To all SSC Station occupants
Thank you for the donations over the past year (2024), it is much appreciated. I am still trying to figure out how to migrate the forums to another community software (probably phpbb) but in the meantime I have updated the forum software to the latest version. SSC has been around a while so their is some very long time members here still using the site, thanks for making SSC home and sorry I haven't been as vocal as I should be in the forums I will try to improve my posting frequency.
Thank you again to all of the members that do take the time to donate a little, it helps keep this station functioning on the outer reaches of space.
-D1-
What was the most advanced space craft of the recent time that surprised you the most? As you can see technology nowadays is a fast developing thing and a lot of stuff have been invented for the recent time that can make a scientific breakthrough. What was the most special for you?
Honestly? I'm not impressed with anything in any current inventory.
When I was young and watched the moonlandings, I thought by now we would have progressed much further. While it is true that technology is now advancing at a rapid pace, spacecraft design, especially manned, hasn't really evolved all that much. Yes, we have more sophisticated computers, filtration systems, environmental systems, etc, but the "crafts" themselves leave much to be desired.
Perhaps though it is on account of my own poor assessment of where we should be. In a sense, when I witnessed the moon landings occur less than ten years after the first manned craft reached space, I likened it to what occurred when Orville and his brother first flew. Within a few decades we went from a few seconds of flight to the beginning of the jet age, I expected the same in space.
But Gemini and Vostok, (the first crafts in space), were not analogous to the first airplane, because that wasn't when man first took to the skies. Those craft could have been considered the space version of hot air balloons, meaning we still have some way to go before we see something that can carry humans to other planets. Probes aside, and un-manned vehicles...wake me up when we get a crew to Mars. More importantly, tell me what they used to get there, that will impress me.
I have been very impressed with SpaceX's work around these rockets that can either be remotely controlled or they have the AI to land at a special point. Makes me wonder if we can do that, why the heck don't we have some sort of base on the moon instead of a station in orbit?
Also, would say the Dawn Probe. It uses an advanced ion thruster, allowing it to be the first (man-made) spacecraft to orbit multiple non-terrestrial bodies (Vesta and Ceres). This feat would not be possible (practical) using conventional chemical thrusters, which have too low of a specific impulse.
Last of all, I wanna say a few words about a spacecraft made by small but promising space company from Scotland and the name of this spacecraft is SkyHy. The term ``hybrid`` has been given to this rocket because it combines solid Hydroxyl Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) fuel and 90% Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) liquid oxidiser. https://www.skyrora.com/skyhy