-vera-c-rubin-observatory :clap: :nerd:

More astra ex machina :nerd:

re: Voyager-1
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68881369

re: Voyager-1
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68881369 — 180 Proof

46 years and counting :)

Launched 1977, now 22 light-hours away. Makes you realise the vast distances involved (and why I don't believe that interstellar travel is possible inside current science.)

You think the points mentioned in thie wiki article below are just pie-in-the-sky fantasies? My guess is we're only limited by current technology since "current science" (i.e. extant physical laws) does not prohibit "interstellar travel", just 'AFAL/FTL acceleration' through spacetime.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_travel

It'll all be drones and robotic equipment to start off with. Like Breakthrough StarShot

:up: Exactly!

From 2021 ...
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/501897 :nerd:

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. — Oscar Wilde

https://www.scimag.news/news-en/68801/budget-cuts-loom-over-the-webb-telescope-can-nasa-save-this-scientific-marvel/

Thanks, DOGEbags! :shade:

One would think that this would be something that Elon would be positive about, but no.

Aahh... this has usually been the most positive, most optimistic and nice to read threads in PF.

Tells where the World is going.

Suck it up—where the world is going is not nice.

A bit baffled that "DOGE" also affects the budget of the James Webb telescope. Since Musk is supposedly very interested in the universe, he should invest but not cut the funding of that scientific project. I think NASA (or other rich corporations) will save the project. Fortunately, he is not the only moneybag in this world.

I remember when we used to share beautiful pictures taken by the telescope. I hope we will continue to do so.

Well, it's just like the image of a Tesla car is now quite politically tarnished. I'd never even think of buying a Tesla now. Now if cuts the funding of James Webb and NASA in general, but then puts money into SpaceX Mars mission, at least I'm not so enthusiastic anymore of a Mars mission. It's not such an unifying moment, but simply more like a billionaires playground. (Which manned spaceflight largely has become)

A bit baffled that "DOGE" also affects the budget of the James Webb telescope. — javi2541997

Trump will be asking, where's the return? Can't we mine an asteroid, or something? What's the point of that thing? All it does is take pictures. Billions of dollars and it's a frickin' camera.

Yep, well said. China will be the way forward in the conquest of the universe. They are already doing interesting things on both the Moon and Mars. But our obduracy towards them doesn't help to value them.

Haha. Probably, that's the way he speaks to his cabinet. Astonishingly, a total circus.