Author Topic: Somewhat Useful Facts Thread (Read 204857 times)

Senator · « **Reply #1580 on:** November 19, 2009, 04:47:13 PM »

Thus succesfully securing his notes from people unable to read backwards. :roll

Fact: I always thought that explanation was a bit flimsy. Probably he just had fun doing it as a mental excersize.

1DeadlySAMURAI · « **Reply #1581 on:** November 19, 2009, 10:15:10 PM »

Catfacts. (nothing new for me, thou)

Nebula · « **Reply #1582 on:** November 20, 2009, 08:39:18 AM »

False Alarm Awakens Crew

An alarm woke the crews aboard space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station at 8:36 p.m. EST Thursday. Flight controllers in Houston, Europe and Russia quickly concluded the alarm was false. An erroneous indication of a rapid depressurization led to the automatic shutdown of ventilation fans throughout the station, which stirred up dust and led to a false smoke detection alarm in the European Space Agency?s Columbus laboratory.

It took about an hour to reactivate the ventilation fans and stabilize the station atmosphere following the incident. The crews have been warned to watch out for pockets where carbon dioxide has accumulated.

The initial cause for the false depressurization indication is under evaluation. Mission control Capcom Frank Lien told station Commander Frank De Winne it might have originated with the Poisk mini-research module that docked to the station earlier this month.

The space station crew will wait until ventilation is restored before going back to sleep. The shuttle crew has already been given the ?go? from teams on the ground to go back to sleep. To make up for the sleep they lost reacting to the alarm, the sleep period has been extended by 30 minutes. The new wake up time will be 4:28 a.m. EST.

Senator · « **Reply #1583 on:** November 20, 2009, 09:47:00 AM »

Plasma Engine test that could possibly take humans to Mars in 39 days. It also goes by the far cooler name Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket.

Interesting:

Quote

On December 10, 2008 Ad Astra Company signed an agreement with NASA to arrange the placement and testing of a flight version of the VASIMR, the VF-200, on the International Space Station (ISS). Its launch is expected to be in 2011?2012.

The ISS VASIMR engine will operate in burst mode. Since ISS's power generation is not great enough, the system will include a trickle-charged battery system allowing for 10 min pulses of thrust. This however, is expected to be sufficient to maintain ISS altitude, eliminating the need for costly, periodic chemical rocket reboosting operations.

JimmyB76 · « **Reply #1584 on:** November 20, 2009, 09:51:08 AM »

each day, up to 150 species of life become extinct...

captain_obvious · « **Reply #1585 on:** November 20, 2009, 06:50:46 PM »

FIAT created the AS.6 V-24 engine for the Macchi M.C.72 competition seaplane in the early 1930's. It displaced more than 50 litres and produced more than 3100hp. In reality it was just 2 AS.5 V-12 engines put end to end sharing the same drive shaft. They could be started separately too.

Now if that's not a big engine then I don't know what is..

JimmyB76 · « **Reply #1586 on:** November 20, 2009, 06:52:51 PM »

a roach can live up to nine days without its head...

Senator · « **Reply #1587 on:** November 22, 2009, 02:38:19 PM »

It's a Camcopter S-100. Cute no?

Phaser · « **Reply #1588 on:** November 22, 2009, 04:13:23 PM »

Nice posts, guys!

Here's a cool item recently linked from the Drex Files:

"In April 2010, the Air Force is scheduled to launch an Atlas V booster from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the newest U.S. Spacecraft, the unmanned X-37, to orbit. The X-37 embodies the Air Force?s desire for an operational spaceplane, a wish that dates back to the 1950s, the era of the rocket powered X-15 and X-20."

Link

JimmyB76 · « **Reply #1589 on:** November 25, 2009, 05:09:02 PM »

a survey reported that 12% of Americans think that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife...
*shakes head*
stupid ignorant americans... how embarrassing... lol

Viper · « **Reply #1590 on:** November 26, 2009, 12:38:30 AM »

50% of all marriages end in divorce. Which is REALLY good considering the other 50% end in death.

Lionus · « **Reply #1591 on:** November 26, 2009, 11:20:45 AM »

Quote from: captain_obvious on November 20, 2009, 06:50:46 PM

FIAT created the AS.6 V-24 engine for the Macchi M.C.72 competition seaplane in the early 1930's. It displaced more than 50 litres and produced more than 3100hp. In reality it was just 2 AS.5 V-12 engines put end to end sharing the same drive shaft. They could be started separately too.

Now if that's not a big engine then I don't know what is..

well, then I'd better not mention radial engines that could displace as much as 71 litres..used in bigger bombers and such. but, then there was certain British V12-engine that could achieve similar performance with mere 27l.

captain_obvious · « **Reply #1592 on:** November 26, 2009, 01:02:59 PM »

Quote from: Lionus on November 26, 2009, 11:20:45 AM

Quote from: captain_obvious on November 20, 2009, 06:50:46 PM
FIAT created the AS.6 V-24 engine for the Macchi M.C.72 competition seaplane in the early 1930's. It displaced more than 50 litres and produced more than 3100hp. In reality it was just 2 AS.5 V-12 engines put end to end sharing the same drive shaft. They could be started separately too.

Now if that's not a big engine then I don't know what is..

well, then I'd better not mention radial engines that could displace as much as 71 litres..used in bigger bombers and such. but, then there was certain British V12-engine that could achieve similar performance with mere 27l.

Heh! I know, we always seem to be able to improve engine performance and efficiency when given a foreign engine!

How big an engine would it take to kick out 85hp in America? That's what mine produces and it's only a 1.2l 16v!!!

The 1.2l 16v engine used in the Mark 2 fiat punto and the larger fiat stilo actually displaced 1242cc. And it was detuned to 80hp in the fiat stilo!

King Class Scout · « **Reply #1593 on:** November 26, 2009, 03:27:22 PM »

in the low compression era, 85 horses came from 5 or 6 liter engines. in the eighties, it was the two liters in the Japanese cars.

and 85 horses wouldn't move ONE american around, now

Lionus · « **Reply #1594 on:** November 26, 2009, 04:26:34 PM »

well, technically speaking, chrysler = Fiat now.. thus, Panda and 500 = american cars?

captain_obvious · « **Reply #1595 on:** November 27, 2009, 10:05:52 AM »

Quote from: Lionus on November 26, 2009, 04:26:34 PM

well, technically speaking, chrysler = Fiat now.. thus, Panda and 500 = american cars?

Get f*cked!

The 500, panda, bravo, punto, mlutipla et al are italian and proud!
And have the shit electrics to prove it!

I r drunkiosh fact.

ps, what's ouzo?

Senator · « **Reply #1596 on:** November 27, 2009, 10:30:14 AM »

Oh, nothing to worry about, just some kind of sweet water. By all means, drink a bottle of it.

Armondikov · « **Reply #1597 on:** November 27, 2009, 11:03:08 AM »

Speaking of such things, isopropanol gets you more drunk than ethanol. However, it is at least twice as toxic and has negative effects from as little 15g in an average human. Not recommended.

The question of whether deuterated ethanol (-OD) gets you more or less drunk than normal ethanol (-OH) is still open.

Senator · « **Reply #1598 on:** November 27, 2009, 01:32:52 PM »

Solution: Get your straws men and to the labs!

Those IG nobels aren't going to win themselves.

JimmyB76 · « **Reply #1599 on:** November 27, 2009, 01:33:48 PM »

Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were both epileptic...

News:

Author Topic: Somewhat Useful Facts Thread (Read 204857 times)