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Did you wait until after you got covid to take the vaccine? There is a known danger of bear attacks[1] and we have a safe & effective countermeasure. Why not b

Did you wait until after you got covid to take the vaccine? There is a known danger of bear attacks[1] and we have a safe & effective countermeasure. Why not be prepared? [1] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/bears-eat-wealthy-couple-and-pilot-after-helicopter-crash-in-wilderness/ar-AAZJDWR https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/bears-eat-wealthy-coupl...

markstos 4y ago
Because there's also a known danger of mental health challenges with astronauts and that risk must be weight against potential bear attacks.
- throw1234651234 4y ago
  This is comical. There are a 1000 of other ways to make things go wrong in space.
  - maest 4y ago
    Surely adding the 1001st way is a way of increasing the chance of things going wrong. I don't understand why some people refuse to accept this is a matter of tradeoffs and the presence of a gun isn't an absolutely good or bad thing.
    - hourago 4y ago
      Many people in the USA see guns with religious fervour. It's not a matter of logic or risk mitigation, it's a matter of faith in guns.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
mnd999 4y ago
If you read TFA there is a perfectly reasonable suggestion that the gun should be only accessible from outside the capsule, thus reserving it for its intended use after landing. That suggestion was rebuffed.
- BitwiseFool 4y ago
  It's perfectly reasonable from a theoretical standpoint, but what kind of engineering modifications would be involved? It's not as simple as bolting a compartment to the side. They'd have to engineer something recessed so that it doesn't interfere with the aerodynamic profile of the capsule. Do-able, sure, feasible, probably not. What would happen if the capsule landed gun compartment side down? If I were a Russian engineer and project manager I'd tell you to get out of my office with such a frivolous request. Edit: I also realized that an external firearm container would likely imply the handgun would be exposed to the vacuum of space and the temperature swings involved. Given that Soyuz capsules can be in space for months at a time, there would have to be considerable re-engineering of the firearm and the ammunition in order to accommodate this proposed change.
  - lazide 4y ago
    Wouldn’t heat of re-entry potentially cause a cook-off? That could be incredibly dangerous.
- yellowapple 4y ago
  So if the bear is outside of the capsule and you're safely (for now) inside it, do you risk going outside to get the gun? Or do you wait for the bear to peel open the capsule like a can of sardines?
  - mnd999 4y ago
    It’s an airtight capsule. The bear isn’t going to be interested in it until you open it. Also, bears don’t have can openers.
    - marssaxman 4y ago
      In Yosemite, park rangers will happily show you many pictures of cars that were torn open by bears searching for food: door frames pried out and bent in half, sheet metal gouged and dented, upholstery shredded. These are just the cute and cuddly North American black bears; the brown bears in Russia are 2-3x larger, with claws several inches longer. It does not seem likely that a crashed cosmonaut would encounter hungry bears or wolves, but I can see why they might want to take precautions.
kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 4y ago
"A wolf remains a wolf, even if he hasn't eaten your sheep."

markstos 4y ago

Because there's also a known danger of mental health challenges with astronauts and that risk must be weight against potential bear attacks.

throw1234651234 4y ago
This is comical. There are a 1000 of other ways to make things go wrong in space.
- maest 4y ago
  Surely adding the 1001st way is a way of increasing the chance of things going wrong. I don't understand why some people refuse to accept this is a matter of tradeoffs and the presence of a gun isn't an absolutely good or bad thing.
  - hourago 4y ago
    Many people in the USA see guns with religious fervour. It's not a matter of logic or risk mitigation, it's a matter of faith in guns.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

mnd999 4y ago

If you read TFA there is a perfectly reasonable suggestion that the gun should be only accessible from outside the capsule, thus reserving it for its intended use after landing. That suggestion was rebuffed.

BitwiseFool 4y ago
It's perfectly reasonable from a theoretical standpoint, but what kind of engineering modifications would be involved? It's not as simple as bolting a compartment to the side. They'd have to engineer something recessed so that it doesn't interfere with the aerodynamic profile of the capsule. Do-able, sure, feasible, probably not. What would happen if the capsule landed gun compartment side down? If I were a Russian engineer and project manager I'd tell you to get out of my office with such a frivolous request. Edit: I also realized that an external firearm container would likely imply the handgun would be exposed to the vacuum of space and the temperature swings involved. Given that Soyuz capsules can be in space for months at a time, there would have to be considerable re-engineering of the firearm and the ammunition in order to accommodate this proposed change.
- lazide 4y ago
  Wouldn’t heat of re-entry potentially cause a cook-off? That could be incredibly dangerous.
yellowapple 4y ago
So if the bear is outside of the capsule and you're safely (for now) inside it, do you risk going outside to get the gun? Or do you wait for the bear to peel open the capsule like a can of sardines?
- mnd999 4y ago
  It’s an airtight capsule. The bear isn’t going to be interested in it until you open it. Also, bears don’t have can openers.
  - marssaxman 4y ago
    In Yosemite, park rangers will happily show you many pictures of cars that were torn open by bears searching for food: door frames pried out and bent in half, sheet metal gouged and dented, upholstery shredded. These are just the cute and cuddly North American black bears; the brown bears in Russia are 2-3x larger, with claws several inches longer. It does not seem likely that a crashed cosmonaut would encounter hungry bears or wolves, but I can see why they might want to take precautions.

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 4y ago

"A wolf remains a wolf, even if he hasn't eaten your sheep."