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A solar gravitational lens will be humanity's most powerful telescope (2022)

(phys.org)
197 points amichail | 8 comments | 15 Oct 24 11:52 UTC | HN request time: 1.742s | source | bottom
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consumer451 ◴[16 Oct 24 23:56 UTC] No.41865107[source]▶
The most complete plan for this was proposed by JPL's Slava Turyshev and team. It has been selected for Phase III of NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts. [0]

> In 2020, Turyshev presented his idea of Direct Multi-pixel Imaging and Spectroscopy of an Exoplanet with a Solar Gravitational Lens Mission. The lens could reconstruct the exoplanet image with ~25 km-scale surface resolution in 6 months of integration time, enough to see surface features and signs of habitability. His proposal was selected for the Phase III of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts. Turyshev proposes to use realistic-sized solar sails (~16 vanes of 10^3 m^2) to achieve the needed high velocity at perihelion (~150 km/sec), reaching 547 AU in 17 years.

> In 2023, a team of scientists led by Turychev proposed the Sundiver concept,[1] whereby a solar sail craft can serve as a modular platform for various instruments and missions, including rendezvous with other Sundivers for resupply, in a variety of different self-sustaining orbits reaching velocities of ~5-10 AU/yr.

Here is an interview with him laying out the entire plan.[2] It is the most interesting interview that I have seen in years, possibly ever.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slava_Turyshev#Work

[1] https://www2.mpia-hd.mpg.de/~calj/sundiver.pdf

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqzJewjZUkk

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protomolecule[dead post] ◴[17 Oct 24 08:51 UTC] No.41867659[source]▶
[flagged]
rendall ◴[17 Oct 24 09:04 UTC] No.41867724[source]▶
Stop. For whatever reason, he has people call him Slava and does not correct them when they do so.
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protomolecule ◴[17 Oct 24 09:31 UTC] No.41867875[source]▶
>For whatever reason

The reason is that you won't bother to pronounce Vyacheslav so Russians have to use a short version of their name.

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gambiting ◴[17 Oct 24 10:00 UTC] No.41868035[source]▶
No, they don't have to - they are chosing to. To pretend otherwise is to say they don't have agency in this, which they do.
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protomolecule ◴[17 Oct 24 10:33 UTC] No.41868222[source]▶
Even if somebody puts a gun to your head and orders you to change your name, you'd still have a choice and it would be your decision what to do. That's not much of an argument though.
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1. gambiting ◴[17 Oct 24 11:14 UTC] No.41868465[source]▶
No one put a gun to his head though. Discomfort of English speakers isn't enough reason to not use your real name if that's your preference. Again, speaking from experience.
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2. PaulHoule ◴[17 Oct 24 11:33 UTC] No.41868607[source]▶
Many Chinese (speaking) students in the US pick an English language name like “William” or “Wendy” because they know people they meet will struggle with a name which could be several short words with unfamiliar vowels and consonants and tone that matters.
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3. protomolecule ◴[17 Oct 24 11:37 UTC] No.41868639[source]▶
People would want to avoid awkward situation and talk to you (or about you) less.
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4. gambiting ◴[17 Oct 24 12:09 UTC] No.41868877[source]▶
That's not quite the same as having a gun to your head. Again, I have a slavic name that's extremely difficult to English speakers and I live in the UK - no one is forcing me to change it. I understand some people chose to change their name so it's "easier" for English speakers - and I respect that choice. But let's not pretend that Mr Turyshev was "forced" to change his name - he wasn't.
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5. gambiting ◴[17 Oct 24 12:10 UTC] No.41868885[source]▶
Of course - and I support their choice. People struggle with my name every day and I could change it to make it easier for English speakers - but I don't think that's quite the same as being "forced" to change it.
6. s1artibartfast ◴[17 Oct 24 14:07 UTC] No.41869827[source]▶
Sure, but do you refuse to use the names those people give? This takes away their agency. It is their call, not yours.
7. pavel_lishin ◴[17 Oct 24 14:48 UTC] No.41870189[source]▶
It can also be annoying to run the 15-minute gauntlet of "but how do you really pronounce it", and you end up having to play dialect coach.

Going by an easy-to-pronounce name is much less aggravating.

8. protomolecule ◴[18 Oct 24 13:19 UTC] No.41879195{3}[source]▶
Nobody said that it's the same, but the logic of the argument is the same.