Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye” • Hacker News Board

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#11

Post by pavlov » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:31 PM UTC

base wrote: post #10

pavlov wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A substantial chunk of ESA's budget comes through EU. So the cost of UK's membership in ESA might increase, as they won't be participating through EU anymore. That's the kind of thing that is hard to justify to Brexiteer voters though... "Now that we're rid of the EU, we have a unique opportunity to pay more tax money to other intergovernmental organisations!"

Here you have ESA funding by source: http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/01/ESA_budget_2... EU funding doesn't go to the main funding budget of ESA but to other activities like the Galileo satellite system.

Here's a source specifically for the EU portion of the ESA budget:

http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/ESA_and_the_EU

"Some 20 per cent of the funds managed by ESA now originate from the EU budget."

I'm not disagreeing with you, but it seems unlikely that UK just won't participate in that 20% of ESA activities anymore. So they'll have to renegotiate the membership fee to account for that.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#12

Post by coldtea » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:32 PM UTC

aaron695 wrote: post #6

If only science not religious anti-science sediment ruled the earth then they would have just used a nuclear battery instead.

Well, science also gave us Josef Mengele. He was done with puny religious and moral concerns too.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#13

Post by kuschku » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:32 PM UTC

aaron695 wrote: post #6

If only science not religious anti-science sediment ruled the earth then they would have just used a nuclear battery instead.

The issue is less with anti-science sediment, and more with international treaties against such things.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#14

Post by douche » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:33 PM UTC

aaron695 wrote: post #6

If only science not religious anti-science sediment ruled the earth then they would have just used a nuclear battery instead.

> religious anti-science sediment

I'm assuming a typo, but this made me chuckle anyway; sediment is an inventive insult.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#15

Post by oceanofsolaris » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:34 PM UTC

aaron695 wrote: post #6

If only science not religious anti-science sediment ruled the earth then they would have just used a nuclear battery instead.

If I understood correctly, the decision not to use an RTG was also due to its weight.

That said, it seems there is not much know-how about RTGs at ESA, which is most likely also influenced by political reasons.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#16

Post by ralfd » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:36 PM UTC

aaron695 wrote: post #6

If only science not religious anti-science sediment ruled the earth then they would have just used a nuclear battery instead.

Sure, but for what purpose? The mission was done, nothing to see here anymore.

So the ESA would have traded the (very small, but not zero) risk of radioactive contamination from a launch failure for not enough additional research gain.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#17

Post by base » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:37 PM UTC

bhrgunatha wrote: post #9

neoeldex wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the UK will continue to participate in the ESA, since they are different organizations for different purposes.

I'm sure they will continue, but as an EU member state working in the EU is much easier. Perhaps the skill levels will overcome any friction from visas and bureaucracy.

ESA is an intergovernmental organization, visas and any country laws don't affect them. Also it doesn't belong to EU, even Canada is part of ESA.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#18

Post by ralfd » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:39 PM UTC

farhaven wrote: post #7

aaron695 wrote: post #6

If only science not religious anti-science sediment ruled the earth then they would have just used a nuclear battery instead.

I don't think religion had anything to do with that decision.

He meant that the political/public reaction to anything nuclear (or also anything "genetic") is almost always (=quasi-religious) in shunning it.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#19

Post by majewsky » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:40 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #12

aaron695 wrote: post #6

If only science not religious anti-science sediment ruled the earth then they would have just used a nuclear battery instead.

Well, science also gave us Josef Mengele. He was done with puny religious and moral concerns too.

Science didn't give us Mengele. If at all, Mengele gave us science [1], although of course that science is tainted with the blood and pain of his subjects.

[1] The fine print: I don't know if there are actual preserved recordings from his research that bore any scientific value.

Re: Philae Lander: “It’s time for me to say goodbye”

#20

Post by throwaway049 » Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 1:44 PM UTC

pavlov wrote: post #11

base wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here you have ESA funding by source: http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/01/ESA_budget_2... EU funding doesn't go to the main funding budget of ESA but to other activities like the Galileo satellite system.

Here's a source specifically for the EU portion of the ESA budget: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/ESA_and_the_EU "Some 20 per cent of the funds managed by ESA now originate from the EU budget." I'm not disagreeing with you, but it seems unlikely that UK just won't participate in that 20% of ESA activities anymore. So they'll have to renegotiate the membership fee to account for that.

It might not need a renegotiation as such, just a direct payment of the same amount as previously went via the EU account.