`Da Elfelfin@mstdn.social
Oct 3, 2026, 9:40 PMAndrogoneous Spacecraft docking because neither the US or Russia wanted to be the "Female" docking part.
I know a lot of stupid Space shit, but I was today years old when I learned this.
Replies
Oct 3, 2026, 9:57 PM@elfin more horrifying than hilarious TBH
Woozle Hypertwinwoozle@toot.catOct 4, 2026, 12:44 AMIt makes logistical sense to me -- if the ports have genders, then every docking has to be heteronormative. What happens if two ships just wanna cuddle? Or if you want to expand your space-station by docking it with another space-station?
(Gendered docking means you automatically fail the Space Bechdel Test, every time... for all humankind...)
This would be a post about USB connectors, except that's even worse.- Oct 4, 2026, 1:32 AM
@woozle @elfin the horrifying part is how they arrived at the answer, since it reveals misogyny is load bearing in both international politics & science, & that there's so little resistance to misogyny that such a reveal simply gets laughed away. None of this is new or anything, but it's still horrifying to see.
DynomDynom@chaos.socialOct 4, 2026, 7:05 AM@vex @woozle @elfin Looking at connectors, the extruding part is the more complex and error prone to build and neither trusted eachother to build the complex part.
A connector is not an airlock, sure. However, to me, that sounds far more logical than neither wanting to be called the girl in the relationship.
Yes it's being suggested like this in the video, but reality is never that simple, in a team of dozens of people building something as complex as an *airlock*.
- Woozle Hypertwinwoozle@toot.catOct 4, 2026, 1:15 PM
weit_im_westenweit_im_westen@nrw.socialOct 3, 2026, 9:59 PM@elfin
I new it from the "for all mankind" tv series...- `Da Elfelfin@mstdn.socialOct 3, 2026, 10:07 PM
@weit_im_westen Must have missed that.
AndresAndres4NY@social.ridetrans.itOct 4, 2026, 6:58 AM@weit_im_westen @elfin I thought they'd made that up (for humor/plot) until this thread!
Lokomotiv Morbierlokomorbier@piaille.frOct 3, 2026, 10:25 PM@elfin soviet aircraft (they/them)
- `Da Elfelfin@mstdn.socialOct 3, 2026, 10:45 PM
eestileib (she/hers)eestileib@tech.lgbtOct 3, 2026, 11:15 PMIt's not hilarious, it's sad.
Hell PlasterElleaster@ohai.socialOct 3, 2026, 11:27 PM@elfin Ridiculous
Oct 3, 2026, 11:36 PMI don't understand why anyone said that was the reason rather than just saying "we want it to be symmetrical so we can also use the system for docking with our own spacecraft" and pretending that's the real reason even if they don't ever use it that way.
eclexictheeclecticdyslexic@mstdn.socialOct 3, 2026, 11:42 PM
Oct 4, 2026, 12:20 AM@theeclecticdyslexic @gbargoud @elfin
Agreed. It seems the most logical design, given that you can’t be sure who will need to dock with whom in the future.
Oct 4, 2026, 7:23 AM- Oct 4, 2026, 10:39 AM
DrYakdryak@mstdn.scienceOct 4, 2026, 12:02 PM@gbargoud @leeloo @elfin crazy personal theory:
- the actual scientist/engineer in charge with the design of the airlock actually thought that a symmetrical system would best best because it would universally allow any-to-any docking which would be very practical and reusable going forward in the space program.[...]
- DrYakdryak@mstdn.scienceOct 4, 2026, 12:02 PM
Lambdalambda@chaosfurs.socialOct 4, 2026, 9:20 AM- `Da Elfelfin@mstdn.socialOct 4, 2026, 9:00 PM
- Lambdalambda@chaosfurs.socialOct 4, 2026, 9:18 PM
@elfin I know why I don't
- Oct 4, 2026, 9:08 PM
StarkRG@myside-yourside.netOct 8, 2026, 5:21 PM@gbargoud @elfin I don't think NASA continued using that kind of docking system after Apollo-Soyuz. Roscosmos did but, while they have always been secretive about their decisions, NASA has a policy of being open about it (which is why we know about Gemini III's contraband sandwich and Apollo 10's rogue turd).
There's a great segment about the development of Apollo-Soyuz in For All Mankind's second season. (sadly the show doesn't include the sandwich or the turd)
Nonya BidnissNonya_Bidniss@infosec.exchangeOct 3, 2026, 11:40 PM@elfin honestly women should run the world and we wouldn't have so much stupid shit going on
and p.s. trans women are women
Remy Whisker :transgender:remywhisker@mastodon.socialOct 4, 2026, 4:54 AM@Nonya_Bidniss @elfin The scissoring port
Oct 3, 2026, 11:45 PM@elfin @dannotdaniel “So it’s like fingers coming together”. So scissoring?
Oct 4, 2026, 10:57 AM@chris @elfin @dannotdaniel Anderson Pole connectors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_Powerpole?wprov=sfla1
ɹ uɐp :antifascism:dannotdaniel@hellions.cloudOct 4, 2026, 3:26 PM- `Da Elfelfin@mstdn.socialOct 4, 2026, 8:39 PM
@dannotdaniel @mcr314 @chris And yet it is androgynous. People.
- `Da Elfelfin@mstdn.socialOct 4, 2026, 8:38 PM
@chris @dannotdaniel *Ballistic Coffee* 😂😂😂
lizzzzardlizzard@social.tchncs.deOct 4, 2026, 12:10 AM@elfin shows how respected it was to be the "female part of something". Guys seriously need to stop thinking about dicks all the time.
Squeesquee@mastodon.nzOct 4, 2026, 6:43 AM- lizzzzardlizzard@social.tchncs.deOct 4, 2026, 7:13 AM
Oct 4, 2026, 2:34 PM
drukacdrukac@mementomori.socialOct 4, 2026, 12:25 AM@elfin
Ships are ususally given female names but they didn't want a female docking port. How odd, how...what's the word I'm looking for here?
ozengozeng@aus.socialOct 4, 2026, 2:24 AM
Jean-François Mezeijfmezei@cosocial.caOct 4, 2026, 12:27 AM@elfin @sundogplanets APAS was less about female/male but about control issues so that either side could uncouple from the other as opposed to depending on other side being fundtional to undock. Imagine you are docked to a station, but it is without power and its docking motors are not functional.
or in Apollo/Soyuz, having USA depend on Russia's permission to undock and risk of Soviet Union keeping americans hostage until certain conditions met. (or vice versa).
Oct 4, 2026, 9:26 AM@jfmezei @elfin @sundogplanets
Apollo/Soyuz docked twice, so they could each have a turn of the "active" role- Jean-François Mezeijfmezei@cosocial.caOct 4, 2026, 9:53 AM
@sabik @elfin @sundogplanets This is more about a case of an emergency to ensure you can undock if the other side is disabled.
- Oct 4, 2026, 10:10 AM
@jfmezei @elfin @sundogplanets
Both sides could jettison the entire APAS, Apollo because it was in place of the LEM, Soyuz because they made special arrangements "in case of malfunction"The two dockings very specifically exchanged the "active" and "passive" roles
WesDymwesdym@mastodon.socialOct 4, 2026, 11:20 PM@sabik Later, the Canadarm was created to add reach-around capability.
GhostOnTheHalfShellGhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.aiOct 4, 2026, 12:27 AMCucklicious
- `Da Elfelfin@mstdn.socialOct 4, 2026, 9:18 PM
MedusaSkirtmedusaskirt@mastodon.socialOct 4, 2026, 12:43 AM@elfin I once again submit my petition, to change all electronic and mechanical references of "male" and "female" to "peg" and "hole".
- eestileib (she/hers)eestileib@tech.lgbtOct 4, 2026, 2:21 AM
It's not like there is any loss of implication and it's so much more inclusive!
The Orange Themetheorangetheme@en.osm.townOct 4, 2026, 3:39 AM@medusaskirt @elfin That embarrassing moment when you find out you both wanted to be the hole. 😩
punIssuerpunissuer@universeodon.comOct 4, 2026, 8:05 AM@medusaskirt @elfin aren't jack and socket already out there?
SkwirrelSquirrelwithaninvisibleW@mastodon.socialOct 4, 2026, 8:34 AM@medusaskirt @elfin I know an AV tech who refuses to sex* connectors - they’re now plug and socket, it’s so simple!
*Edited correction
Tim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPETimWardCam@c.imOct 4, 2026, 11:34 AM@SquirrelwithaninvisibleW @medusaskirt @elfin But some plugs are male and some female, ditto sockets ...
Here is a male plug (which you might plug into a panel mounted female socket) and a female plug (which you might plug into a panel mounted male socket).
- SkwirrelSquirrelwithaninvisibleW@mastodon.socialOct 4, 2026, 11:38 AM
@TimWardCam @medusaskirt @elfin hmm, an interesting world of variants, but I’m calling anything prongy ‘plug’ and anything holey ‘socket’.
WorkshopshedWorkshopshed@mastodon.scotOct 4, 2026, 2:32 PM@SquirrelwithaninvisibleW @TimWardCam @medusaskirt @elfin is the one on the left, a shrouded plug?
Oct 4, 2026, 12:11 PM@TimWardCam @SquirrelwithaninvisibleW @medusaskirt @elfin
IEC 60320 has this covered:
Fixed - cable
Outlet - plug
Inlet - connectorSo for a typical appliance cable, you put the plug in a suitable outlet and the connector in the appliance inlet.
The photos show a plug and a connector.
Also avoids confusion with things like Belgian pin ground sockets...
el Celio 🇪🇺 🇺🇦elCelio@mastodon.unoOct 4, 2026, 1:36 PMyes, this is the reason why they talk about "male" and "female" in this context
AlisonW ♿🏳️🌈♾️alisonw@hachyderm.ioOct 4, 2026, 2:10 PM@TimWardCam @SquirrelwithaninvisibleW @medusaskirt @elfin
Line plug, line socket
Bitter Donaldbitterdonald@mastodon.scotOct 4, 2026, 11:43 AM@SquirrelwithaninvisibleW @medusaskirt @elfin
The User Friendly webcomic made a joke about this 2+ decades ago, which basically ended with "it's the difference between a port and a dongle". I've tried to use those terms since.- `Da Elfelfin@mstdn.socialOct 4, 2026, 8:51 PM
@bitterdonald @SquirrelwithaninvisibleW @medusaskirt I *MISS* User Friendly. 🥺
DNAvincidnavinci@genomic.socialOct 4, 2026, 12:37 PM@SquirrelwithaninvisibleW
Technically your AV tech doesnt 'sex' the connectors. Gender, being a social identity, cannot be had by asocial inanimate objects.I work with a lot of lab mouse techs who have helpfully overcorrected everything to 'gender' and I a molecular biologist DO need to know the physical, sexual presentation of the mice, but if the mice have a gender identity outside of their assigned sex, they were not able to communicate it.
@medusaskirt @elfin- SkwirrelSquirrelwithaninvisibleW@mastodon.socialOct 4, 2026, 1:02 PM
@dnavinci @medusaskirt @elfin thank you for that correction 👍
- SkwirrelSquirrelwithaninvisibleW@mastodon.socialOct 4, 2026, 1:09 PM
@dnavinci @medusaskirt @elfin also, I’m picturing ‘lab mouse techs’ as the mice being in lab coats and protective goggles 😄
