[JYoung]

Arguably, three people lost their heads this episode.

So "Eros" has left Venus, moved out to beyond Uranus, and become "The Ring".
Yes, it looks like a giant Stargate (and could be a prelude to an invasion).

And that was an interesting version of Highway Star that the racer was playing.
Belter version?

 

[robojerk]

The Expanse is being picked up by Amazon
'The Expanse' Moves to Amazon for Season 4

 

[cwerdna]

Jeff Bezos announces Amazon is picking up 'The Expanse' also echoes the above and has a tweet from Cas Avanar w/Jeff Bezos talking. YAY!!!!

That said, this ep was a real let down to me compared to some of the earlier eps in this season. And, I really didn't like the headbanger guy. Was he in the books?

I also had no idea that the nervous woman planting the explosives was

Spoiler

Clarissa Mao (TV)

until I stumbled across it the other day.

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

I also had no idea that the nervous woman planting the explosives was

Spoiler

Clarissa Mao (TV)

until I stumbled across it the other day.

Well, you wouldn't, since it hasn't been revealed in the show yet...

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
Thanks. I "spoilered" it now.

 

[madscientist]

At last the plot is moving on! I'm very excited. Also Miller reappears!

That said, this ep was a real let down to me compared to some of the earlier eps in this season. And, I really didn't like the headbanger guy. Was he in the books?

The "headbanger guy" is not really specific enough for me to know who you mean. Are you talking about the racing ship driving Belter? Luckily for you, if you didn't like him, he's clearly not going to be an ongoing character . He's important, though, since he gets the action moving around the Ring.

Yes, that bit of plot is almost straight out of the books, including the ending.

 

[cwerdna]

The "headbanger guy" is not really specific enough for me to know who you mean. Are you talking about the racing ship driving Belter? Luckily for you, if you didn't like him, he's clearly not going to be an ongoing character . He's important, though, since he gets the action moving around the Ring.

Yes, the racing guy who decided to fly thru the ring and lost his head. See? "Headbanger guy" was specific enough.

 

[JYoung]

There's really no need to lose your head over this.

 

[smbaker]

Yes, the racing guy who decided to fly thru the ring and lost his head. See? "Headbanger guy" was specific enough.

That whole scene reminded me a lot of the Epstein scene from season 2. Both guys flying solo. Both guys who gained fame at their time of death. The filmography of had a similar feel. The difference for me was in the personality of the pilot. I didn't care for the headbanger guy either, but I did like Epstein.

Any physics guys handy? Shouldn't such a rapid change in velocity have also crumpled the racer's ship?

 

[madscientist]

Any physics guys handy? Shouldn't such a rapid change in velocity have also crumpled the racer's ship?

It's alien technology. No physics people can comment

 

[smbaker]

It's alien technology. No physics people can comment

It was a human-built ship, and I'm sure one of our physics types could make an educated guess as to how fast it was traveling before and after it encountered the ring, based on what we were shown during the episode. From that you could calculate the forces that the pilot was subjected to.

I suppose the racing ship (including the pilot's chair and restraint system) was only designed to withstand acceleration in one direction. If you want to slow down, you rotate 180 and then slow down. So it's designed to support his head moving forward, but not backward.

 

[JYoung]

Eros was loaded with humans and technology.
How did it move out of it's orbit and all the way to Venus?

 

[JYoung]

I do wonder if we're going to see more Deep Purple covers in upcoming episodes.

I could see Amos rocking out to Space Truckin'.

 

[smbaker]

Eros was loaded with humans and technology.
How did it move out of it's orbit and all the way to Venus?

Something can move a great distance, consistent with our physics, even with people on it. It's acceleration that you have to limit if you want to keep humans alive. Perhaps the protomolecule is capable of engineering relatively mild acceleration, yet applying it for a long duration. You could build up a lot of velocity and still not pulp the humans and tech.

 

[JYoung]

What propulsion system did Eros use?

Also, if you recall, the Rocinante had to initiate a high G burn to try and catch up and they couldn't maintain an even acceleration curve with Eros, let alone a superior one. And it was taxing a trained space crew beyond their physical limits.

The point is, The Ring probably has similar unknown "technology".

 

[ej42137]

It was a human-built ship, and I'm sure one of our physics types could make an educated guess as to how fast it was traveling before and after it encountered the ring, based on what we were shown during the episode. From that you could calculate the forces that the pilot was subjected to.

I suppose the racing ship (including the pilot's chair and restraint system) was only designed to withstand acceleration in one direction. If you want to slow down, you rotate 180 and then slow down. So it's designed to support his head moving forward, but not backward.

It went from Saturn to beyond Uranus in a matter of months. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles per second, obviously. Many times faster than a rifle bullet. The physics of impact is essentially the same as a meteor impact, except much, much more violent. The racing ship would become a hot, dirty cloud of gas if it hit any material object, it wouldn't matter what.

However, what it hit was an alien something whose properties are understood in detail by just two people: James S. A. Corey. Only they could explain the physics of the impact.

 

[madscientist]

However, what it hit was an alien something whose properties are understood in detail by just two people: James S. A. Corey. Only they could explain the physics of the impact.

Yes. That's what I was trying to say. Thanks!

 

[Saturn_V]

Any physics guys handy? Shouldn't such a rapid change in velocity have also crumpled the racer's ship?

It will all become clear in upcoming episodes.

now to distract you with something shiny: SyFy actually promoting the show! (some spoilers ahead- ok if you've read the novels.)

These are 360 videos, click-and-drag to pan around.

 

[smbaker]

It will all become clear in upcoming episodes.

I've already read the books, though it was some time ago. I recall the "what" and the "why" becoming clear, but not necessarily a "how" that explains the death of the pilot but not the utter destruction of the ship. Maybe I need to spend some time re-reading.

Only they could explain the physics of the impact.

That's assuming they care about an explanation. They seem to be able to do a pretty good job of walking the fine line of a story that's truer to physics than many, yet takes sufficient liberties with reality to be interesting. Maybe they just felt the imagery of human pulping was superior to the imagery of total spacecraft obliteration.

 

[ej42137]

That's assuming they care about an explanation.

Perhaps you didn't read my post very carefully; I wrote "could", not "would".