ApolloHoax.net

Apollo Discussions => The Hoax Theory => Topic started by: HyperOreo on December 30, 2019, 04:59:35 PM

Title: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: HyperOreo on December 30, 2019, 04:59:35 PM
...will the Apollo Hoax and Flat Earth persist?
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Ranb on December 30, 2019, 05:07:41 PM
Yes it will.  There are those who claim that rockets do not work in a vacuum, that six feet of lead shielding is needed to protect the astronauts from the radiation in the VAB and that is it cheaper to simply fake the landings instead of doing them for real.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: onebigmonkey on December 30, 2019, 05:32:37 PM
Yes, because they are faking it to keep the sheeple stupid.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Von_Smith on December 30, 2019, 08:08:36 PM
Of course not.  They will all instantly be swayed by reason, admit they were wrong, and go on to lead productive, meaningful, well-informed lives.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: JayUtah on December 31, 2019, 11:50:31 AM
Of course they'll persist.  True believers will just move the goalposts.  In the late 1990s Bill Kaysing assured people he would recant if an unmanned spacecraft took pictures of the landing sites that showed the artifacts of the mission.  Apparently he believed this would never happen in his lifetime, because when just such a mission was imminent, he changed his mind and said nothing would convince him that Apollo had succeeded.  If people believe, contrary to all available evidence, that the missions in the 1960s and 1970s were fake, then it's really not hard to keep believing -- again, against all evidence -- that any new set of missions are also fake.  Once you've decided to ignore evidence, it doesn't really matter how much of it you ignore, or why.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on December 31, 2019, 12:32:43 PM
I mean, you don't have to go to the Moon to prove the Earth isn't flat, and people believe that anyway.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on December 31, 2019, 03:25:03 PM
...will the Apollo Hoax and Flat Earth persist?

You could drag the Hoax & FE "true believers" kicking and screaming into the crew capsule of a moon rocket, launch them there, put a spacesuit on them and have them stand on the lunar surface looking up at the earth, and they still wouldn't beleive you. They would try to claim that it was all a simulation.

These idiots are like US Senate Republicans... it doesn't matter how much evidence you show them or how overwhelming it is, they have already made up their minds what they want to believe.


ETA: oh, and happy new year to all at Apollohoax.net
 
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: raven on December 31, 2019, 06:49:28 PM
They didn't believe then, so why would they believe now? I would love to see it though, especially if it was a step to other things, not just another camping trip to bring rocks back.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Obviousman on January 01, 2020, 05:13:30 PM
Of course they'll persist.  True believers will just move the goalposts.  In the late 1990s Bill Kaysing assured people he would recant if an unmanned spacecraft took pictures of the landing sites that showed the artifacts of the mission.  Apparently he believed this would never happen in his lifetime, because when just such a mission was imminent, he changed his mind and said nothing would convince him that Apollo had succeeded.  If people believe, contrary to all available evidence, that the missions in the 1960s and 1970s were fake, then it's really not hard to keep believing -- again, against all evidence -- that any new set of missions are also fake.  Once you've decided to ignore evidence, it doesn't really matter how much of it you ignore, or why.

Jack White: Of course I am always willing to examine new evidence and change my mind if required but since the landings were faked, any evidence to the contrary must also be faked and therefore would be a waste of my time to examine.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Dalhousie on January 02, 2020, 05:15:01 AM
They didn't believe then, so why would they believe now? I would love to see it though, especially if it was a step to other things, not just another camping trip to bring rocks back.

Not that there is anything wrong with more camping trips to bring back rocks.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: MBDK on January 03, 2020, 02:26:44 AM
These idiots are like US Senate Republicans...
Tsk...tsk...  I didn't see it in the rules, other than off-topic, but isn't political and/or religious talk frowned on in this forum?  However, to keep this more on-topic, at least one study has concluded no discernible difference in the numbers of Democrats and Republicans that believe in conspiracies, UNLESS it affects them along party lines. 
https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/study-finds-if-republicans-or-democrats-are-more-likely-to-believe-in-conspiracy-theories

So, regarding the Moon/Flat Earth conspiracy believers, and in conjunction with the linked article, if someone's world revolves around one set of beliefs, they are much more willing to accept a conspiracy theory for anything that they consider an attempt to discredit those beliefs.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 03, 2020, 12:22:57 PM
Political talk is so far from being frowned on that there's a whole subject in the off-topic part about the Trump Presidency and its failings.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: MBDK on January 03, 2020, 01:53:50 PM
Okay.  Thanks for the clarification.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Jason Thompson on January 03, 2020, 02:56:12 PM
Yeah, it’s Cosmoquest (Bad Astronomy A’s was) that stamps out political discussion. I was once reprimanded there for comparing the Apollo budget with the amount spent on the military in the US as that was deemed a political point. Then saying I meant it only as a mathematical comparison got me a warning for arguing with the mods. I don’t there much these days....
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 03, 2020, 05:18:27 PM
These idiots are like US Senate Republicans...
Tsk...tsk...  I didn't see it in the rules, other than off-topic, but isn't political and/or religious talk frowned on in this forum?  However, to keep this more on-topic, at least one study has concluded no discernible difference in the numbers of Democrats and Republicans that believe in conspiracies, UNLESS it affects them along party lines. 
https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/study-finds-if-republicans-or-democrats-are-more-likely-to-believe-in-conspiracy-theories

So, regarding the Moon/Flat Earth conspiracy believers, and in conjunction with the linked article, if someone's world revolves around one set of beliefs, they are much more willing to accept a conspiracy theory for anything that they consider an attempt to discredit those beliefs.
Political talk is so far from being frowned on that there's a whole subject in the off-topic part about the Trump Presidency and its failings.

Besides, I'm not an American - I don't have a dog in the fight.

For mine, it was just an observation; your President appears to be a conspiracy theorist, and a goodly number of his supporters appear to be disappearing down the rabbit hole with him.

It would be an interesting exercise to find out what proportion of his ardent base are Apollo deniers, flat earthers and JFK conspiracy believers. I'd put money on that figure being appreciably higher than the national average.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Halcyon Dayz, FCD on January 03, 2020, 10:05:06 PM
You can't talk about the future (or past) of space travel without talking about space policy.
You can't talk about space policy without talking about politics.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: JayUtah on January 04, 2020, 01:34:30 PM
American politics have become so badly entrenched that I think that, without corrective action, the U.S. will soon cease to be a functioning democracy.  I think the right relies a bit more on conspiratorial thinking than the left, but I see the right talking about the Deep State and the left talking about an oligarchy of billionaires.  Facially, these are both accusations of conspiracy, so that's where we are.  Certainly if one wants to look carefully at the evidence one can determine whether any of the accusations have any teeth.  That's probably not an exercise for this thread.

Questions like "Why haven't we gone back to the Moon?" or "Why haven't we continued on to Mars?" have historically required answers rooted deeply in political history.  The recent history of space policy seems to be various political interests using NASA for practically anything except a coherent purpose.  When political direction and funding levels change according to election cycles, it's hard to do real engineering that requires outlooks measured in tens of years.  The political magic of Apollo was in maintaining focus for long enough to set a ten-year plan and accomplish it.  If you guarantee me a focused directive and a suitable funding level for ten years, I can do great things.  If you change my direction or cut my budget every two years, we'll be largely adrift.

I don't see the future of space exploration being so limited by political vicissitude and dysfunction.  One of the advantages of an oligarchy of billionaires is that some people can afford their own private space programs.  What once strictly required the resources of large governments to capitalize has now become achievable by individuals and private business.  Yes, they do seek out contracts from governments because that's still an important part of the business.  But I firmly believe that private companies will develop manned space exploration technology simply because they want to.  And because they have private owners in charge, they can maintain the focus and funding that it will take to get them there.  If we want to have a credible nationalized space program moving forward, I believe we'll have to do a major overhaul of NASA, its oversight, and its funding.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: TippedIceberg on January 08, 2020, 08:49:48 AM
...will the Apollo Hoax and Flat Earth persist?

I think so. If the Artemis missions happen as planned, I'd guess every variable is going to be compared to Apollo. Probably going to be a lot of new denier arguments that boil down to "they didn't do that in the 60s!".

Examples:

Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Dalhousie on January 08, 2020, 09:47:00 PM

I think so. If the Artemis missions happen as planned, I'd guess every variable is going to be compared to Apollo. Probably going to be a lot of new denier arguments that boil down to "they didn't do that in the 60s!".

Examples:
  • Longer comms delay due to digital processing = "the delay in 1969 wasn't this long"
  • Different descent module propulsion or lunar south pole surface properties dig crater under lander = "proof they forgot to add a crater on the Apollo sets"
  • Any technical issues = "but they did this with less power than a calculator in 1969?"

You are seeing it already it the Chang'e and Yutu missions.  Other than those calling them fake people are asking why  does the Moon look different to Apollo images.  Which could be a round about way of suggesting that either or both could be fake.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 09, 2020, 06:07:03 AM
You can't talk about the future (or past) of space travel without talking about space policy.
You can't talk about space policy without talking about politics.

Well you can talk about the future if you talk "private space"....

We have a new Space Race and its not a race between nations, its a race between companies; the biggest players at this time are SpaceX and Blue Origin. The new Space Race involves no pork, no back-handers and no politics, just a bunch of very smart, enthusiastic people getting things done.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 09, 2020, 11:03:20 AM
Oh, I'd dispute that.  For one thing, there are definitely politics between companies, and between companies and governments.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Obviousman on January 09, 2020, 03:04:22 PM
It would be an interesting exercise to find out what proportion of his ardent base are Apollo deniers, flat earthers and JFK conspiracy believers. I'd put money on that figure being appreciably higher than the national average.

I agree it would be interesting but as for the result? I am not sure.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 09, 2020, 11:31:56 PM
Oh, I'd dispute that.  For one thing, there are definitely politics between companies, and between companies and governments.


But its not "politics" politics

Congress Critter from from State 'A', can't say "I'm not going to vote the money for project 'X' unless facility "Y" is built in my State (which is what happened with the STS when booster manufacturing got moved to Utah, and you can draw a direct line between that piece of extortion, and the Challenger accident.)

If the US Government tries playing hardball with SpaceX, well, Mexico isn't very far from Boca Chica, and its closer to the equator too!     
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 10, 2020, 10:31:03 AM
But we know that worker abuses inside Elon Musk's companies are pretty bad, and I'd rather have a bit of pork than employees who are expected to put in 120-hour weeks.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Dalhousie on January 10, 2020, 05:42:08 PM
Yeah, it’s Cosmoquest (Bad Astronomy A’s was) that stamps out political discussion. I was once reprimanded there for comparing the Apollo budget with the amount spent on the military in the US as that was deemed a political point. Then saying I meant it only as a mathematical comparison got me a warning for arguing with the mods. I don’t there much these days....

Same here.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 10, 2020, 06:32:19 PM
But we know that worker abuses inside Elon Musk's companies are pretty bad, and I'd rather have a bit of pork than employees who are expected to put in 120-hour weeks.

The first thing I would say is that if people feel they are being abused at SpaceX or Tesla, they are free take their cases to a worker's rights organisation or leave and find a less demanding job. There isn't exactly a shortage of jobs in aerospace. If I was 40 years younger, I'd be happy to be putting in 120 hour weeks as an Aerospace Engineer somewhere like SpaceX, or Blue Origin or Rocketlab. Its about on a par with what I was doing anyway as an Avionics Engineer at that time of my life in the NZ military.

The second thing is that workers rights in the private sector is not "political" politics.

The third thing is that "Pork Barrel Politics" is another word for corruption. You are surely not OK with corruption?

Now I might be coming across as a bit of a fanboy of SpaceX, Blue Origin and Rocketlab, and that is because I am. I see them doing things that have advanced space technology more in the past 5-10 years than NASA has in the last forty. FFS, two of them  are working toward 100% re-usability of their hardware (and the third has announced plans to recover and re-use their first stage). SpaceX is already bringing back large percentages of their launch hardware and re-using it, doing little more than kicking the tyres and topping up the water and oil before pumping in the fuel, loading up another payload and sending it into orbit for their customer. No-one has done this sort of thing to this level before (and anyone who wants to claim STS was reusable in the way SpaceX hardware is, can go whistle Dixie).

Part of the reason why they are able to do all this because they are not subject to the whims, fancies and political ambitions of corrupt politicians. This allows them to set long term goals without having to worry about changes of government bringing changes of attitudes and funding cuts.

For the last 40 years, I have been disappointed by the great, promising space projects that have been cancelled or dramatically reduced at the political whims of self-interested or short-sighted politicians. Some examples are the Europa Orbiter, the Terrestrial Planet Finder, the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism probe, X-38 and HL-20 CRV, and most of all the Constellation program - had Constellation not been canned, we would probably already be back on the Moon by now.

Right now, I have the same feeling of excitement about the future of space that I did as a pre-teen and teenager during the Gemini-Apollo programmes of the 1960's. These private space companies are going ahead apace, something that is much easier to do without the Congressional "Sword of Damocles" hanging over them all the time.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 11, 2020, 12:34:11 PM
Tesla and Space-X are violating laws about how to treat workers; you're okay with that?
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: MBDK on January 11, 2020, 02:52:36 PM
Tesla and Space-X are violating laws about how to treat workers; you're okay with that?
I agree with you.  Furthermore, I fear that private space enterprises will eventually lead to bigger headaches down the road if for-profit space companies go bankrupt, or need bail-outs.  One imagined scenario is a future space station, with significant radioactive and biological hazards still aboard, abandoned by a bankrupted private firm.  Who will be responsible for its mitigation once its orbit destabilizes?
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 11, 2020, 08:12:47 PM
Tesla and Space-X are violating laws about how to treat workers; you're okay with that?

Are they? Have they been charged with this or is it just the rumor-mill churning again?

Is this a widespread thing, or just disgruntled employees trying to get revenge and a payout?

The most recent cases I can find are this one from 2014 (https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-employees-lawsuit-20140811-story.html). another one from 2014 (https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-spacex-employee-lawsuit-20140812-story.html) and one from 2015 (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/spacex-sued-employment-law-elon-musk-tesla-a6704916.html). Got anything more recent?

SpaceX employs about 6000 people (even after the layoffs in 2019) and Tesla about 44,000. The law suits I linked above were from four people. I wonder how the other 49,996 employees feel about their working conditions?
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 11, 2020, 08:21:04 PM
Tesla and Space-X are violating laws about how to treat workers; you're okay with that?
I agree with you.  Furthermore, I fear that private space enterprises will eventually lead to bigger headaches down the road if for-profit space companies go bankrupt, or need bail-outs.  One imagined scenario is a future space station, with significant radioactive and biological hazards still aboard, abandoned by a bankrupted private firm.  Who will be responsible for its mitigation once its orbit destabilizes?

What makes you think government space organisations would act differenty (Think Cosmos 954 and Cosmos 1402)?
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: MBDK on January 11, 2020, 10:11:28 PM
[What makes you think government space organisations would act differenty (Think Cosmos 954 and Cosmos 1402)?
The Space Liability Convention, which has been ratified by over 90 countries, makes the state (country), in who's territory any space vehicle was launched, fully liable for damages that may result from that vehicle. 

As for Cosmos 954, the Soviet Union did end up paying about 3 million Canadian Dollars for its clean up, because of the Soviet's inclusion in the SLC.  I don't think Cosmos 1402 ever caused any damage that has been declared.

Regardless, perhaps the private sector may end up being required to have some contingency fund available prior to being chosen for major contracts, but right now, I don't know of anything like that in effect.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 12, 2020, 02:30:37 AM
[What makes you think government space organisations would act differenty (Think Cosmos 954 and Cosmos 1402)?
The Space Liability Convention, which has been ratified by over 90 countries, makes the state (country), in who's territory any space vehicle was launched, fully liable for damages that may result from that vehicle. 

As for Cosmos 954, the Soviet Union did end up paying about 3 million Canadian Dollars for its clean up, because of the Soviet's inclusion in the SLC.  I don't think Cosmos 1402 ever caused any damage that has been declared.

Regardless, perhaps the private sector may end up being required to have some contingency fund available prior to being chosen for major contracts, but right now, I don't know of anything like that in effect.


And boy, did they ever have to fight to get that. It was less that half what Canada asked for and less than a quarter of what it actually cost... which was about CA$12m.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: MBDK on January 12, 2020, 04:34:39 AM
And boy, did they ever have to fight to get that. It was less that half what Canada asked for and less than a quarter of what it actually cost... which was about CA$12m.
So true.  There's governments for you.  But at least it's theoretically better than a defunct entity. *shrug*
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 12, 2020, 12:16:46 PM
Tesla has paid more in OSHA fines than ten major auto manufacturers combined between 2014 and 2018.  Nearly three times as much despite having slightly over a quarter of the employees of those ten combined.  Elon Musk also actively opposes unionization, so who's looking out for those workers' best interests?  Certainly not Elon Musk.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 12, 2020, 02:13:50 PM
Tesla has paid more in OSHA fines than ten major auto manufacturers combined between 2014 and 2018.  Nearly three times as much despite having slightly over a quarter of the employees of those ten combined.  Elon Musk also actively opposes unionization, so who's looking out for those workers' best interests?  Certainly not Elon Musk

That is true, but when you dig a little deeper, some interesting facts come to light. For example, its is also true that they have less than half the number of reportable safety incidents than the nationwide industry average. Perhaps one of the reasons they have higher fines, but lower numbers of reportable safety incidents can be explained in one word... California.

The state of California has by far the most strict and uncompromising OSHA standards and enforcement of any state. This is one of the reasons why other manufacturers in many nationwide industries don't set up there. Other car manufacturers instead set up in rural areas of states such as Kentucky (Toyota), Missouri (Ford), Texas (GM), Indiana (Subaru), Tennessee (Nissan) and Georgia (Kia), Alabama (Hyundai & Mercedes-Benz), SC (BMW), Ohio (Honda)

Its also hardly surprising that Tesla has more violations and fines that anyone else, they have more emplyees than anyone else too; between two and four times as many. At Freemont CA, they employ 15,000. The others I mentioned above?

Toyota 8,000
Ford 7,320
GM 4,125
Subaru 5,700
Nissan 8,000
Kia 2,700
Hyundai 3,000
Mercedes-Benz 3,800
Honda 4,200

Only BMW have a comparable number, 11,000 in South Carolina

Its also worth noting that OSHA have never accused Tesla of misrepresenting their safety numbers, whereas Ford & GM and other manufacturers have repeatedly been caught by OSHA faking theirs. Now combine that with the fact that they have many more employees (so more opportunities for accidents, violations and complaints) and the fact that they are subject to the much stricter laws and enforcement in California, and its not at all surprising (at least to me) that they have more code violations and fines than anyone else.

But perhaps you might be right to some extent about politics in relation to private companies and the work environment. Have a look at the States I listed above where the other manufacturers have chosen to locate. Those states all have something in common (its something that makes Tesla's location unique). Can you spot what it is?



 
 
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 13, 2020, 11:06:43 AM
California doesn't allow the same kind of union-busting as the South?  Meaning employees actually have someone looking out for their best interests?

You've never going to convince me that private enterprise does a better job on certain things.  Because certain things are more important than profit, and caring about profit ahead of anything else has inherent problems.  A friend and I were just talking yesterday about how harmful the privatization of British rail has been for actual rail travel in the UK.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Abaddon on January 13, 2020, 02:12:52 PM
California doesn't allow the same kind of union-busting as the South?  Meaning employees actually have someone looking out for their best interests?

You've never going to convince me that private enterprise does a better job on certain things.  Because certain things are more important than profit, and caring about profit ahead of anything else has inherent problems.  A friend and I were just talking yesterday about how harmful the privatization of British rail has been for actual rail travel in the UK.

And I agree. There are some things which should never be run for profit. Some services are necessary to maintain the fabric of society. Profit is irrelevant. Healthcare springs to mind.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: AtomicDog on January 13, 2020, 06:01:55 PM
California doesn't allow the same kind of union-busting as the South?  Meaning employees actually have someone looking out for their best interests?



And yet Tesla remains in California, instead of moving to the South where they would undoubtedly have an easier time of it. (I live in Georgia. This state would welcome Tesla in a hot minute.)
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 13, 2020, 07:19:42 PM
California doesn't allow the same kind of union-busting as the South?  Meaning employees actually have someone looking out for their best interests?

And if Musk wanted to avoid unions and be free to abuse his workers (as you seem to be claiming) then why did he set up operations in California of all places, where he runs into the strictest enforcement?

You've never going to convince me that private enterprise does a better job on certain things.  Because certain things are more important than profit, and caring about profit ahead of anything else has inherent problems.  A friend and I were just talking yesterday about how harmful the privatization of British rail has been for actual rail travel in the UK.

I agree with you on utilities such as rail, power and water, but you will never convince me that private space is not a good thing. It is way more efficient than government space and has brought down the cost of space launches dramatically. STS cost was $54,500 per kilogram to the ISS or similar LEO.  A SpaceX Falcon 9 costs just $2,720 per kilogram. Putting something like a cubesat into orbit is now within reach of small businesses like mine; before private space, it was simply out of the question.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 14, 2020, 08:49:28 AM
And if Tesla's really that great, why do they have all those violations--some of which are pretty shocking, frankly--in the first place?
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Zakalwe on January 16, 2020, 11:47:34 AM
.  A friend and I were just talking yesterday about how harmful the privatization of British rail has been for actual rail travel in the UK.

Really?  By what metric?
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 16, 2020, 02:09:21 PM
And if Tesla's really that great, why do they have all those violations--some of which are pretty shocking, frankly--in the first place?

And yet numerically, they have less than half the violations of other car manufacturers, they are less serious violations than those of other car manufacturers, all over the same periods of time, despite having far more employees than any of them. Yet they have been fined a greater number of $$$. Can't you work out why?

Come on gillianren, this is not rocket science!
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: bknight on January 16, 2020, 02:28:12 PM
<snip>

I agree with you on utilities such as rail, power and water, but you will never convince me that private space is not a good thing. It is way more efficient than government space and has brought down the cost of space launches dramatically. STS cost was $54,500 per kilogram to the ISS or similar LEO.  A SpaceX Falcon 9 costs just $2,720 per kilogram. Putting something like a cubesat into orbit is now within reach of small businesses like mine; before private space, it was simply out of the question.

It is in my opinion that SpaceX has revolutionized the rocketry business with their reusable system.  Makes sending orbital packages into respective orbits more affordable.  But this seems to be a conundrum of sorts, as the number of satellites increases, so do the odds of impacting them with oter vehicles.  I know they are miles apart vertically/horizontally but it won't be pretty when/if something impacts a critical mission.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: benparry on January 20, 2020, 10:31:13 AM
.  A friend and I were just talking yesterday about how harmful the privatization of British rail has been for actual rail travel in the UK.

Really?  By what metric?

Delays for one. Hasn't Northern Rail just been stripped of its contract. I personally believe that there has to be a balance between national and private ownership.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Zakalwe on January 20, 2020, 11:10:53 AM
.  A friend and I were just talking yesterday about how harmful the privatization of British rail has been for actual rail travel in the UK.

Really?  By what metric?

Delays for one. Hasn't Northern Rail just been stripped of its contract. I personally believe that there has to be a balance between national and private ownership.

On time and delays are pretty much where they were when BR was privatised.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 20, 2020, 11:31:33 AM
Apparently cost very much is not.  Further, smaller, "unprofitable" stations no longer have trains stop there.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Zakalwe on January 20, 2020, 11:56:44 AM
Apparently cost very much is not.  Further, smaller, "unprofitable" stations no longer have trains stop there.
I'm not sure what you mean by "Apparently cost very much is not"?


The UK rail network actually returns a profit to the Exchequer to the tune of about £0.4 billion.  In the last year of British Rail it was funded by the treasury to the tune of £1.6 billion pounds - that's on top of ticket revenue. In today's money that's equivalent to £3 billion pounds.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Abaddon on January 20, 2020, 02:39:17 PM
How in the name of Noshabkeming did a moon mission thread become about BR timetables? WTAF?
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: raven on January 20, 2020, 05:27:08 PM
How in the name of Noshabkeming did a moon mission thread become about BR timetables? WTAF?
Because nerds, is why! ;D
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: JayUtah on January 20, 2020, 07:13:29 PM
How in the name of Noshabkeming did a moon mission thread become about BR timetables? WTAF?

It's all connected ... somehow.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Abaddon on January 20, 2020, 07:17:17 PM
How in the name of Noshabkeming did a moon mission thread become about BR timetables? WTAF?

It's all connected ... somehow.
Any minute now it will be the Speaker for Boskone!   :P
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Abaddon on January 20, 2020, 07:22:23 PM
How in the name of Noshabkeming did a moon mission thread become about BR timetables? WTAF?
Because nerds, is why! ;D
Possibly the all time epic answer to all questions. I am LMAO.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Count Zero on January 20, 2020, 08:20:44 PM
How in the name of Noshabkeming did a moon mission thread become about BR timetables? WTAF?

It's all connected ... somehow.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2e/James_Burke_%28historian%29.jpg/250px-James_Burke_%28historian%29.jpg)
Approves.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: smartcooky on January 20, 2020, 09:08:54 PM
.  A friend and I were just talking yesterday about how harmful the privatization of British rail has been for actual rail travel in the UK.

Really?  By what metric?

Delays for one. Hasn't Northern Rail just been stripped of its contract. I personally believe that there has to be a balance between national and private ownership.

On time and delays are pretty much where they were when BR was privatised.

Yeah, when I was in Engand the 1990's I saw a parody of the "Southwest Trains" slogan/logo

"SouthWest Trains: Just get a f*****g taxi!"


 
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: benparry on January 21, 2020, 03:42:47 AM
Apparently cost very much is not.  Further, smaller, "unprofitable" stations no longer have trains stop there.
I'm not sure what you mean by "Apparently cost very much is not"?


The UK rail network actually returns a profit to the Exchequer to the tune of about £0.4 billion.  In the last year of British Rail it was funded by the treasury to the tune of £1.6 billion pounds - that's on top of ticket revenue. In today's money that's equivalent to £3 billion pounds.

with regard to delays being equal to when it was privatised maybe its a 2 fold thing here. maybe the delays are worse due to some operators such as northern. is the total the same for the country but worse in some areas ?

also of course due to the invention of social media the delays are thrust upon us much quicker these days. a train is delayed and we know about it in 10 seconds due to twitter lol

Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: benparry on January 21, 2020, 03:44:42 AM
Apparently cost very much is not.  Further, smaller, "unprofitable" stations no longer have trains stop there.
I'm not sure what you mean by "Apparently cost very much is not"?


The UK rail network actually returns a profit to the Exchequer to the tune of about £0.4 billion.  In the last year of British Rail it was funded by the treasury to the tune of £1.6 billion pounds - that's on top of ticket revenue. In today's money that's equivalent to £3 billion pounds.

Also when you say it returns a profit, with the prices of tickets i should think so. Me and the wife and kids went to London back in Feb last year and i nearly fell off my chair when i got a ticket for £100 for the 4 of us. Not because it was so high but because it was so low. i had anticipated double that.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Zakalwe on January 21, 2020, 09:00:13 AM

Also when you say it returns a profit, with the prices of tickets i should think so. Me and the wife and kids went to London back in Feb last year and i nearly fell off my chair when i got a ticket for £100 for the 4 of us. Not because it was so high but because it was so low. i had anticipated double that.

You got off lightly....I have paid nearly £300* for a Monday train from Lancashire to London before now. That was cattle-class nothing posh. The perils of needing to be in London for before 9AM

*Well, my employers expenses did.....
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: benparry on January 21, 2020, 09:36:44 AM

Also when you say it returns a profit, with the prices of tickets i should think so. Me and the wife and kids went to London back in Feb last year and i nearly fell off my chair when i got a ticket for £100 for the 4 of us. Not because it was so high but because it was so low. i had anticipated double that.

You got off lightly....I have paid nearly £300* for a Monday train from Lancashire to London before now. That was cattle-class nothing posh. The perils of needing to be in London for before 9AM

*Well, my employers expenses did.....

nice to hear from another lancastrian i was born in bacup and now reside in blackburn.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 21, 2020, 10:59:30 AM
That's what I meant by cost--my goodness but tickets are expensive.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Zakalwe on January 21, 2020, 11:09:12 AM

nice to hear from another lancastrian i was born in bacup and now reside in blackburn.
An honorary Lancastrian....I've been living in Lancaster since 1993. Just about long enough to be partially accepted by the locals.... ;D

That's what I meant by cost--my goodness but tickets are expensive.
They're not always that expensive, but they can sometimes be extortionate. That was a particularly extreme example and I remember sitting there thinking that I could have had a good weekend in Barcelona for less. Including flights!

I'm no great fan of the UK train system...it's slow, clunky, full of arcane rules and it's not fit for purpose in many cases. However, I don't subscribe to the view that BR was better (I remember just how crap and plain dirty BR was). The network is also carrying far more people now.
Nor do I subscribe to the idea that the only idea is nationalisation. Witness that 58% of delays (by minute) are due to Network Rail issues, and they are government owned and operated.

Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: benparry on January 21, 2020, 11:38:38 AM

nice to hear from another lancastrian i was born in bacup and now reside in blackburn.
An honorary Lancastrian....I've been living in Lancaster since 1993. Just about long enough to be partially accepted by the locals.... ;D

accepted by the locals. Never ;)

That's what I meant by cost--my goodness but tickets are expensive.
They're not always that expensive, but they can sometimes be extortionate. That was a particularly extreme example and I remember sitting there thinking that I could have had a good weekend in Barcelona for less. Including flights!

I'm no great fan of the UK train system...it's slow, clunky, full of arcane rules and it's not fit for purpose in many cases. However, I don't subscribe to the view that BR was better (I remember just how crap and plain dirty BR was). The network is also carrying far more people now.
Nor do I subscribe to the idea that the only idea is nationalisation. Witness that 58% of delays (by minute) are due to Network Rail issues, and they are government owned and operated.

Accepted by the locals. Never ;)
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: jfb on January 21, 2020, 12:58:48 PM
Lurching back on topic...

If HBs and Flat Earthers were the kind of people who could be convinced on the basis of facts, they wouldn't be HBs and Flat Earthers in the first place.  Guys like cambo and Jr are too invested in "knowing The TruthTM" to be anything other than reflexively contrarian when it comes to Apollo (or space flight in general).  No doubt this past weekend's successful in flight abort test of the Crew Dragon spacecraft is all part of the con in their eyes. 

HBs and Flat Earthers are, quite frankly, dumb as stumps.  Just not a whole lot of horsepower upstairs.  And they know it, and it eats at them, and the only way they can cope is to convince themselves that they're victims of a vast conspiracy to keep regular guys like them down.  It's like the gun nuts marching in Richmond on MLK day, variously lampooned on Twitter as "Hillbilly Hamas" or "Yokel Harum" (giving a new meaning to "whiter shade of pale").  They're losers, and the only way they can make themselves feel better is Rambo cosplay. 
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Bryanpoprobson on January 22, 2020, 07:00:08 AM
How in the name of Noshabkeming did a moon mission thread become about BR timetables? WTAF?

It's all connected ... somehow.
Any minute now it will be the Speaker for Boskone!   :P

Wow a lensman quote, I thought E.E. Doc Smith was one of my old guilty pleasures.
Oops another tangent off the main thread.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 22, 2020, 10:58:56 AM
No doubt conspiracists would consider my defense of socializing any number of industries to be proof that I'll blindly defend the government.  They need to compare my responses here to my responses in a certain other thread--you can distrust the government plenty and still believe that they're better at certain things than private industry.  One of the reasons Apollo was possible was that there was no need for it to turn a profit.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Zakalwe on January 22, 2020, 01:08:14 PM
No doubt conspiracists would consider my defense of socializing any number of industries to be proof that I'll blindly defend the government.  They need to compare my responses here to my responses in a certain other thread--you can distrust the government plenty and still believe that they're better at certain things than private industry.  One of the reasons Apollo was possible was that there was no need for it to turn a profit.

I would think that it's a fairly safe bet to guarantee that Grumman, North American, Boeing and others didn't do it for free.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: Peter B on January 22, 2020, 06:13:19 PM
No doubt conspiracists would consider my defense of socializing any number of industries to be proof that I'll blindly defend the government.  They need to compare my responses here to my responses in a certain other thread--you can distrust the government plenty and still believe that they're better at certain things than private industry.  One of the reasons Apollo was possible was that there was no need for it to turn a profit.

I would think that it's a fairly safe bet to guarantee that Grumman, North American, Boeing and others didn't do it for free.

Not for free, but I've read somewhere that the companies got a lot of unpaid overtime out of their workers, and IIRC the contractual arrangements between the government and the companies meant that the government got a lot of unbilled work out of the companies.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: gillianren on January 23, 2020, 11:07:02 AM
And there's a large difference between "money was spent to make it happen" and "the mission made a profit," after all.  Individual contractors may have made profits, but that wasn't an expectation of the mission itself.  That was government spending to make it happen.  They weren't expected to find something on the Moon that would make up for the money spent.
Title: Re: When Astronauts Return to the Moon...
Post by: JayUtah on January 23, 2020, 12:36:31 PM
Most major Apollo contracts were a cost-plus deal, with a fixed profit margin negotiated at (IIRC) 7%.  Since labor is a cost, then overtime labor would have ordinarily just been passed to the government at a cost.  However, the specific contracts may have had cost-limiting provisions such as limits on overtime, so I can see how it would be the case that a company would not bill overtime labor in order to stay under contractual limits, while at the same time requiring overtime work in order to avoid missed-deadline penalties.