The SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY News Thread

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by TooPurePureBoy

How does it taste?

Well, Darwin would at least try it

[Safu]

Kepler engineers failed to fix its hobbled pointing system, Kepler's mission has been cancelled.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23724344

New flow battery.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-nfb081513.php

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by Safu

Kepler engineers failed to fix its hobbled pointing system, Kepler's mission has been cancelled.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23724344

It's not as bad as it sounds btw, the satellite actually managed to last almost exactly as long as it was planned to last (3.5 years). It's a bit disappointing that it didn't manage to last longer, particularly given that it turned out that some initial assumptions made were slightly off and the telescope needed more passes than initial thought to detect exoplanets (4 instead of the 3 intialy assumed by the scientists).

On the bright side the Satellite can still take images, NASA is just unable to point it at a specific place. Maybe some science might still be done in this case.

Some further reading: NASA gives up on resurrecting Kepler telescope @ Ars Technica & RIP and good planet hunting, Kepler @ Ars Technica

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Dextro

It's not as bad as it sounds btw, the satellite actually managed to last almost exactly as long as it was planned to last (3.5 years). It's a bit disappointing that it didn't manage to last longer, particularly given that it turned out that some initial assumptions made were slightly off and the telescope needed more passes than initial thought to detect exoplanets (4 instead of the 3 intialy assumed by the scientists).

On the bright side the Satellite can still take images, NASA is just unable to point it at a specific place. Maybe some science might still be done in this case.

Some further reading: NASA gives up on resurrecting Kepler telescope @ Ars Technica & RIP and good planet hunting, Kepler @ Ars Technica

With many more countries capable of sending stuff to space, what I am worried about is the potential creation of our own artificial "Kuiper Belt" around Earth. Space debris can be a big issue because most of them are not crashing back into the ocean.

Vexx, you guys have a solution for this. Right?

[Zakoo]

We ask japan to retrieve the debris with their gundam.

[SummeryDreams]

http://gma.yahoo.com/company-offers-...opstories.html

I just think that this is a bit suicidal in the part of the astronauts. What's the sense of going in a deserted inhabitable planet? For temporary fame? I think this will never gonna work out.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by SummeryDreams

http://gma.yahoo.com/company-offers-...opstories.html

I just think that this is a bit suicidal in the part of the astronauts. What's the sense of going in a deserted inhabitable planet? For temporary fame? I think this will never gonna work out.

Have you ever wondered why some people sign on for Special Forces or Hazardous Environments Rescue Teams? Or talked to them why they would do so?

[Ithekro]

Got to start someplace.

[SummeryDreams]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Have you ever wondered why some people sign on for Special Forces or Hazardous Environments Rescue Teams? Or talked to them why they would do so?

Atleast this people help other people because they save them from harm. But this, I don't know, please forgive if I'm a bit to rude about this, but I guess the life of the astronaut will be wasted for some informations that they might get from there that is not worth of any lives. I know information are vital, but I guess they should consider machines doing the investigating part first, or if they are eager to really step foot in that place, they should consider a way back. Though with your question, I guess it's for the better good.

[Ithekro]

The word was "colonize". Making Mars a second home for the human race as a first step towards making the entire solar system viable for oir species in some fashion.

A system wide economy would be amazing as we'd have dozens od celestial bodies to mine. Areas far from habitation to experiment. And imagine the tourism to some of these worlds. Tours of Saturns rings would be booked solid for a century.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by SummeryDreams

Atleast this people help other people because they save them from harm. But this, I don't know, please forgive if I'm a bit to rude about this, but I guess the life of the astronaut will be wasted for some informations that they might get from there that is not worth of any lives. I know information are vital, but I guess they should consider machines doing the investigating part first, or if they are eager to really step foot in that place, they should consider a way back. Though with your question, I guess it's for the better good.

We already sent machines out there. Someone must make the physical sacrifice before rollouts begin.

This is called staggered intelligence gathering, in military terms. Plausibilities must be explored in small amounts before it is rolled off en-masse.

And who would be better than someone who is motivated by personal beliefs and worked for it? This is a task for idealists; I'd say the ex-FFL stationed at Guyana would be good candidates for such a mission.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

The word was "colonize". Making Mars a second home for the human race as a first step towards making the entire solar system viable for oir species in some fashion.

A system wide economy would be amazing as we'd have dozens od celestial bodies to mine. Areas far from habitation to experiment. And imagine the tourism to some of these worlds. Tours of Saturns rings would be booked solid for a century.

It's still be a very long trip, without additional sci-fi tech.

[Ithekro]

Granted and expencted. But we will do it anyway as technology tends to build on things after someone starts to do something. A hundred years ago the airplane was a fragile thing best used for novelty races and as a spotter/scout plane for the military. Today they are everywhere and have a host ofg fuctions and missions. I can imagine the same once people start actually wanting to go out to places like Mars rather than just talk about it like it is some far off fairytale dream.

[Anh_Minh]

Oh, sure. I'm just saying, people won't go to Saturn for tourism unless we can drastically shorten the length of the trip. Break-the-laws-of-physics kind of drastic. (A constant 500g acceleration, for example, would make it a viable destination. We just have to find a way to have that accel, and not get pureed by it.)

[Ithekro]

Over time we will figure it out. Outside that there could be a market for extremely long duration cruise liners. About say, a 20 year cruise?

[ganbaru]

Cosmonauts prepare for new lab in record Russian spacewalk
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...97F0QV20130816

Introducing the olinguito, the newest mammal discovery
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...97E0U020130815

[AnimeFan188]

DARPA seeks human brain-like computers for complex signal processing and data
analysis:

"U.S. government computer scientists are trying to emulate human brain functions in
advanced computing, and applying this approach to complex signal processing and data
analysis.

Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington,
Va., have issued a request for information (DARPA-SN-13-46) for technologies related
to developing a computer that emulates the human brain in a cortical processor."

See:

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/art...rocessing.html

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

DARPA seeks human brain-like computers for complex signal processing and data
analysis:

"U.S. government computer scientists are trying to emulate human brain functions in
advanced computing, and applying this approach to complex signal processing and data
analysis.

Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington,
Va., have issued a request for information (DARPA-SN-13-46) for technologies related
to developing a computer that emulates the human brain in a cortical processor."

See:

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/art...rocessing.html

A S-device prototype.

[ganbaru]

Hacker who exposed Facebook bug to get reward from unexpected source
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...97J0WD20130820

[SummeryDreams]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

We already sent machines out there. Someone must make the physical sacrifice before rollouts begin.

This is called staggered intelligence gathering, in military terms. Plausibilities must be explored in small amounts before it is rolled off en-masse.

And who would be better than someone who is motivated by personal beliefs and worked for it? This is a task for idealists; I'd say the ex-FFL stationed at Guyana would be good candidates for such a mission.

I still think a human sacrifice is not worth of any discovery. Whether it is for the totality, unless it's a life and death situation for the World. It's too early to send someone out there considering that our world is still too far from extinction. I believe they should make a way first of how this people will return here, before sending them.