Science-generating telescopes? How about the "Double Bubble"?

[pbristow]

Hi,

I've been looking through the mods for parts that generate more science, in particular (prompted by a discussion a friend of mine... Hi Mike! [WAVES] ) *telescopes*. It seems that while there are several telescope mods around, no-one is so-far doing telescopes that actually contribute science points. It seems a bit odd the tech tree has our Kerbals being able to detect negative Gravioli particles before they've even put their first basic ship-mounted telescope into orbit.

I therefore propose a new experiment/part: The "Double Bubble Space Binoculars"!

Description: This ground-breaking (literally, when we dropped it during installation) attempt at 3D visualisation of distant objects in space, using a binocular optical system orbiting outside the interference of Kerbin's atmosphere, was rendered only *slightly* less useful by the fact that, once switched on, it proved to blind in one eye. (See earlier, re "ground-breaking".) Nonetheless, it is still a very fine, if monocular, space telescope that delivers useful science points, if you point it at something it hasn't seen before and manage not to jog it's elbow while it's taking snaps. Well worth all that toil and trouble, in fact...

N.B. The value of the science generated should be inversely proportional to the angular momentum of the vessel it's attached to, and to the distance of the object being viewed, but capped to a sensible limit so that you can't get infinite science points by luckily taking one snap while perfectly stationary! This then adds to the value of taking a telescope with you on your mission to the Joule system, as it will be able to get many more science points by observing the moons up close than if it's squinting at them from Kerbin orbit.)

I'd like the part to look like just a huge, bulbous pair of binoculars (aka field-glasses or "opera glasses") with one of the big (one-metre?) main lenses visibly cracked. It should have a fixed orientation with respect to the part it's mounted on, so that it's up to the player to aim the telescope by pointing the ship in the right direction, and stabilise it using reaction wheels to get a steady shot that yields more science points than a wobbly one.

I hereby humbly offer "Double-Bubble" as an idea for development by Squad, or by any mod developer who wants to have a crack at it. (Ha! A crack at it! It's got a cracked lens, see, so it... Oh, OK you got it. [bLUSH] )

[pbristow]

D'Oh! And then of course I immediately spotted this: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/tarsier-space-technology-2/

Well, I think my version's more fun. =;o}

[TheCanadianVendingMachine]

I'm just gonna leave this here...

[Themohawkninja]

I'd suggest naming it something else, since I think that one chewing gum company has a copyright on the title "Double Bubble".

[pbristow]

Themohawkninja: Thanks for the thought, but you can't *copyright* names like that, you can only *trade-mark* them. And since telescopes and chewing gum are totally different things, the trade mark would not be relevant.

Besides, the whole point is the Shakespearean word-play around "Hubble". =;o}

[pbristow]

TheCanadianVendingMachine : That's... terrifyingly awesome. And definitely something for further up the tech tree than I was aiming. =}

[Themohawkninja]

Themohawkninja: Thanks for the thought, but you can't *copyright* names like that, you can only *trade-mark* them. And since telescopes and chewing gum are totally different things, the trade mark would not be relevant.

Besides, the whole point is the Shakespearean word-play around "Hubble". =;o}

I never know which term to use.

I've never heard that as long as they are two totally different things, you can get away with naming them the same thing, but if that is so, then I guess there isn't a problem.

[pbristow]

Yeah, its a widely misunderstood idea (and big companies love to exploit the fact that people don't understand it!), but the whole point of trademarks in the first place was to stop people selling rip-off products or services using the same name/branding as the real ones. So I can sell my cola-flavoured beverage, as long as I don't call it Pepsi or Coke, or any other name that's been registered as a trademarked for such a thing.

Where lawyers get to have their fun is when a trademark owner can reasonably say "its the same kind of product as ours!" and the defendant has to prove it's sufficiently different that no one would reasonably be confused; or where a big company has splashed their branding over so many different kinds of products that you can't safely sell anything under the same or similar name, just in case they've *ever* made one of those. =\