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James Kerman

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Posts posted by James Kerman

  1. I was reading about experiments with superfluids and how analogue black holes have been created that swallow sound.  It's my understanding that analogue hawking radiation has been detected (phonons) in these experiments and the paper is being reviewed at the moment.  There is some postulation that these superfluids could be used to create analogues to explore expansion and dark energy.

    I believe the article was in the latest popular science.  I will edit this tomorrow with more details.

    OK so the article is in New Scientist Australia 9/4/16.

    Physicist William Unruh of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver saw some parallels between the metric of general relativity that describes space-time and equations used to describe superfluid flow in 1981.

    In 1995 the first Bose Einstein condensates were created.  BEC's have a different state of matter beyond solid, liquid or gas because they are cooled down to a few nanokelvin above absolute zero - the individual atoms lose their identity and occupy the same quantum state, behaving and flowing as one.

    In a BEC the speed of sound is just millimetres per second.

    Iacopo Carusotto, a BEC theorist at the BEC center in Trento, Italy, began creating computer models of sonic black holes in 2005.

    Jeff Steinhauer, an atomic physicist at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, developed temperature measurement and magnetic containment tools and in 2009 He used lasers to accelerate a BEC to supersonic speed.  The result was the first sonic black hole with an event horizon.

    In 2014 Steinhauer accelerated a thin stream of condensate to the speed of sound and then allowed it to slow, creating a black-hole horizon from which no sound could escape and a white-hole horizon into which no sound could enter.  Hawking phonons created by the black hole bounced between the two horizons produced increasing Hawking radiation in the same way as light is stimulated in a laser.

    The paper (arxiv.org/abs/1510.00621) is under peer review and if it's accepted it will be the first detection of Hawking radiation and its entanglement.

     

  2. Firstly I find it difficult to post here without breaking forum rules and I will edit or remove this post if asked.

    I believe there will be profound changes to all aspects of Humanity if we discover intelligent life in the multiverse, be it friendly, hostile or indifferent.

    I think that it will take an event like this to unite Humanity - space, science and its exploration has already shown that humans bond around these goals (I'm thinking of the worldwide response to Sputnik 1, Apollo 11 or the difference in faith of scientists working at the LHC as some examples).  Maybe if we begin to think of ourselves as a species instead of by nationalistic, religious or political affiliation the Earth would be a better place.

  3. I use the weight of the returning vehicle to estimate how many chutes will be required.  My general rule is 1 radial chute per ton plus an XL on top.  Also you can add a strong lithobraking system (i.e. some cubic struts) on the bottom of the return vehicle.  I have seen video of 100m/s landings that survive using this method.

  4. Success
    I play with FAR, if you play without you will need less fuel on the way up but you will get more speed on the way down.  I would try a Flea reversed and on top of the capsule to slow descent if you cant slow down enough to deploy parachutes (I built this variant and tested it - FAR decided I didn't need it and ripped it off the rocket before 9,000m however I did feel I had a fair margin of safety).

    Design:
    Mk 1 capsule + 2 radial chutes
    de-coupler - this is the test part
    Hammer
    de-coupler
    4x Fl-t 400s
    Swivel
    5,788 Kredits

    Flight Profile:
    Straight up full throttle
    decouple LF tanks and reliant and coast till you descend
    Pointy end down
    Wait till descent speed is 250-300m/s and fire hammer
    de-couple at target alt (9,000m)
    Profit

    I really like contracts that get me out of my Kerbal Komfort zone

  5. The Cupcake Mod

    You must play a different game for 5 years and develop a unique and amazing skill before KSP will launch.  You must then show other players how much they suck at flying and building VTOLs.

  6. The only info I could find on speed is that IKAROS gained 100m/s after 6 months.  The Planetary Society Project Lightsail looks quite interesting for tiny probes but I would love it if our manned exploration of the solar system began with sail powered craft - just like our exploration of Earth.  I also have a boyhood dream of being a space pirate.  Arrrr, me hearties.

  7. So I tried my method above with FAR however the best I could get was 1050m/s.  Most attempts ended with rapid loss of structural cohesion.  I have another idea that occurred to me on my way to work (it's actually how the first scramjet was fired) - launch straight up within a safe speed envelope and get up to 45,000 50,000m but save a hammer.  Once you begin descent experiment with firing the hammer at different altitudes and you should be able to accelerate through the thinner atmosphere to the target height - I would maybe try a flea to decelerate if you have to use a capsule however battery power may be an issue if you haven't unlocked electrics.  I am trying to do this using SRB's to keep costs down and the design is costing between 5,000-9,000 kredits.  I will try again tonight and post results.

  8. I would try a swivel and fuel as the first stage followed by a hammer second to get the speed.  I agree with bewing that you should get above as much atmosphere at reasonable speed before engaging the hammer.  I would use a probe core, battery and a reversed heat shield on the very top with a small amount of ablator.  I will try tonight and report results.

  9. The Space Invaders Mod

    You are the Kraken and must stop the Kerbal Space Program.

    You must use the following weapons to make Kerbal Civilization rage-quit their space aspirations:
    Anti-physics ray
    Staging Rearanger
    Lag Inducer (1.05 only - waiting for 1.1 update)
    Phantom Strut Cannon
    Water to Trampoline converter
    Maneuver Node Hallucinator (1.05 only - waiting for 1.1 update)

  10. I think they should chain the dev's to their terminals and only feed them if they squash bugs or develop new features...

    Seriously I think for the cost of the game and the free updates and continued development the community is getting excellent value for money. 

    My personal feeling is that all the people behind the game have pushed very hard to get 1.1 out and deserve some time out.  I also think whatever they plan to do in time is going to be great.

  11. $1200 would get you some good entry level archery equipment however you should join a club first if you have no experience (better deals and some experience with the different types of bows).  I find it relaxing to fling projectiles downrange.  Another plus is that running is against the rules....more fun than tech stuff.

  12. Kerbal Stupid Friend Simulator

    Random comments sound every 3-5minutes;

    'Are you playing that stupid game again?'

    'Nothing's happening -is it?'

    'Who do you kill in this game?'

    'Why are you flying in circles?'

    ...ect..

  13. Exploration may be a requirement for intelligent life.  A sentient being on a deep ocean floor could start wondering what is above like the ancients in our cultures looking up at the stars.  Such creatures would need to be capable of withstanding high pressures as a matter of course.  They may have the opposite problem to the humans in the abyss in that they might need mechanisms to increase pressure as they ascend.

    Humans have pursued mechanical technology for the most part.  It is only in the last decades that bio-mimicry is being seriously investigated however there is nothing preventing an alien society pushing biological technology first - particularly with the difficulty that would arise from submerged metallurgy and combustion sciences.

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