curltest

What's on the team's list of must-watch space and/or engineering and/or science movies..?

I'm not attempting to work out the mathematical expression that answers /u/N4TEDOG's question... using variables for bit-error rate, and antenna gain (Tx and Rx).

Does anyone in the team have it at the tips of their fingers?

Nitpicking here.. but you wouldn't need special "reverse thrusters".. you'd simply be able to spin the spacecraft around, and use the same "forward thrusters".

The reason they don't have this deceleration and orbit capture ability is simple. They were restricted by a mass budget. They need fuel for a deceleration burn, and sending that fuel all the way to Pluto would've been very very expensive.

How long have you guys been working on it? Especially Alan... when did you conceive (to continue with the metaphor) this baby?

That said, /u/jerryk414 - on your first jump you probably won't notice the temperature no matter what it is!

Just to clarify to anyone else who hasn't jumped...

i.e. you'll be cold regardless :) You'll lose your voice, your hands will go all clammy, you'll feel your heart beating right through your chest, and yet you'll be sitting there smiling and being alert to all the calls and encouraging nods/smiles you'll be getting from the other guys in the plane.

All that'll get amplified while you wait your turn to jump. (Depending on the plane, and the type of jumpers on that load, you might have to sit for a few circuits - while the instructor opens and shuts the door, letting only a couple of jumpers out on each pass, so that they're not all crowded in the airspace.)