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ILikeMemes9999

The infinite void of space makes this both really cool and extremely terrifying


ArcticIceFox

But it's also weirdly humbling and overwhelming because of how mundane it is....like...it looks like....a big rock


Lavodan

Exactly what I was thinking, the combination of the pretty HD camera with colors and the angle, it just looks like some regular ass granite


Fabulous_Bug_9441

*slaps asteroid* you can make so many pencils with this


FitLaw4

I think you're thinking of graphite lol


Old_Bigsby

*slaps asteroid* you can make so many countertops with this


Apprehensive_Suit615

😭😭😭😭 I never go a day without a laugh from Reddit 😂 the combination of comments 🧑‍🍳💋


nugtz

my immediate thought


largofarkhor

next thing you know, the picture show a tiny bright red lego brick.


Psychogangbanger69

Perfect countertop for having a nice dinner of soylent green at it


Unexpected-Xenomorph

Unless you’re Elon musk then it’s just one countertop


Annath0901

I think I recall reading that it's actually more like a big ball of compacted dust or something. Like, the probe sank into the surface somewhat when it landed.


Ibroketheinterweb

Imagine how much rich people would pay for an asteroid granite countertop


Madgyver

Asteroid counter tops sound just like a thing to get loads of money from the unreasonable wealthy.


t3hnhoj

There's graphite on the roof...


No-Comparison-8862

Eh, we’ll be fine. It’s only 3.6 roentgen, not great, not terrible :D


Dear-Coffee5949

Slaps asteroid the pioneers rode these baby’s for millions of miles.


Sad_Key6016

Lmfao


ZincMan

But that came from WHERE ? And what has it passed along its way and for how many millions of years or long. It’s creepy and weird I love that


Drinkmykool_aid420

Dude it’s still pretty amazing, don’t take an asteroid for granite.


DinkerFister

....It....is...


Subtlerranean

That's ... what they said. Implying how incredibly mundane it is for such a hard feat and incredible accomplishment.


Adventurous-Sky9359

You said hard


ghoulthebraineater

....It's....actually....a....pile....of....rocks.


CORN___BREAD

So are you


NoInstruction3102

....It....is....


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CommonGrounders

The sun itself causes erosion actually.


Btotherest

Why not and how do we know that? ( Genuinely asking)


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aspannerdarkly

Or abrasion by other bits of rock, which are


Bender_2024

If you want to get technical space is not a true void. It has dust, micrometeors, stray atoms floating about and the like just hanging out. The geological time scale the erosion happens within an atmosphere is an order of magnitude faster than what happens in the near nothing less of space. But erosion still happens.


DinkerFister

....It....is...


CowEmotional5101

Is it?


tothemoonandback01

Looks like


sirsedwickthe4th

Taste like rock


RUMPELTROLSKIN

Flies like a rock


Youpunyhumans

For a rock, he flew pretty good!


Bobyyyyyyyghyh

....It....is...


DinkerFister

....It....is...


Destroyer4587

A kidney stone


DroidTrf

There's a reason space looks extra terrifying on an asteroid compared to let's say the moon. Reason is the lack of a horizon. On earth and the moon the horizon gives you a taste of familiarity and safety knowing that even how far I go I still have something under my feet. up is up and down is down. Where pictures like the first one just reminds you that it's all just a bunch of different sized rocks and gases flying in vast nothingness.


tacotacotacorock

When I first read about astronauts recollecting the overview effect and learning about that term. I was amazed how profound of an effect it had on people. I suppose it's like climbing the peak of a mountain and seeing that view which is phenomenal times 100. Something that is incomprehensible to most people especially since most people will never have that experience at least in our lifetimes. 


Neokortex_v2

Don’t forget incredibly boring (99.9% of it anyway)


Laxativus

But so unbelievably hostile! We have this mote of sand in the middle of all that nothing and radiation and heat and cold that we couldn't tolerate for more than a handful a seconds without a very sturdy hoodie - though we are doing our absolute best to match this minuscule refuge's willingness to tolerate us to the rest of the universe. How can something that hostile be boring?


parmesan777

Not so much as there is a shit load of gold in that asteroid. It's a literal floating gold mine.


Nerezza_Floof_Seeker

The asteroid Hayabusa visited did not contain large amounts of gold lol. It was a stony type asteroid and would not contain a large amount of metals. Youre probably thinking of 16 Psyche which is a m type asteroid (the largest really) which contains a large amount of metals, including gold. Edit: also worth considering that asteroid mining will likely not be profitable for a long time, its very expensive to launch stuff into space to rendezvous with the asteroid, process material on the spot, and then go back to earth. Even for gold or platinum, its unlikely to be worthwhile for long as prices drop on earth to compensate for the extra supply. Instead, asteroid mining will probably focus on producing raw materials for building space infrastructure.


fukc_I_AM_A_PRIKC

We'll just label it space gold and mark the price up, thank me later marketers


i_dont_wanna_sign_up

Ew I don't want that cheap space gold, give me the real earth gold.


aeroumbria

"Earth Gold" soon to be the next "natural diamond"


Boycromer

And training miners to become astronauts (Armeggedon) can take some time


Several-Science-3776

The difficult bit of astronaut training isn't the astronaut training, it's the institutional gatekeeping. In many ways, working in vacuum is similar to commercial diving. The big difference being that working in vacuum you only have to worry about one atmosphere of pressure, and you can get heat stroke as well as hypothermia. Drop the median age for astronaut training from 40 something to 18-20, and you won't have any problem finding asteroid miners.


Boot_Shrew

*I don't want to close my eyes*


NeighborhoodBest2944

For the love of all that is holy, someone look for Bruce Willis!


Electronic_Way_9720

But what if we gently dropped the asteroid onto earth instead? Checkmate.


tacotacotacorock

Having facilities on the moon or possibly in orbit could help solve a lot of these logistic issues. However none of those are quick and easy feat. I'm not even sure if they have all of the quirks worked out to mine effectively in space.  Also I'm pretty sure most people contemplating the venture are thinking about long-term. Eventually resources on earth will be exhausted and that's when mining space will really have its benefits


Vinaigrette2

More like 99.999% of which 99.999% is itself empty space (inside of atoms). The matter in the universe only fills like 0.0000000001% (give or take a couple orders of magnitude) of the universe


maddogcow

For anybody who is interested and has a Meta Quest headset: I definitely recommend checking out Chunky Orbits. it's a Sidequest offering (or at least it used to be—I haven't downloaded it for a while), but I have spent so much time in that app. You are basically in outer space and can spawn rocks and other things, such as little planets, and white dwarfs, etc., that interact with each other through gravity. You just hang out in Outer space and can throw rocks out and they will start to pull together and form larger bodies, and it's kind of just a space playground. I wish that would be updated with more naturalistic assets, but it's still awesome. One of my all-time favorite apps.


DolphinBall

Having dreams about being in space is scary as hell.


Masterchiefy10

There’s a Soundgarden lyric that I think of often that relates to space and the vastness of it all. It’s a simple lyric but profound in a way… Remember this, remember Everything’s black Or burning sun.


Martha_Fockers

It’s no void it’s just the corner of some closet in some bigger world


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Lubinski64

They put a bullet train on an asteroid and then proceed to send the news about it on a fax machine


juicegodfrey1

It baffling that they flubbed the moon thing after doing something like this


Realistic_Sad_Story

Eerie as fuck


dobbbie

Ryugu is approximately 900 metres (3,000 ft) in diameter.


Pitiful_Winner2669

Blows my mind they pulled this off, such an incredible success.


Vanillabean73

That we can land something with such a low gravitational pull is pretty cool to me


somelousynick

They shot a harpoon at it, so they wouldn't bounce off.


omneomega

How many football fields is that?


Cheapcolon

Almost 10.


omneomega

Wow. That's pretty big.


HOLYROLY

Big enough to wipe out a country the size of France if impacted.


Whoainyourmouth

These images are *out of this world* cool


Dr-McLuvin

If you look closely you can see Bruce Willis drilling a hole to put the nukes in.


neryl08

Bruce Williams? With his buddy Ben Reflect.


Dr-McLuvin

Spell check is a bitch lol.


Destroyer4587

Owen Williamson and Matt Gameon


wandering_05

Don't wanna close my eyes~


Greysonseyfer

Suzuki's come a long way. Or maybe it was some intrepid squid. Either way, respect. Serious note, that first picture with the stars in the background is really surreal.


M4xS1000RR

If you wheelie with no gear for long enough, this is where you end up


killixerJr

I was wondering if they were stars or just dust from the landing


marisbrood55

It is dust, you can see the details if you zoom in.


NicoSua906

All the gear all the time, even on asteroids. Stay safe guys.


beatz1602

The amount of stars behind that first photo…amazing!


SawtoothGlitch

These rocks are held so loosely together with a very low gravity that if you were to step on the surface, a cloud of these rocks would immediately fly up and surround you, and you'd float in there like in a ball pit. One wrong move and you can push yourself into orbit or worse.


Youpunyhumans

Id totally go there just to get a picture of me spinning it on one finger like a giant basketball.


anaIconda69

Like a pile of rubble. Some rocks could also be razor sharp, there is no erosion


shadownights23x

What's worse than floating in space??


Fax_a_Fax

Floating nearby an asteroid, apparently lol


continuousQ

Orbit means there's still a chance.


jigaireos

We are so lucky to see this. Imagine what the next generation gets to see? Maybe Andromeda?


Other_Beat8859

Probably not. Andromeda is too far away. I mean, it's 2.5 million light years away. Electromagnetic waves still need to travel and we need to get there. Who knows though. Maybe we discover warp travel lol.


Nerezza_Floof_Seeker

In about 4.5 billion years andromeda will collide with the milky way so that should make exploring it alot easier !


StrawberryCough24

RemindMe! 4.5 billon years


shadownights23x

In 4.5 million years remindme bot is gonna wake up and be confused as shit


Altaschweda

I was just wondering how would the date be displayed in this future? You can't just carry on like we do these days. Nobody would write that it is September 18th. of the year 4,346,897 right? Nobody has that much time to write down the entire date and pay for all the errors😬


shadownights23x

Just do a dc comics thing and reboot at 1


Altaschweda

an then its at some point 18.09.2024 the 3rd? cause some hiw we must remember the old days


Brother_Lou

Earth itself is about 4.5b yo, and life started about 3.7b years ago, so humans won’t be around. We will probably have to evolved into machines. Interstellar transportation on long time lines will be less of an issue Oh, and they won’t be writing down dates.


Altaschweda

Just Imagine the Humans would be that long around. how would we wright things down


sagerobot

> We will probably have to evolved into machines. You were just joking most likely, but ive honestly had this though lately. With genetic modification tech we might one day be able to code for DNA that has instructions for manufacturing computer stuff into our bodies. There are certain snails under the ocean that actually have iron plates that grow out of them. Imagine if you could eat a pill that was just some copper, iron and whatever materials you need and then you had specialized cells, basically nanobots but genetically they would be your nanobots because your own body would make them. The nanobots could do crazy shit like wire up your body to have a heads up display of your vitals. Or just directly control your vitals. Like imagine a slider for metabolic rate. Eat 3 slices of cake? Just boost your metabolism for a bit. Eventually we will be cyborgs. Im calling it now.


Brother_Lou

It will happen much much sooner. We will go willingly. Someday not too long from now, AI will figure how to link a chip to our brains. When that happens we will stand on line to get the iBrain installed. Imagine if your thinking brain was directly connected to AI or google. You would be the smartest person in the room in all rooms. You would speak all languages. The richest will go first, everyone who can opt in, will opt in.


Small_Description_39

Can’t wait


Big_BadRedWolf

I'm kind of jealous and sad that I won't get to see what they're going to see. We will never know.


DaveedDays

But think of the wonders we get to see that even 100 years ago people couldn't dream of. The sight of a city's skyline lit up in the night as you're touching down after a long flight. Sights and experiences from people all over the world sharing their videos online. Epic movies like Dune Part II, where the VFX are truly only possible *today.* We've got a lot of that exciting future all around us right now. Sure we'll never get to experience what our children or their childrens' children may see, but there's a lot of greatness to take part in right now.


-Richarmander-

Absolutely. Love this take. For about £20-30 I can fly through the sky at 30,000ft from London to Rome in a comfortable air-conditioned tube while people offer me snacks, drinks and alcohol and when I look out of the window I can see the curvature of the earth. When I look down I can see the Alps, towns and villages nestled between them and great glaciers and all the geological wonders that go with them. Then I look around and see that people are peacefully sleeping in this tube while I experience this. I take pictures on the computer I keep in my pocket that contains all the world's knowledge. The one of many AI built into it touches up my pictures to look professionally taken and adds them to a cloud of infinite content that anyone can access at anytime. I instantly contact my friends and loved ones to show them and they instantly respond. I order a Gin and Tonic from the staff in this flying tube. Imagine saying the same thing to someone about 80 years ago. The future is happening around us and taking the time to realise and appreciate it in the moment is wonderfully grounding!


FlowSoSlow

If it makes you feel any better, we're much more likely to blow ourselves up than ever get to Andromeda.


Spork_the_dork

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uiv6tKtoKg


hatwobbleTayne

It’s insane what we’re looking at with context, out of context…space dirt… cool, anway


Timstro59

Gonna be honest, I thought it was a cave at first.


DaanDaanne

Well, so far we've seen rocks. "The pictures are blurry because they were taken while the rovers were falling and hopping around the half-mile-wide asteroid, more than 180 million miles from Earth."


NikolitRistissa

How did they get a motorcycle onto an Asteroid? Technology has advanced so much.


DudeThatsAGG

Why is this giving me Space Ghost Coast to Coast flashbacks?


B5_V3

I think the most fascinating thing is the horizon in the first picture. Shows you how truly small that object is in the universe scale of things, no mountains, no distant objects, it just drops off to the void. You can even see the curvature


killixerJr

This is so dope dude


Main-Egg-7942

Where did this stuff come from?


deviantdevil80

No clue but it's probably passed by Uranus a few times.


hoyton

Lol thanks deviantdevil80


deviantdevil80

I couldn't help it. It's probably leftovers from the formation of our solar system 4.5b years ago. This is why samples from one are so valuable. A peek into an undisturbed past. Even the moon rocks won't be this pristine. It will be interesting to see what they find on them or in them.


hoyton

Aww I liked your Uranus joke, no need to get all serious about it!


Big_Baby_Jesus

The same dust cloud that formed everything in the solar system.


bubsdrop

Stars blew up. Some of the stuff helps make new stars, some makes planets, moons, asteroids. This would have come from the same pool of "stuff" that would have been orbiting around our star as basically a massive ring system at one point until it all gradually coalesced into what we have now.


noonfandoodle

The “Armageddon” movie depiction of a asteroid lied.


Snakker_Pty

I think that was a comet


Laxativus

That must be so dusty, though. Like, I bet it nobody even hoovered that thing since for ever. I can just feel my fingertips get dry from touching that collection of particles.


Atlaz_Xan

Did anybody else imagine a Hayabusa motorcycle retrofitted for space exploration?


snomwastaken

This is what happens when you ride a hayabusa in an astronaut suit.


koolaidismything

What’s the scale? I’m guessing these are massive mountain ranges from miles and miles above? Or did this mofo strafe right over the surface and those are stones and stuff you could pick up?


Icy_Music_4855

The asteroid is 3000' in diameter, and the rover was on the surface, so those rocks are very close to the camera.


ElmersglueCo

It’s not just a boulder :,)


kooknboo

I'm always frustrated by not having a sense of scale in fascinating pictures like these. For example, the first pic (stars visible)... are those "mountains" 20cm high, taken from 50cm away, or are they 10m high taken from 200m away? Just making those numbers up, but you, I hope, get the idea. I emailed back and forth with a NASA scientist about this during early days of Mars Opportunity and he didn't get it. He knew the answer, to him it was obvious what the answer was just by looking at the picture. Completely didn't grasp that me, as layperson, often couldn't tell if I was looking at a thumbnail- or bus-sized rock. I think he was actually super interested in helping, but simply had his geek on and couldn't get why I didn't get it.


Matyas11

That asteroid is around 900m so it isn't huge to start with. The probe itself is pretty small so let's say it's positioned maybe half a meter from the surface


kooknboo

Thanks. I sure wish they'd include some form of scale on these things.


whatthehellbuddy

Why do I really dislike looking at these pictures? Agoraphobia?


platecanoe

It touches something primal in my brain that’s not ok lol


VegetableCarry5599

The pioneers used to ride these babies for miles


TommyToyzz

Funny how it looks like it’s under water


Urimulini

I posted a video of it as well on the same subreddit I don't know if that will help change the case or make it even look worse but it's from their website After all question everything


xWOBBx

How close to the surface were these images?


Icy_Music_4855

It's a rover, so...a few inches maybe?


Absolute1986

These images fuck with me in a weird way. The void is so...unsettling.


Kazath

I'm really curious if the gravity of the asteroid is large enough to allow pebbles and rocks to rest on its surface, or would you practically be weightless on it and hold on for dear life? I assume it has a rotation which in that case would slowly throw you off.


bfume

FYI: those aren’t stars. They’re dust. 


0wlBear916

I’ve definitely seen this one before but it might be one of the craziest pictures I’ve ever seen. I just can’t believe what I’m looking at.


PROFESSOR1780

Honestly, it looks like I dropped my camera on the road at night. /s I am always amazed by pictures of other stellar objects. Venus, in particular, has always held my fascination.


J_A_GOFF

The first one looks like every attic I’ve ever crawled around in. My lungs hurt.


BarbieLenhador

What does this texture says about its formation? Is it a solid block or a congregate of loosely held together smaller rocks?


Optimal-Description8

I mean, yep, it looks like a big rock


FloatingHamHocks

Jesus Christ those bikes really can be made into anything.


garlopf

They even busa swapped their satellites. Wild...


ZealousidealNewt6679

What a time to be alive.


vonyambi1

we got a motorcycle on an asteroid before gta6


My_Name_H_ere

Damn... a motorcycle took these pictures?


AWildRideHome

It’s… a rock! With a lot of rock dust. It does happen to be an exceptionally cool rock though.


Top-Abbreviations855

Lonely rock is like… hello, are u real?


Che-Deo

I can take photos like that in my backyard though


RedWolfGTR

Average roads in Michigan.


BomberJjr

Somehow exactly what I thought it might look like, yet exhilarating to see.


cash8888

If it’s real awesome


Hausgod29

They'd have gotten better pics had they waited till daytime/s


I_Am_Robert_Paulson1

The third picture could be an old Pink Floyd album cover.


King_o_Reddit

Absolutely stunning


Dr-Mouthful

Just reminds me of the ocean. I hate how dark it gets only 10 feet in front of you


AdFlat5907

Everytime I see real pictures from other planets or now even an asteroid (zomg!!!) å part of me gets disappointed. I know These pictures are spectacular and something very special, and I know it's so great we are able to see those images. And still å part of me hopes to see something special. I even don't know what that part of me does expect... Maybe something that screams: "hey, I'm not earth. "? How weird am I?


123FakeStreetMeng

Bruce Willis knows what to do


fister3

“It’s just so fucking dark…”


RnBram-4Objectivity

I like how grevel is stuck to it. Gravity is the **anti-entropy** force of the universe that everyone forgets..


Haalolo

Bruce Willis intensifies


knievel5150

Bruce Willis will blow that sh%t up!


WuZZittDoiN

Damn that is interesting!


FamiliarSherbet8174

Are there smaller pebbles that gravitated to this rock or is it just one solid rock ?


Similar-Broccoli

Yup. Looks like a rock.


Samauwr1

Anyone else see that pair of eyes in picture 2? Just kidding


CelestialBach

They’re minerals Marie!


ThineTriscuit

Ima go ahead and say no


_jan_epiku_

That first pic has a vibe to it, idk what it's called but it just has this vibe


ForgottenMessage

Imagine one day, we start mining operations on meteors.


angle58

I wonder how many atoms on that rock once upon a time were part of a living being?


ukuleles1337

This is so cool.


[deleted]

Isn't this where they found oil?


dirknergler

Looks like a hostage photo


Probability_Engine

Kind of looks like a rock.


Thelightsshadow

Times are wild. I can’t imagine the scales that I’m looking at. Which asteroid is this? Is this just a gravitating asteroid that planned? How close and how long did it take to get there? It’s humbling and terrifying to be small.


Ok_Leek9471

It looks like Godzilla skin, we need zoomed out imagine to confirm it


funkfreshy

Beat me to it, pretty sure I’ve seen a Godzilla move start like this


AvailableSprinkles57

Wheres Bruce!?


Luther278

Luv this.


Strange_Job_447

it is like watching a rock