LostCosmonaut

I also like the idea, but agree with Toxn that we should let it sit for a few months. I know at least Bele, X, Mahan (and probably a few other people) would be interested.

Upping the SSD to 500 gigs would add $30 in cost, which isn't too bad. Considering I have a 2TB external drive atm, I should be fine dropping the internal HD to 1TB.

Draft parts list based on Logical Increments, mostly from "great" tier; i7-8700 $340(for some reason their i5s are slightly more expensive) RX 580 $217 NH-U12S $58 ASRock Z730 $150 16 GB RAM $112 (unsure whether to do 1x16 or 2x8, feel like less sticks would let me upgrade easier in future) 2TB hard drive $60 250 GB SSD$60 620 Watt Power Supply $60 Case$100 Add in up to $300 for keyboard, mouse, monitor, and total is $1457, which is more than I had originally planned, but I got a good chunk of overtime last pay period (and probably some more this one) so I can handle it. Think that's about my upper limit though.

Although I didn't have access to my cell phone when it happened, it was a bit funny hearing all the government cell phones in the office go off at the same time.

I am extremely excited to potentially have a planet discovered in my lifetime. Is there consensus on whether Planet 9 would be the 5th planet from the Nice Model, or an as yet unknown object (for instance, that formed out of Oort Cloud objects)?

Reviving this thread since I am also building a new computer, my laptop is finally shitting the bed (and I had been thinking about getting a new one anyway). Looking at about $800-1000 for a price range (Windows based desktop, obviously). Mostly for video games, though I might muck around a bit in solidworks and other programs.

Not the first time I've linked this, and probably not the last;

Rumors that Boldernads 3 is coming out in 2019.

Ski Magazine article on Magic Mountain (one of my favorite ski areas); https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/casting-a-spell

Feel good story of the day; firefighters do CPR on a cat, it lives. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Firefighters-battle-Rotterdam-fire-cat-saved-13253268.php Also, photos by "Skip Dickstein".

A topic that came up on discord the other day The USAF is starting work on upgrading the external pylons on the B-52 to carry 20,000 lb weapons (currently 5,000 lb is limit); https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=f8e2bdc27362d841b9d6cc76699e3f7d&tab=core&_cview=0 There isn't much in the Air Force's inventory that fits into the 5k-20k weight category. The GBU-28 is 5,000 lb, the AGM-86 and AGM-158 are both significantly smaller. On the other end of the scale, the GBU-57 MOP is over 30,000 lb, and wouldn't fit even on the upgrade pylons (additionally, it's unlikely the B-52 would be fitted to carry new freefall bombs, such a capability would be virtually useless against anyone with air defenses). The new weapon this capability is being designed for is likely some sort of cruise missile. While existing American weapons are under 5,000 lb, there are larger ones; the Kh-22 is over 12,000 lb, while the P-270 is almost 10,000 lb. So, it is possible that the USAF is developing a new high performance, long range missile, likely with significantly higher performance than the subsonic AGM-86 and AGM-158. One more interesting line of thought is that the US is developing a counterpart to the new Russian Kh-47. The Kh-47, also known as Kinzhal, is an air launched ballistic missile, comparable in size to the 9K270 Iskander tactical ballistic missile. (User @LoooSeR on this site has posted about the missile before in this thread and the aerospace pictures thread). Addition of such a missile to the US arsenal would represent a new and unique capability; the US (to my knowledge) has not dabbled in ALBMs since the abortive AGM-87 Skybolt (Which had the side effect of thoroughly fucking up British nuclear procurement and led to them getting Polaris and boats with licensed S5Ws. But I digress.) Presumably, an ALBM with its high speed (and likely a maneuvering warhead) would be far more capable against systems such as the S-300/400/500. Increasing the B-52's standoff range would also improve the survivability of it as a launch platform. (Wiki claims a range of up to 600 km / 370 miles for the S-500, although S-500 appears to be designed as an ABM, it is likely very capable against nonmaneuvering targets like a B-52). The Russian missile is claimed to have a range of up to 3,000 km (1,800 miles) when launched from a supersonic platform such as the MiG-31 or Tu-22M. The B-52 is a slower platform, so a US missile would have to be larger or use some other tricks to get a similar range to the Kh-47. Alternatively, assuming a missile in the 10,000 lb weight class, an upgraded pylon could carry two of them. This would be highly beneficial, considering the low numbers of strategic bombers in the US fleet.

Possible medicane next week https://twitter.com/weather_king/status/1043944671184125952

The Raptor getting 380 seconds specific impulse is a pretty big deal. However, I'd say it's an even bigger deal that it's running at 300 bar (30 MPa real units) chamber pressure. Looking at the P-V diagram for an idea rocket engine, there's pressurization (1-->2), constant pressure combustion (2-->3), and isentropic expansion to ambient pressure (3-->4), which takes place in the nozzle. The two ways to crank up the area inside the curve (work of the cycle) are to drop your ambient pressure or increase your operating pressure (in reality, the nozzle expansion won't be completely isentropic, but its a close enough approximation). Ambient pressure is a function of, well, the ambient environment. The lower the pressure, the greater the work (and efficiency), this is why engines are more efficient in a vacuum (an underexpanded nozzle drives up your ambient pressure). Conversely, the chamber pressure can be controlled by the design. The Raptor engine is designed to run at 30 MPa. The RD-180 (Russian witchcraft engine) runs at about 25. The F-1 engine on the Saturn V was at 7, and therefore was much less efficient.

Raptor details: Methane / Liquid Oxygen 380 (!) seconds Specific Impulse 300 atmosphere chamber pressure For comparison to the RD-192, a proposed Russian methalox engine from the 90s; 356 isp 257 atm chamber pressure

A thread to discuss all BFR related topics, as it continues in development. Quick summary as of September 2018; Raptor engine in testing Manufacture of rocket has begun Initial suborbital tests planned for 2019 Japanese dude / art project planned for free return trajectory around moon in ~2023

The Ohio class, which is notoriously quiet, has many fewer holes; However, I doubt this is the main determinant of noise (I'll have to dig out my books, but I think propulsion plant noise is more important).

Whichever one is easier for you is fine. I'd like it if you left your old designs up somewhere, though (been interesting to see the evolution of the concepts).

TWC overdramatizes shit, news at 11. There is a shitload of flooding going on, the main threat from this system is the rain (as anyone who read the actual NHC advisories would know).

The form of BFR continues to evolve, it has now grown fins. Also, it appears all the engines have same nozzle type; Also, watch this on Monday; https://www.spacex.com/webcast

Also, per NHC, stations onshore are starting to report sustained hurricane force winds.

If your preferred energy source isn't nuclear just get the fuck out.

Hurricane Erin, exactly 17 years ago; If you look closely, you can see smoke from New York.

Wonder if anyone set up a camera here? http://www.fptower.com/

From Coal to Oil Electric Drive for US Navy Ships

Neat little tool to calculate artificial gravity in a spinning station; https://www.artificial-gravity.com/sw/SpinCalc/