The structure of the Milky Way

Re:The structure of the Milky Way by lisper on Monday July 30, 2018 @03:18PM (#17647162)

Well, we have taken a couple of field trips to Neptune (and a bit beyond), but your point is well taken. It really is extraordinary how much the human mind can encompass.

https://futurism.com/earth-compared-to-the-universe/

http://thirdmonk.net/lifestyle/our-sun-compared-to-the-large...

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Re:The structure of the Milky Way by krylon on Tuesday July 31, 2018 @11:47AM (#17654204)

Well, yes, but we sent probes to Jupiter and Saturn that spent years exploring them and their moons.

And I would really like to know why Uranus' axis of rotation and its magnetic field are so weird. Wouldn't you?

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Re:The structure of the Milky Way by lisper on Tuesday July 31, 2018 @12:46PM (#17654711)

Oh, I see, you want Neptune and Uranus orbiters. That's not what I thought you meant when you said "quick field trip to Neptune."

Yeah, I'd love to have those orbiters. And a Europa lander. And a pony.

But I'll settle for getting the damn Webb launched.

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Re:The structure of the Milky Way by krylon on Monday August 06, 2018 @02:59PM (#17700553)

Well, if we could board a shuttle and arrive at a stable orbit around Uranus or Neptuine in less than 12 hours, we would not need an orbiter, would we?

In the short term, if Webb got launched, that would be awesome. But in the slightly-longer term, there is so much about Uranus and Neptune to discover, and we haven't done anything on that front.

Just consider how much we discovered by sending probes to Jupiter and Saturn. Consider, how there is still to discover on Uranus and Neptune. And tell me you don't want to go there really badly.

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