Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

youtube.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 391 posts

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#191

Post by reddog »

sekai wrote: post #174
kieranmaine wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could it be the case that a bright outlook leads people to overlook issues that need to be addressed. Maybe a more depressive (or realistic) disposition motivates people to enact change.

Let's look at this way, humanity needs to become multiplanetary species to prevent extinction if some sort of cataclysm happens on Earth: nuclear war; Yellowstone erupts, etc. Compared to that, any other problem seems insignificant.

If there was a full scale nuclear war. And then the next week the Yellowstone super volcano erupted. And then the week after that an asteroid as big as the one that killed the dinosaurs hit Eurasia, earth would still be wildly more habitable that Mars.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#192

Post by sekai »

nfoz wrote: post #182
sekai wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's look at this way, humanity needs to become multiplanetary species to prevent extinction if some sort of cataclysm happens on Earth: nuclear war; Yellowstone erupts, etc. Compared to that, any other problem seems insignificant.

This will sound weird, but I have no idea why anyone cares about the abstract "survival of human species". I care very deeply about the lives of people actually living here right now. But if Earth is wiped out, what does it matter that some humans are alive somewhere? Except of course that I'm glad for them that they didn't get killed. But we're talking about generations from now anyway, and there are more direct way…

Because it's not the end? I think we strive to continue on into the unknown.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#193

Post by fastball »

ncmncm wrote: post #158
jacquesm wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You write that as if it is a done deal. Mars' atmosphere is roughly .5% of that of Earth and almost exclusively CO2. Temperature ranges are well out of what they are on Earth. It is hard for technology to survive there, it is impossible for people to survive there until there has been an unbelievable investment in infrastructure. If you think there will be a million people colony on Mars in your lifetime than you are…

To get a sense of the difficulty, imagine sending a million people to the South Pole to set up a self-sustaining colony. That would be much more than 1000 times easier than establishing such a base on Mars.

I'm interested in living on Mars. I'm not interested in living in Antarctica.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#194

Post by throwaway0a5e »

Diggsey wrote: post #25

What you don't get a sense for in the video is the size of this thing... It's absolutely bonkers. 9m (30 ft) in diameter 50m (160 ft) in height (or would be with the nose-cone) That's the height of a 12-story building. And this is the upper stage of the full rocket.

Construction equipment for scale:

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/mz7KZlvgwTBa5cs4xfM_aA--~A...

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#195

Post by runawaybottle »

nfoz wrote: post #182
sekai wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's look at this way, humanity needs to become multiplanetary species to prevent extinction if some sort of cataclysm happens on Earth: nuclear war; Yellowstone erupts, etc. Compared to that, any other problem seems insignificant.

This will sound weird, but I have no idea why anyone cares about the abstract "survival of human species". I care very deeply about the lives of people actually living here right now. But if Earth is wiped out, what does it matter that some humans are alive somewhere? Except of course that I'm glad for them that they didn't get killed. But we're talking about generations from now anyway, and there are more direct way…

Because it’s mostly a lie people tell themselves, similar to ‘I’m sure I am a good person’. How are you so sure?

There’s a lot of evidence that points to the fact that on a global scale, we can barely care about stuff geographically adjacent to us, or worse, socially (class) adjacent to us, but here we are claiming we care about generations beyond us.

Big old lie.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#198

Post by kiba »

bigbizisverywyz wrote: post #190
h0l0cube wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also The Expanse isn't facts.

But in some way it may still influence the future. If the negative aspect of the future portrayed in the Expanse are culturally absorbed, then there is a strong possibility that the people dreaming of and building the future could see that as a road sign to help them avoid that future. E.g. it makes the point that we would need to work out ways to create better habitats in space and to concentrate on making a workabl…

I find the tropes presented in fiction misleading or unlikely to reflect reality once further examined.

Misleading road signs about the future may be worse than no signs at all.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#199

Post by mensetmanusman »

kieranmaine wrote: post #147
nubero wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m glad that not everyone in human history has shared your bright outlook, otherwise we would still live in caves…

Could it be the case that a bright outlook leads people to overlook issues that need to be addressed. Maybe a more depressive (or realistic) disposition motivates people to enact change.

Yes, there is interesting research in evolutionary reasons for human depression, and its role in giving people needed tunnel vision to focus on the self.

Of course, this machinery can be medically disrupted by toxins and genetics (air pollution has an impact for example, lead ions, etc.), but there is a ‘healthy’ reason for depression (similarly there is a ‘healthy’ reason for ‘scabs’ and physical wound healing).

Most people in the modern era with ‘healthy’ depression are medicating away the effect (you will be shocked if you look into the rates of antidepressant usage in France for example), and this diversion can inadvertently prolong the depression as would be expected (e.g. dealing with symptoms and not cause).

Lots of interesting research in this area.

tl;dr yes, depression and depressive thoughts are useful for humans in certain cases, which is why we have them

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#200

Post by hugs »

shireboy wrote: post #185
ncmncm wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To get a sense of the difficulty, imagine sending a million people to the South Pole to set up a self-sustaining colony. That would be much more than 1000 times easier than establishing such a base on Mars.

I’ve often said the same thing. South Pole and underwater cities would be easier than mars or even moon colony. As much as I want the later to happen- I think 1 million people on Mars or Moon will require something that makes them more appealing than even the worst Earth locations. That has to be something pretty drastic. Elon says motivation will be “it’d be cool”. I don’t think that is enough motivation. Still, I’d…

A science outpost, specifically as a place to put telescopes, seems the most compelling. The rest of the population would then grow along side the science outpost to service it (food, transportation, etc.) A looong time until a million people, though.
Post reply on HN