Yesterday I made the observation that it was much cheaper to transmit information than to travel to an interstellar destination, observing that sending a microscopic robot able to use raw materials in the destination system to bootstrap manufacture what it needs. The Leather Library pointed out that this applies as well to destinations in our solar … Continue reading The space age is in full swing, for robots
Tag: Space
For interstellar travel, transmission is much cheaper
It will always be a lot cheaper to send a radio signal to an interstellar destination than any kind of physical presence. Our discussion the other day on the difficulties of interstellar travel left me pondering this, something that is well known to astronomers and other thinkers in this area. Given sufficiently advanced technology, the … Continue reading For interstellar travel, transmission is much cheaper
Why is the solar system flat?
Machines Like Us and others linked to this cool video explaining why the solar system is flat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmNXKqeUtJM I'm not entirely sure the four dimensional stuff was necessary, although it was interesting. One thing to realize though, is that while the solar system is flat, it's not flat in the same orientation as other solar systems, … Continue reading Why is the solar system flat?
Ask Ethan #20: Is the Mars One crew doomed? – Starts With A Bang
What Mars One is counting on is that they can safely land a heavier payload than ever before, that they can do it more precisely than ever before (as in, within just a few hundred meters of previous successful landings), and they can do it for only 12% of the projected costs, with a total … Continue reading Ask Ethan #20: Is the Mars One crew doomed? – Starts With A Bang
Mars exploration is always 20 years in the future
There is a lot of news about the assessment of experts on the feasibility of a manned mission to Mars. Sending humans to Mars by the 2030s is affordable, a group of experts finds, but some key changes are needed if it is going to happen. I remember as a boy in the 1970s reading that we'd … Continue reading Mars exploration is always 20 years in the future
UChicago researchers use Hubble Telescope to reveal cloudy weather on alien world | UChicago News
Weather forecasters on exoplanet GJ 1214b would have an easy job. Today’s forecast: cloudy. Tomorrow: overcast. Extended outlook: more clouds. That's the implication of a study led by researchers in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago who have definitively characterized the atmosphere of a super-Earth class planet orbiting another star … Continue reading UChicago researchers use Hubble Telescope to reveal cloudy weather on alien world | UChicago News
Beasts or gods; why a War Of The Worlds is very unlikely
One of the scenarios that is often played out in science fiction is what would happen if we encountered an alien civilization. Often, we are portrayed as defending Earth from an alien invasion or fighting battles with the aliens in a war. Another scenario, commonly found in more culturally introspective fiction, focuses on what our … Continue reading Beasts or gods; why a War Of The Worlds is very unlikely
Soyuz Videos
Not sure how I missed these videos before, but if you haven't seen them yet, and you're interested in how Soyuz launch and reentry works, they are awesome! Until NASA either get the Space Launch System deployed or private ventures succeed at developing something, the Russian Soyuz, which has been in use by Russia for … Continue reading Soyuz Videos
The struggling space age
The Washington Post has an interesting summary of the state of the space industry, contrasting the "New Space", private companies, with "Old Space", Nasa. The article is interlaced with interesting photos and is well worth the time investment. Another article on NBC talks about the White House's new space transportation policy. I'm a space enthusiast. … Continue reading The struggling space age
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