Comments on: Space Carnival 107 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:45:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Phil Plait http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191988 Phil Plait Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:58:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191988 WHO (#9): Obviously the same place you learned about humor. WHO (#9): Obviously the same place you learned about humor.

]]> By: jole http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191919 jole Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:25:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191919 @Ad Hominid - the relationship didn't last long, but with your super mind-powers you could see the break-up coming, right? @Ad Hominid – the relationship didn’t last long, but with your super mind-powers you could see the break-up coming, right?

]]> By: Ad Hominid http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191853 Ad Hominid Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:06:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191853 I have always been aware of the summer solstice because it happens to be my birthday. For the record, I'll be 61(!) this time. It also happens that I was born in Salisbury, England, within sight of Stonehenge if you climb a really high steeple and you have good eyesight. I never made that particular connection until some years ago when I started dating a woman who had a lot of new age beliefs. She thought I must have some kind of extra-special, super-duper paranormal powers as a I result of this miraculous juxtaposition in the time and place of my birth. I told her as gently as possible that, no, I was a scientist and a skeptic and did not believe in such things. I also told her there was nothing miraculous about it. My parents were there visiting and I decided to arrive early, as babies are wont to do. The relationship didn't last long. I have always been aware of the summer solstice because it happens to be my birthday. For the record, I’ll be 61(!) this time. It also happens that I was born in Salisbury, England, within sight of Stonehenge if you climb a really high steeple and you have good eyesight.
I never made that particular connection until some years ago when I started dating a woman who had a lot of new age beliefs. She thought I must have some kind of extra-special, super-duper paranormal powers as a I result of this miraculous juxtaposition in the time and place of my birth. I told her as gently as possible that, no, I was a scientist and a skeptic and did not believe in such things. I also told her there was nothing miraculous about it. My parents were there visiting and I decided to arrive early, as babies are wont to do.
The relationship didn’t last long.

]]> By: Blake Stacey http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191852 Blake Stacey Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:54:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191852 OK, as long as everybody else is posting random bric-a-brac, I was just pointed to this on the BBC website: <blockquote>There is a lunar quality to the landscape of New Mexico which seems somehow appropriate for a state which is our portal to the heavens. It is here on a dried-up lake bed high above sea level that the radio telescopes of the US government's Very Large Array (VLA) send signals to the outer edges of our expanding universe, chasing the very moment of the Big Bang through the trackless void of time and space.</blockquote> Under the headline "<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8098245.stm" rel="nofollow">The truth about Roswell?</a>". Yes. OK, as long as everybody else is posting random bric-a-brac, I was just pointed to this on the BBC website:

There is a lunar quality to the landscape of New Mexico which seems somehow appropriate for a state which is our portal to the heavens.

It is here on a dried-up lake bed high above sea level that the radio telescopes of the US government’s Very Large Array (VLA) send signals to the outer edges of our expanding universe, chasing the very moment of the Big Bang through the trackless void of time and space.

Under the headline “The truth about Roswell?“. Yes.

]]> By: Joseph http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191851 Joseph Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:42:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191851 Like #4 I am posting off topic for lack of knowledge of where else to pose my query. What research has been done into converting and using the EFT's as orbital habitats. We only have a limited number left going up. I know I have seen discussions along this line before and there are issues with the conversion from booster to usable people storage. This thought stems from an idea that I am sure others have had that the ISS could use a play room. I am talking a large padded water proofed room for recreation and experimentation. Though I am sure such a room would be useful for more... controversial experiments in space, the idea comes from watching the various water and bubble experiments ISS crew has performed in the shower area of the ISS and the interesting fun experiments performed by the Japanese Astronaut Wakata. I would think that a large hollow booster converted proberly would make an excellent space for a playroom/"amusing experiments lab". -Joseph Like #4 I am posting off topic for lack of knowledge of where else to pose my query. What research has been done into converting and using the EFT’s as orbital habitats. We only have a limited number left going up. I know I have seen discussions along this line before and there are issues with the conversion from booster to usable people storage.

This thought stems from an idea that I am sure others have had that the ISS could use a play room. I am talking a large padded water proofed room for recreation and experimentation. Though I am sure such a room would be useful for more… controversial experiments in space, the idea comes from watching the various water and bubble experiments ISS crew has performed in the shower area of the ISS and the interesting fun experiments performed by the Japanese Astronaut Wakata.

I would think that a large hollow booster converted proberly would make an excellent space for a playroom/”amusing experiments lab”.

-Joseph

]]> By: Glenn http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191843 Glenn Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:59:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191843 I know that this is off topic, but I have no idea on how to contact Mr Plait any other way, but also coming up the week of the 20th on the Science Channel is SPACE WEEK!! Woo Hoo!! I know I will be watching. Maybe something you can promote on the blog in general. I am not affiliated with them in any way, just a science teacher off for the summer with a lot of time on his hands :-) I know that this is off topic, but I have no idea on how to contact Mr Plait any other way, but also coming up the week of the 20th on the Science Channel is SPACE WEEK!! Woo Hoo!!
I know I will be watching. Maybe something you can promote on the blog in general. I am not affiliated with them in any way, just a science teacher off for the summer with a lot of time on his hands :-)

]]> By: Torbjörn Larsson, OM http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191811 Torbjörn Larsson, OM Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:22:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191811 Heading over for getting me some sorely needed illuminatational edumacation, but I note off topic on passing: funny blog name - if I put spherical shells around me and start counting, unless I'm mistaken I get a mapping from the set of stars to the set of natural numbers and so a countably infinite set, not an "innumerable" one. Are astronomers prone to embiggenation? [On second thought, that question may not need an answer here. :-o] Heading over for getting me some sorely needed illuminatational edumacation, but I note off topic on passing: funny blog name – if I put spherical shells around me and start counting, unless I’m mistaken I get a mapping from the set of stars to the set of natural numbers and so a countably infinite set, not an “innumerable” one. Are astronomers prone to embiggenation? [On second thought, that question may not need an answer here. :-o ]

]]> By: Conspirama http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191805 Conspirama Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:59:48 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191805 <strong>Space Carnival 107 | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine</strong> Astronomy | The 107th outing of the Carnival of Space is up and running at the Innumerable Worlds blog. It's a short list this week for some reason -- I blame the upcoming. ... working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy educat... Space Carnival 107 | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine

Astronomy | The 107th outing of the Carnival of Space is up and running at the Innumerable Worlds blog. It’s a short list this week for some reason — I blame the upcoming. … working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy educat…

]]> By: ccpetersen http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/comment-page-1/#comment-191801 ccpetersen Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:47:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/14/space-carnival-107/#comment-191801 Likely a bunch of folks are on vacation. Me, I'm packing. Seems like I've been packing for weeks now. Oh, wait. I have been. ;) Likely a bunch of folks are on vacation. Me, I’m packing. Seems like I’ve been packing for weeks now. Oh, wait. I have been. ;)

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