Silly size comparisons |
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Silly size comparisons |
 Jun 16 2006, 09:01 AM
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#16
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 Senior Member  Group: Members Posts: 2920 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682  |
I propose a new reference (at least for UMSF'ers) :
Size of the "object" (planet,asteroid,comet) is the same as Earth seen from a distance of : xxx kms Should be easy to measure. By the way, what would it be for THIS asteroid encounter ? -------------------- |
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Jun 16 2006, 09:07 AM
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#17
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14432 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
I think Wales tends to get used more with the 'an area of rainforest the size of XXXX is destroyed every YYYY'
 This is wandering WAY off topic - I'll tidy it up later. Doug |
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Jun 16 2006, 09:26 AM
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#18
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
QUOTE (climber @ Jun 16 2006, 10:01 AM)  I propose a new reference (at least for UMSF'ers) : Size of the "object" (planet,asteroid,comet) is the same as Earth seen from a distance of : xxx kms Should be easy to measure. By the way, what would it be for THIS asteroid encounter ? Ah! Right! Do you mean something like 'these are small, but close by, but those are big, and far away' by any chance? You'd really have to get an agreement between all the appropriate authorities - but that would, of course, be an ecumenical matter. A cup of tea, Father? Bob Shaw -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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Jun 16 2006, 01:54 PM
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#19
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 Interplanetary Dumpster Diver Group: Admin Posts: 4404 Joined: 17-February 04 From: Powell, TN Member No.: 33 |
QUOTE (djellison @ Jun 15 2006, 07:57 PM) Oh - this is all set in stone stuff. The concept of ft or metres doesnt exit, things fit into one of the following sizes Dime CD Washing Machine Golf Cart Family Car SUV Tennis Court Football Pitch Texas Continental USA. Any angle has to be express as a range to scoring a hole-in-one or the distance to which a dime would mark out that angle. Don't forget the old "A [insert dime, quarter, etc.] in Tokyo seen from New York." The loved this one in HST materials. -------------------- |
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Jun 16 2006, 01:55 PM
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#20
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430 |
QUOTE (tedstryk @ Jun 16 2006, 09:54 AM) Don't forget the old "A [insert dime, quarter, etc.] in Tokyo seen from New York." The loved this one in HST materials. To say nothing of the claims that HST would reveal the "origin of the Universe" and "Look all the way back in time to the very beginning" and "Locate your car keys". Wait a minute... -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined,
and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853 |
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Jun 20 2006, 01:45 AM
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#21
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 Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Re all the "gee golly wow" relative metrics for UMSF in the popular press, and Doug's observation that all such comments are invariably prefaced with project costs...this is precisely why so many people think that the NASA budget is the largest piece of the Federal pie (even larger than DoD!!!), and therefore also why so many are opposed to space exploration!
 We need to find an effective way to counter this grossly inaccurate preconception.... -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Jun 20 2006, 02:04 AM
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#22
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 809 Joined: 11-March 04 Member No.: 56 |
QUOTE (nprev @ Jun 20 2006, 01:45 AM) Re all the "gee golly wow" relative metrics for UMSF in the popular press, and Doug's observation that all such comments are invariably prefaced with project costs...this is precisely why so many people think that the NASA budget is the largest piece of the Federal pie (even larger than DoD!!!), and therefore also why so many are opposed to space exploration! We need to find an effective way to counter this grossly inaccurate preconception.... Easy! We just explain: if the total federal expenditures for 2005 are compared to the mass of the Earth, then the total expenditures for NASA are smaller than the mass of Europa... |
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Jun 20 2006, 07:10 AM
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#23
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14432 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
The total federal budget would be a pile of dollar bills X km tall, with the NASA budget being only X metres of that?
Doug |
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Jun 20 2006, 12:20 PM
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#24
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2920 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682 |
[quote name='djellison' date='Jun 20 2006, 09:10 AM' post='59031']
The total federal budget would be a pile of dollar bills X km tall, with the NASA budget being only X metres of that? Doug Just to be consistant to my last quote, I'll say : Nasa budget seen from a distance of 1 meter = Federal budget seen from a distance of xxx meters 
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Jun 20 2006, 01:47 PM
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#25
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Member Group: Members Posts: 234 Joined: 8-May 05 Member No.: 381 |
Better make that xxxx, the Federal budget is pretty obscene.
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Jun 20 2006, 01:57 PM
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#26
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
QUOTE (monitorlizard @ Jun 20 2006, 02:47 PM) Better make that xxxx, the Federal budget is pretty obscene. Er... ...NASA's budget is small, but very close, while the Federal budget is big, but far away? More Tea, Congressman? Bob Shaw -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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Jun 20 2006, 01:57 PM
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#27
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Member Group: Members Posts: 809 Joined: 11-March 04 Member No.: 56 |
QUOTE (monitorlizard @ Jun 20 2006, 01:47 PM) Better make that xxxx, the Federal budget is pretty obscene. In 2005, NASA's budget was about 1/148 of total budgeted outlays for the whole federal government. I haven't found the figures for the actual amounts spent that year, however. |
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Jun 20 2006, 01:58 PM
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#28
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430 |
QUOTE (Bob Shaw @ Jun 20 2006, 09:57 AM) Er... ...NASA's budget is small, but very close, while the Federal budget is big, but far away? More Tea, Congressman? Bob Shaw Tea? It's coffee or bourbon around here, mate!
-------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined,
and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853 |
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Jun 21 2006, 12:21 AM
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#29
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Jun 20 2006, 06:58 AM) Tea? It's coffee or bourbon around here, mate! (sigh)...I'll second that!!! What we really need to do is provide at least 10,000 jobs in each & every state directly related to UMSF, and within 10 years we'd have a demand for so many Flagship-class missions that Congressmen & Senators would be serving PIs bourbon! 
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Jun 21 2006, 12:55 AM
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#30
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 362 Joined: 12-June 05 From: Kiama, Australia Member No.: 409 |
I keep opening up the new posts in this thread in the misplaced hope that some of them may actually be news about NH, silly me!
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