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Tim Peake returns!

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backontrack

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Not many people have thought about this after the events of the last few days. but Tim Peake is coming back down to Earth after an amazing time in space. He's done so much to stimulate British interest in space, and it's great to see him return.

I hope he finds Earth welcoming again! Although it will take a while for his bones and muscles to return to normal. He can eat real food again, use a toilet properly...
 
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backontrack

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Indeed - most sources state that his was bang on time. But some people just like complaining...

It'll be hard for him to re-acclimatize to gravity - when he knocks things over or drops things, for example.
 
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Howardh

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Is there not a real-time space shuttle app?
Anyhow, good to see him back in time to vote!

I'm way too old now to even consider this; but wonder how many young things on this messageboard will get to travel in space, probably as a tourist? I really thought space tourism would be very common by now when I was in my 20's - a real disappointment.

But then again, I've grown up with the railways around Manchester which just seem to go backwards :(
 

Johnuk123

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That's a bit harsh. I didn't think Johnuk123 was complaining when I read post #2. I took it as a light-hearted observation

Of course it was, I was just going on the point that Sky news said he would land at 14 mins past and it was 15.
 

me123

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Is there not a real-time space shuttle app?

There's no need for a real time Space Shuttle app - not much for it to show nowadays. ;) I'm not convinced that the Russians would have a real time Soyuz app.

There are plenty of apps that show you the location of the ISS though.

Anyway, welcome home Tim. Pleased to see that his mission has had a very positive impact, and I very much hope that the politicians realise this and increase UK funding for manned space flight.
 

Howardh

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Of course it was, I was just going on the point that Sky news said he would land at 14 mins past and it was 15.

Space-Time contiunum. According to Carl Sagan, Steven Hawking, James Burke, Patrick Moore, Micheal Fish, Mrs Duffy and The Hood from Thunderbirds, time alters for anyone going into space or something.

Probably what happens to Northern Trains, along every line there's some outer space speeding up time but not the train, which explains why it's always late, which means we don't need to spend £billions to explore space, just a day return between Moses Gate and Salford Crescent.

And you get to see what the end Of The Universe looks like :(
 

backontrack

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Space-Time contiunum. According to Carl Sagan, Steven Hawking, James Burke, Patrick Moore, Micheal Fish, Mrs Duffy and The Hood from Thunderbirds, time alters for anyone going into space or something.

Probably what happens to Northern Trains, along every line there's some outer space speeding up time but not the train, which explains why it's always late, which means we don't need to spend £billions to explore space, just a day return between Moses Gate and Salford Crescent.

And you get to see what the end Of The Universe looks like :(

How so? Please elaborate.
 

me123

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I don't think anyone has died in space that wasn't involved in a catastrophic fatal accident of some sort, where the entire crew and spacecraft were lost.

Tim Peake underwent and extensive selection process, and a major part of the selection criteria is that only the fittest people are selected to go into space. Even then, there's a whole lot of physical training that follows as astronauts prepare for a trip to space. In addition, they will have undergone huge numbers of medical investigation as part of the large number of studies that ESA are conducting into the effects of spaceflight in the human body. In short, the people we send into space are amongst the fittest on the planet. The chances of death by natural causes are negligible.

Astronauts are trained in first aid and can do a lot more than quite a few people reading this. Like on a plane, they could be ably assisted by medical support teams on the ground. Should the astronaut need to go to a hospital, they would be repatriated as soon as is practicable. Since they are doing experiments involving their own physiology on a daily basis, ill health can be detected very promptly.

In the extremely unlikely event that someone was to actually die of natural causes in space, I have no doubt that they'd return the body to earth - in no small part, they'd want to do a post mortem examination (anyone this fit dying on earth would certainly warrant a PM, but again the researchers will want to know why someone has died in space as part of the ongoing research into human adaptations to space flight). I'm also pretty sure the family would much prefer to have a funeral and bury/cremate the body as normal than they would to just pop Dad in an airlock and wave goodbye (although if I was in that situation, the prospect of floating around in space for eternity seems somehow quite appealing).

The ISS has plenty of storage space to tether a cadaver. I suspect they'd use the astronauts own living quarters. In terms of the return flight, it would be an awkward few hours in the Soyuz for the other pilots - Soyuz craft are not renowned for their space. Alternatively, they could potentially use the resupply missions (the ones that don't just burn up on re-entry, of course).

Thankfully, Major Peake is back on earth and none of the above has yet had to be implemented for him or for any other astronaut
 

TheEdge

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I don't think anyone has died in space that wasn't involved in a catastrophic fatal accident of some sort, where the entire crew and spacecraft were lost.

No one has ever died in space. All deaths in the various space programs happened in the atmosphere. Apollo 1, on the lauchpad. Challenger and Colombia both happened decidedly within the atmosphere.
 

HMS Ark Royal

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No one has ever died in space. All deaths in the various space programs happened in the atmosphere. Apollo 1, on the lauchpad. Challenger and Colombia both happened decidedly within the atmosphere.

The crew of Soyuz 11 died from exposure to space - my father knew that very well as, at the time, he worked in shipping and was dealing with a Soviet crew when news came through
 

Howardh

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I would imagine that as some sailors want to be buried at sea, some astronauts will wish to be "buried" in space. However, should someone die naturally (or otherwise) the authorities would probably demand them be returned for examination.

But when space travel is in the 100's of thousands, including public day trips etc (like the airways now) there may be space hotels, with doctors who could register a sudden death as *natural* and have a funeral/burial in space.

However, should we have our dead floating round in space until they are gobbled up by the expanding sun? Could they exit the solar system and end up...well, anywhere?
 

JohnR

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The Scotsman put the story of Tim Peake's return to Earth in the Transport section of their website.
 

me123

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However, should we have our dead floating round in space until they are gobbled up by the expanding sun? Could they exit the solar system and end up...well, anywhere?

You'd need to give them a lot of thrust to get them to leave the orbit of the earth never mind that of the sun. In reality they'll just orbit Earth.
 

Howardh

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You'd need to give them a lot of thrust to get them to leave the orbit of the earth never mind that of the sun. In reality they'll just orbit Earth.

More space junk :(

Wish we could go and tidy it all up a bit - and the moon too. Nice little job creation scheme for any government that wants.

With all the fuss about climate change/Earth warming etc, with all the space debris circling the Earth, must be blocking some of the sunlight this cooling the Earth down! But more seriously, most of it is tracked (I assume) but aren't there untracked things like pieces of broken satellites and even a rogue spanner up there, presenting a danger to space travel?
 
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