Comments on: Inside Mercury's orbit

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:45:26 +0000

For example check out this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CGpNG9MkOo

Ace videoclip.

See :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteors#History

for the source of the quote on the originof the term ‘meteor’ cited in #25.

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:35:35 +0000

@ ^ Nigel Depledge : Somehow I think ‘vulcanology’ is taken!

In this context, it may be worth noting that :

… the cosmic origin of meteors was now firmly established. Still, they remain an atmospheric phenomenon, and retain their name “meteor” from the Greek word for “atmospheric”.

Source : Wikipedia (under meteors -history)

Also the term for someone who studies meteors is …

… an astronomer!

@15. Gary Ansorge & 22. Nigel Depledge :

A few quotes for y’all on the usefulness of gold :

“Gold is an outstanding heat insulator, many spacecraft have been gold-plated, not as a symbol of extravagance but because a thin layer of gold is the most efficient way to keep the spacecraft from overheating.”
- Page 172, Ben Bova, ‘The Story of Light’, Sourcebooks Inc., 2001.

&

“When human explorers head out toward the stars, they will bring gold and diamonds with them – not only as personal adornments, but as practical and efficient materials for their starships as well.”
- Page 320, Ben Bova, ‘The Story of Light’, Sourcebooks Inc., 2001.

Additionally, remember that gold comes in very handy for defending against cyberman too!

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:19:03 +0000

So . . . is the study of vulcanoids vulcanology?

(In the same way that the study of meteors is meteorology, right?)

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:02:28 +0000

@12. Diane: I’m glad I’m not the only one that saw that, I was beginning to think I was having a medical problem!

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:06:53 +0000

Gary Ansorge (15) said:

. . . the world market for platinum? Of course, unlike gold, it IS a very useful industrial metal.

Gold is very useful in electrical circuitry. Although it is a slightly less good conductor than silver, it does not corrode in air, so a gold-plated silver electrical contact gives you the best of both worlds.

By: Astronews Daily (2455537)

Astronews Daily (2455537) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:01:25 +0000

[...] Inside Mercury’s orbit – Last summer, I wrote a piece on the search for small solar system objects that might, theoretically, circle the Sun inside Mercury’s orbit. Called vulcanoids, they are extremely difficult to observe, which is why it’s still not certain if they exist or not… -Phil Plait / Bad Astronomy [...]

By: Michael Burkley

Michael Burkley — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:17:19 +0000

Hmmm….this sounds like a pretty HOT idea rather than a cool one! But whatever it’s temperature it reminds us that there’s always more to learn!

–Michael

By: amphiox

amphiox — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 23:24:16 +0000

I would imagine that the principle cost outlay is boosting the equipment off earth and to the object in question. After that, moving the payload back to earth and getting it to the surface for processing will only be a minor additional cost.

By: Gary Ansorge

Gary Ansorge — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 15:46:06 +0000

16. Grimbold

There is a lot of difference between boosting a payload into earth orbit or boosting the same load up from the sun, using solar power 16 times more intense than that available at earth orbit(roughly 20,000 Watts/m^2) to power a vasimir engine. In space, free fall and vacuum allow continual low level acceleration to move mountains anywhere you want. It just takes a while. At earth orbit, dropping that payload to the surface is easy.

Not all at once, of course,,,

Gary 7

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 14:11:21 +0000

Nice article BA. Liked it.

@3. Mapnut :

Are there known objects between the orbits of Earth and Venus? Or between Venus and Mercury? I don’t recall hearing about any such objects.

Add to the list linked by #4.Chris (if they’re not incl. already) – Sun-grazing comets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungrazing_comet

Plus at least one semi-famous asteroid named Icarus :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1566_Icarus

That apparently glows red-hot at perihelion. Arthur C. Clarke has suggested it could be used as an observing post.

I wonder if sungrazer comets could help in the Vulcanoids search too?

Of course, any future explorers there might have to ask that Spanish womans’ permission :

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/11/30/you-cant-own-the-sun-no-not-yours/

for straying close to “her” solar territory – NOT!