Editing 1243: Snare

{{comic
| number    = 1243
| date      = July 26, 2013
| title     = Snare
| image     = snare.png
| titletext = It's going in A collection of satellites skewered with pins and mounted in display boxes. Not necessarily MY collection.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic satirises the art of {{w|Insect_collecting‎|butterfly catching}}, which is typically done with a net on a long pole called a {{w|Butterfly_net|butterfly net}}. In this comic, Black Hat's contraption to catch an {{w|International Space Station}} (ISS) has just been discovered and is all over the news.

The giant ring from the first panel is the {{w|Tevatron}}, a former circular particle accelerator at the {{w|Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory}} (Fermilab), east of Batavia, near Chicago, Illinois

Although Black Hat does not specify the exact space station he wants to catch, it is probable that he plans to catch the ISS which has a mean orbital height of 260 miles. The ISS is the only international station in space, but he also can find a station build by China. It is currently operational in space and called {{w|Tiangong-1}} with a mean orbital height of 223 miles. Even if this comic occurs in the past, {{w|Mir}} is an unlikely target (~230 mi) or the {{w|Salyut|Salyuts}} (~150 mi) and {{w|Skylab}} was too high up (~273 mi). While he could possibly catch the space stations orbiting at a lower height, the effective aperture that the space station would need to pass through to be captured would be smaller as the net would have to be held at a lower angle, unless there is a mechanism for lowering the shaft into the mantle or shortening it while  being operated. This would greatly complicate operations. Also, it is unlikely that the ISS could survive such an impact as it would be disintegrated on impact.

The mechanics of retrieving the station is a gigantic winch in St. Louis, which refers to the 630-foot high {{w|Gateway Arch|Gateway Arch Monument}}. It is the tallest man-made monument in the United States.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to Black Hat. Black Hat is using a laptop.]
:Cueball: They said on the news that they found a giant ring lying in a field outside Chicago. Strung with some kind of superstrong mesh.
:Black Hat: Mhm?
:Cueball: Then they found a 260 mile long shaft connected to the ring, running from Chicago to St. Louis. In St. Louis they found a gigantic winch.
:Black Hat: Did they.
:Cueball: It sounds kind of like...
:Cueball: ...a butterfly net.
:Cueball: ...are you planning on catching the International Space Station?
:Black Hat: I'm planning to catch an International Space Station. Not sayin' which.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-This comic paints another one of [[Black Hat]]'s evil activities as an unlikely supervillain.
+This comic satirises the art of {{w|Insect_collecting‎|butterfly catching}}, which is typically done with a net on a long pole called a {{w|Butterfly_net|butterfly net}}. In this comic, Black Hat's contraption to catch an {{w|International Space Station}} (ISS) has just been discovered and is all over the news.
-As [[Cueball]] states, there have been some strange discoveries in the news including a gigantic ring strung with superstrong mesh, a long pole, and a gigantic {{w|winch}}. As Cueball outlines these items, Black Hat responds casually to each detail, seeming preoccupied with his computer. Cueball realizes that the pole, ring and net combination sounds like a {{w|butterfly net}}, albeit one of immense size. Given Black Hat's history of nefarious activities and the specific length of the pole (260 miles or 420 km, the same as the height of the International Space Station's orbit above Earth), Cueball infers and then accuses Black Hat of wanting to catch the {{w|International Space Station}} (ISS) by winching the pole up so that the Space Station orbit leads it to fly into the net, therefore catching it.
+The giant ring from the first panel is the {{w|Tevatron}}, a former circular particle accelerator at the {{w|Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory}} (Fermilab), east of Batavia, near Chicago, Illinois
-Black Hat does not deny the charge, but he dissimulates by saying it is not necessarily ''the'' ISS that he intends to catch, but just ''an'' international space station.  While his statement implies that it could be targeted at some other international space station, it is transparently obvious which one he is targeting since there's only one international space station in existence.{{citation needed}}  ''Any'' international space station that he can catch must be ''the'' ISS. (As for non-international space stations, the only one in orbit at the time of the comic’s publication was the Chinese {{w|Tiangong-1}}, which has since deorbited.)
+Although Black Hat does not specify the exact space station he wants to catch, it is probable that he plans to catch the ISS which has a mean orbital height of 260 miles. The ISS is the only international station in space, but he also can find a station build by China. It is currently operational in space and called {{w|Tiangong-1}} with a mean orbital height of 223 miles. Even if this comic occurs in the past, {{w|Mir}} is an unlikely target (~230 mi) or the {{w|Salyut|Salyuts}} (~150 mi) and {{w|Skylab}} was too high up (~273 mi). While he could possibly catch the space stations orbiting at a lower height, the effective aperture that the space station would need to pass through to be captured would be smaller as the net would have to be held at a lower angle, unless there is a mechanism for lowering the shaft into the mantle or shortening it while  being operated. This would greatly complicate operations. Also, it is unlikely that the ISS could survive such an impact as it would be disintegrated on impact.
-The title text is a reference to how {{w|Butterfly#Collecting.2C_recording.2C_and_rearing|butterfly collections}} are usually presented. The insects are mounted in glass display cases, each skewered through the body with a pin, and labeled. The text is spoken by Black Hat, who again tries to imply that he is not to blame, as it may not be meant for ''his'' collection of satellites. Perhaps he is just catching a space station for a friend.
+The mechanics of retrieving the station is a gigantic winch in St. Louis, which refers to the 630-foot high {{w|Gateway Arch|Gateway Arch Monument}}. It is the tallest man-made monument in the United States.
-The real buildings may belong to these structures:
-*The giant ring from the first panel may be an allusion to the {{w|Tevatron}}, a former circular particle accelerator at the {{w|Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory}} (Fermilab), east of {{w|Batavia, Illinois|Batavia}}, near {{w|Chicago}}, {{w|Illinois}}. It is a 6.86 km (4.26 miles) long ring, giving it a diameter of almost 2,2 km (1.4 miles) leaving plenty of room to catch the ISS which is "only" 108.5 m (356 ft) in the longest direction.
-*Similarly, the gigantic winch in {{w|St. Louis}}, may refer to the 630-foot (192 meters) high {{w|Gateway Arch}} monument. It is the tallest man-made monument in the United States.
-**Even the rough south-north direction of this building does match to this scenario because the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7b/Map_St_Louis_to_Fermilb.png Fermilab is approx. 240 miles north of St. Louis]. However, it is an arch, not a winch.{{Citation needed}}
 ==Transcript==
@@ Line 30: / Line 25: @@
 :Cueball: ...a butterfly net.
 :Cueball: ...are you planning on catching the International Space Station?
-:Black Hat: I'm planning to catch '''''an''''' international space station.
+:Black Hat: I'm planning to catch an International Space Station. Not sayin' which.
-:<sub>Black Hat: Not sayin' which.</sub>
 {{comic discussion}}
 [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
-[[Category:Space]]
-[[Category:Butterfly net]]