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Slow economy hits outer space
The universe, it's been said, holds billions of galaxies.
Each of those galaxies holds billions of stars.
An unknown number of planets orbit all those stars out there,
but it's assumed there are billions of those.
That translates to billions upon billions upon billions
of opportunities to find life on another world somewhere,
but only when the economy here on earth is in good shape,
and that's not the case these days.
For the first time since it's inception, SETI,
[Search For Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence]
is shutting down those huge impressive radio dishes
that it calls the Alien Telescope Array.
Space telescopes, like the Hubble, have now discovered
more planets than scientists can keep up with,
but because the University of California at Berkley,
which runs the array, has been hit by state budget cuts,
no one will be listening for other-world signals anymore.
We're sure this will bother some folks down here on earth,
but it might be a different story... elsewhere...
News Link - SETI silences telescope array
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One way tickets only, please...
No matter how many times it's been portrayed,
from Buck Rogers to Star Trek, in this day
and age, a round trip flight to Mars
is just plain impractical.
The technology may advance, in 20 years or so,
to get us to the Red Planet. Getting back,
however, seems to be the sticking point,
both in terms of time and available materials.
There's no place among the rocks and craters
to stop and fill 'er up, and carrying enough fuel
to get back home just doesn't seem quite feasible,
so a few scientists have come up with what they
consider a logical solution. Make the trip one way.
Nuts, right? Who would buy into that?
Well apparently there are some people who would.
When the idea was published in the Journal of Cosmology,
emails started coming in, 500 of them to date,
from folks who like the prospect of going, and staying.
These weren't just loonies walking the streets
carrying signs that The End Is Near.
There were soldiers, students, nurses, and other
professionals volunteering to set up a colony.
The study for the mission is outlined in a book
put together by 70 scientific minds.
Their consensus seems to be it's going to happen
sooner or later, why not just do it now?
So if you're feeling the need to just get away,
all you have to do is click Send in your email program.
Be sure to put your own name on the dotted line though,
they'll probably be checking for ID.
News Link - One Way Mission to Mars
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Science Fiction to Science Fact
Ever notice that if you wait long enough,
things you once saw in old sci-fi flicks
are suddenly all around us?
Large flat panel screens on the
bridge of the Starship Enterprise
have become HD TV's.
Small voice communicators
that were activated with a tap
are now that Bluetooth thing in your ear.
The latest is the tractor beam.
How cool was that?
A beam of light that could latch onto
a solid object, and pull it in or drag it along.
Researchers in Australia have actually built
such a contraption, though obviously on a much
smaller scale. Still, the thing works, it's
an actual tractor beam that moves solid particles
through the air with just a beam of light.
Beam me up Scotty...
Warp speed ahead...
Engage.
News Link - Working Tractor Beam
