Slashdot Mirror

"We can quite easily observe, for instance, that there are numerous rilles (canyons) on the rocky planets that move both up and down with the terrain of the planets. Furthermore, we can observe that these rilles will occasionally break up into chains of craters, and that craters are oftentimes associated with rilles. This is a very important observation that anybody can validate for themselves without an advanced mathematical degree, because it suggests that plasmas in space are electrical in nature, and that bodies in space can acquire and trade electrical charge over electrical plasmas (as we can see plasmas doing in the laboratory)"

Or, alternatively, that through the forces of geology (which can produce sinuous or linear lava tubes in volcanic areas or produce open fractures beneath the surface due to faulting), and gravity (which can cause overlying material to collapse into those same open spaces), a series of sinkhole or collapse pits can be produced that are called "pit crater chains".

Then there are examples of actual impact crater chains that may be produced when tidal forces tear apart an asteroid or comet into multiple chunks that can then impact in quick succession on the surface of a body (e.g., as happened for comet Shoemaker-Levy 9). The two processes are rather different, but superficially resemble each other in terms of the results.

As you say, in the scientific realm it's important to consider alternative possibilities.

I also work at SwRI, I would suggest you check it out! Its a great place to work, they do a lot of IR&D.

In Big Band New Moon Robin Canup describes how the moon might have been formed by a gigantic impact. In that scenario a ring of ejecta was formed but didn't last long...perhaps a hundred years.

Another point, is that your Lab isn't very good at programming/implementing bots. Assuming you're using a PIC microcontroller

Wow, that's a really nice assertion. I would like to point out that the RHex robot co-developed by our lab and a few other universities is arguably the most successful walking/running robot in the world. It is probably the most reliable ambulatory robot ever built and is currently undergoing field demonstrations at SwRI in Texas.

BTW, the robot uses a PC-104 stack running QNX. Yes, there's a PIC on it, incorporated on a custom PC-104 board, among all the other control electronics. It's not programmed with run-of-the-mill Radio-Shack "min/max control code" like your "basic claw-bot". Have a look at the papers written on RHex and the other robots and maybe you'll learn a thing or two about robotics.

http://www.swri.org/press/impact.htm

If you are looking for buzz words look up quantum computing. It is amazing what you can do with an electron. Nanotechnology (that you mentioned) is also a fascinating field with huge potential. In my opinion anything in math (like P=NP problem ) or physics are the most interesting fields.

I am not going to lecture you on what you should or should not do to a prodigy. But I would like to point out that there is a difference in a significant career and a successful one. Lots of talented people go through life and are merely successful due to their talents. It is much more satisfying to have a career that is significant to the world at large. This seems to be a concept most people don't realize.

I would encourage everyone to have an impact on the world around them. Solve one of the universe's mysteries. Go on you know you can do it...

I had the good fortune to stumble into what I consider a significant career after college. When I look at what the other folks in my majors at school do now and what I do now, it is hard to imagine how they cope. High stress, mundane work(even if it is cutting edge), job hopping. yuck.