The Astronomy Thread

BrutulTM · 2026-08-27T10:09:16-0400

Burns said:
How long can a nuclear plant generator run without a complete overhaul? How long before "things like the engine block will have to be replaced"? It's not going to be two stroke engines and pickem-up trucks running things...

Yall are acting like if humans can't do it tomorrow, it can never get done. There are big hurdles to overcome but generational ships are not that far outside of our current understanding and capacity. Humans will need decades, if not centuries of space construction experience using materials already in space and the ability to mine the asteroid belt to even be able to think about such a venture. By that time, we should also have more efficient and improved energy generation.

Edit: Decided to ask AI cause was interested enough to spend 5 minutes on it, but not a ton of research time to check the AI. Here is what Google AI has to say for "How long can a nuclear plant generator run without a complete overhaul?" (anyone pay for Grok?):

View attachment 638615

I don't see anything here I disagree with. Even if you can keep your nuclear reactor running (with lots of spare parts) for 100 years, you're not even close to lasting long enough for interstellar travel, and then you also need to keep your computers and washing machines and food machines and toothbrushes and fleshlights going for 100 years as well. I'm not saying it could never ever ever ever be done, but it would take many massive, fundamental leaps in technology. With current technology, even what we are likely to have 50 years from now, it's not worth trying. I think it might not even be possible to keep a small Mars colony alive long term with current tech, but that's orders of magnitude easier than interstellar travel.

Void · 2026-08-27T11:02:11-0400

Maybe some of the language was hyperbolic and that's what people are arguing about, but it isn't like none of this is possible if we somehow had major leaps in technology and a perfect storm of social cohesion that also gets passed down to future generations. Of course it isn't impossible, we already have all the tech we need, realistically. It is just that it would be pretty fucking miserable for the people involved, and their chances of success aren't what I'd consider great.

I get the comparison with people sailing across the ocean to new lands they aren't sure exist, but there's a difference between speculating that you can find land within however many months of food/water you have (which you can get at least a ballpark figure of distances involved from star navigation and the curvature of the earth) and *knowing* you have a several hundred/thousand year journey ahead of you. It's one thing to risk your own life sailing across the sea in hopes of riches or a better life; it's an entirely different ballgame to risk your children's lives, and their children, and their children, etc.

BrutulTM · 2026-08-27T11:07:36-0400

Void said:
I get the comparison with people sailing across the ocean to new lands they aren't sure exist, but there's a difference between speculating that you can find land within however many months of food/water you have (which you can get at least a ballpark figure of distances involved from star navigation and the curvature of the earth) and *knowing* you have a several hundred/thousand year journey ahead of you. It's one thing to risk your own life sailing across the sea in hopes of riches or a better life; it's an entirely different ballgame to risk your children's lives, and their children, and their children, etc.

Not only were these journeys only a couple of months, but there were islands every so often to resupply on and you could like, breath air and catch fish all of the time. For a certain amount of the journey, you could even turn back if something broke and try again later. Imagine if you had to use the same cell phone that your great, great, great, great grandfather had all of his life.

fanaskin · 2026-08-27T11:26:08-0400

Cad said:
Not to mention the first 500-1000 years on a new planet with no industrial base would probably be worse than being dead. You'd live in unimaginable hardship with a couple thousand people while needing to have as many children as humanly possible.

Sounds like a great fucking time. The ship would probably be better and the ship would be a torture device in any normal time.

All you have to say is like 1 dude gets like 10 women and people will crawl through broken glass.

Furry · 2026-08-27T11:33:17-0400

fanaskin said:
All you have to say is like 1 dude gets like 10 women and people will crawl through broken glass.

I went to an island in the pacific where a few guys and a lot of women moved in order to have a paradise lifestyle. They immediately started murdering each other. Isla Floreana. I think they made a movie about it, but never saw that. Ate at the ranch house of one of their descendents. Pretty good sun tea if you ever go.

Cad · 2026-08-27T12:07:49-0400

As usual with a Furry post, the facts are.... not quite as advertised, I suggest looking up that story for yourselves.

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The Astronomy Thread

BrutulTM

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Void

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Sheriff Cad

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