Russian Missile Test Seen and Photographed By ISS Astronauts 37
The Bad Astronomer writes "It sounds like a scene from Gravity: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station Thursday saw a weird, glowing cloud of light in the distance, most likely caused by a fuel dump or leaking fuel from a Russian missile launch. The extended life of a Topol missile was being tested in a ballistic launch to a test target in Kazakhstan, and the astronauts were able to take pictures of both the launch vapor trail and the glowing cloud. This event is similar to the eerie spiral lights seen over Norway in 2009 caused by a Russian missile launch as well."
Norway (Score:4, Informative)
Probably not as creepy as norway.
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fuck you slashdot
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
no..
except righteous talk about "blabla nuclear weapons yikes we sure suck as a species" ... when talking about photos taken from a platform put up with the same kind of rocketry as the images are about. you can't have one without the other. and amazingly, unlike gunpowder, sailing, bees, knives, firearms, spoons and what have you to my knoweledge icbm's have never been deployed against anyone as a weapon!
(and didn't think the photos were that nice tbh.)
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Exactly. When the author interjects about being conflicted, he shows his moronity. How would he like his precious satellites to get up in to space? How would like the ISS to be where it's at? What about the Hubble and the rest of the space telescope cadre?
The fact that he looks like a more angular version of Moby, bald head and all, doesn't help.
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Follow up. I don't care that it's Phil Plait. If anything he should be less likely to show his bias considering how much into the science realm and debunking nonsense he is involved with.
It's a missile, get over it.
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How would he like his precious satellites to get up in to space?
A balloon filled with unicorn farts.
CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN! (Score:2)
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/09/equoid
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you can't have one without the other.
Why not? I agree that the civilian space programs are all done in the wake of weapon system development, but it doesn't have to be that way. World-wide military spending is about $2 trillion per year. Common sense would suggest that cutting that spending would make more resources available for science and other purposes, not less.
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It's easier to get funding if you can come up with some possible military application when pitching your project. ICBM development provided the rock technology needed for the first moon landings and subsequent trips into orbit. Military R&D has resulted in advances in material science, satellite technology, medical, and nuclear technology which also have civilian applications.
the pollution is pretty sad (Score:2)
Both the light and atmospheric pollution are pretty crappy looking.
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From TFA (Score:5, Funny)
"The International Space Station silently orbits the Earth, black of space above, blue of ocean below. An astronaut floats in the cupola, a dome of glass and steel that faces the planet underneath, smiling to himself as he takes one photo after another of our home world. What he doesn’t know is that a Russian missile is about to make his life very interesting."
Because I imagine that the life of an astronaut is otherwise boring, on par with that of a rock farmer.
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Rock farmers, of course! Why did I invest in pet rocks when the real profit is at the source!
Thank you!
Re:From TFA (Score:5, Funny)
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They got any female astronauts up there right now?
Two girls, one cupola...
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Two girls, one cupola...
...zero g (how not-on Earth could you have forgotten that?)
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He was more of a rock hunter/gatherer.
In mother russia... (Score:1)
...you don't fire missiles. Missiles fire you!
There are 3 Russians on the ISS right now.. (Score:1)
Two to keep the rest of the crew absorbed in conversation, one to wipe the camera SD card of those flagrant violations of Russian state security
Waitaminute. . . (Score:2)
Didn't I just see this movie in the theater? Is this a viral ad for Gravity?
I like! How much? (Score:1)
Solid fuel (Score:3)
The Topol [wikipedia.org] is a solid fueled rocket so fuel dumping,leakage is probably not the cause. I guess they will have to come up with another theory. The article has been updated to reflect this.
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Maybe they're testing one with liquid fuel.
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They are very different technologies. That would be like trying to run a nuclear plant on coal. Either the type of rocket was wrong or the explanation was wrong.