The 41st Millenium - With Technology from the 70's

[DrLove42]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21866532

Voyager 1, one of the earliest Space Probes has now potentially left our star system. It has always been the manmade object furthest from earth, but now it is the first man made object to leave our solar system and enter interstellar space.

Launched in 1977 it has travelled 18 BILLION kilometres and is now potentially out of our Stars influence. With enough battery for another 10 years, we should be getting data for a while.

But not long enough.

Voyager will next come into contact with another star (and i use contact loosely - it'll come within 2 lightyears) in 40,000 years.

This small 1970's satellite hasn't reached another system yet by the 41st Millenium. And thats just one of the closest ones to us, let alone the whole imperium of man....

[Deadlift]

It's going to end up as a bonnet decoration on a space hulk :)

[bfmusashi]

That's the plot of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

[Phototoxin]

This is why we need faster than light travel!

[jgebi]

ftl travel is still very slow

[Wolfshade]

Voyager 1, one of the earliest Space Probes has now potentially left our star system. It has always been the manmade object furthest from earth, but now it is the first man made object to leave our solar system and enter interstellar space.

That's not strictly speaking true, Voyager 2 was launched first then Voyager 1 a couple of weeks later. Pioneer 10 & 11 were still further out until the 90s.

What will be interesting is to see if it can survive outside of the heliosphere and continue passing data.
Also, considering how powerful the computing is on board, why has it not needed to be switched off and on again yet?!

[Psychosplodge]

Exactly because of how powerful it is, also they tend to put triple redundancy into probes so they could bypass things.

[Renegade]

That's not strictly speaking true, Voyager 2 was launched first then Voyager 1 a couple of weeks later. Pioneer 10 & 11 were still further out until the 90s.

What will be interesting is to see if it can survive outside of the heliosphere and continue passing data.
Also, considering how powerful the computing is on board, why has it not needed to be switched off and on again yet?!

The joys of old computers :D I don't remember my old 48K being as temperamental as most new computers once it had loaded a programme (except if I beat it at chess).

[Wolfshade]

http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2012_phaseII_fellows_slough.html


The Fusion Driven Rocket: Nuclear Propulsion through Direct Conversion of Fusion Energy

In a nut shell 150 Tonne, rocket with magnetically contained reactions could cut the mars trip to about 30 days. Exciting.

[Mr Mystery]

So the propulsion is essentially a series of tightly controlled, nuclear botty burps?

[Wolfshade]

Yup :)

Yup the theory of launching things but riding the shock wave of nuclear explosions has been around for quite a while (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Project-Orion-Story-Atomic-Spaceship/dp/0805072845/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365683178&sr=1-1&keywords=project+orion)

[Defenestratus]

Lascannon Mk1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmoldX1wKYQ

[Wolfshade]

Is that the (USS) Ponce laser? Firewall has youtube banned, if so it is discussed here, albeit briefly http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?30830-Pew-pew!!!!&highlight=laser+cannons

[Defenestratus]

Is that the (USS) Ponce laser? Firewall has youtube banned, if so it is discussed here, albeit briefly http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?30830-Pew-pew!!!!&highlight=laser+cannons

Si.

[Wolfshade]

Fun tech :)

[Wolfshade]

In a tenuiously related post parts of Mars 3, the ill fated Soviet craft that provided the first photographs from the surface of mars has been found, or possibly found using Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

(http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-132)

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/mro/20130411/pia16920-640.jpg