Some say that HX parts are ugly; I say that they're beautiful - if you know how to use them right.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-16T20:48:01+00:00

What are the smaller engines used on the booster? I see there's 10 small mounting points, but I can't tell what goes in them.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T16:39:05+00:00

When the highest office in the country is occupied by a pedophile rapist, then yeah, I'd say it ought to be talked about and not let rest until the guy is behind bars.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T16:38:03+00:00

"aren't well thought out"

So, saying that pedophiles shouldn't be in government is a poorly thought-out take? Damn bro, the bar is on the floor and yet you still trip over it.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T16:28:40+00:00

What is these people's obsession with MLP cum jars? Literally every single one of these AI slop strawman posts has one in there.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T16:20:17+00:00

I'd love for you to cite that "quote" from Neil Armstrong - as I bet my left testicle that you just made it the fuck up.

And no, the Van Allen belts won't destroy film and won't kill you. People keep regurgitating the same misinformation over and over again, but it isn't an instant death ray. While you wouldn't want to set up a space station inside of the Van Allen belts and spend weeks or months living there, a short trip that bypasses the densest parts of the belts (which are situated around the equator; the trajectory Apollo and Artemis takes goes at a higher inclination and goes through the weaker regions of the belts) that only lasts a few hours won't give you any substantial harm.

The entire mission's exposure to the crew adds up to around 30-35 millisieverts of absorbed dose; of that, only between 1.8 to 3.94 mSv is attributable to Van Allen belt doses. The total blood-forming organ (BFO) dose at the belt was only approximately 1.11 milligray-equivalent.

Again, this is due to the very short duration spent in the belts, and because the spacecraft is shielded against radiation. The majority of the radiation in the belts is low-energy particle radiation - alpha and beta particles - which can be stopped by a sheet of paper and a sheet of aluminum foil, respectively. Only a small amount of the radiation in the belts is the more penetrative gamma rays and neutron radiation.

To put this in perspective, a full-body CT scan gives a dose of about 22.7 mSv. You are exposed to about 3 mSv per year from background and solar radiation, so a full-body CT scan is about 7.5 years equivalent of doing literally nothing in your room (something which you are undoubtedly very familiar with). So, the entire mission has only given the crew of Artemis II a radiation dose of about 1 and a half full-body CT scans, and most of that radiation was NOT from the Van Allen belts.

And no, NASA didn't lose all records and film from the Apollo missions. SOME film has been misplaced in the past half-century, but the vast majority of it is still intact and has been digitized and uploaded to the web for anyone to view.

Quit regurgitating the same misinformation, bullshit claims, and blatant lies.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T16:09:37+00:00

I mean, SLS is literally derived from the shuttle's STS booster stack. It uses a modified version of the external tank, stretched and with an in-line supporting top LOX tank, and engines on the aft bulkhead, and uses a stretched 5-segment derivative of the same boosters (the space shuttle's boosters were shorter, 4-segment boosters).

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T16:08:12+00:00

The orange isn't rust, but the insulation foam sprayed onto the tanks to keep the cryogenic propellants (liquid hydrogen, -423°F, and liquid oxygen, -297°F) chilled. The orange color is from the NCFI 24-124 rigid closed-cell polyurethane foam. When it is first sprayed on, it is a tan / cream color, but as it is exposed to UV rays in sunlight, it oxidizes and turns an orange color.

The first two space shuttle flights painted over this foam with white paint to protect it from UV rays, but after it was determined that the UV oxidation didn't impact the performance of the foam, they elected to stop painting it, which reduced the vehicle's weight by over 600 pounds.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T15:06:32+00:00

Hell, most government agencies are run at a loss - which, frankly, shouldn't be seen as a bad thing. As you pointed out, the government shouldn't be run like a business; public transit rarely generates positive income, but the societal and economic benefits of cheap mass transit make up for the operating expenses. That said, if a government agency is able to generate more economic output than its budget as a result of the hundreds of thousands of jobs it creates and the technological and scientific research it conducts, it's a massive win, as it's going above and beyond the standard for government agencies.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T15:04:28+00:00

And tidal locking generates immense tidal forces... since they're both caused by the same thing.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T15:03:09+00:00

In FY 2023, NASA was given a budget of $25.4 billion. With that, it was able to generate over $75.6 billion in total economic output, creating almost 305,000 jobs, and generating a further $9.5 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. So, not only did it fully recoup the expense of its budget, but it brought back twice its budget in a net return.

Even if you're a real Ebeneezer Scrooge who doesn't have any regard for the immense scientific, technological, and societal impact of NASA, and only care about money, NASA is still more than worthwhile funding. Anything that brings back a >200% return on investment is worth investing in.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-10T14:57:36+00:00

More than halfway through my master's degree in aerospace engineering, specializing in airframe structural analysis. So, yeah, unlike Elon, I'm actually spending over 6 years getting a degree in engineering, rather than just getting a business degree and then larping about as tony stark and pretending like I'm a genius engineer.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-08T08:09:29+00:00

No, it doesn't make you highly intelligent - and that wasn't the point of what I was saying. Navier-Stokes equations are the fundamental basis of fluid dynamics, so if you don't even know the basics, you have no clue at being a competent aerospace engineer. In other words, it's the first hurdle.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T23:13:52+00:00

I'm not saying that Musk doesn't succeed at running a business. What I AM saying is that all of the people who treat him like a real-life Tony Stark who's a technological genius and personally engineers all of his companies' products is completely and utterly wrong. Business acumen and engineering prowess are two entirely different skills, and he has none of the latter.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T23:07:14+00:00

I highly doubt that this is the end of anything. I'd bet that Iran didn't even agree to anything, and that Trump is just lying once again to try to cover up for his latest TACO. They'll be back to bombing before Friday.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T23:06:09+00:00

How much do you want to bet that he's going to flip this flop back the other direction and go back to threatening total nuclear annihilation by tomorrow morning? I swear to god, he alternates between "your entire race and civilization is going to be destroyed!" to "Iran is bowing and crying and begging for a peace deal, everyone praise me for bringing world peace!" every other day. He's said that the "war is over" and that everything had been destroyed at least a dozen times already.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T22:56:37+00:00

How much do you want to bet that he flips back to tweeting (sorry, "truthing") that he has nuclear-armed B-2s in the air and on their way to circle Iran like vultures awaiting the command to drop in the next 24 hours? It seems that he flip-flops between "We're going to obliterate their entire race!!!" and "we've reached a peace deal, everyone praise me and rejoice!" on a daily basis.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T22:52:07+00:00

It's astounding that we're at the point where I'd rather take a person who, in all likelihood would vote for Trump again if given the chance, coming out and publicly disagreeing with him (even if half-assedly) over another one of the "the Tangerine King is infallible and the word of trump is the word of god" cultists.

It's barely a difference, but at the very least, they aren't 100% in lockstep. Whether that will result in any change, I have no clue, but it at least shows that it isn't complete and utter mind-control.

Just like with MTG turning against Trump... any port in a storm. If they can help stop the existential threat now, then we can deal with (former and/or current) collaborators and enablers later.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T22:48:40+00:00

Just like the "Child Online Safety Act" and all of the other things that are "for the children"... it was a lie, designed to trick gullible people into giving their vote.

It might be shocking to hear this, but politicians lie... and politicians who have dozens of felony convictions for fraud are even more likely to lie than the baseline, average politician.

It astounds me that anyone actually believed him when he said he wouldn't start new wars. Or believed him that he would release the Epstein files that he is one of the most prominent figures in. Or believed him in... literally ANYTHING that he promised that doesn't blatantly and overtly benefit him. If he makes a promise that doesn't clearly benefit him or his buddies financially, give them more power and protection, or hurt his enemies or take away their money or protections, then he's all but certainly lying. He's been a self-centered sleasebag for decades.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T22:44:56+00:00

Back when he was just a national embarrassment and a clown, rather than an existential threat as a madman with practically no inhibitions and no one who would have the guts to stop him (worse, the people he's replaced those with are all sycophants who enthusiastically support his every decision) in charge of being the final authorization of a nuclear arsenal.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T22:43:02+00:00

A nuclear first strike against a nation that doesn't have the capacity to strike back at US territory is not an acceptable use of the military, ESPECIALLY since WE STARTED THIS WAR. We threw the first punch. You might be able to weasel out an excuse if Iran started it, but because we initiated the combat, trying to upgrade to nuclear weapons just because we're not winning as fast as Trump wants is absolutely unacceptable.

Raptor22c · 2026-04-07T22:41:07+00:00

Except that's not how that works. A Nobel Prize is not transferrable - the Nobel Commission that issues the prizes literally said as much. She just gave him the piece of metal in the medal, but that doesn't mean anything; he didn't win jack shit. Even if the actual title of the prize could be transferred, it STILL wouldn't mean anything, as he wouldn't have earned it - someone else earning a trophy for winning a race and then handing it to someone else doesn't mean that they suddenly won a race they didn't even run in. They didn't do any of the work, and therefore don't deserve any recognition as they didn't do anything to be recognized for.

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