Comments on: Constellation Urion http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/ 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. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:26:17 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Hydrogen http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/comment-page-1/#comment-224980 Hydrogen Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:02:22 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/#comment-224980 Sorry to break it to you, but the shuttle does not dump its liquid waste. It's too dangerous (it could freeze and hit the shuttle, damaging the heat sheilds, and the shuttle would then blow up in re-entry). The shuttle just brings its waste back to earth where there are plenty of scientists eager to analyse it. The ISS does dump its waste, and this burns up in the atmosphere, so the next time you see a "shooting star" remember that. Sorry to break it to you, but the shuttle does not dump its liquid waste. It’s too dangerous (it could freeze and hit the shuttle, damaging the heat sheilds, and the shuttle would then blow up in re-entry). The shuttle just brings its waste back to earth where there are plenty of scientists eager to analyse it. The ISS does dump its waste, and this burns up in the atmosphere, so the next time you see a “shooting star” remember that.

]]> By: CR http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/comment-page-1/#comment-217853 CR Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:23:34 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/#comment-217853 My boss told me about witnessing this event, and was very unnerved because he SWORE it was an aircraft at about 8000 feet altitude, based upon its bright lights and flight path. I calmly tried to explain to him that he probably saw the shuttle or the ISS, and the 'cloud' he saw was likely from some sort of retro-rocket firing or more likely a waste dump. I pointed out the the object likely stayed the same brightness as opposed to changing, say like an aircraft landing light would as the aircraft passed overhead. (He conceded that there were no blinking lights like a real aircraft would have before I even asked about them.) I suggested going to Heavens Above to see if they had a track archive of ISS orbits (I know they have a detail 'upcoming' schedule). I also explained how many times I've seen the ISS (including with a shuttle and/or a Soyuz or Progress module nearby in the same orbit), how it's not always going the same direction nor at the same apparent altitude, how sometimes it 'disappears' fairly suddenly as it passes into Earth's shadow and so on. I had him mostly convinced that I knew what I was talking about, but he couldn't unwrap his mind from the aircraft--or some craft in the atmosphere--idea. (He's an aircraft enthusiast, among other hobbies, by the way, so I understand to some degree his bias, based upon his past experience.) I wish I could have witnessed the event myself, as it's one thing I've not yet seen in my sky observations. But I did encourage him (and my other co-workers who by this time had joined the conversation) to look stuff up, and more important, to look up. The night sky is amazing and mysterious, but often there is a lot there that we just miss because we're not paying attention! By the way, a week later, he told me that Saturday Night Live made a joke about the whole waste dump, complete with a photo, and he was happy to have had the mystery solved, even from as unofficial a source as that. Plus, he admitted that--gasp!--I had been RIGHT! (He's cool that way, though, which is a good thing.) My boss told me about witnessing this event, and was very unnerved because he SWORE it was an aircraft at about 8000 feet altitude, based upon its bright lights and flight path.
I calmly tried to explain to him that he probably saw the shuttle or the ISS, and the ‘cloud’ he saw was likely from some sort of retro-rocket firing or more likely a waste dump. I pointed out the the object likely stayed the same brightness as opposed to changing, say like an aircraft landing light would as the aircraft passed overhead. (He conceded that there were no blinking lights like a real aircraft would have before I even asked about them.) I suggested going to Heavens Above to see if they had a track archive of ISS orbits (I know they have a detail ‘upcoming’ schedule).
I also explained how many times I’ve seen the ISS (including with a shuttle and/or a Soyuz or Progress module nearby in the same orbit), how it’s not always going the same direction nor at the same apparent altitude, how sometimes it ‘disappears’ fairly suddenly as it passes into Earth’s shadow and so on. I had him mostly convinced that I knew what I was talking about, but he couldn’t unwrap his mind from the aircraft–or some craft in the atmosphere–idea. (He’s an aircraft enthusiast, among other hobbies, by the way, so I understand to some degree his bias, based upon his past experience.)

I wish I could have witnessed the event myself, as it’s one thing I’ve not yet seen in my sky observations. But I did encourage him (and my other co-workers who by this time had joined the conversation) to look stuff up, and more important, to look up. The night sky is amazing and mysterious, but often there is a lot there that we just miss because we’re not paying attention!

By the way, a week later, he told me that Saturday Night Live made a joke about the whole waste dump, complete with a photo, and he was happy to have had the mystery solved, even from as unofficial a source as that. Plus, he admitted that–gasp!–I had been RIGHT! (He’s cool that way, though, which is a good thing.)

]]> By: Charles http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/comment-page-1/#comment-214513 Charles Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:34:02 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/#comment-214513 Hey thanks Rob, I've been trying to figure out the origin of "Constellation Urion" for years and years, I thought it dated back to Mercury. How did you know this was from Schirra? Yeah, in retrospect, it sounds like him. Hey thanks Rob, I’ve been trying to figure out the origin of “Constellation Urion” for years and years, I thought it dated back to Mercury. How did you know this was from Schirra? Yeah, in retrospect, it sounds like him.

]]> By: Chris Meta http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/comment-page-1/#comment-213695 Chris Meta Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:51:40 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/#comment-213695 I thought I had heard how they spent millions on a pee-recycling machine to make potable water out of their pee and reuse it so we didn't have to spend more millions to lift extra water into orbit. If I'm wrong anf they didn't, they should. I support space exploration, but everything NASA does costs more than it really should. It costs about $12 to buy or build a device to make potable water out of pee. I thought I had heard how they spent millions on a pee-recycling machine to make potable water out of their pee and reuse it so we didn’t have to spend more millions to lift extra water into orbit. If I’m wrong anf they didn’t, they should. I support space exploration, but everything NASA does costs more than it really should. It costs about $12 to buy or build a device to make potable water out of pee.

]]> By: Buzz Parsec http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/comment-page-1/#comment-212305 Buzz Parsec Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:40:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/#comment-212305 The shuttle did a slight debris avoidance maneuver yesterday morning, which changed the planned landing times by a few minutes. This would have made the times of any visible passes change as well. I don't know how often heavens above updates their predictions, but I would check again. Though it's cloudy and about to rain here (New England) so I probably won't have any chance to see it. NASA has said they're planning to land tonight no matter what, either at Kennedy if the weather clears (unlikely) or at Edwards. The shuttle did a slight debris avoidance maneuver yesterday morning, which changed the planned landing times by a few minutes. This would have made the times of any visible passes change as well. I don’t know how often heavens above updates their predictions, but I would check again. Though it’s cloudy and about to rain here (New England) so I probably won’t have any chance to see it. NASA has said they’re planning to land tonight no matter what, either at Kennedy if the weather clears (unlikely) or at Edwards.

]]> By: Eddie http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/comment-page-1/#comment-212288 Eddie Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:13:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/#comment-212288 @Elwood; Sorry, Elwood. One 'l". Duly noted. @Elwood; Sorry, Elwood. One ‘l”. Duly noted.

]]> By: Carlos http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/comment-page-1/#comment-212237 Carlos Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:40:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/09/10/constellation-urion/#comment-212237 I'm trying to understand the details I'm seeing in the comet-like picture. I assume the brighter trail is ISS. The tail-like cloud is the shuttle - but where is its trail? I think I see a very dim one along the main tail, but it is a lot dimmer than I would expect. And why the double tails? I’m trying to understand the details I’m seeing in the comet-like picture. I assume the brighter trail is ISS. The tail-like cloud is the shuttle – but where is its trail? I think I see a very dim one along the main tail, but it is a lot dimmer than I would expect. And why the double tails?

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