Click here to support the Daily Grail for as little as $US1 per month on Patreon

News Briefs 07-01-2009

By Rick MGon

From deserts to oceans…

Thanks Kat, Luke, William Gibson, and those little machine elves.

Quote of the Day:

We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.

Jacques Cousteau

Rick MG
Related

5 Comments

  1. Space Elevator
    Are these guys stoned? The earth rotates at 1674 km/hr and travels around the sun at 108,000 km/hr. Do they really expect to hang a cable (how big) attached to earth and send payloads up the rope? Does this mean I can piss up a rope?

    In the spirit of Jack Bruce, how about a rope ladder to the moon?

    do not distrub this ruble. Sapho

    1. Understanding the process
      They’re not stoned – they’re looking for RD money.

      Millions of dollars are spent each year on RD and how you get a slice of it is making a proposal that sounds feasible and is needed. While the original concept may be bust the possibility of other useful developments are possible. For example stronger and lighter cables. Think how many things have been developed by wars and weapon research – microwave ovens for example.

      I know what you are thinking – why not just develop new cables and forget about stringing a cable from the ground to space? While it would be generally useful to have stronger lighter cables there isn’t an urgent need to develop them. On the other hand what we do really need is a cheaper and GREENER way to get payloads into orbit and that’s the key to what gets funded.

      So today if you are looking for research money be sure to tag it with having something to do with “global warming” even if it has nothing to do with it and “Bidda Bop Bidda Bing” you get the money.

      Sounds stupid but that is how it works.

      Cheers

      1. tizh_ho
        Thanks, I appreciate the input. I hadn’t understood the grant process as fraudulent. And your right, a better way to get payloads into space is needed, but I can’t imagine a greener process just yet.

        I still think these guys are wack jobs.

        do not distrub this ruble. Sapho

        1. Not fraudulent per se…its how it works
          When it comes to R&D its all about what the public views as an issue so that it can become a priority.

          Looking back through the years what was seen as an issue and subsequently a priority, changes. The key point is the public at large needs to be convinced to think a certain way about an issue. To this end the public must be bombarded by the media and it cannot be too complicated or debated – a single issue is best. What is hoped for is for people to become SIFs – Single Issue Fanatics on the favoured issue.

          In the 60’s it was beating the Russians to the moon. In the 70’s the moon had less meaning with the public because we been there, done that. Even today the moon is not a priority or even an issue, however the Chinese moon program may change all that so the American public may enter into a new moon race.

          The 70’s ushered in Ozone depletion and the Ozone hole therefore spray cans, air conditioners and refrigeration became the issue therefore the priority. Interesting how today we don’t hear much about the ozone depletion and hole as it was said we passed the point of no return – gulp. Perhaps all the doom and gloom predicted never came about or was far less than states… Anyway, there will be reasons no doubt – as usual.

          Also keep in mind that for the process of “Issue to Priority” to work there must be commercial value involved. Who wants to do stuff and not get paid? This is the R&D triangle: Issue / Priority / Money, they all must be present for the machinery to work. We are only expected to bleat Baaaa…Baaaa…Baaaa that’s our job. This also explains why saving trees/whales et al doesn’t seem to work, the most important leg of the triangle is missing…show me the money!

          So what’s on today? It’s global warming and incandescent lamps…so get with the program, shut up, as we are past the point of no return…PERIOD!!

          What’s next? : /

          Cheers

          (Baaa)

          1. decision making, and technical issues
            I think calling the research grant process fraudulent is both accurate and grossly unfair.

            A key part of the problem is that the decisions about what research is worth supporting are made by people who don’t know diddly about it. That would be the government, and sorry to say, the general public.

            Because of this basic problem, researchers have to sell their ideas to a basically ignorant audience. It’s like making movies or music these days. If you have a story to tell, or a s great melody-rhythm combination, the audience will pay more attention if the female lead has a pretty face and big breasts.

            The government, democratic or dictatorial, caters to the general public. Not always, not to make them happy, just to keep them quiet. Panem et circences is basically what research has to deal with.

            Ok, enough of bashing the public.

            How do you explain the usefulness of research, or of anything for that matter, to a crowd who doesn’t understand it? And to a crowd that has other immediate interests?

            And back to the original issue, the space elevator. I see two basic problems.

            First is of course that we don’t know how to make a cable like that. Anything we have will tear apart under its own weight. But this is valuable research into better materials, whether we get to a space elevator or not. It is still worthwhile.

            If we can solve this, that would be phenomenal.

            Second is that lifting things up partway, to something other than geostationary orbit, is not useful by itself.

            At less that geostationary, the payload doesn’t have the correct angular velocity, it will drop. At more than geostationary, the payload will drift off. Ok, that may be what we want to do with it, but still.

            So the payload needs to have some possibly serious propulsion once it gets to the desired distance.

            —-
            It is not how fast you go
            it is when you get there.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mobile menu - fractal