Russia Tells U.S. to Use A Trampoline to Send Its Astronauts to the ISS

[DeaDRabbiT]

$60 million per person? Methinks SpaceX can do better.

They could probably make it cheaper, but theyll probably also kill the passengers.

Seriously, safley getting people into orbit is no joke.

The cheap is going to come in the form of their reusable first stage.

The biggest safety factor in getting humans into space is keeping the rocket from blowing up. SpaceX has as far as I know, not had a foul up getting out of orbit on any of their official resupply missions.

I think the word is something like 70-80% of the cost of a rocket launch is in having to throw away the whole thing afterwards.

So not only (once they have the tech fully up and running) will it be cheaper to get to space, but we will be able to do it faster.

 

[Megahedron]

Well, I've been looking for a place to dump my stupid musing, this seems like as good a place as any.

So we know the US government has people they pay to sit around and harass people/push agendas online (I can't find a link that isn't some crazy conspiracy blog, but I'm sure this made the actual news a couple of months ago). What are the odds Russia doesn't do the same thing? Almost none. So, there is a non-zero chance two agents of opposing national governments have faced off in an intense flame war over "important" geopolitical issues. I'm talking spy vs. spy shit, but on the internet. Do you think they know it, and are all, "At last, I've met a worthy challenger! Let the dance begin!" Truly we've reached the future.

 

[DeaDRabbiT]

"I propose that the United States delivers its astronauts to the ISS with the help of a trampoline."

Spoiler: gif

So nice to see a government not bend over for American interests for once. Go Russia, best of luck in the Ukraine and fuck western backed regimes in general.

You want us to live under Putin? Nah, thank you very much. If it happens, you can expect mass murders of anti-Yanukovich protesters. Or something like that.

I wouldn't sweat Major_chaos. He seems to forget that places like Sweden, Japan, (or any other seemingly utopic land) survives aggressive nations because of the military backing of the United States.

China is an aggressive nation. Russia is an aggressive nation. North Korea is straight up crazy. The Middle East wants a global caliphate and execution of the infidels.

The United States for all it's faults is doing what it does to keep the peace without resorting to all out genocide/totalitarianism.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the U.S. dialing back our military and getting back to the business of building our own nation, but as long as the world is a dangerous place, we will continue to be the worlds police force.

 

[Gorrath]

$60 million per person? Methinks SpaceX can do better.

They could probably make it cheaper, but theyll probably also kill the passengers.

Seriously, safley getting people into orbit is no joke.

The cheap is going to come in the form of their reusable first stage.

The biggest safety factor in getting humans into space is keeping the rocket from blowing up. SpaceX has as far as I know, not had a foul up getting out of orbit on any of their official resupply missions.

I think the word is something like 70-80% of the cost of a rocket launch is in having to throw away the whole thing afterwards.

So not only (once they have the tech fully up and running) will it be cheaper to get to space, but we will be able to do it faster.

This is why I'm fine with the U.S. taking a hiatus to get an alternative vehicle built, tested and ready. Deeply cutting the cost of orbital travel will allow for much more of NASA's budget to go into other missions further out. Stepping back from space to reorganize and refit was a solid plan, and hopefully we can see meaningful progress towards getting our alternative to the Space Shuttle ready.

 

[Nurb]

"But... but keep the money and extra science and habitat modules coming.. we sort of depend on that."

 

[Zontar]

Well, I've been looking for a place to dump my stupid musing, this seems like as good a place as any.

So we know the US government has people they pay to sit around and harass people/push agendas online (I can't find a link that isn't some crazy conspiracy blog, but I'm sure this made the actual news a couple of months ago). What are the odds Russia doesn't do the same thing? Almost none. So, there is a non-zero chance two agents of opposing national governments have faced off in an intense flame war over "important" geopolitical issues. I'm talking spy vs. spy shit, but on the internet. Do you think they know it, and are all, "At last, I've met a worthy challenger! Let the dance begin!" Truly we've reached the future.

Alright, you caught me. I'm not actually a former navy reservist living in Montreal, and my being a fan of Marvel and video games is all a ruse.

I'm actually a member of Department H who has been tasked with the duty of pro-western and pro-democratic propaganda on my off time from working with the odd and the supernatural (my latest operation was, in fact, in Ukraine, where a 0-8-4 was planning on massacring civilian on both sides to provoke an all out invasion of the country. Girl could move objects with her mind, too bad for her a 50 cal. from 1500 meters didn't allow her time to use that).

In any event, my cover is blown, so I shall leave for another forum for 6 months and then return under a new alias. Maybe I'll be a farmer from Manitoba, or a fisherman in the Maritimes.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Alright, you caught me. I'm not actually a former navy reservist living in Montreal, and my being a fan of Marvel and video games is all a ruse.

I'm actually a member of Department H who has been tasked with the duty of pro-western and pro-democratic propaganda on my off time from working with the odd and the supernatural (my latest operation was, in fact, in Ukraine, where a 0-8-4 was planning on massacring civilian on both sides to provoke an all out invasion of the country. Girl could move objects with her mind, too bad for her a 50 cal. from 1500 meters didn't allow her time to use that).

In any event, my cover is blown, so I shall leave for another forum for 6 months and then return under a new alias. Maybe I'll be a farmer from Manitoba, or a fisherman in the Maritimes.

I recommend "A computer guy from Des Moines Iowa."
Most boring, believable profession for one of the most boring cities on the continent.

It should work better for geek/nerd centric sites like this one; nobody will bat an eye.

 

[Saulkar]

That anti-gay law the Russians passed includes Furriers in it on the list of banned for immorality. Basically a furry supporting Russian is like a visible minority supporting the CSA.

I am going to read up on this. I know a couple of Russian furries, I wonder if they even know about this. 0_0

 

[Zontar]

Alright, you caught me. I'm not actually a former navy reservist living in Montreal, and my being a fan of Marvel and video games is all a ruse.

I'm actually a member of Department H who has been tasked with the duty of pro-western and pro-democratic propaganda on my off time from working with the odd and the supernatural (my latest operation was, in fact, in Ukraine, where a 0-8-4 was planning on massacring civilian on both sides to provoke an all out invasion of the country. Girl could move objects with her mind, too bad for her a 50 cal. from 1500 meters didn't allow her time to use that).

In any event, my cover is blown, so I shall leave for another forum for 6 months and then return under a new alias. Maybe I'll be a farmer from Manitoba, or a fisherman in the Maritimes.

I recommend "A computer guy from Des Moines Iowa."
Most boring, believable profession for one of the most boring cities on the continent.

It should work better for geek/nerd centric sites like this one; nobody will bat an eye.

These ops usually have me in a Canadian city (in case of someone tracking me). In hindsight I understand why I was given Montreal given its electronics and video game industry. Too bad, I liked that place, food was pretty good and there was always something fun to do.

Upon some thought, I'll likely be given Vancouver or a city close to it for my next alias.

I am going to read up on this. I know a couple of Russian furries, I wonder if they even know about this. 0_0

Keep in mind they probably aren't actually enforcing it (how WOULD they do such a thing?), it's probably like the anti-gay part itself which seems to be more of a feel-good law then one which is actually meant to be enforced. Still a dick move though.

 

[major_chaos]

So you support an open fascist, yet you insult the man who's running in an open election in a few weeks a fascist as an insult? Ever herd the term "does not compute"?

She is a convicted criminal with an awful track record who advocates genocide and came to power by a revolution that would never have been internationally recognized if it didn't serve western interests, yes I'm going to call her a fascist. and what a surprise if she just so happens to win those "free and open" elections.

proper UN channels

Because that makes it OK. It was a long, meaningless war with far to many losses, but the UN said its 'k.

You can say you'd respect that hypothetical CIA dictator, but he sure as hell wouldn't be any better then what the US has now.

I didn't say it would be. It would be different, and I would find the guy less punchable, but it really wouldn't be better. Although I doubt it would be worse. Kinda says something about US politics doesn't it?

And I can't believe you're supporting Russia. You wouldn't happen to be a member of the German American Bund would you? Or at least some other far-right leaning party. I mean say what you will about the GOP, even their more extreme members don't tend to be THAT far right.

Far right? Try just right of center. Not that I vote. 3rd parties are hopeless and the major two make me vomit. I envy the parts of Europe that see to have a very large number of legitimately viable parties to chose from.

Glossing over the out and out murder of 100's of protesters

You say murder, I say putting down an uprising, tomato, tomatto.

and the attempted annexation of sovereign territory

To protect ethnic Russians. Not to mention that Crimea voted to be part of Russia.

Better we have a guy in the pockets of rich people who we can't get rid of than one we can eh?

Do we live in the same country? Because in the one I'm from we can't "get rid" of shit. our last three presidents have been worthless, and I assure you when this one's time is up we will get another one that is just as bad, and we will keep getting the people I described until something somehow breaks the two party system.

And to top it all of, you end with that gem of comparing the guy you're debating with to a negative stereotype. Do they hand out bonus points for that or something?

Considering you make it clear you don't think much of me I find it amusing you condemn me for being uncivil. Besides, he did kinda call me a nazi.

 

[Do4600]

To protect ethnic Russians. Not to mention that Crimea voted to be part of Russia.

If by "annexing" you mean "Crimea wanted to join Russia instead of the clusterfuck that is the current Ukraine and people of Crimea voted for that fair and square on a referendum", then yeah, that was annexing.

Just because they have a democracy doesn't mean Crimea can legally pass a referendum in which they secede. The referendum was illegal. There is no reason for the state government of Ukraine to recognize an illegal referendum. If the state government doesn't recognize the vote then Crimea legally still belongs to Ukraine. Ordering troops to secure a region which still legally belongs to another country is annexation, even it it happens to be region with a population that agrees with it.

 

[Saulkar]

Keep in mind they probably aren't actually enforcing it (how WOULD they do such a thing?), it's probably like the anti-gay part itself which seems to be more of a feel-good law then one which is actually meant to be enforced. Still a dick move though.

Gotcha, though it makes me wonder what would happen if they tried to enforce. What constitutes a furry in their eyes? Is it the fursuiters, someone who simply calls themselves a furry, a person who merely mentions them in passing in public, or a furvert who only draws anthropomorphic creatures but does not associate with the subculture? I would love to hear their definition.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

It is rather sad to know that NASA made a public statement at the beginning of this mess stating that US-Russian cooperation would not be affected by all the political dick-waving. As the crisis continued, the Obama administration clearly reminded NASA who buttered their bread and if they don't jump on the hate train too there might be consequences. Fuck science...Cold War style posturing is far more important.

There is one hell of a lot of American Exceptionalism in this thread. I love how the Western media has portrayed the US/EU as moral paragons throughout the crisis, yet they obviously had much to gain from the Ukraine leaving the Russian sphere of influence in favour of the West. The naval bases in Crimea are of great strategic importance, as is the potential impact on European energy interests. Can you imagine the uproar if the some radical Islamist coup in Saudi Arabia sought to take back the US Fifth Fleet's naval bases in the Persian Gulf? This is the position Russia found themselves, Putin would have been a negligent Commander-in-Chief to let these bases slip through his fingers.

As shown in the link below, there is plenty of evidence suggesting that that US had a hand in influencing which groups took power at the conclusion of the February revolution, just as they did during Ukraine's Orange Revolution of 2005. Obviously the Western media has omitted everything presented here as such complexities go against the anti-Russian narrative being so carefully crafted. We cannot have properly informed citizens making up their own minds on such issues can we? Instead lets tap into all that latent Cold War fear and hatred.
Note: the author of this video presents many facts that have been selectively ignored by the Western media, but his final conclusions are rather foolish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWkfpGCAAuw

The BBC has even claimed that Neo-nazis may be taking up positions of power in the new Kiev government. Are these really the sort of people the West wants to support? I guess as long as you're anti-Russian you are a potential ally...reminds me of the 1945 negotiations between Himmler and Dulles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SBo0akeDMY

I am not saying that Putin is a saint, he is a ruthless ex-KGB man who is willing to go to extreme lengths in the interest of the Russian state. He is clearly not willing to back down to the US either, and for this most of all, he will be vilified by the Western media. The so-called invasion of Crimea was bloodless and the claims of a biased referendum do not match what the people of Crimea have reported to the world. Hell, the Western media still thinks the ballots were biased because there was no option to "stay as part of Ukraine", despite the fact that Crimea has always been a legal autonomous entity within Ukraine and this is exactly what the 1992 constitution ballot option offered.

The head of the European Union's intelligence agency, Commodore Alafuzoff, has publicly stated that he finds no large Russian military presence in East Ukraine. ?In my opinion, it?s mostly people who live in the region who are not satisfied with the current state of affairs,? said Alafuzoff, referring to the situation in East Ukraine. He went on to say that the people are worried for the welfare of those who speak Russian as their first language in the region. This statement completely contradicts the narrative presented by the Western media and the political elite, I guess it makes sense that Russia Today was the only major news agency to report this interview...
http://rt.com/news/eu-no-russian-interference-ukraine-844/

My main point was to show that the Western media has completely failed in its job to provide a balanced view of the Ukraine crisis, little better than a mouthpiece for the governments and economic interests of the West. Russia is indeed influencing smaller regional powers to bend to its interests, but the measures taken by the West, led by the US, are completely hypocritical given their recent acts of unabashed imperialism...Iraq (2003), Afghanistan (2001), Nicaragua (1985), Cambodia (1970), Chile (1970), Vietnam (1961), Cuba (1961)...

EDIT: I found one article written by a mainstream Western journalist which actually criticizes the hypocritical position of the West. Courageous fellow, probably risked his career for lofty ideals like independent journalism.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/the-ukraine-crisis-through-the-whimsy-of-international-law-1.2559980

 

[RealRT]

To protect ethnic Russians. Not to mention that Crimea voted to be part of Russia.

If by "annexing" you mean "Crimea wanted to join Russia instead of the clusterfuck that is the current Ukraine and people of Crimea voted for that fair and square on a referendum", then yeah, that was annexing.

Just because they have a democracy doesn't mean Crimea can legally pass a referendum in which they secede. The referendum was illegal. There is no reason for the state government of Ukraine to recognize an illegal referendum. If the state government doesn't recognize the vote then Crimea legally still belongs to Ukraine. Ordering troops to secure a region which still legally belongs to another country is annexation, even it it happens to be region with a population that agrees with it.

On a mere technicality. As for state government, of course they won't recognize it, what country wants to have LESS territories?
That's democracy for you: it's only good when it's on your side, otherwise bureaucracy wins.
Oh, and apparently ethnic Russians can all die at the hands of Banderovtsy for all the world cares. It's 2008's South Ossetia all over again.

 

[JayRPG]

Right. Their evil invasion to protect ethnic Russians from the violent protesters who in all likelihood would not have been terrible polite to those they would consider the blood of the enemy. And you know the whole thing where Crimea voted to be part of Russia and the people who claim that was a scam have a strangely hard time coming up with evidence other than "EVUL RUSSIANS!!"
EDIT: I also can't find anything indicating more than 10 Kiev-loyal Ukrainians dead, compared to 15 dissenters killed by the Kiev government.

I won't comment further after this because I literally have no interest in this very uninformed debate but the last time a country invaded another with the justification of it being to protect their ethnic citizens that reside there.. well... it was Hitler. He invaded under the guise of protecting German citizens but it couldn't have been farther from the truth.

You can't believe everything they tell you, likewise, the people on the other side of the argument can't believe everything they are being told.

World politics is full of lies and deceit.

 

[RealRT]

snip

Holy fuck, an intelligently written post. Sir, you have my gratitude for being smart.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

i dont know if its a coincidence or not, with russian being ex soviet and all that, but this is the same ridiculous patronizing and self agrandizing speech i hear from my stupid communist government every single damn day