Jeremy Pratt
@jeremypratt.bsky.social
IT professional. Gamer. Amateur astronomer. Baker. Chorister. Interested in all things science and tech.
"Why would I want to be a potted plant?"
Indeed. In fact, there's a document you should read called "The Constitution" that explains how Congress is its own branch and doesn't have to be "a potted plant."
Indeed. In fact, there's a document you should read called "The Constitution" that explains how Congress is its own branch and doesn't have to be "a potted plant."
November 24, 2025 at 6:28 PM
"Why would I want to be a potted plant?"
Indeed. In fact, there's a document you should read called "The Constitution" that explains how Congress is its own branch and doesn't have to be "a potted plant."
Indeed. In fact, there's a document you should read called "The Constitution" that explains how Congress is its own branch and doesn't have to be "a potted plant."
I mean.... it's hard to have any sympathy since they've allowed this. Congress holds the keys to checks and balances against the Executive Branch. The Executive Branch doesn't control congress and if they're allowing the executive to dictate what they do then that's on them.
November 24, 2025 at 6:26 PM
I mean.... it's hard to have any sympathy since they've allowed this. Congress holds the keys to checks and balances against the Executive Branch. The Executive Branch doesn't control congress and if they're allowing the executive to dictate what they do then that's on them.
Kessler Syndrome. This is how you destroy satellites for everyone, for decades.
November 7, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Kessler Syndrome. This is how you destroy satellites for everyone, for decades.
Depends.
On behalf of people who didn't vote for him, 100.
On behalf of people who did, 1.
How can I be outraged for then? They got what they wanted.
On behalf of people who didn't vote for him, 100.
On behalf of people who did, 1.
How can I be outraged for then? They got what they wanted.
November 1, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Depends.
On behalf of people who didn't vote for him, 100.
On behalf of people who did, 1.
How can I be outraged for then? They got what they wanted.
On behalf of people who didn't vote for him, 100.
On behalf of people who did, 1.
How can I be outraged for then? They got what they wanted.
When the worst person you know makes a good point.
a man in a plaid shirt is making a funny face .
ALT: a man in a plaid shirt is making a funny face .
media.tenor.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:29 PM
When the worst person you know makes a good point.
What a thin-skinned snowflake. A vengeful child with no moral compass; surrounded by yes-men and sycophants hoping for some tiny crumb, like dogs salivating, waiting for some morsel to fall.
We're in big trouble, until Congress decides they're going to stop abdicating their responsibility.
We're in big trouble, until Congress decides they're going to stop abdicating their responsibility.
September 18, 2025 at 9:22 PM
What a thin-skinned snowflake. A vengeful child with no moral compass; surrounded by yes-men and sycophants hoping for some tiny crumb, like dogs salivating, waiting for some morsel to fall.
We're in big trouble, until Congress decides they're going to stop abdicating their responsibility.
We're in big trouble, until Congress decides they're going to stop abdicating their responsibility.
They SHOULD put together a tribute to Kirk with a montage of his most hateful, unacceptable comments. Just him, saying the awful, hateful things that he was known for. It can stretch on for as long as they need it to.
They should just subtitle it "Remembering Charlie Kirk"
They should just subtitle it "Remembering Charlie Kirk"
September 18, 2025 at 3:18 AM
They SHOULD put together a tribute to Kirk with a montage of his most hateful, unacceptable comments. Just him, saying the awful, hateful things that he was known for. It can stretch on for as long as they need it to.
They should just subtitle it "Remembering Charlie Kirk"
They should just subtitle it "Remembering Charlie Kirk"
"I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made up new age term, and it does a lot of damage."
-Charlie Kirk
-Charlie Kirk
September 11, 2025 at 12:11 PM
"I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made up new age term, and it does a lot of damage."
-Charlie Kirk
-Charlie Kirk
Do enough to prevent it? We enabled it. Our President wants to steal the land and turn it into a resort. Or did we forget about that under the avalanche of news he uses to flood the zone?
He's still covering up the Epstein files, by the way.
He's still covering up the Epstein files, by the way.
August 29, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Do enough to prevent it? We enabled it. Our President wants to steal the land and turn it into a resort. Or did we forget about that under the avalanche of news he uses to flood the zone?
He's still covering up the Epstein files, by the way.
He's still covering up the Epstein files, by the way.
Okay, I stand corrected. It's a morning-sky alignment. Not a night sky alignment. That's fine. But strange for a respected publication to not put that detail in the lede. You need to get up at 5am to see it. Then you can see Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn without binoculars.
August 10, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Okay, I stand corrected. It's a morning-sky alignment. Not a night sky alignment. That's fine. But strange for a respected publication to not put that detail in the lede. You need to get up at 5am to see it. Then you can see Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn without binoculars.
Align in the sky? This is just flat out fake news. No more than 2 of these planets will be visible to the naked eye at any given time.
Mercury sets hours before Saturn even rises. Jupiter doesn't rise until very early in the AM.
Mercury sets hours before Saturn even rises. Jupiter doesn't rise until very early in the AM.
August 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Align in the sky? This is just flat out fake news. No more than 2 of these planets will be visible to the naked eye at any given time.
Mercury sets hours before Saturn even rises. Jupiter doesn't rise until very early in the AM.
Mercury sets hours before Saturn even rises. Jupiter doesn't rise until very early in the AM.
16/16 Given that Dr Loeb used misleading graphs that imply an intercept is possible, and a made-up specific impulse for the LEROS 1b engine, I grade his paper at a D-minus. Be better than this, Dr. Loeb. Encourage better than this, @harvard.edu.
August 10, 2025 at 9:03 PM
16/16 Given that Dr Loeb used misleading graphs that imply an intercept is possible, and a made-up specific impulse for the LEROS 1b engine, I grade his paper at a D-minus. Be better than this, Dr. Loeb. Encourage better than this, @harvard.edu.
15/16 As you can see, 803.5 m/s delta-V is the maximum possible given this ideal situation. Dr Loeb never mentions this fact, and indeed graphs showing delta-V continue beyond this theoretical maximum.
August 10, 2025 at 9:02 PM
15/16 As you can see, 803.5 m/s delta-V is the maximum possible given this ideal situation. Dr Loeb never mentions this fact, and indeed graphs showing delta-V continue beyond this theoretical maximum.
14/16 Remember, we're using these numbers because we're going to assume that no oxidizer has been burned since 2016, and that the hydrazine remaining is exactly the ideal amount to burn with the oxidizer. This is the maximum delta-V remaining to the probe, given the most ideal conditions possible.
August 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
14/16 Remember, we're using these numbers because we're going to assume that no oxidizer has been burned since 2016, and that the hydrazine remaining is exactly the ideal amount to burn with the oxidizer. This is the maximum delta-V remaining to the probe, given the most ideal conditions possible.
13/16 I'm going to use the true Isp in my calculation. You can follow along here:
www.omnicalculator.com/physics/delt...
For our input we will use:
Isp 318s
Initial Mass 2061 kg
Final Mass 1593 kg
www.omnicalculator.com/physics/delt...
For our input we will use:
Isp 318s
Initial Mass 2061 kg
Final Mass 1593 kg
Delta V Calculator
How much speed do you need to move in space? Find it out with our delta-v calculator!
www.omnicalculator.com
August 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
13/16 I'm going to use the true Isp in my calculation. You can follow along here:
www.omnicalculator.com/physics/delt...
For our input we will use:
Isp 318s
Initial Mass 2061 kg
Final Mass 1593 kg
www.omnicalculator.com/physics/delt...
For our input we will use:
Isp 318s
Initial Mass 2061 kg
Final Mass 1593 kg
12/16 Other ways of putting it are: A fabrication. Misleading. Spurious. Incorrect.
The engine in Juno is the LEROS 1b engine. This engine has an Isp of 318s. Not 340s. Why Dr. Loeb did not use the actual Isp of the engine instead of making up a number is beyond me.
The engine in Juno is the LEROS 1b engine. This engine has an Isp of 318s. Not 340s. Why Dr. Loeb did not use the actual Isp of the engine instead of making up a number is beyond me.
August 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
12/16 Other ways of putting it are: A fabrication. Misleading. Spurious. Incorrect.
The engine in Juno is the LEROS 1b engine. This engine has an Isp of 318s. Not 340s. Why Dr. Loeb did not use the actual Isp of the engine instead of making up a number is beyond me.
The engine in Juno is the LEROS 1b engine. This engine has an Isp of 318s. Not 340s. Why Dr. Loeb did not use the actual Isp of the engine instead of making up a number is beyond me.
11/16 Let's pause here for a second and talk about Specific Impulse (Isp). This is a measure of how efficient the engine is with the fuel that it burns.
Back to P. 4...
I actually agree with Dr. Loeb here. 340s Isp for this engine is *optimistic*. That's one way of putting it.
Back to P. 4...
I actually agree with Dr. Loeb here. 340s Isp for this engine is *optimistic*. That's one way of putting it.
August 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
11/16 Let's pause here for a second and talk about Specific Impulse (Isp). This is a measure of how efficient the engine is with the fuel that it burns.
Back to P. 4...
I actually agree with Dr. Loeb here. 340s Isp for this engine is *optimistic*. That's one way of putting it.
Back to P. 4...
I actually agree with Dr. Loeb here. 340s Isp for this engine is *optimistic*. That's one way of putting it.
10/16
Dry mass = 1593 kg
Hydrazine (ideal) = 252 kg
Oxidizer remaining = 216 kg
Total mass with ideal fuel mixture = 2061 kg
With these parameters, and the engine Specific Impulse, we can calculate remaining Delta-V.
Dry mass = 1593 kg
Hydrazine (ideal) = 252 kg
Oxidizer remaining = 216 kg
Total mass with ideal fuel mixture = 2061 kg
With these parameters, and the engine Specific Impulse, we can calculate remaining Delta-V.
August 10, 2025 at 9:00 PM
10/16
Dry mass = 1593 kg
Hydrazine (ideal) = 252 kg
Oxidizer remaining = 216 kg
Total mass with ideal fuel mixture = 2061 kg
With these parameters, and the engine Specific Impulse, we can calculate remaining Delta-V.
Dry mass = 1593 kg
Hydrazine (ideal) = 252 kg
Oxidizer remaining = 216 kg
Total mass with ideal fuel mixture = 2061 kg
With these parameters, and the engine Specific Impulse, we can calculate remaining Delta-V.
9/16 The spacecraft has been maneuvering in orbit for 9 years. Let us assume for the sake of argument, that it used only the RCS for those maneuvers, and that only the excess hydrazine was burned, leaving only the ideal mixture to burn with the oxidizer.
August 10, 2025 at 9:00 PM
9/16 The spacecraft has been maneuvering in orbit for 9 years. Let us assume for the sake of argument, that it used only the RCS for those maneuvers, and that only the excess hydrazine was burned, leaving only the ideal mixture to burn with the oxidizer.