Researchers hope that a space-experiment called CVX-2 (short for "Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2") will soon provide new data about the basic physics of such fluids. Berg is the principal investigator for the experiment, which is slated to fly this summer onboard space shuttle Columbia (STS-107).
Experiments with simple chemicals rather than ZBLAN and other actually useful substances is probably critical for getting data that physicists can actually work with to try to understand shear thinning in general... And this CVX-2 experiment was conducted on Columbia's last mission.
Apparently they relayed most of the results of the CVX-2 experiment back to earth while still in orbit, according to this page...Just something to remember one day when we all have ultra cheap single-transmission fiberoptic lines right to every home.
As a poster below pointed out, technically any complicated propulsion system can critically fail during a mission, if anything there would be more redundancy since you could have more than one mag-plasma beam emitting station at your departure and destination points in case of a failure.
I'm wondering how they plan to get the first beam emitting stations at remote destinations in the solar system, ie. you would have to make the first trip using conventional methods, of course you could use Ion propulsion, the UPS-Ground of space propulsion, since there would be no people on board and it doesn't matter how long it takes to get there. But still, they are talking about transporting a nuclear power plant to Jupiter-orbit, which sounds non-trivial.:)
I'm also wondering how you can have a space station emitting a mag-plasma beam that propels a ship forward at fantastic speeds without an equal and opposite push backwards on the emitting station itself! But this is too obvious, I'm sure there's a great reason why the sum of the forces on the space station emitters will be 0.
My dad was a nuclear chemist back in the day, he talks about going outside the lab, scaping settled dust off the hoods of cars in the parking lot and doing analysis, with exotic isotopes showing up whenever the soviets were doing atmospheric bomb tests.
That was back then, doing casual analysis. A nice comprehensive database of worldwide nuclear fissile material and a network of sensors around the world would yield alot of information - not that we wouldn't know it if a bomb went off anywhere around the world.
Also theres that network of infrasound detectors, which also picks up earthquakes, meteors, and other large scale events. (link below)
If you subscribe to the new marketing usage of the word "nanotechnology" which is used to include such material science feats as those Eddie Bauer khakis that have nano-sized particles to help make them water proof, then yes, you might as well say these potters are nanotechnologists too.
I wonder if the Department of Homeland Security is keeping one eye on stuff like this, since flight training was one of those thorny post 9-11 issues..
At the least, is it possible these projects will end up being data mined on admiral poindexter's TIA? (I forget what it's called now) I would think purchasing retired aircraft components on your credit card would probably get you flagged, right?
Actually coptic catholicism has been a small but persistent force in Egyptian culture since pretty early after the start of christianity. (it is still surviving now, after how many centuries since Egypt had it's "Islam revolution"?)
It's a catholic rite that owes alot to the elements in christianity that owe alot to traditional Egyptian religion!
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, bringing stuff back down is relatively easy.
Unfortunately this is also a reminder of the risks we'll have to take if we ever get serious about colonizing space..
This is from a page linked from the article in the story about shear thinning..
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/07jun_elas tic_fluids.htm
Experiments with simple chemicals rather than ZBLAN and other actually useful substances is probably critical for getting data that physicists can actually work with to try to understand shear thinning in general... And this CVX-2 experiment was conducted on Columbia's last mission.
Apparently they relayed most of the results of the CVX-2 experiment back to earth while still in orbit, according to this page. ..Just something to remember one day when we all have ultra cheap single-transmission fiberoptic lines right to every home.
As a poster below pointed out, technically any complicated propulsion system can critically fail during a mission, if anything there would be more redundancy since you could have more than one mag-plasma beam emitting station at your departure and destination points in case of a failure.
I'm wondering how they plan to get the first beam emitting stations at remote destinations in the solar system, ie. you would have to make the first trip using conventional methods, of course you could use Ion propulsion, the UPS-Ground of space propulsion, since there would be no people on board and it doesn't matter how long it takes to get there. But still, they are talking about transporting a nuclear power plant to Jupiter-orbit, which sounds non-trivial. :)
I'm also wondering how you can have a space station emitting a mag-plasma beam that propels a ship forward at fantastic speeds without an equal and opposite push backwards on the emitting station itself! But this is too obvious, I'm sure there's a great reason why the sum of the forces on the space station emitters will be 0.
My dad was a nuclear chemist back in the day, he talks about going outside the lab, scaping settled dust off the hoods of cars in the parking lot and doing analysis, with exotic isotopes showing up whenever the soviets were doing atmospheric bomb tests.
That was back then, doing casual analysis. A nice comprehensive database of worldwide nuclear fissile material and a network of sensors around the world would yield alot of information - not that we wouldn't know it if a bomb went off anywhere around the world.
Also theres that network of infrasound detectors, which also picks up earthquakes, meteors, and other large scale events. (link below)
Low sounds detect meteor blast (BBC)
the parent of this post is talking about jury nullification, which you can read about in depth at:
Fully Informed Jury Association
If you subscribe to the new marketing usage of the word "nanotechnology" which is used to include such material science feats as those Eddie Bauer khakis that have nano-sized particles to help make them water proof, then yes, you might as well say these potters are nanotechnologists too.
I wonder if the Department of Homeland Security is keeping one eye on stuff like this, since flight training was one of those thorny post 9-11 issues..
At the least, is it possible these projects will end up being data mined on admiral poindexter's TIA? (I forget what it's called now) I would think purchasing retired aircraft components on your credit card would probably get you flagged, right?
Actually coptic catholicism has been a small but persistent force in Egyptian culture since pretty early after the start of christianity. (it is still surviving now, after how many centuries since Egypt had it's "Islam revolution"?)
It's a catholic rite that owes alot to the elements in christianity that owe alot to traditional Egyptian religion!