Sneakernet on steriods.
On asteroids.
Wikipedia to the Moon
71–80 of 88 posts
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's true. The surface of the Moon is a lot less peaceful than it seems. If you process the image, you can tell the affected area from a single meteorite strike is much bigger than the crater itself: http://www.astrobin.com/full/220884/0/
Has anyone compared the surface of the moon over time? We can count how many meteorites have hit the surface since we've been taking pictures of it, and we can also probably assess the actual damage they've caused.
NASA's Lunar Impact page is at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/lunar/#.VxmMxvl942...
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please note that the ability to "making to to " is all about Delta-V. Which varies wildly with payload size.
To be precise, it varies according to the equation: Delta-V = Exhaust velocity x natural log(mass full / mass empty). As the "mass empty" is very dependent on the payload size, it will indeed change a lot!
As an aside, I'm always pleasantly surprised by how many kids and teenagers know the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation from playing KSP and watching Scott Manley videos!
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#74The FAQ is much more illuminatng then the main page: https://meta.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_to_the_Moon/FAQ
Also their list of vitial articles give an interesting insight into what they'll want to send up (depending on the medium they choose): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Vital_articles
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#75They have 20 GB? I downloaded the entire English wiki 4 years ago (just the text of articles, not photos) and it was 12 GB.
> I downloaded the entire English wiki 4 years ago
The linked article makes a big point about it not just being the English wiki, but 300 languages instead.
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a good point. Found an interesting article about this: > Orbits tend to decay over time, at a rate determined by the initial altitude. Anything above 2,000 km will take millennia to return to Earth, while satellites further down might take centuries or decades. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/20...
There are faint, faint wisps of Earth's atmosphere a fair distance out, which is the big part of an orbit's challenge. Perturbations from other bodies nearby (notably the Moon), deformities of Earth's gravity, and even solar weather and tiniest fractions of gases are other contributors on a long-enough time scale. Micrometeorites would probably be the big risk over time for our orbital monument to humanity, and I wou…
The Moon itself certainly is gradually moving away from Earth (and slowing down Earth's rotation in the process)
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#77How long would it survive there? The surface of the moon is a pretty hostile environment, I would think.
It's a ceramic disc. Since there is no wind erosion, if it doesn't get direct hit, it should last quite some time. Footprints from first landing are still there - and are expected to be for at least next 10 million years - so you can expect finely-engraved piece of rock to last much longer.
There is still radiation erosion. It may corrupt the data if it is packed too tightly.
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are faint, faint wisps of Earth's atmosphere a fair distance out, which is the big part of an orbit's challenge. Perturbations from other bodies nearby (notably the Moon), deformities of Earth's gravity, and even solar weather and tiniest fractions of gases are other contributors on a long-enough time scale. Micrometeorites would probably be the big risk over time for our orbital monument to humanity, and I wou…
The Moon itself certainly is gradually moving away from Earth (and slowing down Earth's rotation in the process)
Indeed. That's one of those science nuggets I love telling people because it's universally accessible and blows everybody away. Suddenly makes galactic timescales and gravitation real for people.
(Or they're just being nice to me...)
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_to_the_Moon/FAQ#Ca... > Can’t we use some other medium with more space? > The conditions in space prove hostile to many data mediums. Traditional CDs or DVDs would be destroyed in space, because they are composed of layers and would come undone. It’s different with a medium made of ceramics. Also, you have to consider the dimensions and weight of your medium. The ceramic disc…
Wonder how much lead you'd have to wrap an sd card & reader in for it to be "safe" for space travel.
If you want as much protection as Earth's atmosphere provides, 25 inches. At least that gives as much mass in between the card and space as the atmosphere does. (1 atm is about 30in of mercury, lead is 11/13 as dense as mercury...)
Re: Wikipedia to the Moon
#8020GB? What kind of disc are they using? Why not use a 200GB MicroSD? That would be way more efficient. 2 200GB MicroSDs would give you 400GB of storage weighing in at only 1 gram.
Why not send a few SmartMedia cards, a Zip Disk, or a few 3½-inch floppies?