What are you working on now?

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by CthulhuFnord

Started up College again.

Joined the Roleplaying and Ainime Clubs at Umass.

Currently I'm taking the bits I like in MRQ and the Zero edition BRP for some Pulp gaming.

UMass? Amherst or Worcester?

You must be somewhere between Rurik and I.

[CthulhuFnord]

Umass Amherst

[seneschal]

Originally Posted by Zane

While that whole lunar rocketing through space bit doesn't make sense, Space 1999 would make for a fantastic near-future setting if limited to our solar system.

Zane

I always wondered why, if the nuclear waste that caused the propulsive explosion was stored on the dark side of the moon, the satelite wasn't pushed into the Pacific instead of knocked out into the cosmos? But then we'd have Thundarr the Barbarian instead of Space 1999.

[CthulhuFnord]

Originally Posted by seneschal

I always wondered why, if the nuclear waste that caused the propulsive explosion was stored on the dark side of the moon, the satelite wasn't pushed into the Pacific instead of knocked out into the cosmos? But then we'd have Thundarr the Barbarian instead of Space 1999.

Hawkmoon?

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by seneschal

I always wondered why, if the nuclear waste that caused the propulsive explosion was stored on the dark side of the moon, the satelite wasn't pushed into the Pacific instead of knocked out into the cosmos? But then we'd have Thundarr the Barbarian instead of Space 1999.

Because the moon is not in a fixed geostationary orbit. It still has it's "forward" velocity. The reason why the moon orbits the Earth is that is moves "forward" at the same rate that it "falls" towards the Earth, about 750m/sec or 2700kph. So unless the push was very, very great the forward movment would push the moon far enough out of line to miss the Earth and zip off into space. The effect it would have on the Earth while doing so would be cataclysmic.

THe major problem with that scientifically is that the moon is so massive (7.34x10^19 metric tons) that you would need an incredible amount of energy to move the thing a meaningful distance. 25 years of nuclear waste would be like Sort of like tieing a bottle rocket onto an aircraft carrier. You might leave a scorch mark, but you can't move the thing a measurable distance. You'd probably need to set off a small continent to get enough energy to get the moon moving.

[seneschal]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Because the moon is not in a fixed geostationary orbit. It still has it's "forward" velocity. The reason why the moon orbits the Earth is that is moves "forward" at the same rate that it "falls" towards the Earth, about 750m/sec or 2700kph. So unless the push was very, very great the forward movment would push the moon far enough out of line to miss the Earth and zip off into space. The effect it would have on the Earth while doing so would be cataclysmic.

THe major problem with that scientifically is that the moon is so massive (7.34x10^19 metric tons) that you would need an incredible amount of energy to move the thing a meaningful distance. 25 years of nuclear waste would be like Sort of like tieing a bottle rocket onto an aircraft carrier. You might leave a scorch mark, but you can't move the thing a measurable distance. You'd probably need to set off a small continent to get enough energy to get the moon moving.

So ... even if the Moonbase Alpha folks had managed to escape, they wouldn't have had an Earth, or at least not the one they knew, to return to?

[Trifletraxor]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

I'll see what can fly. But then with you in Norway, you have a lot more freedom in this regard than I do in the US with some of it new draconic laws. It actually a felony to buy and sell used DVDs now. Not that most people are aware of some of the "oopses" of the DMCA and PIRATE Act.

Well in Norway the guy who cracked the DVD-code, so DVDs could be copied and burned, was prosecuted but not found guilty. As long as I don't personally earn money from any copyrighted material, I'm pretty much in the clear.

SGL.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by seneschal

So ... even if the Moonbase Alpha folks had managed to escape, they wouldn't have had an Earth, or at least not the one they knew, to return to?

That is actually mentioned by the newscaster in the last few minutes of the pilot episode, too. Specifically:

The totally unforeseen accident on the lunar surface has caused very serious repercussions here on Earth. The gravity disruption, the earthquakes in the United States along the San Andres fault, and in Yugoslavia, as well as Southern France, has caused enormous damage to life and property.


There are even a few times in the series where they even wonder if Earth was destroyed, although a latter episode confirms that it did.

[soltakss]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

THe major problem with that scientifically is that the moon is so massive (7.34x10^19 metric tons) that you would need an incredible amount of energy to move the thing a meaningful distance. 25 years of nuclear waste would be like Sort of like tieing a bottle rocket onto an aircraft carrier. You might leave a scorch mark, but you can't move the thing a measurable distance. You'd probably need to set off a small continent to get enough energy to get the moon moving.

Well, yes and no. The major problem with moving the Moon is that it moves to another Solar System or, in fact, to other Solar Systems in the lifetime of the inhabitants. This means that they would be moving incredibly quickly, they had to have jumped to another part of space or the writers weren't that interested in the Physics of the movement.

Hmm, I wonder which one is true?

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by soltakss

Well, yes and no. The major problem with moving the Moon is that it moves to another Solar System or, in fact, to other Solar Systems in the lifetime of the inhabitants. This means that they would be moving incredibly quickly, they had to have jumped to another part of space or the writers weren't that interested in the Physics of the movement.

Hmm, I wonder which one is true?

Actually that isn't a problem. THat has to do with relativelity and time dilation. As a object's speed increases time will pass slower for that object relative to a "stationary" object. So, for instance, a trip to a star system 10 light years away at .75c would take something like 4 years 4 and a half months for the occupants, even though ten years would elapse on Earth. So if Alpha was travelling at a near light speed it would be able to go vast distances in months, while centures would pass for the rest of the universe.

THey even mention this a few times in the series too, and in the episode where they contact Earth, something like 20 years have passed, even though it has only been a couple of years on Alpha.

Plus the moon does go through a few stellar phenomena that shift it's position.



But, such speed causes some other problems for Alpha. One being that it would bee almost impossible for them to land an Eagle on a planet, and make it absolutely impossible for an Eagle that did land to make it back.

But then, this is Sci-Fi.


Still, they could have avoided all this if they has stuck with the original premise for the series.