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SpaceX Dragonship Endeavor Launch: The Future Begins Now

RokkanStoned

RokkanStoned

Member
NASA is really going for all the "firsts", which makes it feel more like marketing and not about the goal of establishing ourselves in space (really, you could just send out a crew of only black women, it don't matter. Diversity means shit in space.), though I won't complain as long as we get progress in space exploration.
 
Smiles and Cries

Smiles and Cries

Member
agree with the guys on the NSF stream that mess was too political. I know these politicians fun NASA but really can't wait for a full private space program.

thanks Russia for the last 9 years would have been nice
 
jshackles

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
RokkanStoned said:
NASA is really going for all the "firsts", which makes it feel more like marketing and not about the goal of establishing ourselves in space (really, you could just send out a crew of only black women, it don't matter. Diversity means shit in space.), though I won't complain as long as we get progress in space exploration.
Click to expand...
Diversity in space exploration matters though, even if physically there are no differences in color, race, creed, or sex among the astronauts going into space or what they're able to accomplish. A huge part of why yesterday and today were such awesome accomplishments is because it can inspire a younger generation who (because of the retirement of the shuttle program, NASA funding, etc) haven't really given much thought about space exploration or habitation.

We need milestones like "the first woman on the moon" for the same reasons we needed Lt. Uhura on the bridge of the Enterprise in 1966. We need young women growing up in a world where it's okay to have aspirations of being an astronaut or to be inspired by our modern heroes and their accomplishments.
 
Smiles and Cries

Smiles and Cries

Member
this is going to take 2 months? When is the next mission?
I'm asking about SpaceX PCM-1

as for diversity Victor J. Glover is on PCM1
 
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RokkanStoned

RokkanStoned

Member
Smiles and Cries said:
agree with the guys on the NSF stream that mess was too political. I know these politicians fun NASA but really can't wait for a full private space program.

thanks Russia for the last 9 years would have been nice
Click to expand...

Yeah, don't see what reason there was to have Ted Cruz there.

Also regarding Russia, so it's true that the US have been depending on Russia, buying spots on their vessels, to get out into space since 2011? It's kind of beautiful how cooperation in space have been kept steady despite the turmoil between the US and Russia the last 9 years.

jshackles said:
Diversity in space exploration matters though, even if physically there are no differences in color, race, creed, or sex among the astronauts going into space or what they're able to accomplish. A huge part of why yesterday and today were such awesome accomplishments is because it can inspire a younger generation who (because of the retirement of the shuttle program, NASA funding, etc) haven't really given much thought about space exploration or habitation.

We need milestones like "the first woman on the moon" for the same reasons we needed Lt. Uhura on the bridge of the Enterprise in 1966. We need young women growing up in a world where it's okay to have aspirations of being an astronaut or to be inspired by our modern heroes and their accomplishments.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I have no belief that children are in need of taken milestones. When I was young I wanted to play basketball and be a hip-hop artist because of Will Smith and he was the coolest guy I knew. I didn't know any white hip-hop artists and didn't view that as a hinder (though skate punk become popular at school and transitioned into rock and wanted to be a rockstar instead, but that's how being a kid is). I think that's just an ideal barrier some construct. The few people who become astronauts are exceptional and they are overall individuals who've succeeded. Looking at the life of some astronauts really lets that hit in. Just look at Yuri Gagarin's story, which is remarkable origins from a guy becoming the first person in space.
In the end, what lead to space exploration was pure material circumstances, war, technological development and hard competition. Honestly, as far as I see it, we need more people developing tech than we need astronauts. In that sense we need more something like Star Trek than we need first [X]. I can remember the first human in space and not the first American for a reason.
Also, comparisons about the significance of something in the 1960s with [current year] are historically retarded (because it treats things ahistorically, when things aren't locked in time), because nothing is stopping someone black, asian or latino from being an astronaut and it's not a new thing as they've already been in space. It's just a big Guinness World Record marketing scheme and likely a secondary goal to rub in the faces of other nations accomplishing things. It's not really accomplishing anything imo nor inspiring much. Honestly being an astronaut is something for the few and only the best will get through that eye of the needle.
So, no, we don't need "the first subcategory of a human" to get to the moon. I cringe when I hear "first Norwegian in space". Imagine if the first person on Mars is a black person? Are we gonna go for "first white person" on Mars next?
To me, it seems that if there's problem with recruitment amongst certain ethnicities, that should be dealt with sociologically. That means in terms of ensuring opportunities in terms of education, healthcare, work and perhaps targeted marketing towards school districts where said ethnicity are prevalent. In fact, I believe the potential to be the "first black person on the Moon" is a better inspiration for young people than someone taking that potential title from them (not that it should stop them from sending a black person(s) on the voyage to the Moon. Just that it's the only angle I see where it's actually inspirational). That said, it doesn't matter to me as long as we get progress and that angle might help NASA funding from either commercial organizations or from Congress. I just don't buy the game and view overly "racial" focus to be more dividing than it's consolidating, as we are all just one human race. It's kind of cementing the concept of melanin in your skin, when it doesn't scientifically make sense once you consider how ethnically diverse people are.
 
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Pagusas

Pagusas

Elden Member
RokkanStoned said:
Yeah, don't see what reason there was to have Ted Cruz there.

Also regarding Russia, so it's true that the US have been depending on Russia, buying spots on their vessels, to get out into space since 2011? It's kind of beautiful how cooperation in space have been kept steady despite the turmoil between the US and Russia the last 9 years.
Click to expand...

Russia didn’t do it out of charity or cooperation, they charged us 90 million a seat, the deal was lucrative for them and kept their own space industry going when it also was in major fiscal ruin and low on the political favor.
 
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RokkanStoned

RokkanStoned

Member
Pagusas said:
Russia didn’t do it out of charity or cooperation, they charged us 90 million a seat, the deal was lucrative for them and kept their own space industry going when it also was in major fiscal ruin and low on the political favor.
Click to expand...

I literally wrote "buying spots". Cooperation is cooperation (and the ISS is clearly a cooperational endeavour), especially considering the situation during those years.
 
SometimeLaterToday

SometimeLaterToday

Member
Incredible stuff, man... I hate that this isn't the biggest news in the world right now.
Click to expand...

If that's not fucking tragic, I don't know what is (well, outside of all other obviously tragic things).

Sometimes I like to engage in these fantasy worldbuilding scenarios, where a button gets pushed and suddenly, humanity actually starts working together on solving its problems and actively builds a culture around avoiding putting so much effort into petty bullshit.

Health, safety, food, housing for those in need. Fixing broken countries and cultures of cruelty. Remember that feeling we get when we're part of something alongside other people and everyone works hard enough that everything else doesn't really matter anymore? Unity in purpose. Imagine that scaled up to the whole of humanity; everyone working together towards building a better future.

At its absolute best, space travel pretty much embodies that ideal. At least in people's dumb, naive hearts if not in reality.
 
Rentahamster

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
SometimeLaterToday said:
If that's not fucking tragic, I don't know what is (well, outside of all other obviously tragic things).

Sometimes I like to engage in these fantasy worldbuilding scenarios, where a button gets pushed and suddenly, humanity actually starts working together on solving its problems and actively builds a culture around avoiding putting so much effort into petty bullshit.

Health, safety, food, housing for those in need. Fixing broken countries and cultures of cruelty. Remember that feeling we get when we're part of something alongside other people and everyone works hard enough that everything else doesn't really matter anymore? Unity in purpose. Imagine that scaled up to the whole of humanity; everyone working together towards building a better future.

At its absolute best, space travel pretty much embodies that ideal. At least in people's dumb, naive hearts if not in reality.
Click to expand...
That invisible button is probably an alien invasion.

Our societal evolution over hundreds of thousands of years has been about protecting one's own tribe against the threat of another. That base human instinct isn't going to vanish very easily.

We are still on an upwards trend though. Don't get too pessimistic.
 
Stouffers

Stouffers

Banned
RokkanStoned said:
NASA is really going for all the "firsts", which makes it feel more like marketing and not about the goal of establishing ourselves in space (really, you could just send out a crew of only black women, it don't matter. Diversity means shit in space.), though I won't complain as long as we get progress in space exploration.
Click to expand...

In space, no one can hear you REEEEEEE.
 
Ozzy Onya A2Z

Ozzy Onya A2Z

Member
One thing I'm curious about, how bad does the air in the space station smell at this point. Scrubbing and basic hygiene can only do so much. Hoping for a safe return tomorrow.
 
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