Astronaut Snaps Epic Star Trek Selfie In Space 143
mpicpp writes with this story about astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's tribute to a Star Trek icon. "Captain Kathryn Janeway led the USS Voyager through many harrowing lost-in-space adventures. She was the first female Starfleet captain to take the lead role in a 'Trek' series. Janeway is fictional, but she is an inspiration to many women interested in space. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian woman in space, took a moment to celebrate Captain Janeway at around 250 miles above Earth. Cristoforetti is currently aboard the International Space Station. She tweeted a selfie on April 17 while dressed in a Star Trek: Voyager-style red and black uniform with a purple turtleneck. The image shows her pointing a thumb at SpaceX's Dragon supply capsule."
Great pic (Score:5, Interesting)
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Now all we need to do is build a real ship, not just some sardine can coasting in circles or a one and done chemical rocket/capsule.
What would it take to build something that you can point in a direction and go, come back, repeat?
Re:Great pic (Score:4, Insightful)
Nothing usual about a real ship, if that means it's capable of interstellar travel. Even nuclear fusion, which we don't have, wouldn't be good enough to travel to the stars.
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Nonsense. Distance is immaterial (literally); the important thing is *time*. We can travel to the stars with current tech. We just can't live long enough to survive the journey. Even chemical rockets are 'good enough to travel to the stars.'
Which is why the real way to get to the stars isn't through a ridiculous 600-meter space colony carrying live humans. It's through robotics and frozen embryos (or just robotics).
We can start colonizing the galaxy *right now* - we just lack the will to do so.
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Building something capable of surviving a 10,000-year journey is no mean feat, I'll grant you that. But there's no reason to think we can't do it. People are already working on a clock designed to last for 10,000 years: http://longnow.org/clock/ [longnow.org] . The technologies used to do that aren't even that advanced. Plus, most of the issues with that clock have to do with Earth-specific problems (temperature fluctuations, humidity, theft, and so on). Deep space is actually a much better environment for preserving thi
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Why hello there, AC.
> "Tech", they speak like Scientologists.
What? http://www.merriam-webster.com... [merriam-webster.com]
> He thinks a thermonuclear weapon is a compact power source
If it's not a source of power, then what is it a source of? Rainbows?
> much like a dam, a battery, or a tank full of gas.
I never compared thermonuclear weapons with dams or batteries. You're a shallow-thinking fool if you that's all you interpreted from what I said.
> What, exactly, about life on the Earth is so unbearable is never quite
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A new tremendous source of energy.
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...in a really small package.
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Fission is already pretty up there in terms of energy density. Fusion is better (and we already have practical fusion power: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T... [wikipedia.org] ) and antimatter is literally the physical limit, as no source of energy can ever be more dense than antimatter due to general relativity. We can produce and store antimatter; unfortunately production of antimatter is extremely inefficient due to physical law.
What I'm saying is that we already know what the physical limitations are. We don't need a 'n
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What would it take to build something that you can point in a direction and go, come back, repeat?
A small, portable power source that would be several orders of magnitude more powerful than what we have today, for one.
Get working on that Mr. Fusion [wikia.com] and I think we'll have something more to your liking.
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> A small, portable power source that would be several orders of magnitude more powerful than what we have today, for one.
You mean more compact and more powerful than this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T... [wikipedia.org] , which we have today?
Maybe you should re-evaluate your criteria.
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To another planet? A straight shot would require velocity matching of the objects in question as well as matching the required velocities to enter and maintain orbit. Possible already especially if you're super wasteful like using nuclear bombs like Orion. Fusion or Antimatter ships would be better.
To another star? To get to a close one, you'd need all of the above that plus enough energy to get to a substantial fraction of the speed of light and then back down again. That's not just a big engine, it's
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Alcubierre drives are promising... except for the fact they act like a scoop for everything in front of them while they travel and then promptly release it at full velocity when they stop.
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A simple transport to the moon and back would be a nice start. Loft your payload, transfer it, and off you go.
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There's a problem with that photo: we can see the Earth. This means that Samantha is dreaming and all of this isn't real.
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And she's smart enough to not be a red-shirt.
The Cloud... (Score:2, Informative)
I love her reference to Voyager episode The Cloud. Her coffee quote is a direct lift from Cpt. Janeway in that episode!
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I love her reference to Voyager episode The Cloud. Her coffee quote is a direct lift from Cpt. Janeway in that episode!
My favorite coffee quote is:
Janeway: Coffee, Black.
Computer: Make it yourself.
From The episode "Q2" [youtube.com]
Maybe she'll pose for that one with the coffee maker aboard since she will be able to make it herself?
OMG, not the RED uniform. (Score:5, Funny)
Does not bode well.
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How appropriate. You fight like a dairy farmer.
Re:OMG, not the RED uniform. (Score:4, Funny)
OMG, not the RED uniform.
This is Voyager not TOS, you dumbshit Pakled.
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Well, then again this a Voyager reference, so they are safe :)
Then again, Voyager did end up in the Delta Quadrant ... not dead, but so screwed.
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It's not red, you fool. It's burgundy [memory-alpha.org]!
Yes, yes, I do realize that some people will take this opportunity to imply that I am of a particular sexual orientation.
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Yes, yes, I do realize that some people will take this opportunity to imply that I am of a particular sexual orientation.
asexual?
Good for her! (Score:2)
Really cool picture!
Voyager kinda sucked at first, but actually got pretty good once they ran into the Borg. For some reason Star Trek writers have a history of hating women in command roles.
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Have to disagree there. Voyager kinda sucked at first, agreed, but it got far worse when they ran into the Borg. They ruined the Borg on that damned show.
The whole point of the Borg being so difficult to defeat was that they were completely distributed and decentralized. So what did Voyager do? Introduce the Borg Queen, of course! Idiotic is too kind a word...
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No, the Borg Queen was introduced in Star Trek: First Contact; that damage was already done.
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The hive mind always needs a leader. My space scifi reading history isn't up to snuff, but at least since Ender's Game 30 years ago, it's been common for hive minds to have a centralized authority figure, either as the host/transmitter of the mind, or something else. A hive mind without a leader ends up like the Force. Interconnected but with no purpose and no direction. We can't say the Borg were without direction. They've had direction since their first appearance.
The borg lacked a leader in early TNG and were a very effective enemy.
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Isn't it the case that all of Starfleet's enemies tend to look weaker and weaker as each series progresses? Not just the Borg.
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Correct, the more time you spend with a given character/group the more opportunities you have to show them in a more favorable/humanizing light with examination of their motivations & history without explicitly trying to keep them looking evil & unbeatable the whole time.
"ZOMG the Dominion is going to conquer us! Wait... it's founders faced discrimination because of their form and decided to bring order to their part of the galaxy... maybe they aren't so bad?"
"Species 8472 is the greatest threat we'
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"Help, this bear is trying to eat me, help, help, help!"
"Calm down, he just wants your lunch. Take off your backpack and back away from it slowly."
"Awww, I can see his ribs, he must really be hungry."
It is an old story. Strangers are often really scary unless you get to know them.
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The hive mind always needs a leader. My space scifi reading history isn't up to snuff
You haven't even read The Green Brain by Frank Herbert. Maybe the modern cheese always cops out and avoids the "hive mind" concept even when pretending to use it, but there are lots of examples of real hive minds in scifi. And that doesn't mean they are without direction.
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The Borg's adaptability always sucked. The entire notion that once you understand something you can counteract and adapt to it is bogus.
We've had big lumps of metal fired by explosives for over 500 years, and even now, after half a millennium of amazing technological advancement, if you're in the way of a big lump of metal fired by an explosive the only thing that is going to save you is a bigger lump of metal between you and it.
Getting better big lumps of metal to fire first and stopping the enemy from fi
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It took all the force the Federation could assemble to hold off one borg cube in TNG, and they barely managed. Voyager went through them like a hot knife through butter.
Star Trek Hating Women in Command Roles (Score:3)
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Bull, that's not Star Trek hating women in command roles, that's the network. Remember, that the original pilot had a woman (Majel Barret) cast as Pike's executive officer (Number One) and all women were wearing pants.
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At the time wearing short skirts was popular and allowing it a sign of being progressive and believing in "women's liberation." Making a woman wear pants offended a lot of feminists, it meant that to be equal they had to pretend to be men.
And others insisted on the right to wear pants, too.
The key thing was the choice, not some idea that skirts are sexist.
Beware of judging these things without social context. Attitudes may have changed. The 1960s were a long time ago. The gender issue then was more about wo
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I wonder when it'll become acceptable for male captains to wear skirts.
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With or without a Scottish accent?
Either way it would be acceptable right now, and probably popular. But also probably less popular than mainstream Trek memes.
Sci-Fi is hard to do well, there aren't many who try to do a serial space opera. If it was a more popular genre (among producers) then we'd be seeing male captains in skirts, for sure.
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I wonder when it'll become acceptable for male captains to wear skirts.
It already happened, last century, when Geoffrey Spicer-Simson, a skirt-wearing navy commander, captured the first German naval flag for the British in World War I.
https://medium.com/war-is-bori... [medium.com]
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mimi-T... [amazon.co.uk]
Captains and Enemies (Score:2)
Really cool picture!
Voyager kinda sucked at first, but actually got pretty good once they ran into the Borg. For some reason Star Trek writers have a history of hating women in command roles.
WTF?
Star Trek didn't have a problem with it; it was just rare overall in those days. Admiral Nachaeff and Commander Shelby come to mind--perfectly believable as command personnel. The captain on the other starship in Enterprise--the Columbia, was it--did a good job and might have worked well with better writing. The actress who played Dr. Polaski could probably have done it, although IIRC she didn't get a great critical reception and she might have some Scott Bacula type moralizing problems. Patrick Ste
Style Points (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh no, she used licensed product (Score:1)
That means she owes a Bajillion dollars to Paramount now.
The Space Program just blew its budget.
Re:Oh no, she used licensed product (Score:5, Insightful)
Or she's got the most valuable cosplay star trek uniform ever. One that's actually been to 'space'.
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Yep. Imagine what Paramount would pay for that.
IF, of course, the IP lawyers could be kept on a leash, and not try to seek damages for associating ST with NASA.
Of course, NASA could triple its budget by renting the uniform out at comic cons.
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Wouldn't surprise me if they tried to sue. Note she has an ISS pin instead of Star fleet emblem, so I guess it's different enough. Somehow though I'm reminded of the episode "Live Fast and Prosper" [furiousfanboys.com]
Publicity like this is hard to buy. Same as the tribute astronaut Terry Virts gave Leonard Nimoy over Boston. [nbcnews.com]
I'm sure the Star Trek franchise played a small part in a number of astronauts' interest in space.
What part of the ISS is she in? (Score:1)
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Re:What part of the ISS is she in? (Score:5, Informative)
It's the Cupola. Basically a dome full of windows.
There's no real command module or "ops" if you like DS9. Control is distributed.
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She's in micro-gravity. "Stand[ing]" might not have the meaning or affect you expect.
Pics like this can be great to get kids interested (Score:1)
People in positions like hers have a great opportunity to encourage children.
Hopefully there are more pictures like this that can be used to get more kids interested in Star Trek.
Voyager.... (Score:2)
Why... does it have to be Voyager...
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At least it didnt' have a shitty christian rock intro and a vulcan that cried every two minutes.
Epic? (Score:5, Insightful)
Is it really "epic"? Isn't really just "kinda fun"?
I guess I'm an old man for refusing to adopt the new meaning of "epic" to mean "mildly interesting", but I'm not trying to be pedantic. That was just the first thing that jumped into my head. I read the headline, was prepared for something huge, and then saw the picture and thought, "Eh.... that's really a stretch to call this 'epic'. It's kind of neat and fun, and I'm amused, but that's about the extent of it."
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Glad to see the epicness of it all. All that material you see floating gently in that picture was shot up on giant bombs that exploded in a controlled manner, and got tons of metal and composites to exactly where they need to be, while going 7.8 km/s at hundreds of kilometers altitude... And then they installed wifi and a coffee bar in it. That is definitely quite epic.
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Traditionally "epic" is a literary term meaning a long story or poem (keyword: long)
Perhaps if one considers all the time and effort required to get into space to be in a position to take such a picture, I can see "epic" being a proper description.
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Perhaps we can add "epic selfie" to George Carlin's list of oxymorons ("jumbo shrimp," "military intelligence," etc).
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Perhaps we can add "epic selfie" to George Carlin's list of oxymorons ("jumbo shrimp," "military intelligence," etc).
Well, I suppose there are rare times when the term "epic selfie" could have a legitimate meaning, maybe something like this one [cdninstagram.com]?
Re:Epic? (Score:5, Funny)
On a selfie scale where 1 is taken in your own bathroom mirror and 10 is with your favorite celebrity, taking a selfie in outer space with the Earth in the background while wearing a Star Trek uniform is pretty epic
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Not when it's a character from Voyager.
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It is "epic" in the context of "epic selfie." If you're expecting a selfie to be life-changing, that is user error. If it is the nerdiest selfie ever, that is "epic" within the context.
And, go and try to copy her. You'll find out what a journey it would be.
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I'd avoid visiting the UK then. They tend to say "brilliant!" for just about everything that's mundane, the same way that Americans say "awesome" to describe curly fries.
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That photo conveys so much. Look at it. That's all 100% real. That woman is actually in space! If you don't think that's epic, I mean if that's just "mildly interesting" to you, I think maybe you need to turn in your geek card (:
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Epic? (Score:5, Funny)
Buzz Aldren: "Epic? (yawn) Call me when she snaps one from the moon."
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Buzz Aldren: "Epic? (yawn) Call me when she snaps one from the moon."
Now now, everyone knows that Buzz at the age of 85 can't get his rocket up there anymore without the aid of a selfie stick.
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Unless you have tentacles of a giant octopus, you can't really shoot an epic selfie without a selfie stick. That or you lug around a large mirror or a very patient friend (at which point it won't be a selfie).
Yeah, but (Score:2)
...But what I really want is a Star Trek spin on the "space potato" video.
Tell me you don't.
Will you marrie me? (Score:2)
I'm surprised, astonished even, that the internet is not full with: "will you marry me!?" or "do you want my kids?" posts.
She is a pretty taugh woman, intelligent, good lucking and successful in what she is trying to acomplish ...
Well, I have a crush on italians in general, so my voice does not count :)
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Well.... perhaps some men can just admire what she's achieved rather than think about having sex with her.
I'm not going to degrade this reply with what I just thought about.
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Well.... perhaps some men can just admire what she's achieved rather than think about having sex with her.
Well, I certainly did. I just chose to keep it for myself. Until now.
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Yeah. But that 'big hair'. Sheesh!
Posing for a selfie imitating Janeway... (Score:2)
is like a female CEO posing for a selfie as Carlie Fiorina.
Sense of humor (Score:2)
If someone has one, they'll wear a Star Trek red shirt.
Re:Is this a joke? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Absolutely. NASA and Star Trek have a long history together. Ask the current crop of NASA engineers about what inspired them, and I'm going to bet a good many of them will talk about Star Trek. It's no coincidence that the first space shuttle was named Enterprise. Likewise, Star Trek has a history of taking the best current theories of NASA engineers and physicists, and at least throwing around enough plausible-sounding techno-babble (e.g. the Heisenberg compensator in the transporters) to make the geek
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Please do fuck off. NASA can have as much of my tax dollars as they want.
Better them than putting it towards the next military misadventure.
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Most of the reason we have the space tech we have today is because of cold war era military research budgets.
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Yeah.. There's a reason the USA and Russia (then the USSR) still lead in that area, though other nations are starting to catch up. I got downmodded for speaking the truth.. go figure.
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I never said it 'did' anything for them or not..
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NASA can have as much of my tax dollars as they want.
Better them than putting it towards the next military misadventure.
No, you'll have to succeed at a long of congressional campaigning before that world exists. The one we have, NASA will get way less of our tax dollars than they ask for.
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"Meanwhile, our taxpayer funded astronauts are doing cosplay in space, and inventing "space espresso" machines. Maybe it's time to completely defund NASA after all."
Because NASA has a history of hating good PR, right?
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I wonder how the crema reacts in free fall. Can they foam milk?
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These are very important questions NASA will need answers for when we want to get tired TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, public relations executives, management consultants etc to colonise another planet.
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Aren't we supposed to put them all in spaceship B, and send them ahead? As long as there's a bath for the captain on the bridge, it should be fine.
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You're right, and let me add that also the astronaut came from ESA. She's Italian, and definitely not on the NASA payroll. But this is Slashdot, so reading the TFA and not talking out of your ass seldom happens.
[OT: I'm posting AC because I used mod points, but lately I'm observing that, as average post quality decreases, average AC posts quality is slightly increasing. Too bad that average AC post quality was very low to start with :-/]