Post #1065078
2026-04-10 23:44 UTC
GARGH! NASA [edit: commentary] making the same mistake as the Scottish qualifications people, spacecraft don't generally heat up on re-entry due to "friction", it's down to adiabatic compression mostly, squeeze a gas and it gets hot. Squeeze it more and it turns to a plasma. Squeeze that even more and it starts giving off high energy photons.
That's not friction.
Replies (4)
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@OrdRadical@beige.party 2026-04-11 02:21
@_thegeoff So I'm not the only one! Bugs the crap out of me every time.
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@catsnfats@mastodon.world 2026-04-11 03:31
@_thegeoff urinal cakes come with a warning not to eat them. The news is trying to speak to the masses. So, friction is a simpler concept for people to digest (pun unintended).
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@jamesb@fedi.duckduckpigeon.co.uk 2026-04-10 23:46
@_thegeoff@mastodon.social Have you ever googled something that relies on adiabatic calculations? It's impossible to find the right answer to anything because it covers so many different things. It's like searching for Microsoft Azure.
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@ireneista@adhd.irenes.space 2026-04-10 23:53
@_thegeoff@mastodon.social oh that makes a LOT more sense, given the whole thinness of the air at that altitude thing and all. thank you for explaining. that always confused us.