posted
They mention the recycling system in the second scene of the show. The recycling system is working fine, according to the computer, with no leaks. But they were losing water anyway. The entire point was to obtain some water—any water—to add to their reserves so they don't run out.
And for comparison, they said that they'd started out with twice the reserves when they arrived. Considering that the show takes place about a week after the pilot, that's certainly a pretty large drop. But the fact that they could only bring back about 500L is certainly better than nothing. Especially if they could maintain that water themselves outside the Destiny's systems.
Maybe it would only be another five days' worth of water, but then that's five days for them to last until they reach another Stargate...
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
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Daniel Butler
I'm a Singapore where is my boat
Member # 1689
posted
If 500L is five days, then 40,000 liters is 400 days. I maintain that it's silly to go risk your life for a drop of water when you have a bukkit. Maybe that's why I'm not in command of any secret off-world military installations...
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"If 500L is five days, then 40,000 liters is 400 days."
No, as far as they knew, 40 000 L was about a week, because it was inside the ship's tanks, where the water was vanishing at a rate of about 40 000 L/week.
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posted
But they also didn't know the cause of the disappearing water. So yeah, 40,000L disappeared in about a week. But if they used their own equipment to manage the water they retrieved, there was a logical chance that they could maintain their own supply separate from the Destiny equipment.
It wouldn't have actually worked, of course, seeing how those bugs would've found the water anyway. But what would you suggest they do? Give up?
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
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posted
Exactly. If you're trapped on the 50th floor of a burning building you can either stay put and die then and there or jump out the window and spend the extra 10 - 20 seconds figuring out a solution to the next problem (i.e. the ground that's rushing up to meet you.)
They knew their water was disappearing at an alarming rate so they needed to do something buy themselves time. As for risking lives over it, well that comes the the territory and in utterly pragmatic terms, if someone is killed then that's less water being consumed and more time to solve the problem.
Daniel Butler
I'm a Singapore where is my boat
Member # 1689
posted
quote:Originally posted by TSN:
"If 500L is five days, then 40,000 liters is 400 days."
No, as far as they knew, 40 000 L was about a week, because it was inside the ship's tanks, where the water was vanishing at a rate of about 40 000 L/week.
No, no no...I....the BUGS ate 40,000L in a week. The PEOPLE would have survived much longer on that.
Anyway, nevermind. I think I'll just say "I find it silly that they'd bother to risk the lives of their command staff for a chip of ice when they have a swimming pool, even if half the pool mysteriously disappeared, instead of sending some lackeys" and leave it at that.
(And, incidentally and unrelatedly, I'd wait on the 50th floor for rescue instead of jumping - I don't care if you have ten *minutes*, you're not going to figure out how to fly.)
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Daniel Butler
I'm a Singapore where is my boat
Member # 1689
posted
Maybe I'm just weird, but I would never risk my life on an alien world in an ancient space suit to buy a few 'nother days. Not unless those few days were actually imminent. Maybe I'm a coward or something, but it seemed reckless to me. And they should have at least sent someone who wasn't the entire top of the military chain of command.
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"No, no no...I....the BUGS ate 40,000L in a week."
But, they didn't know that, yet. All they knew was that the water was vanishing. If they couldn't figure out how to make it stop, they would run out in a week. So, they grabbed some ice, giving them a few extra days in which they might be able to, say, find a planet with much easier access to water.
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posted
And to further TSN's argument, they didn't know when the ship would get to the next planet that had water.
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
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