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Divers accidentally find a piece of the Challenger space shuttle

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: Divers accidentally find a piece of the Challenger space shuttle

#4
post #2

The odds of this seem astronomically small.

No kidding. Actually, considering how mindblowingly huge but untouched the volume and area of our seas and seafloors are, "oceanically unlikely" is also a superlative I can get behind!

1.3 billion cubic km of water, the tallest mountain ranges and deepest canyons. Aside from occasional glimpses of the surface, it's forever out of sight and out of mind for nearly every person on the planet.

Re: Divers accidentally find a piece of the Challenger space shuttle

#6
post #2

The odds of this seem astronomically small.

Counterintuitively, extremely unlikely events like this happen very often. The odds of a specific event like this are astronomically small, but there is an even more astronomically large number of different possible unlikely events. The sheer number of possible events is orders of magnitude greater than the odds of individual unlikely events, causing them to occur regularly.

The universe is a really weird place, where really weird stuff happens constantly.

Re: Divers accidentally find a piece of the Challenger space shuttle

#8
post #6
post #2

The odds of this seem astronomically small.

Counterintuitively, extremely unlikely events like this happen very often. The odds of a specific event like this are astronomically small, but there is an even more astronomically large number of different possible unlikely events. The sheer number of possible events is orders of magnitude greater than the odds of individual unlikely events, causing them to occur regularly. The universe is a really weird place, wher…

Imagine if you took the Everettian interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.

Re: Divers accidentally find a piece of the Challenger space shuttle

#9
post #5

What seems amazing is that it isn’t covered in more sand and sediment. It would take such a small thickness of covering to hide it from view forever.

It could be U shaped and not just a flat panel. Also, I assume the ceramic tiles have a very low coefficient of friction, so if it was stuck at any kind of small angle, the sediment might easily get carried off.

Re: Divers accidentally find a piece of the Challenger space shuttle

#10
post #6
post #2

The odds of this seem astronomically small.

Counterintuitively, extremely unlikely events like this happen very often. The odds of a specific event like this are astronomically small, but there is an even more astronomically large number of different possible unlikely events. The sheer number of possible events is orders of magnitude greater than the odds of individual unlikely events, causing them to occur regularly. The universe is a really weird place, wher…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_problem
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