Monday is (badly) singing...

On the third day of Sluggmas my suspicious eyes did see
Three active clones
Two shocking gloves
And Oasis saying "No you don't"


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With no frame of reference, how would they even know they were upside down anyway? Really an odd thing to complain about, just an entirely made up problem.

Zoe is being relatively patient. I'd certainly be annoyed if my plan was being called stupid at every free moment (whether or not it was)

And wow, in the ref link, this day has been in progress since July!

Hey, that flashback. I had forgotten that the shoddie suits attacked the REA facility. Torg has been very thorough.

Gwynn's comment made me laugh!



Yes, it's comedy. (If you're gonna point out everything that is unrealistic in comedy, you'll have a lot of work to do. Unrealism is kind of the point.) And it's extra funny because Pete is thereby pointing out how science fiction shows and movies always make it seem like there is an up and down, with ships always facing each other as if they are sailing on the same surface.

It took me a bit to realize that Izzy wasn't on the XT-34.

I think that's called "artificial gravity" and it's usually hand-waved.

Wow, back in July? That was before I resumed reading the strip.

Don't worry Zoë, when you're in an orbit to intercept, a target that large would be easily visible to the naked eye for something like 15 minutes before and after the closest approach.

Actually, question… how is an inflatable spaceship a good idea? Space is full of random rocks and stuff going at speeds ranging from 20 times the atmospheric speed of sound (orbital speeds) to 30 times the atmospheric speed of sound (escape velocity). I can't imagine that's good for inflatable tech.

And also, that station probably has weapons on it. Did someone remember to paint the ship black?

It's not "full" of stuff.
I know this because at those speeds, even a relatively small object would tear through a non-armoured construction like... say the International Space Station (ISS).
Also, I know they don't have tools to fix holes larger than 10 cm diameter, because the proper procedure for a larger hole is to evacuate the station.

So I think collisions are far enough apart that an inflatable spaceship is not a problem. Pretty impressive if it can endure the forces needed to re-enter the atmosphere, though.

Good golly, what space movies have you been watching?


What makes you say that the ISS has no armor?

An asteroid large enough to create 10 cm holes would not be a relatively small asteroid. It would also be large enough to detect and track via radar.

Also, the proper procedure for a hull breach would not be to evacuate the station. The correct actions would be "close the nearest blast doors, then have someone go on EVA to fix it".

Actually, as it turns out, inflatable heat shields are a real thing.

Can we bin Izzzzzzzzzz........*snore*... for Jack Bowow? He makes a day short.

The stray screw bouncing off of Zoë's helmet cracked me up. Is that the general shape of the space station in general, or did they just not have enough time to clean it up after Riff? LOL

Also, isn't that Monica's mug? ;-)

Wouldn't it have a giant "M" on it then? :P

That poster is still in pretty good shape after all these years. It's nice to see she has something of her brother's to remember him with.

Y’know, I think I’d watch a sitcom that’s just Zoe and Gwynn drifting through space in an upside down spaceship.

Actually I took a masters degree in physics. Astronomy is not my focus, though, so I might need to read up on a fact here and there.

The ISS had no armor earlier than 2007. Which means that it survived 9 years without it.
NASA is known to be "better safe than sorry" so I don't think the armor upgrade means that there is an overwhelming risk of collisions in the short run.
One hole was found after 9 years of operation, so I wouldn't think twice about taking a one-day trip in an inflatable spaceship.

No, they don't have tools for that on the station. Also, the REASON they don't have tools for large holes is that the station would decompress so fast that the crew is expected to die before they can seal the blast doors. I read that in an article some years back, NASA could have changed it's mind since of cause.


That is cool.

On the other hand, the (hard metal) exterior of the ISS would be a lot more resilient to smaller hits. A minor micrometeor that would just ping off the ISS might pop the XT-34...