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58 Example Questions

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up vote 15 down vote
What science are the Voyager missions still doing after so many years away from the Solar System?
added by PearsonArtPhoto Aug 14 '12 at 17:35
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Remember, votes above 10 do not help a proposal definition, so many consider every vote above 10 as a wasted vote. It is far more useful to use your vote to approve of a question with fewer than 10 votes. Also, if a question you have already voted on now has more than 10 votes, remember that you can remove your up vote and put it on another suitable question. These two tips will help get this proposal get through the definition phase more quickly. – Mark Booth Oct 2 '12 at 10:32
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There's no need to upvote this anymore; instead, rebalance your upvotes so that they go to questions with score < 10. – Renan Oct 16 '12 at 1:50
up vote 12 down vote
What problems led to the use of the Sky Crane system used by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity?
added by PearsonArtPhoto Aug 14 '12 at 17:33
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up vote 10 down vote
How can I optimally use 3-axis magnetorquers to orient my spacecraft around Earth? Assume that there are no reaction wheels available.
added by PearsonArtPhoto Aug 14 '12 at 17:33
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up vote 10 down vote
How can one optimally cycle batteries to give the longest life possible for a space mission?
added by PearsonArtPhoto Aug 14 '12 at 17:34
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up vote 10 down vote
What is the South Atlantic Anomaly, and what can I do to protect satellites from it?
added by PearsonArtPhoto Aug 14 '12 at 17:34
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This question would probably get more votes if it did not use the acronym – Chad Sep 17 '12 at 20:31
up vote 10 down vote
What technological hurdles, if any, stand in the way of launching a manned mission to Mars today?
added by Xantec Aug 14 '12 at 18:01
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Isn't this something of a list question? – geoffc Aug 23 '12 at 2:00
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Even if it is, I think this question is so important for the subject of this site that it should be excused. – ymar Aug 27 '12 at 15:47
up vote 10 down vote
Why is a "single stage to orbit" earth-based launch system difficult to achieve?
added by Xantec Aug 15 '12 at 18:47
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There's no need to upvote this anymore; instead, rebalance your upvotes so that they go to questions with score < 10. – Renan Oct 25 '12 at 15:46
up vote 10 down vote
Where can I get realtime positional data of operational satellites online?
added by Renan Aug 16 '12 at 2:59
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up vote 10 down vote
For a space elevator, are there any designs that use two cars with one going up when one comes down to save energy?
added by Guy Coder Aug 17 '12 at 0:05
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up vote 10 down vote
How has the debris from satellite crashes affected space operations?
added by Guy Coder Aug 17 '12 at 0:10
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This question as phrased would not be good but I think that questions in this spirit properly scoped would work. – Chad Sep 17 '12 at 20:29
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@Chad It is only a sample question. If the sight goes beta feel and to ask the question and rephrase as necessary. – Guy Coder Sep 17 '12 at 20:34
up vote 10 down vote
The Russians recently tested a new launch trajectory that goes to the space station in about six hours, what allowed for the difference?
added by Guy Coder Aug 22 '12 at 13:05
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up vote 10 down vote
Has any country stated its official position on how it would respond to a discovery of intelligent extra terrestrial life?
added by Highly Irregular Sep 21 '12 at 8:24
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this one is the most interesting me have seen so far in this proposal – Tshepang Oct 24 '12 at 6:04
up vote 10 down vote
How can one counteract the effect of radiation on electronic equipment?
added by jakob, edited by PearsonArtPhoto Oct 31 '12 at 0:06
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up vote 10 down vote
Where can I get high-res DEMs of the lunar surface?
added by jakob Sep 26 '12 at 7:27
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up vote 10 down vote
What is the rationale for a mission to the lunar south pole?
added by jakob, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Oct 27 '12 at 16:54
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up vote 10 down vote
How long will Curiosity's nuclear power last - and how can limited available power be managed as it decreases?
added by ronalchn Oct 1 '12 at 3:09
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This is really two questions, the first is practical and answerable but general reference, the second could be a real problem you face, but would probably be considered too broad a topic - a book could easily be written on the topic. – Mark Booth Oct 1 '12 at 9:35
up vote 10 down vote
What material provides the greatest protection from radiation for the lowest weight?
added by Mark Booth Oct 1 '12 at 9:41
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up vote 10 down vote
Are monomolecular carbon nanotubes the only practical option for realising the dream of a space elevator?
added by Mark Booth Oct 2 '12 at 10:35
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Seems too broad to me, as in Wikipedia article. – Tshepang Oct 24 '12 at 6:01
@Tshepang - I agree and have been surprised that this question has been voted so highly. Do you have any suggestions as to how the question could be modified to make it more specific and useful? – Mark Booth Oct 24 '12 at 10:19
No suggestions, other than being more specific, for example asking about things like budget: now vs. tomorrow or quantity of materials needed or challenges related to radiation or... am not really sure. – Tshepang Oct 24 '12 at 10:59
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@Tshepang - How about "Are monomolecular carbon nanotubes the only option for realising the dream of a space elevator?" – Mark Booth Oct 25 '12 at 21:31
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For reference this suggested question used to be "What are the major hurdles we need to be overcome in order to build a space elevator?", but on consideration I felt that was too broad. If you disagree with my edit, feel free to remove your vote for it. – Mark Booth Oct 25 '12 at 22:01
show 1 more improvement suggestion
up vote 10 down vote
Why didn't NASA include equipment specific to searching for life or traces of life (micro fossils, etc.) in the Curiosity rover?
added by System Down, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Oct 27 '12 at 16:55
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up vote 10 down vote
Have there been any claims regarding space territories?
added by Sednus Oct 3 '12 at 12:21
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up vote 10 down vote
Why didn't NASA land Curiosity using the same airbag method it used with Spirit and Opportunity?
added by System Down Oct 5 '12 at 21:15
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Isn't this a duplicate of area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/43283/…? – THelper Nov 14 '12 at 7:51
up vote 10 down vote
What possible targets will New Horizons have after it makes its close flyby of Pluto?
added by System Down, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:21
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up vote 10 down vote
Is there a probe planned to explore the Oort cloud?
added by System Down Oct 5 '12 at 21:18
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up vote 10 down vote
Is there a "life expectancy" on the Voyager probes sending data to Earth?
added by System Down Oct 5 '12 at 21:26
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Isn't this general reference? WIkipedia has this information. – ymar Dec 1 '12 at 11:49
up vote 10 down vote
What spaceship materials could naturally experience radioactive decay and transmute on a million year interstellar journey?
added by brentonstrine Oct 10 '12 at 22:29
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up vote 10 down vote
How to estimate the total weight of the spaceship designed for [N] crew members for [M] years space travel? Assume no landing/ resupply.
added by Donaudampfschifffreizeitfahrt, edited by PearsonArtPhoto Oct 23 '12 at 16:17
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This is a great question, but depends on a large number of factors. I'm going to edit it to assume no landing/resupply is possible, or other mission details. – PearsonArtPhoto Oct 23 '12 at 16:16
up vote 10 down vote
What is the cheapest realizable method for sending a manned mission to Mars?
added by Tshepang Oct 24 '12 at 6:13
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source: discuss.area51.stackexchange.com/a/7663 – Tshepang Oct 24 '12 at 6:14
up vote 10 down vote
Is a hand held laser pointer visible from the ISS when aimed accurately?
added by Highly Irregular Oct 25 '12 at 6:46
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Obligatory xkcd – Polynomial Nov 13 '12 at 23:10
up vote 10 down vote
What mechanisms are involved in creating the microscopic dust particles on Mars and/or the Moon and are they dangerous to human explorers?
added by falinter Nov 7 '12 at 20:11
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up vote 10 down vote
What fuel would be the most efficient for a private unmanned spacecraft, given the fuel's cost, weight, and power?
added by DeadChex Nov 15 '12 at 0:00
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up vote 10 down vote
Are there any studies predicting when a Kessler syndrome, collisional cascading horizon might be reached?
added by Mark Booth Nov 15 '12 at 1:29
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up vote 10 down vote
Are ground-based lasers the only practical option for tidying up space debris and preventing an ablation cascade?
added by Mark Booth Nov 15 '12 at 1:39
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up vote 10 down vote
How can rotational inertia be corrected for outside of gravity and atmosphere while using the least possible fuel?
added by nerd4life123, edited by PearsonArtPhoto Nov 29 '12 at 14:43
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up vote 10 down vote
Are there any ideas as to how to observe the Oort cloud if it exists? Is it plausible?
added by ymar Nov 26 '12 at 23:12
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up vote 9 down vote
When will there a mission being planned to explore the Trojan Asteroid that orbits the Sun ahead of Earth?
added by Major Stackings, edited by PearsonArtPhoto Sep 17 '12 at 20:45
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up vote 9 down vote
What advantages are there in sending a telescope to deep space instead of closer to Earth?
added by ymar, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Oct 27 '12 at 16:53
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up vote 9 down vote
What standards are there for reliability requirements in electronics for spacecraft?
added by Renan Sep 17 '12 at 19:56
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up vote 9 down vote
What standards exist for testing [spacecraft] software?
added by Renan Sep 17 '12 at 20:54
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up vote 9 down vote
How can I launch my own cubesat?
added by jakob Sep 26 '12 at 7:24
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up vote 9 down vote
Is it legal to launch a private space balloon?
added by Drux Oct 29 '12 at 6:31
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I am interested in potentially different answers for different jurisdictions. More information about Space Balloons is here, (pretty cool) video is here. And there are apparently more such (near-)space experiments as well. – Drux Oct 29 '12 at 6:37
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