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News Briefs 15-10-2009

TDG: Nourishment for the soul.

Thanks Kat.

Quote of the Day:

“We do not ask for what useful purpose the birds do sing, for song is their pleasure since they were created for singing. Similarly, we ought not to ask why the human mind troubles to fathom the secrets of the heavens. The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.”

Johannes Kepler

  1. Buzz is ok
    The solution to a significant but not fatal radiation exposure on the Mars trip is pretty simple. Send old people. They won’t have more children anyway, and won’t live long enough to get cancer. If Buzz wants to go himself, let him.

    1. That could work…
      If we do get to make the trip on just 39 days. Otherwise, a longer trip on zero g could deteriorate the bone density of elder astronauts.

      Maybe that could be counter with exo-skeletal suits, like the ones developed in Japan to increase the strength of senior citizens —and the ones investigated by DARPA to create super-soldiers.

    2. Geriatrics in Spaaaaace!
      [quote=earthling]The solution to a significant but not fatal radiation exposure on the Mars trip is pretty simple. Send old people. They won’t have more children anyway, and won’t live long enough to get cancer. If Buzz wants to go himself, let him.[/quote]

      I agree. By the time you reach mid-40 or 50s, you’ve already absorbed enough water and air borne pollution… not to mention decades of negative political campaigns and McDonald’s food that a little radiation might actually have a positive effect!

      Beyond that, oldsters are easier and cheaper to feed since we’ve already stopped growing much of anything.

      Where do we sign up?

      1. Two Solutions..
        Not that i wouldn’t be nappy to go to Mars, mind you. I have 5K hours of flight time with the Navy, but I’m a little old for what they want.

        However, the radiation problem can be solved with shielding. Yeah, it’s expensive, because you need to boost the materials to space and build it up there, otherwise the cost to lift is far too expensive. However, you can solve the shielding problem with hollow metal spheres filled with water. Place these around the crew compartment, heat them sufficient to prevent freezing, and replace the used water with waste water to keep things in balance.

        Second, why worry about zero-G? Just make a rotating crew module and the problem is solved. Just like in “2001”, you can rotate the compartment to create artificial “G” force. you also have the advantage of adapting the rotation speed to match the “G” load at the destination, so you can acclimate the crew before arrival.

        Just sayin’, but why worry about a problem that is easily solved? NASA, at the urging of the “lightworker” and his psycophant advisors are simply digging around frantically for reasons not to go.

        If Odumbo can throw a trillion dollars at the Unions and political supporters to pay them back for his election, under the guise of a “stimulous” bill, then he should have no trouble coming up with the bucks for something actually useful.

  2. *SMOOCHERS*
    Thanks so much for the X-planes photo gallery. I just noticed in the X-24 that the pilot (Scott Crossfield I think) is standing out front, but some guy without even a flight suit is sitting in it. I bet he “shouldn’t” have. Bob Lazar maybe?

    Not in the gallery is my favorite (well, after my namesake), the Boeing Bird Of Prey. Looks different from different angles, has active cloaking device stealth skin (essentially an electrically controlled mood-ring sort of skin that can be blue in a clear sky and turn grey when flying under clouds), and despite the complete lack of weapons or even weapons nacelles, just looks like pure evil put to flight. To quote Will Smith in ID-4 “I have GOT to get me one of THESE.”

    Thanks again, it was great to start the day looking at something better than the ingredients list on my cereal.

    1. you’re most welcome
      Glad you enjoyed it. I mentioned DynaSoar because he’s the site official expert in all things aeronautics, but obviously the gallery is ought to be enjoyed by anyone with a fascination for things flying really really fast —meaning children from 5 to 95 😉

      1. Pushing boundaries
        The final exhibit (the X-45) brings up some interesting scenarios – with the removal of the pilot from the machine (to a secure ground location), what sort of speeds and aerial manoeuvres would these planes now be capable of? And how long before the pilot is removed altogether, and the plane chooses targets itself? Hello Skynet.

        1. automatic targeters
          Of course these pilot-less planes are made to save lives, in particular those of the pilots. I doubt that an non-human targeter will be less picky than a human pilot.

          But there are other aspects to this, perhaps more frightening (if that is possible). The threshold for starting an attack will likely be lowered, since “we” don’t have to send soldiers. This has already happened, remember the 1998 events in Afghanistan and Sudan?

          Ultimately we just simulate the whole war, no real planes and no real bombs. It would be much cheaper. Like the Star Trek episode “Taste of Armageddon”.

  3. Lassie’s Woof-Woof! (The brat fell down the well… again!)
    I watched the ‘Balloon Boy’ thing play out today. With the reports of ‘something’ being seen falling from the heliosphere, I was seriously expecting a poor ending to this story.

    Thank goodness the kid was a wise-ass brat and took a station in a position that would eventually be found by emergency workers and family before we all turned on them for child abuse.

    We are all that kid at one time… ready to stalk the thin lines and then, hold up in our own darkness to observe the response.

    Tonight, he will be held closely. Tomorrow… it will be a bit different.

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