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SoftTalkertoday at 3:29 PM10 repliesview on HN

Imagine something like this happening halfway to Mars and zero chance of escaping, getting any help or parts sent to you.


Replies

Quitschquattoday at 3:34 PM

Recently started an embedded hardware/software job. Shipping firmware to the manufacturer feels like that for the device classes that have no internet.

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extraduder_iretoday at 3:46 PM

The Zvezda module has been in orbit since July 2000.

I don't think any crewed interplanetary mission is going to last that long for the foreseeable future.

hgoeltoday at 4:28 PM

Ideally your Mars transit vehicle hasn't been taking 90 minute heating and cooling cycles nonstop for 26 years.

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sizzzzlerztoday at 3:49 PM

Sort of like what happened on the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. Engineers on the ground were able to devise a makeshift fix to adapt the control module airscrubber filters to fit the lunar module so the astronauts could shelter in the LM for several days before getting back into the CM and coming home.

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willy_ktoday at 3:32 PM

There is less debris around on the way to mars and this is a known and worsening for the ISS due to its age.

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monster_grouptoday at 4:28 PM

A little off-topic - the movie Stowaway (on Netflix) is a good movie about journey to Mars.

sigmoid10today at 3:33 PM

Seems like these structural integrity problems are always inside the Russian section. So if you're on a Russian mission to Mars, yes it would be reasonable to be worried. Otherwise this seems like a non-issue.

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nuclearsugartoday at 4:19 PM

A bit of a tangent, but the fictional book "Children of Time" takes this to wild extremes. Really fun read

rayinertoday at 3:42 PM

Then you die and go into the history books.

866-RON-0-FEZtoday at 3:49 PM

They're not flying to Mars in a 30 year old Russian rust bucket so