We'll be able to leave behind the cacophony...

[DaShi]

In a pinch, kittens make excellent lintbrushes. -FACT!

[Proteus_MST]

After all In read during the 60s there were all kind of future visions about how we would live in the beginning of the 21st century....
about regular space stations in Orbit to which even normal people regularly would travel, permanent bases on the moon, nuclear powered cars and a lot of other things.
I wonder how disappointed the people who made this vision would be, if one could do a time travel and bring them from the 60s directly to the world today

On the other hand I assume that noone of these people has foreseen something like the internet, where you could communicate without borders with people of all over the world, without there beeing too much censorship (with the exception of a few countries of course) and sell or buy goods worldwide with just a few mouseclicks (and where you could get all the porn you would want with just a few searches on google )

As for the initial question: How would Apollo 11 play out today...
without doubt with a lot of discussions on internet forums and geek blogs, as well as most probably with extentive coverage over the internet by NASA TV

[KrazyHorse]

Hey, I didn't pull that stuff out of my ass it was what I saw.

Elemental abundance of iron on Earth (by mass) ~32%
Mass of Earth 6*10^24 kg
Mass of the largest known asteroid in the belt (1 Ceres) 9*10^20 kg
Mass of all known asteroids together: 3*10^21 kg

zakudl:

[BlackCat]

Elemental abundance of iron on Earth (by mass) ~32%
Mass of Earth 6*10^24 kg
Mass of the largest known asteroid in the belt (1 Ceres) 9*10^20 kg
Mass of all known asteroids together: 3*10^21 kg

zakudl:

I don't doubt your numbers (ie, can't persuade myself to check them), but what if it's minable iron ? That it way less than the total amount.

[KrazyHorse]

"Minable iron" using what definition?

Current tech? Because iron in the Belt isn't exploitable economically for use on Earth with current tech either. Not even close.

There is no current shortage of iron on earth that can be solved with iron from space.

If you want to talk about using space-mined iron to build **** in space then that's a different story. But it's not a story that has anything to do with the Earth not having enough iron. It's a story about the fact that the Earth's iron is deep in a gravitational well. The lift costs far exceed the mining costs. By many, many orders of magnitude.

And none of this detracts from the fact that what zakudl was patently ridiculous (he's a thinking man's version of Wiggy, after all).

[BlackCat]

Well, I guess that if you really really want, then you could start mining the earth core, but it would be stupid - way too much reasonably accesible iron deposits.

For the moment, it's much cheaper to send earth iron into space than trying to exploit asteroid resources. TBH, I think that we won't have the thech nessecary to make any kind of mining in the asteroid belt reasonable for at least a couple of centuries - that is if we ever get such capability.

[self biased]

Free beer!

finally, some sense out of you.

[zakubandit]

Blackcat, a couple centuries? That is kind of mocking ourselves isn't it? I mean human beings are an ingenious bunch of rotten bastards. We have devised countless ways to destroy ourselves, concocted numerous poisons and biological weapons, nuclear bombs, even radio waves have been harnessed to harm. To say it would take centuries to effectively mine asteroids is a bit, demeaning I guess. I would hope people have more faith in ourselves as a species that our ingenuity wouldn't be so short sighted.

KH, as little as I pay attention to your posts I do pay attention when they have merit. I don't even attempt to understand advanced mathematics, physics, astrophysics, etc. So you know more on this matter than I do. I just stated what I saw. And yea, I know take what you get from TV with a grain of salt, but sometimes what you see is probable, actual, or sounds pretty factual. I honestly believe we are not meant to be secluded to this one rock, and that anything we can do to advance space technology is a benefit.

The other hand, governments don't care and want people to stay here so they can be controlled and taxed. Power continues. Imagine if it was like Star Wars where you could go to your local Chevy dealer and buy a new hyperdrive capable personal cruiser and just leave Earth behind. "****, he left...whos gonna pay the lease?" or "damn he wont be paying taxes" or "he isn't shopping here so the economy is useless" etc. There are so many reasons why keeping people from leaving the planet is beneficial. The same reasons as why marijuana legalization is being fought, the same reason the government wants healthcare. Money, money, money, and money.

[BlackCat]

Zak, I'm being realistic - current tech doesn't give us the ability to exploit anything outside earth. Only some kind of "not yet invented" thingy can do that.

[KrazyHorse]

as little as I pay attention to your posts I do pay attention when they have merit

advanced mathematics, physics, astrophysics

zakudl

[zakubandit]

Yea, obviously, but you said centuries as a best projection at when we would have that technology. Look at how fast we have advanced now. When I was born in the 80's cell phones, computers, ipods, wireless, internet, wireless chargers, etc. all were future tech....they are normal things now. Imagine 10 years from now. 2019...imagine how far we will be by then in technologies. We are getting closer and closer to the Back to the Future era (2025) with their flying cars and such...maybe technologically wise we will be close to that as well. Or maybe I am just optimistic to believe mankind will continue to advance.

[KrazyHorse]

I suppose that my post involved "advanced" concepts the same way that it's not elementary that states cannot make immigration laws and that the value of fiat money in its own units involves no special faith in the issuer.

[KrazyHorse]

zakudl, you're not going to get me to bite. You're no more real than wiggy is.

[BlackCat]

zakudl, you're not going to get me to bite. You're no more real than wiggy is.

Njah, he is a bit funny when he talks about computers, ipods etc.

[zakubandit]

I'm not real. I am a manifestation from the Matrix sent forth to cause chaos, devastation, and confusion...Come on man, you aren't still thinking I am a dl...I can make one if you would like.