My colleague, Nikki, owns this awesome ride: The Darth Cooper!
She even drove it to ‘Star Wars Reads Day‘!
Photo by Nikki Rau-Baker
Photo by Nikki Rau-Baker
Photo by Nikki Rau-Baker
Photo by Nikki Rau-Baker
A British firm is working on a harpoon to retrieve space debris such as defunct satellites. The idea is to spear the debris and then pull it down towards Earth to be burned up in the atmosphere.
The project is the work of Astrium UK, a global company’s branch in Stevenage (which coincidentally is the town where I spent my teenage years.) It claims itself to be the third biggest company in the world dedicated to space engineering and related activities.
The idea is to tackle the large number of man made objects in orbit that no longer serve any purpose, whether they be out-of-service satellites, used rocket sections, or simply tiny scraps caused by collisions. These now pose a genuine threat of damage to the surface of spacecraft because the speed of orbit means even a tiny object could collide with violent force.
The NASA image above is not a photograph, but rather a computer generated image of orbiting junk that is already being tracked. The dots are to show positioning only and thankfully aren’t in scale to the Earth.
Estimates range from 16,000 to 22,000 larger objects and perhaps half a million pieces that are at least a centimeter across. The thinking behind the project is that removing the larger items is the priority, simply because the larger the items, the greater the chances two could collide and create even more smaller items that are more difficult to deal with.
Ironically the plan involves putting another satellite in space, which would be targeted to within 100 meters of a known piece of space junk. Ground staff would then take a look at video footage and decide whether to move the satellite in to a 20 meter range.
From there, the satellite would shoot out a 30 cm spear on a polymer cord. The spear would pierce the casing of the object. From here, either the satellite itself would drag the object to Earth, or the spear would be released with a thruster unit to drag the object, leaving the satellite free to move on to another target.
Researchers have already tested an experimental version of the harpoon, working on both the accuracy of its aim and the delicate balance of getting enough force to attach to the object, but slowing down quick enough to avoid going right through and piercing fuel tanks. If that happens, you’re looking at an explosion and in turn far more space debris.
A Must-have for the hardcore fan of Monty Python and the Holy Grail in your life.
Have you ever wanted to take control of your dreams? Now you can, with the science of how to lucid dream! With these simple steps, and a little practice, you’ll soon experience sleep like never before.
Absolute zero is the absolute coldest temperature anything can be, but is there a limit to how hot something can get?
[VSauce]
Watch as the harp twins, dressed as Riku, perform a beautiful harp medley of various oldschool Final Fantasy songs, and as usual, they don’t seem to know where to look.
Thanks Diane!
This is hilarious. I’ll just leave this link here. If you want to get to the actual part where Maddox is “talking” about us, you’ll need to scroll down a little, right before the end of the article.
Quote:
Yeah, so I guess geeks are sexy now, because when I think “geek,” I think of a supermodel sitting seductively on the lip of her chair, wearing red heels, a skirt hiked up her thighs and a hot red shirt. What a f**king nerd! Get a life, loser! And just like every geek I’ve ever known, she has her Macbook (hah!) perched precariously on her lap, fingers staunchly on the FKEYS—where most people do their serious computing:
Well someone forgot to give the “nerds-are-sexy” memo to my friends, because most of them are nerds and none of them are getting laid. Here’s a quick rule of thumb: if you don’t have to make an effort to get laid, you’re not a nerd. Yes, that means the more attractive you are, the less right you have to call yourself a nerd. I know there are some exceptions, and I know some “real” nerds who are hot, but they’re practically mythical. That’s why it’s called a “quick rule of thumb,” so you suck-ass crybabies can spare me your suck-ass crying.
Update: Of course, I cannot entirely disagree with him when it comes to the lady featured on top of the site, but for the rest, he’s just trying to troll us. :) I’ve been looking into replacing her for ages, but she unfortunately became connected with the “brand.”
If anyone has suggestions, or if any graphic designers want to offer an alternative, I’ll gladly look into replacing her! All I need is a transparent png measuring 200X265. I’ll gladly link back to the designer’s website if anyone is willing to provide a replacement!
Thoughts? :) (Please stay polite, geeks know how to discuss intelligently, right? :))
[You’re not a nerd, geeks aren’t sexy and you don’t “f**king love” science]