Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Shuttle Columbia STS-107 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: James F. Hopkins who wrote (403)	2/6/2003 10:41:21 AM
From: Clarksterh	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 627

James - Man your off base, I don't care if he weighs 400 lbs, ( on earth) out in space he is weightless. This is the problem. You do not grasp basic physics. Weightless, yes. Inertialess, no. Pounds are both a unit of weight and a unit of mass. And ad hominem attacks are only invalid when they are not to the point. Experience and knowledge is very to the point. Perhaps your knowledge of big software programs should be something you look at - does the software you participated in building, which is probably trivially simple in comparison (no offense is intended, but complexity is the point here and the shuttle is hugely complex), still have bugs today. Bet it does. And that is the point. It is virtually impossible to make a truly complex system error proof. Clark

To: James F. Hopkins who wrote (403)	2/6/2003 10:56:21 AM
From: Bill Jackson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 627

James, Such anger. It is true he has no weight, but he still has inertia and esp an angular moment of inertia. So this man on a rope will have to make sure he does not get wrapped and drawn close as then any spin will wrap him ever faster into the shuttle. I expect he/she will go with care, with rope handlers and with the shuttle doing a very slow ballet beneath his position to bring the damaged place into view. No need to walk on it or touch it, just look at it. I am not sure if their suit would have it's own thrusters or if he would have to use other means if he wanted to get very close to the place(no handholds at all) Bill