Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid • Hacker News Board

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#31

Post by dls2016 » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:09 PM UTC

nerdponx wrote: post #12

It's hard to get a sense of how big these features are. 30 feet is damn close, but it's still hard to say. How big is that big chunk of rock (?) near the bottom-right, casting a blocky shadow?

Given the distance to the sun and proximity to the asteroid, shouldn’t the vehicle and its shadow be essentially the same size?

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#32

Post by coldtea » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:10 PM UTC

dclowd9901 wrote: post #21

WaitWaitWha wrote: post #19

I just want to go 15 miles per second (54000 mph/86904.6 Kph/46925 knt).

Does knots even make sense outside of the context of being located on a sphere?

They are not particularly tied to spheres -- it's just nautical miles per hour, no? As such it can be a totally abstract unit, regardless of the origin (the same way feet can be used to measure something that doesn't involve a walk).

Aviation also uses them (though they still fly above a sphere).

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#33

Post by ahoka » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:14 PM UTC

melling wrote: post #22

vvvv wrote: post #10

It bothers me (too much) that we are going to space and still using 'feet' as a unit of measurement.

We don't use the imperial system for space, but the American readers do. https://www.space.com/3332-nasa-finally-metric.html I'm just as guilty as the next person when I post numbers. Occasionally, I'll also show metric. However, as an old(er) dog, my first instinct is to use feet, miles, etc. Perhaps we should agree to use only the metric system on HN?

It's a mistake that sometimes even Americans do, but the USA uses the US customary units system, which is closely related, but slightly different to the British imperial system.

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#34

Post by sp332 » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:28 PM UTC

Havoc wrote: post #2

Why are the pictures so fuzzy?

The camera was not a priority for this mission. The small monitor camera was built and installed on the spacecraft thanks to public donations. This mission is about chemical and physical properties of the asteroid. Having a camera on it is mainly for publicity. NASA did a similar thing with the Juno spacecraft, letting people vote on where to point the camera while the main mission was to map out Jupiter's magnetic and radiation fields.

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#35

Post by balabaster » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:35 PM UTC

dclowd9901 wrote: post #21

WaitWaitWha wrote: post #19

I just want to go 15 miles per second (54000 mph/86904.6 Kph/46925 knt).

Does knots even make sense outside of the context of being located on a sphere?

Perhaps we could use leagues... or furlongs :P

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#36

Post by Bjartr » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:37 PM UTC

ravroid wrote: post #15

vvvv wrote: post #10

It bothers me (too much) that we are going to space and still using 'feet' as a unit of measurement.

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up 9.6652e-16 light-years above asteroid

Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft grabs close-ups 30.5 light-nanoseconds above asteroid

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#37

Post by b_tterc_p » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:38 PM UTC

maxxxxx wrote: post #25

vvvv wrote: post #10

It bothers me (too much) that we are going to space and still using 'feet' as a unit of measurement.

You should be happy that they don’t measure it in “baseball fields” or something like that. That’s how usually things are reported.

9 football teams stacked on top of each other

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#38

Post by Bjartr » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:38 PM UTC

WaitWaitWha wrote: post #19

I just want to go 15 miles per second (54000 mph/86904.6 Kph/46925 knt).

The solar system is moving at about 143 miles per second.

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#39

Post by magduf » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:42 PM UTC

vvvv wrote: post #10

It bothers me (too much) that we are going to space and still using 'feet' as a unit of measurement.

Who's "we"? This article is about Japan. The Japanese do not ever use "feet" as a unit of measurement.

It's only Americans who still use feet and other imperial units, which is why they lost a Mars probe.

Re: Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft grabs close-up thirty feet above asteroid

#40

Post by SmellyGeekBoy » Thu, Jun 06, 2019, 2:47 PM UTC

magduf wrote: post #39

vvvv wrote: post #10

It bothers me (too much) that we are going to space and still using 'feet' as a unit of measurement.

Who's "we"? This article is about Japan. The Japanese do not ever use "feet" as a unit of measurement. It's only Americans who still use feet and other imperial units, which is why they lost a Mars probe.

You mean the British-built one?

I think us Brits are the worst of the worst when it comes to mixing units. Fuel is sold in litres but consumption measured in miles per gallon. Milk is sold in 1 pint or 2/4/6 litre bottles. Road signs to towns are in miles but in roadworks are in metres. And so on.