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Only eight #asteroids ☄️ have ever been detected before impact 💥 with #Earth’s atmosphere. The first of these discoveries took place in 📆 2008, and four were detected in just the last two years https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/Asteroid_2024_BX1_spotted_three_hours_before_impact
#Asteroid danger explained : "The main challenge stems from the population of middle-size objects, ranging from tens to hundreds of metres in diameter. There are a lot of these asteroids, and most have not been spotted yet." https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2018/06/Asteroid_danger_explained
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"The bad news is #NASA estimates that it tracks only about 40 percent 📊 of the #asteroids ☄️ #large enough that they could cause calamity if they were to hit 💥 #Earth" https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/24/nasa-asteroid-telescope
#ESA : #Asteroid danger explained https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2018/06/Asteroid_danger_explained
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#Moon 🌙 scouts will all be #robotic, designed to build a foundation for #astronauts 👨🚀 to follow about two years later. There is need for transporting 🚀 large masses of equipment and materials from #Earth. An #IntuitiveMachines lander is set to reach the Moon later this year. #NASA’s #JPL will release a “swarm” of robot-explorers equipped with stereo cameras 📹 and charged with creating photorealistic #3D maps 🗺️ of the #lunar terrain https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinholdenplatt/2024/04/27/robot-explorers-futuristic-spacex-starships-set-to-transform-the-moon/
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I've been seeing hate on NASA lately, being bought into by leftists even, and I just want to point out something very important:
Musk has hated NASA for a *long* time. There is a reason it is being attacked, and a reason public opinion is being swayed against NASA: It *keeps SpaceX in line* more than anything else.
NASA is being seen as "competition" to SpaceX, as the obstacle in his way. It has been like this for quite some time, and now, with DOGE and other things, he can do something about it.
I would like to point out a few things:
1. SPACEX IS NOT CHEAPER
They boast they can "do what NASA does for 10% the cost!" Sure, it's easy when you did none of the R&D.
SpaceX saved on:
Landing tech: DC-X project in 1991-1996
Tank structure: Shuttle SLWT tank, 1998-2011
Merlin Engines: direct descendant of the Fastrac Engine, 1997-2001.
Those three things alone saved SpaceX over 90% of the R&D costs. It's easy to "appear" cheap when you're using off the shelf tech someone else (NASA!) developed.
2. NASA IS GREAT FOR THE ECONOMY!
For every $1 spent on NASA, $8 is put into economy. Its stupid to not invest in that kind of ROI! 800%! At times, its ROI Has been 1600%!
Simply put, if you defund NASA, the economy would shrink so much you would actually have to RAISE taxes to make up for the lost revenue, and without its existence we would be 30 years behind in technology and the quality of life for everyone would be much lower. Science and research is GOOD for society, it's the fuel for all progress.
3. WHAT HAS NASA DONE FOR ME?! (Surely you just mean NASA is good for tech & science folk....)
Nope! Good for all!
Ever have an MRI or CAT Scan? They wouldn't exist without the Apollo program! The software that made them possible was originally written to analyze lunar photography.
Low power digital x-Rays was planetary body research.
Heart pumps are modeled after space shuttle turbopumps.
The software that designed your car was originally written to design spacecraft!
Who do you think pioneered all the early research into alternative power like solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells, and durable batteries? NASA!
NASA developed tech and satellites is also what improves agricultural yields while reducing the needs for water, fertilizer, and pesticides.
Do you really think Musk gives two shits? No. He wants the money, he wants to let SpaceX run amok without any oversight for safety, without any "competition".
All fights are important, but do realise that this one is a huge thorn in his side, and one that is keeping a huge problem from ballooning and swallowing us all whole.
Do not be fooled or swayed by lies, of tactics meant to divide, of things being done to make you be angry at NASA. If he can make you hate NASA, he won.
Expect far more space junk to fall, the night sky to be ruined by satellites, and the loss of all things good that proper research and design does for humanity and gives back to the world. Not to mention: enjoy seeing the horrible things he can accomplish fully unchecked.
ETA: Now that you know, call / fax / email your senators and reps, and whatever else too! Boosting gets people thinking, but thinking is not action!
📆 October 18, 2023 Steve Jurvetson, an early investor in #SpaceX and #Planet, claimed that many #investors* in #startups working on small #LaunchVehicles were unaware of the scope of competition, many thinking there were no more than 10 other companies in the field. https://spacenews.com/small-launch-companies-struggle-to-complete-with-spacex-rideshare-missions/
#LaunchVehicle 🚀 manufacturers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_private_spaceflight_companies#Launch_vehicle_manufacturers
4️⃣4️⃣ #aerospace companies producing #rockets 🚀 in #OpenStreetMap 🗺️ https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/tags/aerospace%3Aproduct=rocket
Cargo 📦 Transportation & Landers https://www.factoriesinspace.com/cargo-transportation
* 📊 422 investors invested $8 billion 💰 in 123 start-up #SpaceCompanies in 📆 2022 https://brycetech.com/reports/report-documents/Bryce_Start_Up_Space_2023.pdf
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#Space 🌌 is undergoing a revolution* comparable with the growth of the #internet 🌐 20 years ago, and like the internet, this will affect all domains of life.
Our society is now utterly dependent on the #satellites 🛰️ that orbit #Earth. The #communications 📶 and #navigation 🧭 services that they make possible are so interwoven in our everyday lives that in the #UK 🇬🇧, #space is classed as one of 13 critical national #infrastructure sectors. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/26/europe-moon-space-race-esa-india-russia-china-japan
* Report of the High-Level Advisory Group on Human and #Robotic#SpaceExploration for #Europe 🇪🇺 https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/corporate/h-lag_brochure.pdf
🤔 Why isn't the #ISS (partially) recycled (by #SpaceRobot) and parts ⚙️ or raw material used for the #LunarGateway (maybe for #RadiationProtection instead of #luggage 🛍️)? The #BBC article doesn't cover this https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/why-is-the-iss-being-retired-and-what-will-happen-to-it
The #LaunchCost 💰 were very high to bring this material to #orbit 🚀 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station
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To safely bring the #ISS back to #Earth, a dedicated #spacecraft will have to be built, the total cost of which is estimated at $1 billion 💰 over the course of this decade.
A #SpacePolicy expert suggested the opposite idea: #raising ⤴️ the #ISS to a stable #orbit at the end of its useful life ♻️ https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-11-20/25-years-of-the-international-space-station-what-next-for-a-beacon-of-peaceful-international-scientific-collaboration.html
A #SpacePolicy expert suggested the opposite idea: #raising ⤴️ the #ISS to a stable #orbit at the end of its useful life ♻️ https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2023-11-20/25-years-of-the-international-space-station-what-next-for-a-beacon-of-peaceful-international-scientific-collaboration.html
NASA's visualization team created a beautiful preview of every phase of the Moon in 2025, hour by hour.
The best part: Watching how the Moon's appearance changes due to its inclination, oval orbit, and libration (wobble).
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5415 #science #nature #nasa #astronomy #space
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