NASA's Europa Clipper Survives and Thrives in 'Outer Space' on Earth | Hacker News Reader

NASA's Europa Clipper Survives and Thrives in 'Outer Space' on Earth

jpl.nasa.gov

71 pointsmzs6 comments

I'm very excited for this mission and for ESA's JUICE which is en route. I hope I'm around to see them get there and succeed. Spacecraft test is nerve-racking and even moreso when a launch window is on the line. So much has to go right throughout all phases of the program.

In the article they mention "gantlet" - do they mean "gauntlet"?

In older texts the term gantlet was always used. It was a form of torture, punishment, or defacto execution. You get a group of people lined up on two sides, and have one guy run through it while those on his sides attack him - often with weapons. In many cases the person 'running the gantlet' would not survive.

No idea when gauntlet became practically synonymous, but I expect it's one of those linguistic evolutions along the line of "I could care less." Gauntlets were gloves! So, I like their usage!

TIL... also, according to https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=gantlet, "A section of double railroad tracks formed by the temporary convergence of two otherwise parallel tracks in such a way that each set remains independent while traversing the same ground, affording passage at a narrow place without need of switching." - so a kind of gantlet which trains must run through (and if another train comes from the other direction, they probably also won't survive).

This should have had a Europa lander, and did for awhile.. NASA's JUICE.

I wouldn't to get any monoliths honked off.

  All these worlds are yours
  Except Europa
  Attempt no landing there

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