explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:208: Regular Expressions

2016-11-26T20:18:53Z

173.245.52.116:

Hi, sorry about the previous "poor explanation". This one is pretty straight-forward (I think), given enough information about "regex"es and Perl. On a side-note, how did you find out the date for the comic? -- NariOx
:The explanation was mostly accurate, my gripe was with the fact that a number of fields were empty - the transcript, date and categories weren't done. You can find the date in the "all comics" page, accessible from the sidebar. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:26, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Grumble grumble*, email should be intrinsically treated as 7-bit ASCII. 200MB of email would be almost 210 million bytes, raw. Even assuming half of that is header overheads on top of a whole lot of short message bodies, that's a lot more characters still to processed than 5 million. Of course, if people send more complex data through common MIME extensions (or the old favourites of uuencoding, etc) so as to send extended characters and binary-attachments (including various compressed formats of data, but again needing significant overheads when not containing large documents within), then that reduces the amount of characters needing searching (but probably needs a few more "use <foo>::<bar>;" bits on your Perl code, in order to give you the tools to isolate such blocks and decode what's in them for further searching within). But things went downhill ever since people could start sending emails with fancy graphical signatures and backgrounds... Yeah, I'm an Old Fogey from the dark ages. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 00:00, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't think a regex can isolate an address, it has so many forms that it can not be considered regular language. This discussion comes to similar conclusions: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9397485/regex-street-address-match [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.117|108.162.246.117]] 05:41, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:It's an EMAIL address they're trying to match. Not quite obvious if you're not already thinking emails. At the same time, you COULD most likely catch a lot of the most common street address types, like 1234 Name Rd/St/Ave/etc. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.189|173.245.56.189]] 00:52, 30 January 2015 (UTC)
::No. "But to find them we'd need to search through 200MB of emails looking for something formatted like an address!" To '''find''' someone you need a physical address, not an email address. --[[Special:Contributions/197.234.242.240|197.234.242.240]] 14:48, 30 January 2015 (UTC)

The explanation misses the main point of the comic: a regex expert is so efficient he can solve a hard problem in a split second. Assuming, for instance, he jumped from 2 m high and he can type while he is less than 50 cm from the keyboard, he would have about .15 second to type. There's no way he could enter a long program implementing a complex algorithm but, according to Randall, this is sufficient to enter a compact regex that solves the problem.
In the title text, he is swinging back like a pendulum and using his new split-second typing opportunity to fix a bug in his initial regex. Zetfr 09:55, 20 May 2015 (UTC)

It's kinda funny that people are taking this so seriously when the comic itself (and the fact that it's in a comic) establishes this as a fantastical scenario. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 06:47, 30 June 2015 (UTC)

This is probably how they wrote Encyclopedia Brown. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.116|173.245.52.116]] 20:18, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

Talk:16: Monty Python -- Enough

2016-11-26T20:16:49Z

173.245.52.116:

An army of suicidal scotsmen are outside. They would like to object to your refusal to remember their plight. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:11, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Comic image broken
I'm hoping that someone else will notice this comment and fix it, since I'm not sure how to. --[[Special:Contributions/143.112.144.129|143.112.144.129]] 22:53, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
:fixed. [[Special:Contributions/59.167.244.130|59.167.244.130]] 03:57, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

People are always asking my why I spend so much time quoting Monty Python, but I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition! It's the meaning of life, Bruce. My mother just says "He's a very naughty boy!", but that might just be because I dress in women's clothing and hang around in bars. No, no, no, sorry, it's all getting too silly now. My brain hurts, and now for something completely different. It's... [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 16:52, 25 June 2013 (UTC) (PS., sorry for all this spam, spam, spam, spam and spam. Perhaps I should just have stripped naked and played with my organ, instead?)

"Always look on the bright side of life, always look on the right side of life." {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.223}}

In fairness, the urge to repeat things verbatim is the reason that The Odyssey, Beowulf, Cinderella, and countless other stories still exist. People aren't going to abandon the oral tradition just because it's become obsolete.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.69|108.162.216.69]] 19:50, 22 February 2015 (UTC)
:Yes I really took a hit here. At some point I could have been one of the guys who bored Randall with the quotes. But if you think something is funny, then to hell with why it is funny. I think the movie is also funny after ten viewings. So it doesn't have to be surprising to be fun. But I am all for surreal humor though. If I ever get together with like minded people I would not stop quoting the movie again. And to Randall: "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!" :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:26, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

:Effective surreal humour is very difficult to achieve (see joke about death above). As much can be said for any art. However, no one is surprised when the fans of a surrealist painter like Dali revisit a painting, time and again. This, despite the fact that only once do you get the impact of seeing a surreal painting for the first time. As for the Monty Python fans, they aren't quoting "with no context." Firstly, the quotes are a shibboleth which implicitly grant the speaker entrance into the club of surreal humour fans. And secondly, it's an explicit sharing of the joy these comedy routines have brought people. It may not be as creative as inventing original material but, for most people who aren't Terry Gilliam, it's as close as they can get. Still, an overdose of fanboy/girl enthusiasm can sometimes cause a headache. If you know such a person, be kind to them. Get them something nice. Perhaps, a lovely shrubbery. --[[User:David.poole.9000|DP9000]] ([[User talk:David.poole.9000|talk]]) 12:44, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the new Category:Multiple Cueballs. Since there is really only one Cueball that "talks" I think it is relevant to keep him listed as Cueball. Just made a note that the other two guys also looks like Cueball.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:43, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

This could also apply to asdfmovie. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.116|173.245.52.116]] 20:16, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

572: Together

2015-08-02T02:41:20Z

173.245.52.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =572
| date =April 22, 2009
| title =Together
| image =together.png
| titletext =This scavenger hunt is getting boring. Let's go work on the treehouse!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] run away from Cueball's two friends when they are very young. They fall in love, get married, and grow old together. At the end he leaves his wife - without saying goodbye or explaining why he leaves. He returns to the same place where he left his two friends that has been waiting on him with the list they also had in the first picture. And we finally learn, that being happy was just another thing crossed off Cueball's list of what is presumably the longest-duration scavenger hunt of all-time, considering Cueball grew quite old before ever completing that step on the list. And when he did - he just got up and left his lifelong wife... Because now he was ready for the next item on the list.

The title of the comic is probably a reference to the saying that you find happiness ''together'' with your loved ones. So after finding a penny and a snake skin he had to get married and old to be able to find happiness. Next he needs to find a Four-leaf clover, a shark tooth and something obscured by the speech bubble to continue the hunt.

The treehouse reference in the title text is another example of a common childhood activity. Naturally, the intended mental image is a bunch of old men building a treehouse and living and playing in it like six year olds. And also typical for children to tire of a game before it is finished. Except here he already spend a lifetime on just one point!

==Transcript==
:Cueball and Megan are running in a field, holding hands. Another male and female stand in the background, next to a table.]
:[Cueball and Megan are in a boat on a lake, very romantic. Cueball is speaking to Megan, illustrated with a heart.]
:[Cueball and Megan sit together on a bench on a beach, watching the sunset.]
:[Cueball and Megan stand at an altar. They have married.]
:[Cueball and Megan, having grown old together, sit together on their doorstep, holding hands.]
:[Cueball begins walking away with his cane.]
:Megan: Dear? Where are you--Come back!
:Cueball approaches the other couple from the first panel, who are now just as old.]
:[Cueball picks up a piece of paper from the table in the first panel and begins to write.]
:Cueball: Okay,
:[The paper is shown: a scavenger hunt list. "Happiness"; has just been checked off.]
:Cueball: What's next?
:[Full list:
:SCAVENGER HUNT:
:[X] Indian-head penny
:[X] Snake skin
:[X] Happiness
:[ ] Four-leaf clover
:[ ] Shark tooth
:[The next item is blocked by the speech balloon.] What's next?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Wedding]]

509: Induced Current

2015-08-02T02:28:41Z

173.245.52.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 509
| date = November 26, 2008
| title = Induced Current
| image = induced current.png
| titletext = The MythBusters need to tackle whether a black hole from the LHC could REALLY destroy the world.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is exaggerating the effects of the physics stated. Solar flares eject, among other things, ions, electrons and radiation. The charged particles reach Earth after a day or two, and in history has knocked the power out in some areas during a large flare. They can marginally affect the magnetic field of Earth, or dent it, as [[Cueball]] says. A voltage occurs in a conductor (the wire) when subjected to a changing magnetic field. However, this change is small and influences very long conductors, such as telephone lines.

Interestingly, phenomena as described by Cueball have occurred several times in recorded history, with effects quite nearly like those described, most notably the Carrington event of 1859. In 1859, a {{w|Solar storm of 1859|solar storm}} produced a series of powerful geomagnetic storms across the world, and many telegraph operators reported electrical phenomena (electric shock from the apparatus, messages sent and received despite disconnect from power sources, and pylons carrying telegraph lines sparking and arcing with current) all across North America. For this to occur in shorter conductors, (e.g., Beret guy's extension cord,) a solar storm would have to be so destructively large as to pose far more danger than just fires. The chances of such a solar event occurring again are not prohibitively small, though quite infrequent, and the last one, of comparative size and strength, was recorded in {{w|Solar storm of 2012|2012}}.

{{w|Mythbusters}} is a show which tests urban legends or myths that viewers submit. They have a classic style of scaling up myths to comical sizes. By starting the myth that a fire would be formed from the large voltage across the wire induced by the Earth's magnetic field, Cueball hopes to see it tested on Mythbusters, and perhaps then scaled up to astronomical proportions. This comic may also reference how Mythbusters is running out of urban legends to test, and has resorted to testing the feasibility of viral videos, movie scenes, proverbs and the like, plus occasionally making up urban legends.

The title text refers to the {{w|Large Hadron Collider|Large Hadron Collider (LHC)}}, the most powerful particle collider in the world and the fear of some people of the production of stable {{w|Micro black hole|microscopic black holes}} destroying the Earth.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy, extension cord in hand, approaches Cueball as he works at his computer.]
:Beret Guy: Can I plug my extension cord over here?
:Cueball: No.
:Beret Guy: Why?
:Cueball: Solar Flares.
:[A diagram is displayed, illustrating the Earth's magnetic field being permanently impacted by a large solar flare (represented by a large arrow).]
:[A second diagram is presented, illustrating the Earth's rotation and the resulting impact that the solar flare would have on the earth's magnetic field.]
:Cueball: A large solar flare could dent the Earth's magnetic field inwards. The Earth's spin could then induce a strong current in any long conductors, melting them and starting fires. By extending your cord, you could kill us all.
:[Stunned, Beret Guy looks down at the cord he carries.]
:Beret Guy: Really?
:Cueball: Warn your friends.
:[Dejected, the man walks away, cord in tow.]
:[Cueball looks up from his computer as he is braced by Megan, a stern look in her face.]
:Megan: That was mean.
:Cueball: Listen, ''somebody'' has to keep Mythbusters in business. Next season should be fun.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Physics]]

742: Campfire

2015-07-30T15:16:17Z

173.245.52.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 742
| date = May 19, 2010
| title = Campfire
| image = campfire.png
| titletext = 100 years later, this story remains terrifying--not because it's the local network block, but because the killer is on IPv4.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is telling a scary story to kids by the campfire about a killer. It seems as if the main character was able to trace the killer's computer to a local address (most likely one in her own house). 192.168/16 refers to the subnet the computer is on. The 192.168/16 subnet is reserved for private networks and traffic to or from addresses on that subnet and will not be routed by most internet-facing routers. Most home networks that are behind a router usually have addresses such as 192.168.0.xx or 192.168.1.xx and use {{w|Network Address Translation|NAT}} to present different addresses to the rest of the internet. The scenario in the campfire story would be analogous to an office phone's caller-ID showing the call coming from an internal extension.

The title text claims that this is scary as the killer is on {{w|IPv4}}. Currently the number of available IPv4 addresses are dwindling. There are plans to replace the addresses with IPv6, which will largely increase the number of available addresses. In 100 years it would be very (technologically) scary for someone to still be using IPv4. This would be analogous to receiving a message by telegram today, rather than as an email or SMS message.

Cueball's story is likely based on the horror movie ''{{w|When a Stranger Calls (1979 film)|When a Stranger Calls}}'' (released in 1979, and {{w|When a Stranger Calls (2006 film)|re-made in 2006}}) or another version of the {{w|The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs|legend the movie was based on}}. All have a similar basic plot: the killer calls the victim at home; when traced, [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheCallsAreComingFromInsideTheHouse the call is coming from a phone inside the victim's home].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and three children are around a campfire at night. Cueball is standing up, with a flashlight under his face.]
:Cueball: But when she traced the killer's IP address... it was in the 192.168/16 block!
:Children: ''Gasp!''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]

742: Campfire

2015-07-30T15:12:31Z

173.245.52.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 742
| date = May 19, 2010
| title = Campfire
| image = campfire.png
| titletext = 100 years later, this story remains terrifying--not because it's the local network block, but because the killer is on IPv4.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is telling a scary story to kids by the campfire about a killer. It seems as if the main character was able to trace the killer's computer to a local address (most likely one in her own house). 192.168/16 refers to the subnet the computer is on. The 192.168/16 subnet is reserved for private networks and traffic to or from addresses on that subnet and will not be routed by most internet-facing routers. Most home networks that are behind a router usually have addresses such as 192.168.0.xx or 192.168.1.xx and use {{w|Network Address Translation|NAT}} to present a different address to the rest of the internet. The scenario in the campfire story would be analogous to an office phone's caller-ID showing the call coming from an internal extension.

The title text claims that this is scary as the killer is on {{w|IPv4}}. Currently the number of available IPv4 addresses are dwindling. There are plans to replace the addresses with IPv6, which will largely increase the number of available addresses. In 100 years it would be very (technologically) scary for someone to still be using IPv4. This would be analogous to receiving a message by telegram today, rather than as an email or SMS message.

Cueball's story is likely based on the horror movie ''{{w|When a Stranger Calls (1979 film)|When a Stranger Calls}}'' (released in 1979, and {{w|When a Stranger Calls (2006 film)|re-made in 2006}}) or another version of the {{w|The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs|legend the movie was based on}}. All have a similar basic plot: the killer calls the victim at home; when traced, [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheCallsAreComingFromInsideTheHouse the call is coming from a phone inside the victim's home].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and three children are around a campfire at night. Cueball is standing up, with a flashlight under his face.]
:Cueball: But when she traced the killer's IP address... it was in the 192.168/16 block!
:Children: ''Gasp!''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]

742: Campfire

2015-07-30T15:11:36Z

173.245.52.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 742
| date = May 19, 2010
| title = Campfire
| image = campfire.png
| titletext = 100 years later, this story remains terrifying--not because it's the local network block, but because the killer is on IPv4.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is telling a scary story to kids by the campfire about a killer. It seems as if the main character was able to trace the killer's computer to a local address (most likely one in her own house). 192.168/16 refers to the subnet the computer is on. The 192.168/16 subnet is reserved for private networks and traffic to or from addresses on that subnet that will not be routed by most internet-facing routers. Most home networks that are behind a router usually have addresses such as 192.168.0.xx or 192.168.1.xx and use {{w|Network Address Translation|NAT}} to present a different address to the rest of the internet. The scenario in the campfire story would be analogous to an office phone's caller-ID showing the call coming from an internal extension.

The title text claims that this is scary as the killer is on {{w|IPv4}}. Currently the number of available IPv4 addresses are dwindling. There are plans to replace the addresses with IPv6, which will largely increase the number of available addresses. In 100 years it would be very (technologically) scary for someone to still be using IPv4. This would be analogous to receiving a message by telegram today, rather than as an email or SMS message.

Cueball's story is likely based on the horror movie ''{{w|When a Stranger Calls (1979 film)|When a Stranger Calls}}'' (released in 1979, and {{w|When a Stranger Calls (2006 film)|re-made in 2006}}) or another version of the {{w|The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs|legend the movie was based on}}. All have a similar basic plot: the killer calls the victim at home; when traced, [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheCallsAreComingFromInsideTheHouse the call is coming from a phone inside the victim's home].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and three children are around a campfire at night. Cueball is standing up, with a flashlight under his face.]
:Cueball: But when she traced the killer's IP address... it was in the 192.168/16 block!
:Children: ''Gasp!''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]

1461: Payloads

2015-07-26T02:25:39Z

173.245.52.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1461
| date = December 17, 2014
| title = Payloads
| image = payloads.png
| titletext = With a space elevator, a backyard full of solar panels could launch about 500 horses per year, and a large power plant could launch 10 horses per minute.
}}

A larger version of the image can be found [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/payloads_large.png here].

==Explanation==
This comic is an infographic representing the launch mass of various spacecraft and artificial satellites, and the {{w|Low Earth orbit|low Earth orbit}} payload capacity of various space launch vehicles. Rather than using standard units of mass such as kilograms or pounds, Randall has assigned values based on the mass of a horse. Based on cross checking researched masses and payloads with the number of horses depicted, it appears that one horse unit is defined as 450 kg (with an average of 432.82
kg), or perhaps 1000 lb. In cases where the mass is less than one horse, an alternative measure of dogs has been used, where one dog appears to be roughly 40 kg (with an average of 48.05kg, or perhaps 100lb.). In the case of {{w|Vanguard 1}}, even a dog is too large a measure, so instead the unit squirrel is used to represent its 1.47 (3.5lb.?) kg mass.

The overall comic may be an allusion to {{w|horsepower}}, a similar-sounding but completely different concept. Horsepower is a measurement of {{w|power (physics)|power}} ({{w|work (physics)|work}} per unit time). Another commonly referenced unit for power is the {{w|watt}}. 1 horsepower is meant to be approximately the amount of power a horse can deliver. In contrast, Randall uses the horse to measure {{w|mass}} (of particular spacecraft, and of the maximum payload launch vehicles can carry).

The top pane of the comic (black background) shows the mass of various spacecraft, while the bottom (white background) shows the payload capacity (to low Earth orbit) of launch vehicles. Along the bottom of the image is a timeline, relating to the launch date of the entries.

There are also several joke insertions:
*T-Rex - A dinosaur, but fairly unlikely to be found orbiting Earth.
*Pegasus - An actual {{w|Pegasus (rocket)|launch vehicle}}, but also the name of a {{w|Pegasus|mythical flying stallion}}. The payload is given as "one Pegasus", which comes out to be slightly less than "one horse".
*Atlas-Centaur - Again, an actual {{w|Atlas-Centaur|launch vehicle}}, but also a reference to the half-human half-horse creatures of Greek mythology. The payload is given in "centaurs", which come out to be slightly more than "horses".
*1981 {{w|Oldsmobile}} - Not a launch vehicle, but in fact a car. The payload is given as 4 horses, which may relate to the carrying capacity (by weight) of the Oldsmobile, not the ability of an Oldsmobile to launch that payload into low Earth orbit.

The Pegasus, 1981 Oldsmobile, and Stratolaunch spacecraft are depicted horizontally, because these vehicles launch from a horizontal starting position and use forward momentum to facilitate their launch.

An unlabelled launch vehicle is shown below the H-IIA near 2002. From the payload and date it is believed to represent the {{w|Delta IV#Delta IV Medium|Delta IV M}}. Whether its lack of labelling is intended or a mistake in unknown.

The title text refers to a favourite subject of Randall's - The {{w|space elevator}}. A space elevator is a (currently theoretical) mechanism for travelling into space, consisting of a very long (>35,000km) cable and counterweight connected to the Earth at the equator. The cable rotates at the same rate as the earth, and thus appears stationary when viewed from earth. It is then possible to climb the cable into space, and even use it as a slingshot to launch vehicles.

In the title text, the amount of power required to lift a horse into space has been investigated, with the launch capacity of a back yard solar array and large power station compared. A rudimentary (and possibly incorrect) calculation in the discussion section puts the required power output of the solar array at 315kW and the power station at 3.3GW.

===Tables===
The tables below contain data relating to each entry on the comic image.

*Name - Should be as shown in the comic
*Launch date - Date of first flight
*Mass/payload (horses) - Value as given in comic
*Mass/payload (kg) - Independently researched value

Where the researched launch date or mass/payload don't seem to match the comic, they should be identified with ?

{|
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!colspan="4"|Spacecraft mass
|-
!Spacecraft
!Launch date ''{{w|ISO 8601}}''
!Mass (horses)
!Mass (kg)
|-
|{{w|Sputnik 1|Sputnik}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/sputnik1.htm]
|1957-10-04
|2 Dogs
|83.6
|-
|{{w|Vanguard 1}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/vanuard1.htm]
|1958-03-17
|Squirrel
|1.47
|-
|{{w|Pioneer 5}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/pioneer5.htm]
|1960-03-11
|Large Dog
|43
|-
|{{w|Venera 1}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/venra1va.htm]
|1961-02-12
|1
|643.5
|-
|{{w|Mariner 2}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/marner12.htm]
|1962-08-27
|3 Dogs
|202.8
|-
|{{w|Apollo Command/Service Module|Apollo}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/apolocsm.htm]
|1964-05-28
|67
|30,329
|-
|{{w|Venera 7}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/ven3vv70.htm]
|1970-08-17
|3
|1,180
|-
|{{w|Pioneer 10}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/pior1011.htm]
|1972-03-03
|7 Dogs
|258.8
|-
|{{w|Skylab}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/skylab.htm]
|1973-05-14
|171
|77,088
|-
|{{w|Venera 9}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/venra4v1.htm]
|1975-06-08
|11
|4,936
|-
|{{w|Voyager 2}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/voyager.htm]
|1977-08-20
|2
|800
|-
|{{w|Space Shuttle|Shuttle (Total)}}[http://www.braeunig.us/space/specs/orbiter.htm]
|1981-04-12
|206
|104,328?
|-
|{{w|Space Shuttle|Shuttle (Payload)}}
|1981-04-12
|54
|24,400
|-
|{{w|Mir}}
|1986-02-20
|288
|129,700
|-
|T-Rex
|N/A
|15
|6,800
|-
|{{w|Hubble}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/hst.htm]
|1990-04-24
|25
|11,110
|-
|{{w|Compton Gamma Ray Observatory}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/gro.htm]
|1991-04-05
|38
|17,000
|-
|{{w|Corona_(satellite)|Keyhole 3}}†
|1961
|40
|1150
|-
|{{w|International Space Station}}
|1998
|932
|450,000
|-
|{{w|Cassini-Huygens|Cassini}}
|1997-10-15
|11
|5,300
|-
|{{w|Huygens (spacecraft)|Huygens Lander}}
|1997-10-15
|1
|319
|-
|{{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}}
|2004-03-02
|6
|2,900
|-
|{{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity}}
|2003-07-07
|5 Dogs
|185
|-
|{{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dawn.htm]
|2007-09-27
|3
|1,240
|-
|{{w|TerreStar-1|Terrastar}}*
|2009-07-01
|15
|6,910
|-
|{{w|Dragon (spacecraft)|Dragon}}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dragon.htm]
|2010-06-04
|17
|8,000
|-
|{{w|Tiangong-1}}
|2011-09-29
|19
|8,506
|-
|{{w|Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity}}
|2011-11-26
|2
|900
|-
|{{w|KH-7 Gambit|Keyhole 7}}†
|1963-07-12
|40
|2000
|-
|{{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion (Capsule)}}
|2014-12-05
|20
|8,913
|-
|{{w|James Webb Space Telescope|James Webb Telescope}}
|2018-08 (Projected)
|14
|6,200
|-
|{{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion}}
|2014-12-05
|20
|8,913
|-
|{{w|Orion Service Module}}
|2017 (Projected)
|25
|12,000
|-
|{{w|Deep Space Habitat|Orion Deep Space Habitat}}
|2021 (Projected)
|65
|28,750 & 45,573
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Terrastar is believed to be a mis-spelling of {{w|TerreStar-1|TerreStar}}, based on its mass and launch date.

<nowiki>†</nowiki>Keyhole 3 and 7 seem to be errors; Keyhole 3 satellites were launched between 1961 and 1962 and Keyhole 7 between 1963 and 1967. 
The dates and masses in the comic more closely correspond to the {{w|KH-11 Kennan|Keyhole 11}}.
|

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!colspan="4"|Launch vehicle capacity
|-
!Spacecraft
!Launch date ''{{w|ISO 8601}}''
!Payload (horses)
!Payload (kg)
|-
|{{w|Sputnik (rocket)|Sputnik Launcher}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/spuk71ps.htm]
|1957-10-04
|1
|500
|-
|{{w|Thor-Able|Thor}}
|1958-04-24
|3 Dogs
|120
|-
|{{w|Mercury-Atlas}}
|1960-07-29
|3
|1,360
|-
|{{w|Saturn I}}
|1961-10-27
|20
|9,070
|-
|{{w|Proton-K}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/protonk.htm]
|1967-03-10?
|44
|19,760
|-
|{{w|Atlas-Centaur}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/atlntaur.htm]
|1962-05-08
|8 Centaurs
|3,630
|-
|{{w|Titan IIIA}}
|1964-09-01
|7
|3,100
|-
|{{w|Saturn IB}}
|1966-02-26
|45
|21,000
|-
|{{w|Soyuz (rocket)|Soyuz}}
|1966-11-28
|14
|6,450
|-
|{{w|Saturn V}}
|1967-11-09
|262
|118,000
|-
|{{w|Black Arrow}}
|1969-06-27
|4 Dogs
|135
|-
|{{w|N1 (rocket)|N1}}
|1969-02-21
|211
|90,000?
|-
|{{w|Long March 1}}
|1969-11-16
|2
|300*
|-
|{{w|N-I (rocket)|N-I}}
|1975-09-09
|4
|1,200?
|-
|{{w|Delta 0100|Delta 0900}}
|1972-07-23
|3
|1,300
|-
|{{w|Ariane 1}}
|1979-12-24
|3
|1,400
|-
|{{w|Satellite Launch Vehicle|SLV}}
|1979-08-10
|1 Dog
|40
|-
|{{w|N-II (rocket)|N-II}}
|1981-02-11
|4
|2,000
|-
|{{w|Oldsmobile#1970s-1980s|1981 Oldsmobile}}
|1981
|4
|N/A (Model dependent)
|-
|{{w|ASLV}}
|1987-03-24
|4 Dogs
|150
|-
|{{w|Long March 4A}}
|1988-09-06
|9
|4,000
|-
|{{w|Ariane 4}}
|1988-06-15
|16
|5,000-7,600?
|-
|{{w|Shavit}}
|1988-09-19
|6 Dogs
|350-800?
|-
|{{w|Energia}}
|1987-05-15
|218
|100,000*
|-
|{{w|Pegasus (rocket)|Pegasus}}
|1990-04-05
|1 Pegasus
|443
|-
|{{w|Atlas I}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/atlasi.htm]
|1990-07-25
|13
|3,630?
|-
|{{w|PSLV}}
|1993-09-20
|8
|3250
|-
|{{w|J-I}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/j1.htm]
|1996-02-11
|2
|850
|-
|{{w|Long March 3B}}
|1996-02-14
|27
|12,000
|-
|{{w|H-IIA}}
|2001-08-29
|22
|10,000
|-
|(unlabelled) {{w|Delta IV#Delta IV Medium|Delta IV M}}?*
|2002-09-20
|21
|4200-6882
|-
|{{w|Delta IV Heavy|Delta IV-H}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/delheavy.htm]
|2004-12-21
|64
|28,790
|-
|{{w|Falcon 1}}
|2006-03-24
|1
|670 (Proposed)
|-
|{{w|Ariane 5#Variants|Ariane 5ES}}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/arine5es.htm]
|2008-03-09
|47
|21,000
|-
|{{w|H-IIB}}
|2009-09-10
|37
|19,000?
|-
|{{w|Unha}}
|2009-04-05
|2 Dogs
|100[http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/nwgs/Wright-Analysis-of-NK-launcher-3-18-09.pdf]
|-
|{{w|Atlas V|Atlas V 541}}
|2011-11-26
|38
|17,443[http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/ssc/cls/AVUG_Rev11_March2010.pdf]
|-
|{{w|Falcon 9}}
|2013-09-29
|29
|13,150
|-
|{{w|Antares (rocket)|Antares}}
|2013-04-21
|14
|6,120
|-
|{{w|Stratolaunch carrier aircraft|Stratolaunch}}
|2016 (Projected)
|14
|6,100
|-
|{{w|Falcon Heavy}}
|2015 (Projected)
|118
|53,000
|-
|{{w|Space Launch System|SLS Block 1}}
|2018-11 (Projected)
|156
|70,000[http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/664158main_sls_fs_master.pdf]
|-
|{{w|Space Launch System|SLS Block 1B}}
|2021 (Projected)
|217
|100,000?
|-
|{{w|Space Launch System|SLS Block 2}}
| 2030's (Projected)
|289
|130,000[http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/664158main_sls_fs_master.pdf]
|}

*The unlabelled launch vehicle is believed to be the Delta IV M, based on its payload and date.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Space]]