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Posted on: The threats involved in re-entering the atmosphere
at 11/02/2009 10:57pm

[quote="Edyoungscience":295ukghq]Sorry if I seem naïve but what sort of threat does a piece of technology ... more(+)

Edyoungscience wrote:Sorry if I seem naïve but what sort of threat does a piece of technology carrying radioactive/nuclear substances cause on its re-entry into the earths atmosphere if there is any? (Explosions or malfunctions for example)

If there are any severe threats, what are the implications of them?

Any threat might be based on mass, location, materials and manufacturing.

1. Is the mass of the object great enough to pose a physical hazard if it survives re-entry.
2. Is anyone or anything located at the point of impact, or will investigate the impact.
3. Does any hazardous material remain in large enough quantities in an exposed state that could be dangerous.
4. How is the object shielded/protected/manufactured? Can it survived re-entry without releasing any material?

Also, considering that the surface of the Earth is so vast compared to the size of any object that would re-enter the atmosphere, the odds of a particular person being affected are extremely low even in the worse case scenario. close(-)

Posted on: Microbial Life and Comets
at 11/02/2009 10:47pm

If we were satisfied with being practical and maintaining the status quo, we would still be hiding from predators in ... more(+)

Bill_Wright wrote:

...Practically speaking we should probably be working on making all the lives on Earth better rather than trying to find the answer to a question that while satisfying our need to know has no practical application...

If we were satisfied with being practical and maintaining the status quo, we would still be hiding from predators in caves and climbing trees for food. close(-)

Posted on: Microbial Life and Comets
at 11/02/2009 10:41pm

And just what would a microbe, supposing it managed to hitch a ride on a comet in the first place, do for energy during ... more(+)

And just what would a microbe, supposing it managed to hitch a ride on a comet in the first place, do for energy during the 99% of the time the comet spends frozen harder than steel in deep space? close(-)

Commented on: Seattle Team Wins $900,000 in Space Elevator Contest
at 2009-11-08 14:04:46

The money would be better spent actually researching a material that can be used to build the actual cable itself.

And ... more(+)

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Commented on: U.S. 'Decades Behind' on Space Debris Threat, Official Says
at 2009-11-08 00:10:53

The problem is that much of the debris happens to occupy useful orbits, or threaten to cross same orbits.

Commented on: Space Junk Buzzes Station as Astronauts Sleep
at 2009-11-08 00:05:07

If it were ruined, how is it that the space station has been there for years? Ruined implies completely unusable, which ... more(+)

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Commented on: U.S. 'Decades Behind' on Space Debris Threat, Official Says
at 2009-11-06 14:59:49

There is almost nothing that can realistically be done about the debris currently in orbit. The thing we can do is ... more(+)

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Commented on: Stars May be Cosmic Road Signs to Intelligent Aliens
at 2009-11-06 13:16:12

I have a conspiracy box that I will sell you for $1,000,000. There MAY or MAY NOT be anything in it.