Anyone have any random nerdy facts?

[cls]

The inert remnants have enough mass to force protons and electrons together into neutrons (K-electron capture), producing a neutron star.

... and occasionally, my personal horror of horrors, a magnetar

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetar

...The magnetic field of a magnetar would be lethal even at a distance of 1,000 km due to the strong magnetic field distorting the electron clouds of the subject's constituent atoms, rendering the chemistry of known lifeforms impossible.

 

[dr wogz]

Fat bottomed girls make the rocket world go 'round..

 

[4regt4]

... and occasionally, my personal horror of horrors, a magnetar

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetar

...The magnetic field of a magnetar would be lethal even at a distance of 1,000 km due to the strong magnetic field distorting the electron clouds of the subject's constituent atoms, rendering the chemistry of known lifeforms impossible.

Would it stick to a giant refrigerator door?

Hans.

 

[cls]

Would it stick to a giant refrigerator door?

Hans.

...At a distance of halfway from Earth to the moon, an average distance between the Earth and the Moon being 384,400 km (238,900 miles), a magnetar could wipe information from the magnetic stripes of all credit cards on Earth.

 

[jsdemar]

...At a distance of halfway from Earth to the moon, an average distance between the Earth and the Moon being 384,400 km (238,900 miles), a magnetar could wipe information from the magnetic stripes of all credit cards on Earth.

I hate when that happens.

 

[NTP2]

I hate when that happens.

I know right!!! Magnetars are the worse!!

 

[jqavins]

The province of Quebec produces a majority of all the world's maple syrup. (Vermont, Ontario, and New York come in next.)

 

[jsdemar]

The Sun's protostar mass was in a narrow range which allowed for a T-Tauri class event. Our Sun is in a moderately stable second stage after its short life as a protostar. Fusion followed by a massive explosion of matter produced the protoplanetary disk containing all of the elements heavier than iron. The accretion of the disk over time produced the planets and other system solar matter in its present form. The sun will slowly cool and expand over a billion+ years until engulfs the inner plants as a red giant. A few more billion years of radiating its energy, the sun will collapse and cool into a dark carbon sphere. We can observe the evolution of similar stars in various phases in our galaxy, and it's quite common but doesn't account the majority of matter in the universe.

At least that's how I remember the basics as taught in the Planetary Geology class I took many moons ago.

 

[drewnickel]

... and occasionally, my personal horror of horrors, a magnetar

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetar

...The magnetic field of a magnetar would be lethal even at a distance of 1,000 km due to the strong magnetic field distorting the electron clouds of the subject's constituent atoms, rendering the chemistry of known lifeforms impossible.

Reminds me of Thing Explainer from Randall Munroe. "Could you touch a neutron star"

 

[Knundrm]

 

[Knundrm]

 

[Knundrm]

 

[OverTheTop]

Ingenuity has more processing power than all the other planetary missions that JPL has flown combined together.


"The processor on Ingenuity is 100 times more powerful than everything JPL has sent into deep space, combined," Tzanetos said. This means that if you add up all of the computing power that has flown on NASA's big missions beyond Earth orbit, from Voyager to Juno to Cassini to the James Webb Space Telescope, the tiny chip on Ingenuity packs more than 100 times the performance.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/...t-comes-next-in-aerial-planetary-exploration/

 

[OzHybrid]

Ingenuity has more processing power than all the other planetary missions that JPL has flown combined together.
View attachment 645499

"The processor on Ingenuity is 100 times more powerful than everything JPL has sent into deep space, combined," Tzanetos said. This means that if you add up all of the computing power that has flown on NASA's big missions beyond Earth orbit, from Voyager to Juno to Cassini to the James Webb Space Telescope, the tiny chip on Ingenuity packs more than 100 times the performance.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/...t-comes-next-in-aerial-planetary-exploration/

Part of the electronics were supplied by SparkFun. Specifically the laser altimeter. Just shows what you can do with consumer grade electronics these days
https://www.sparkfun.com/news/3791

 

[Ramjet64]

My first tent and my first wife both slept three.

 

[jqavins]

Part of the electronics were supplied by SparkFun. Specifically the laser altimeter. Just shows what you can do with consumer grade electronics these days
https://www.sparkfun.com/news/3791

I wonder if that's actually the off-the-shelf item, or a one-off with higher spec parts.

 

[OzHybrid]

I wonder if that's actually the off-the-shelf item, or a one-off with higher spec parts.

From the article quoted, it's consumer. And a stock line supplied from them.

 

[tsmith1315]

From the article quoted, it's consumer. And a stock line supplied from them.

Radiation hardening not necessary?

 

[Art Upton]

I wonder if that's actually the off-the-shelf item, or a one-off with higher spec parts.

I would think it needs radiation hardened , no magnetic shield on Mars

 

[Art Upton]

4 months ago:
"Ingenuity has finally failed after flying 72 of it's 5 planned flights on Mars. It appears a rotor struck the ground, and it's unknown whether this LIDAR device had any role in the failure. Here's NASA Administrator Bill Nelson telling the story: https://vxtwitter.com/SenBillNelson/status/1750602013639844177"

 

[ksaves2]

Ingenuity has more processing power than all the other planetary missions that JPL has flown combined together.
View attachment 645499

"The processor on Ingenuity is 100 times more powerful than everything JPL has sent into deep space, combined," Tzanetos said. This means that if you add up all of the computing power that has flown on NASA's big missions beyond Earth orbit, from Voyager to Juno to Cassini to the James Webb Space Telescope, the tiny chip on Ingenuity packs more than 100 times the performance.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/...t-comes-next-in-aerial-planetary-exploration/

There is a well reasoned thought on using well tested, well established components on planetary missions. It's best to use something that is extremely reliable as opposed to something newer and reliability is still a big question mark. Why use something unproven when a device one or two generations back with known reliability can do the task?

 

[jqavins]

I would think it needs radiation hardened , no magnetic shield on Mars

And I'd have expected MIL spec temperature range and part screening. What I'm wondering is if the article just left those bits out; I skimmed it and didn't see a definitive statement that it's really a stock, off the shelf item, exactly the same as you or I could buy. We can buy an item with the same functions and interfaces (electrical, logical, and physical).

There is a well reasoned thought on using well tested, well established components on planetary missions. It's best to use something that is extremely reliable as opposed to something newer and reliability is still a big question mark. Why use something unproven when a device one or two generations back with known reliability can do the task?

Indeed, which is why I'm only talking about parts upgrades, not design changes. Back in my satellite days, we used MIL-STD-1750 based onboard computers long after they were obsolete. We only switched to something newer when we had a specific onboard function that needed it, and the 1750 chips were damn near impossible to find.

 

[jsdemar]

I would think it needs radiation hardened , no magnetic shield on Mars

Even in low Earth orbit or in the stratosphere, there's enough ionizing radiation to cause a "single even upset" in the electronics. My approach when I was designing such things was to use a radiation-hardened ROM and watchdog timer circuit. The bulk of the design used mil-spec temp range parts. The reset would reload the FPGA "code" from the rad-hard ROM. In some designs, a fixed timer would reset everything occasionally. This worked well for up to 45 days in the upper stratosphere (the record scientific balloon flight at the time). Loss of critical telemetry and control links could cause an international incident with several tons of payload and 300+ft diameter balloon falling at an unfriendly location! (Random and Nerdy enough for this thread?)

 

[Art Upton]

Even in low Earth orbit or in the stratosphere, there's enough ionizing radiation to cause a "single even upset" in the electronics. My approach when I was designing such things was to use a radiation-hardened ROM and watchdog timer circuit. The bulk of the design used mil-spec temp range parts. The reset would reload the FPGA "code" from the rad-hard ROM. In some designs, a fixed timer would reset everything occasionally. This worked well for up to 45 days in the upper stratosphere (the record scientific balloon flight at the time). Loss of critical telemetry and control links could cause an international incident with several tons of payload and 300+ft diameter balloon falling at an unfriendly location! (Random and Nerdy enough for this thread?)

Or just crossing over Kim's territory and having a Yankee Spy Barroon Incident

 

[alexzogh]

Back to Nerdy facts....

84 rocket motors minus your age plus 40 will give you the last two digits of your birth year. Will not work if you were born later in the year...

 

[dr wogz]

to know what wrench you need for a particular hex head bolt or nut:

double the diameter, and minus a 1/16"

ie: a 1/4" bolt requires a 7/16" wrench.. (1/4 * 2 = 1/2, 1/2-1/16 = 7/16")

works up to 3/4" if I recall

 

[OzHybrid]

4 months ago:
"Ingenuity has finally failed after flying 72 of it's 5 planned flights on Mars. It appears a rotor struck the ground, and it's unknown whether this LIDAR device had any role in the failure. Here's NASA Administrator Bill Nelson telling the story: https://vxtwitter.com/SenBillNelson/status/1750602013639844177"

So the sensor SURVIVED for the 5 PLANNED MISSION FLIGHTS and then continued to work beyond the designed specification to complete a further 67 missions. Doesn't seem too bad......

 

[jqavins]

Back to Nerdy facts....

84 rocket motors minus your age plus 40 will give you the last two digits of your birth year. Will not work if you were born later in the year...

How do I subtract XX years from 84 rockets? It's like subtracting 19 gallons from 23 miles.

 

[Antares JS]

84 rocket motors minus your age plus 40 will give you the last two digits of your birth year. Will not work if you were born later in the year...

84 - x + 40 => 124 - x

It works because you disguise the last two numbers in the current year by splitting it into 84 and 40.

 

[jqavins]

So, you ignore the units. Just 84-x, not "84 rocket motors minus your age". And "later in the year" covers about 63% of the year (as of today). I'm not impressed.