I Know What You're Thinking
No, honestly, I did return the DARPA Telepathy Helmet, it's just that you so obviously jump to conclusions.
"If it weighs that much you'd need to be an Olympic weight-lifter to merely heft it, and you'd never be able to throw it more than a few inches."
I fear we are at cross-purposes here. Art!
No, this is not the Ukrainians hitting the Kerch Bridge again
This is a still from "Deep Impact", where a mission to intercept and destroy a comet on an impact course with Earth is only partially successful. There are a significant number of these Near Earth Objects, but practically none at risk of clattering into Planet Earth. What tends to happen is that one is observed for a short while and it's potential trajectory is only crudely mapped out, leading to a possible hit on The Blue Dot. Later on, more observations are made and the orbit refined, leading to it missing your our planet by a million miles.
However, what if an asteroid's orbit is disturbed for whatever reason, and we have enough lead time to plot that it will, indeed, hit home? Art!
CAUTION! Significant risk of upsetting the French
The obvious solution is to hit the impactor and deflect it. The further away this interception takes place, the less deflection required and the less energy needed. Thus if you intercept at 100 million miles distance you need only a fraction of the deflection needed if it's 1 million miles away. If it's 100,000 miles away then it's within the orbit of the Moon and humanity is basically Kreplached.
And so to DART, from which we get today's title (I admit cheating there a little). This was NASA's "Double Asteroid Redirection Test", featuring DART, a 1,100 pound probe that was all muscle no mind, lacking any kind of scientific payload. It had a partner probe LICIACube, which was intended to stand off and observe the impact. Art!
The target for impact was the asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits the larger asteroid Didymos. DART hit it at a speed of 4 miles per second, generating an explosion equivalent to 3 tons of TNT. The debris stream left behind extended for 6 miles. Art?
Dimorphos with ejecta 'tail'
Did it work? In spades! NASA would have been happy with a change in orbital duration of 73 seconds, their lowest-bound estimate of a successful intercept. In reality the orbit of Dimorphos has changed by 32 minutes. This is a significant success and bodes well for future interceptions simply using kinetic energy and mass.
If we only catch one within cis-Lunar orbit, that's when we might have to go with Conrad's suggestion of a multi-gigaton thermonuclear intercept by at least two probes. For the moment, let's be optimistic. Big smiles all round!
About That Bridge ...
There are umpteen theories bouncing about social media and the broadcast media about "How It Was Done", none of which agree with each other.
1) It was a missile
2) It was a drone
3) It was a truck-bomb
4) It was a boat-bomb
5) It was Ukrainian Special Forces with explosives
6) It was really the incredibly eeeevil MI6, which would probably suit Putin as he hates This Sceptred Isle more than he hates Ukraine.
7) The Ruffian attack dolphins mutinied*.
8) Heh.
As I said on another forum, the Ukrainians aren't going to explain How It Was Done until long after this war is over, if ever.
"Missing: The Other Side"
This is one of the Sork dramas that Netflix recommended, as they seem to have picked up on my love of Sork television series. And there are hundreds to choose from; who knew that they made so many TV programs?
ANYWAY the premise is similar to "The Sixth Sense", except the protagonist in this series is very definitely alive. He is a conman who swindles other conmen out of money, and he ends up making some very serious, heavy-duty criminal enemies. He's also recently had a serious head injury FORESHADOWING ONLY A LITTLE HERE. Art!
He ends up in a village populated by the spirits of those who have no known grave or cause of death; the kicker is only he can see and interact with them. Nor can these spirits move beyond the village itself.
I have noticed that these Sork dramas like to mix in slapstick humour alongside the more harrowing content. Be assured I shall surely keep you updated on this series. O yes, I am still plodding through "My Love From The Star" which, at 21 episodes, takes quite a bit of plodding. Art!
A lovable rogue with a sound moral compass
"The Sea Of Sand"
With his combined ability to make friends and influence people, whilst also annoying the heck out of them, the Doctor now faces potential interrogation on the bio-vores Homeworld.
'Element Sieve'? pondered the Doctor. Must be used to extract minerals and metals from the desert sands. Another interesting datum to include in his knowledge of - call it Wasteworld. Metal-poor. Mineral deficient. And, of course, devoid of any non-aquatic plant life.
"You can call me The Doctor," he told Sorbusa. "Tri-syllabic. Makes me important, just not very."
"Silence amongst the prisoners!" shouted a guard. "Silence in the presence of his Lord Excellency Sur!"
The sled whispered on it's runners into the inner courtyard of the sprawling alien castle, to be met by more guards, armed and waiting alertly.
The Doctor and Sorbusa were separated from the other prisoners, flanked by two bio-vores, another bringing up the rear and a fourth leading the way. They were marched into the castle, along corridors and finally to a dead end. The leading guard turned to face them, weapon levelled.
"Not even a blindfold?" jibed the Doctor. Sorbusa pointed to the floor. Inscribed into the gritty surface was a circle.
"A trans-mat into -"
" - a prison cell," explained the alien, as their surroundings suddenly became a featureless cube only seven feet high, forcing the bio-vore to crouch down.
Phew, a narrow escape! Er - so far.
Bring On Another Underwater Picture
I did forget to add Sharks Are Our Friends! to my previous item earlier today. What next? Art!
Courtesy Tom St. George
This, to Conrad, is an example of NOPE NOPE NOPE. It's a picture taken of cave divers in Mexico. Caving is a claustrophobic enough experience in it's own right, what need to add a requirement for oxygen and the risk of drowning on top of being trapped in a confined space? Yes it all very atmospheric and spooky and arty, and it could all be done from a nice warm pre-fab as you guide a Remotely-Piloted Vehicle instead of risking life, limb and sanity.
Ask A Stupid Question -
I am deliberately avoiding any questions to do with the war in Ukraine as they are so daft the posters on Quora were either drunk or doing it for a dare. Here's a less controversial one:
Well, they beat France in a series of battles, true; but they lost the war to an undefeated France. Austria-Hungary was a German ALLY, not an enemy.
True, they did defeat the Russians but it took three years, two revolutions and the Austro-Hungarian army as well to manage it.
Shaking my head so much I have mild concussion.
* Okay, I made that one up.
No comments:
Post a Comment