From San Francisco to Taiwan, it was a 14 hour flight.
The last time I went from Melbourne to Dublin it took me 30 hours. I don't like it but the business travelers who pay a lot of the running costs of airlines are using email, video conferencing and MS office documents instead of their expensive travel.
it was considered completely feasible to develop a sub-orbital passenger service for those super-premium customers who would otherwise spend some $3000 US on a concorde ticket.
It is worth noting that a long semiballistic trajectory (say half way around the Earth) requires almost as much energy as achieving orbit. Then you have similar thermal protection issues to deal with.
You could do it with a space shuttle but its not going to be much safer.
The original apollo era EVA suits were quite mobility limiting.
My post was based on these comments by Dave Scott.
[Scott - "It was probably due to the suit fit. I don't know how much time other people spent, but I spent a fair amount of time getting suits fitted, from early days. I was going to do an EVA on Gemini VIII. I spent a lot of time on the Gemini suit, getting it fitted, because one of the problems that Ed White had (on Gemini IV) was mobility. So they felt that if you had a proper fit, then you had better mobility. So I spent a lot of time with the suit guys, and they spent a lot of time with me. And I had good mobility. And that's why, today, when you look at the suits, they're trying to build with all these joints and I think they're missing the point. I think if you take this design and fit it properly, it's fine. I mean, you don't really need to bend over much, but I don't remember any conscious problem in bending over. Certainly it wasn't effortless but, on the other hand, it didn't require a big deal. You want to bend over, you go bend over. But I have to give it to the suit guys; they fit me very well. They did a good job tailoring the suit, which probably costs a lot less than building a suit with twenty joints, or whatever they're trying to do. (Guffaws)"]
There is a lot of comment in the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal about future planetary space suits. Comments from the moon walkers tend to be that engineers today are trying to solve the wrong problems. People assume that the apollo suits were not mobile enough, in fact they were, but the joints in suits were a maintenance nightmare. So if a future suit is more complex because of this supposed moblity requirement then it will be harder to keep it working for a month on Mars.
TFA doesn't say how they plan to improve mobility. They are only pressurising this suit to 1 PSI, about a quarter of what is required. I would like to see them work on the PLSS system as well. Lunar suits were limited to seven hours outside, but the tanks in the back pack were filled by high pressure tanks in the LM descent stage. If oxygen is to be extracted from water during the mission a lot of energy will have to be put into pressurising the PLSS tanks (to 1000 PSI, more would be better) while on the surface.
One of the limiting factors in EVA time will be electrical power. Energy is going to be needed to heat the hands and feet while outside. If a way can be found to distribute heat between to torso and the extremities while outside then power won't be needed for this. Perhaps a liquid cooled garment can be used to distribute heat to cold parts of the body.
Its good to see people working on this kind of thing. Its a pity that there aren't going to be any rides to mars in the forseeable future.
The other day I was riding home from work along a narrow road, going past a parked car on the other side so there wasn't room for anything coming the other way. I can hear really loud music coming from around the corner and sure enough here comes this hairdresser (I assume from the outfit) in a range rover with the stereo up full blast singing at about the same volume as the sound system along with the music into the mobile phone in his right hand and pumping the brakes in time with the catchy beat.
He gets level with the parked car tries to overtake it sees me and slams on the brakes and then points the phone at me as if he was going to throw it at me the bastard that I am.
Yesterday close to the same route my wife, son and I were in my wife's car going to the shops. A car popped out and did a U turn right in front of us. Now I my wife doesn't have a car. But it makes be think. A push bike rider at (say ) 30 km/h would probably be ok but motorbike rider at the speed limit would be dead. Its dangerous out there.
If we weren't dependent on oil, we could pressure the country towards democracy or at least leave it as some sort of backwater of no importance and focus on developing more friendly allies elsewhere.
I just want to point out that as long as america remains an economic superpower which a relatively high populaton density they will always be a net importer of energy and other commodities, and this asymetry will most likely drive politics in the countries which are their main suppliers.
While I agree with most of your points I think that the USA is in the world market whether they like it or not. If it wasn't saudi arabia it would be somebody else.
I think it's amazing how such simple data structures can generate such complex behaviour.
I am amazed that you are amazed. Simple behavior is at the root of _all_ complex systems: simple interactions between molecules give rise to climate. Cells in a finite state machine produce complex emergent behaviour.
Actually, we kind of do. This technology has been used on animals for years.
The tag on a pet might be read once a year at the most if the animal gets lost. Humans will find all sorts of uses for these things and tend to go where the tag will be interogated.
You can build the safest car in the world but there is always a need to be able to take a very quick decision to avoid some other idiot who might be breaking the rules of the road and not be in an automated car... still, if we all had them...
I am not sure if you are concerned that they will run the test on the open road (I doubt it) or about the prospect of robots on the open road in the future. Personally I think a degree of automatic control would even now prevent some of the really stupid behavior I see every day riding my bike to and from work.
Robot drivers will be somewhat better and somewhat worse than human drivers. This is true even today. It is nice that somebody is encouraging research.
European governments, either individually or as a Union, could well pass a law which proscribes contractual bundling of software on any hardware platform.
Microsoft would just sell an MS PC system and bypass other system builders. Blocking that would require blocking apple.
Work in an environment where pay and job security is according to seniority, not competance. Work with lazy and dumb students who disrupt class, yet can not be kicked out or even (except in Texas) spanked. Get stuck doing odd jobs like minding the bus loading/unloading area and trying to stop food fights.
Not only that but you have to have a squeaky clean criminal history, at least in the state where I live. One teacher recently lost his job because he had plead guilty to sleeping with an underage girl when he as 20. It was a marginal case: the girl was almost 16 at the time of the offence and no conviction was recorded by the court.
Partly because of these issues (and partly the others you raise) very few men are becoming teachers here now, which is recognised as a serious problem.
The main issue here is that programming isn't necessary anymore for kids - whatever any kid wants to do they can rush out and buy a bit of software for, or find a utility online.
You are probably a lot younger than me but I don't think the issues have changed much. When I was at high school you could get games for the Apple ][ but I only touched them when I patched the games for other kids.
If you are attracted to engineering you will find a way to do it. The majority who are not will just play the games. My general observation is that there is a lot more scope for hacking these days.
Marvin was plugged directly into the central intelligence core of the Krikkit war computer. Marvin wasn't enjoying the experience and neither was the central intelligence core of the Krikkit war computer.
I have been gainfully employed for many years and my CV has never been sent back.
I do my resume in OO.o and recently when I applied for a job I exported it to PDF which I thought would go down as being really professional. The agency guy called me and said "your resume seems to be in some kind of adobe format can you send it again in word"
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The last time I went from Melbourne to Dublin it took me 30 hours. I don't like it but the business travelers who pay a lot of the running costs of airlines are using email, video conferencing and MS office documents instead of their expensive travel.
It is worth noting that a long semiballistic trajectory (say half way around the Earth) requires almost as much energy as achieving orbit. Then you have similar thermal protection issues to deal with.
You could do it with a space shuttle but its not going to be much safer.
I think you should try to get your revenge against Arthur Dent for that.
My post was based on these comments by Dave Scott.
There is a lot of comment in the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal about future planetary space suits. Comments from the moon walkers tend to be that engineers today are trying to solve the wrong problems. People assume that the apollo suits were not mobile enough, in fact they were, but the joints in suits were a maintenance nightmare. So if a future suit is more complex because of this supposed moblity requirement then it will be harder to keep it working for a month on Mars.
TFA doesn't say how they plan to improve mobility. They are only pressurising this suit to 1 PSI, about a quarter of what is required. I would like to see them work on the PLSS system as well. Lunar suits were limited to seven hours outside, but the tanks in the back pack were filled by high pressure tanks in the LM descent stage. If oxygen is to be extracted from water during the mission a lot of energy will have to be put into pressurising the PLSS tanks (to 1000 PSI, more would be better) while on the surface.
One of the limiting factors in EVA time will be electrical power. Energy is going to be needed to heat the hands and feet while outside. If a way can be found to distribute heat between to torso and the extremities while outside then power won't be needed for this. Perhaps a liquid cooled garment can be used to distribute heat to cold parts of the body.
Its good to see people working on this kind of thing. Its a pity that there aren't going to be any rides to mars in the forseeable future.
The MP3 glasses seem to have failed.
The other day I was riding home from work along a narrow road, going past a parked car on the other side so there wasn't room for anything coming the other way. I can hear really loud music coming from around the corner and sure enough here comes this hairdresser (I assume from the outfit) in a range rover with the stereo up full blast singing at about the same volume as the sound system along with the music into the mobile phone in his right hand and pumping the brakes in time with the catchy beat.
He gets level with the parked car tries to overtake it sees me and slams on the brakes and then points the phone at me as if he was going to throw it at me the bastard that I am.
Yesterday close to the same route my wife, son and I were in my wife's car going to the shops. A car popped out and did a U turn right in front of us. Now I my wife doesn't have a car. But it makes be think. A push bike rider at (say ) 30 km/h would probably be ok but motorbike rider at the speed limit would be dead. Its dangerous out there.
I just want to point out that as long as america remains an economic superpower which a relatively high populaton density they will always be a net importer of energy and other commodities, and this asymetry will most likely drive politics in the countries which are their main suppliers.
While I agree with most of your points I think that the USA is in the world market whether they like it or not. If it wasn't saudi arabia it would be somebody else.
here it is.
I am amazed that you are amazed. Simple behavior is at the root of _all_ complex systems: simple interactions between molecules give rise to climate. Cells in a finite state machine produce complex emergent behaviour.
The tag on a pet might be read once a year at the most if the animal gets lost. Humans will find all sorts of uses for these things and tend to go where the tag will be interogated.
Given a supply of lego it should be possible to build a lego robot which can build new lego robots. I wonder if I should give it a go...
I am not sure if you are concerned that they will run the test on the open road (I doubt it) or about the prospect of robots on the open road in the future. Personally I think a degree of automatic control would even now prevent some of the really stupid behavior I see every day riding my bike to and from work.
Robot drivers will be somewhat better and somewhat worse than human drivers. This is true even today. It is nice that somebody is encouraging research.
Microsoft would just sell an MS PC system and bypass other system builders. Blocking that would require blocking apple.
How about a trumpet player who is willing to be sent to Iraq?
TFA:
It's not clear how else you would dry your shoes, but this smacks of laziness.Personally I think not riding your bike to work because you might get your shoes wet in the rain smacks of laziness but maybe thats just me.
Do you need flash to work? If not turn it off.
By the look of it you could also use it for lightsabre practice. Indoors, at least.
Not only that but you have to have a squeaky clean criminal history, at least in the state where I live. One teacher recently lost his job because he had plead guilty to sleeping with an underage girl when he as 20. It was a marginal case: the girl was almost 16 at the time of the offence and no conviction was recorded by the court.
Partly because of these issues (and partly the others you raise) very few men are becoming teachers here now, which is recognised as a serious problem.
You are probably a lot younger than me but I don't think the issues have changed much. When I was at high school you could get games for the Apple ][ but I only touched them when I patched the games for other kids.
If you are attracted to engineering you will find a way to do it. The majority who are not will just play the games. My general observation is that there is a lot more scope for hacking these days.
Or camera phones, cube rooted.
It sounds a lot like The Terminal Man to me
Marvin was plugged directly into the central intelligence core of the Krikkit war computer. Marvin wasn't enjoying the experience and neither was the central intelligence core of the Krikkit war computer.
Check it with a (micro) amp meter first or you might wind up like Owen Jennison.
I do my resume in OO.o and recently when I applied for a job I exported it to PDF which I thought would go down as being really professional. The agency guy called me and said "your resume seems to be in some kind of adobe format can you send it again in word"
Maybe I should have used your rtf trick.