Questions tagged [long-duration]
Questions about long-duration spaceflight.
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How much algae would you need to fully support a person?
Recently, I saw a video on Cody'sLab, where an “algae panel” was constructed. This is set up like a solar panel and uses algae to convert light and air into food and oxygen.
This got me wondering how ...
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Why have we not seen spin gravity testing in space? Artificial gravity created through centrifugal/centripetal force [duplicate]
Why have I not seen any spin gravity testing in space? Or, more accurately, artificial gravity created through centrifugal/centripetal force. I haven't heard of any tests in standalone spacecraft or ...
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How long can the dawn probe‘s ion thrusters burn?
The title pretty much summarizes the question.
Weirdly, googling „dawn spaceprobe burn time“ and similar things didn‘t turn up anything useful (at least for me), so I was wondering if maybe someone ...
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Cryogenic storage in Starship header tanks
Since Starship uses cold liquid oxygen and methane fuel in its header tanks, how will these cryogenic tanks been kept full and cold on long missions in space?
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Is retired astronaut Scott Kelly now the same height as his brother?
In WIRED's new video Astrophysicist Explains One Concept in 5 Levels of Difficulty | WIRED "Astrophysicist Janna Levin, PhD, is asked to explain the concept of gravity to 5 different people; a child, ...
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Effective range of a laser propelled solar sail
The ongoing Breakthrough Starshot program proposes the use of high powered lasers on Earth to be aimed at a solar sail with the intention of propelling it to the star Alpha Centauri.
To be more ...
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Shape Memory Metal Self Stablizing Solar Sail
Can the frame of a solar sail be made with shape-memory metals to contract in a way to maintain orientation to the Sun either in orbit or interplanetary? Would there be enough temperature difference ...
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Can I freshen my clothes on the ISS with a clothes line?
There are a number of questions about washing clothes on the ISS, the short answer is that they do NOT wash them.
Nudism in space: Why wear clothes anyway?
Washing clothes in space: are there any ...
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2
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Ion thrusters trip time
Suppose we had a fully equipped nuclear powered ion thruster starship.
If it had a constant rate of acceleration of 1g, taking into account the fact that at the half way point you would have to turn ...
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Nudism in space: Why wear clothes anyway?
Currently, doing laundry in microgravity is an unsolved engineering problem. The result is that clean clothes on the International Space Station have become a consumable resource. Clean clothes get ...
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What will J002E3 be like on its return?
J002E3 is believed to be the S-IVB third stage of the Apollo 12 rocket. It is expected to return to temporary Earth orbit in the 2040's.
If some enterprising soul decided to build a rocket capable ...
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How long could the shuttle remain docked to ISS and still capable of landing?
Soyuz remains docked to ISS for months at a time, then returns the crew to Earth.
The longest the shuttle has stayed in orbit on any single mission is 17.5 days on mission STS-80 in November 1996 ...
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1
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Muscle loss in space
Since loss of muscle is such a big problem in extended space travel I wondered (and practicalty is a different issue) if astronauts could maintain muscle mass by donning oxygen masks and playing a ...
2
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Which is the longest distance traveled by a space craft?
Which is the longest distance traveled by a space craft? Manned or unmanned? I believe it's Voyager, but I am not sure about the distance it traveled or is still traveling.
I believe the mission ...
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Why not leave interplanetary probes on standby after primary mission, activating them at will decades later?
Imagine a spacecraft which orbits or follows an object like Dawn, Rosetta and Cassini do today, not being decommissioned and deliberately crashed, but instead put in hibernation. With enough fuel and ...
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