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Perseverance Landing On Mars

Started by drunkenshoe, February 18, 2021, 02:27:20 PM

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Cassia

I helped to design "rad hard" computer cards for a NASA contractor. Basically there is little you can do other than use "triple voting" and redundant hardware to mitigate the "bit flips" and gate lockups as particles smash through semiconductors. It came down to a probability function of course. Space radiation takes a toll on those up in the space station and I recall reading the moon gets 200x the particles than what the Earth's surface gets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight_radiation_carcinogenesis

Hydra009

Quote from: Mike Cl on February 25, 2021, 06:22:30 PM
The book--The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress--introduced this concept to me for the first time:
"A mass driver or electromagnetic catapult is a proposed method of non-rocket spacelaunch which would use a linear motor to accelerate and catapult payloads up to high speeds.
Yep, and that would likely work extremely well on the moon.

1) no need for propellants (which comes in handy since the propellants would themselves have to be launched from Earth to the moon, creating waste upon waste)
2) the moon can easily accommodate a longer track (it's free real estate) to provide a less bone-shattering acceleration.

Mike Cl

Quote from: Hydra009 on February 25, 2021, 06:46:54 PM
Yep, and that would likely work extremely well on the moon.

1) no need for propellants (which comes in handy since the propellants would themselves have to be launched from Earth to the moon, creating waste upon waste)
2) the moon can easily accommodate a longer track (it's free real estate) to provide a less bone-shattering acceleration.
I agree with that assessment. Except this is from a novel that was published in the 60's. :))
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?<br />Then he is not omnipotent,<br />Is he able but not willing?<br />Then whence cometh evil?<br />Is he neither able or willing?<br />Then why call him god?

Hydra009

The basic physics haven't changed since then, and ability to actually create one has markedly improved.  So I don't see why we couldn't do it for real, with enough of a budget and the political green light.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Driver_1

Mike Cl

Quote from: Hydra009 on February 25, 2021, 07:00:27 PM
The basic physics haven't changed since then, and ability to actually create one has markedly improved.  So I don't see why we couldn't do it for real, with enough of a budget and the political green light.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Driver_1
I'm up for it.  Too bad Robert A. Heinlein isn't around to give this idea a push! :)
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?<br />Then he is not omnipotent,<br />Is he able but not willing?<br />Then whence cometh evil?<br />Is he neither able or willing?<br />Then why call him god?

Gawdzilla Sama

They did do demonstration drops, offset to avoid population centers. One reporter said he was standing on the exact spot one of the rocks was aimed at. Nothing further was heard from him after the demonstrations.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

SoldierofFortune

There is no chance for humanity to survive other than building an interplanetary civilisation.

At the rate of the growth of the population, it is obvious that one day will come and there will not be enough space for people to dwell.

We are reproducing like insects. It cannot go on so.

By the way, who cares for the masses reproducing irresponsibly? I don't.

A few days ago a beggar wanted a little money from me, for his hungry and needy babies. I am normally a good guy loving to help the poorer and I am a relatively poor guy only being able to afford my very survival; but I didn't have mercy for him. Why did he make babies he cannot feed?

I fucking want to marry a girl whom I want to spend the rest of my life, but financial issues confronting me impede to make it happen ffs.


Hydra009

Quote from: SoldierofFortune on February 26, 2021, 01:59:32 PMAt the rate of the growth of the population, it is obvious that one day will come and there will not be enough space for people to dwell.
Space is no problem.  Just ask Canada and Russia.  Plenty of space.  It's food, clean water, medicine, etc that's the problem.

QuoteWe are reproducing like insects. It cannot go on so.
Global population growth has been steadily going down.  It peaked in 1968.



But as one might imagine, 1%/year growth is a lot larger in absolute terms when the population is 7 billion than it was when the population was 5 billion.

So between 2050-2100, the total population is going to balloon out before finally contracting.  The problem is that it's going to flatten out at 10+ billion, which is very high and we're either going to have to change how we do things or there just won't be enough resources to go around for a lot of people.

SoldierofFortune

Quote from: Hydra009 on February 26, 2021, 02:44:50 PM
Space is no problem.  Just ask Canada and Russia.  Plenty of space.  It's food, clean water, medicine, etc that's the problem.
Global population growth has been steadily going down.  It peaked in 1968.



But as one might imagine, 1%/year growth is a lot larger in absolute terms when the population is 7 billion than it was when the population was 5 billion.

So between 2050-2100, the total population is going to balloon out before finally contracting.  The problem is that it's going to flatten out at 10+ billion, which is very high and we're either going to have to change how we do things or there just won't be enough resources to go around for a lot of people.

I meant a very far away future from now.

The growth rate may decrease but the population will always grow.

As seen on the graphic, it looks like the letter J. Only bugs grow at that rate.

Cassia

Each Earth species is optimized for such a narrow range of conditions that a relatively slight environmental shift right here on the home planet has ended 99% of them. Millions of years of evolution to match earth's gravity, temperature ranges, atmospheric pressure, humidity, low radiation levels, respiratory gas mixture, light exposure, organic (plant/animal based) and exacting mineral nutrient sources, water sources, symbiotic relationships with micro-organisms (e.g. gut flora) and mechanical shock and vibration limitations.


Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: Cassia on February 26, 2021, 03:19:27 PM
Each Earth species is optimized for such a narrow range of conditions that a relatively slight environmental shift right here on the home planet has ended 99% of them. Millions of years of evolution to match earth's gravity, temperature ranges, atmospheric pressure, humidity, low radiation levels, respiratory gas mixture, light exposure, organic (plant/animal based) and exacting mineral nutrient sources, water sources, symbiotic relationships with micro-organisms (e.g. gut flora) and mechanical shock and vibration limitations.


Look. Take Valles Marineris. Cover it over with a triple layer of clear plastic. Put self-sealing gel between the layers. Cut caves in the canyon walls for living space and radiation shelter. Grow crops on the valley floor. Station industry on the canyon lips so it doesn't pollute the breathing air. One mini-planet. If you need more water or air just blow icebergs in from the asteroid belt and Jupiter's wee children. They can be timed to smash into the backside (from V.M.) providing heat, water, and oxygen. Do a thousand bergs for thousand years and you get shirt-sleeve conditions on Mars' surface.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

SoldierofFortune

Quote from: Cassia on February 26, 2021, 03:19:27 PM
Each Earth species is optimized for such a narrow range of conditions that a relatively slight environmental shift right here on the home planet has ended 99% of them. Millions of years of evolution to match earth's gravity, temperature ranges, atmospheric pressure, humidity, low radiation levels, respiratory gas mixture, light exposure, organic (plant/animal based) and exacting mineral nutrient sources, water sources, symbiotic relationships with micro-organisms (e.g. gut flora) and mechanical shock and vibration limitations.

Correct.

The only species that can adapt to live everywhere on the Earth is human. Actually this is not the adaptation understood in terms of evolution. What differs human is his ability to alter the environment and tool-making(aka technology)

Tool making includes making clothes for example, or air conditioner at an advanced level :)

So no need for bodily changes to adapt, by simply changing the environment in which we can comfortably live, we can spread and spread like once upon a time our ancestors go beyond the continent Africa.

Cassia

I'm sure its a piece of cake on Mars with an average daily low of -109F and and a 96% carbon dioxide and 2% argon "air" LOL. Not to mention the month long Martian dust storms clocked at 94 km/h. The corn will grow like crazy. Only problem is the internet is really slow but the real estate prices are looking good.

Hydra009

#43
Quote from: SoldierofFortune on February 26, 2021, 03:52:11 PMThe only species that can adapt to live everywhere on the Earth is human.
*laughs in brown rat*

And if you weight ocean-dwelling equally with land-dwelling, it's Prochlorococcus (marine cyanobacteria) by a LOT.

Mike Cl

Hail to the biodiversity of earth!  The cockroach! Every where and every when.
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?<br />Then he is not omnipotent,<br />Is he able but not willing?<br />Then whence cometh evil?<br />Is he neither able or willing?<br />Then why call him god?