Comment One stone, two birds... (Score 2, Interesting) 198
Here's an idea...
How many tons of launch debris do we dodge daily in orbit?
Why not collect it, and use its condensed and combined mass for such a "gravity tractor?"
Just asking...
Comment Welcome to the Moon! (Score 2, Interesting) 137
As much of a fan of NASA as I am (and have been, since the mid-70s), I am seriously beginning to doubt the agency's ability to get back into the business of taking big trips. Even if NASA gets us back to the moon, we're likely to be greeted by the Chinese, or some commercial operation's management (welcome to Bigelow at Tranquility!).
It seems almost silly to be developing a return to space program, when commercial space is doing the same thing, for less money, and is closer to actually ACHIEVING it.
Comment Re:VASIMR (Score 1) 237
ya.. and we'll see how well it goes.
They've taken 30 years to go from TRL1 to TRL5(ish) and meanwhile the rest of the community have focused on actual attainable thrusters.
It's provided many a great PhD thesis (or ten) but I wouldn't expect anything operational soon..
Remember the ultimate goal is nuclear.. fission, then fusion.
I thought the ultimate goal was Warp Drive...
Comment Re:option 4: the US quits participating (Score 1) 237
That would be a glimpse of the past, actually.
Comment Re:Storage in the Fifth Dimension... (Score 1) 239
Thank you!
If I had mod points, I'd share 'em.
Comment Re:Well, hm... (Score 1) 383
What, the "Flaming Gas-Bag" module?
Gnome, KDE, LXDE, IceWM All Working On Android 194
dooberrymctavish writes "Ghostwalker over at AndroidFanatic has gone and done it again; now he's released clear and concise instructions on how to get X11 server running on your Android device. Not only that, but he has successfully gotten LXDE, and IceWM running at a pace. There is even a photo with the instructions showing the LXDE desktop running right there on the device itself. Apparently, you can also VNC straight onto the phone's new desktop from your PC."
Comment Re:Mining off world (Score 1) 1108
Good point. There are proposals for using the Orion vehicle to explore asteroids, and I think resource needs will drive this.
Follow the money!
Comment Re:That's it? (Score 1) 594
Re.: the wheels and power train... The front wheels are for steering. The back wheel is the drive wheel. Apparently, this is a fairly stable setup.
I am kind of a fan of the Aptera, though I am more eager to see the gas-electric hybrid.
Comment Re:January ... (Score 1) 273
It certainly seems so. It would be interesting to see of there is something cyclical in society that makes January a bad month to fly to/from space. Like personal cabin fever driving rocketry go fever, etc.
Comment Funny, then not so much... (Score 3, Insightful) 298
This is yet another example of things which, eight years ago, might have seemed merely odd, rather than somewhat unsettling.
How quaint the 20th Century already seems.
Comment Slow march of history (Score 1) 60
The renaissance took a while to reach England, so it's not a surprise that such endeavors weren't as highly valued and recognized.
30 Years of Star Wars Technology 146
An anonymous reader writes "Earlier this month, Computerworld Australia checked out the exhibition of 30 years of Star Wars history at Sydney's Powerhouse museum. They also have a pictorial look at what's on display: one of the largest collections of Star Wars memorabilia combined with real-life examples of how such technology is being applied for business and social advancement."
DHS To Grab Biometric Data From Green Card Holders 248
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Nextgov:
"The Homeland Security Department has announced plans to expand its biometric data collection program to include foreign permanent residents and refugees. Almost all noncitizens will be required to provide digital fingerprints and a photograph upon entry into the United States as of Jan. 18. A notice (PDF) in Friday's Federal Register said expansion of the US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (US VISIT) will include 'nearly all aliens,' except Canadian citizens on brief visits. Those categories include permanent residents with green cards, individuals seeking to enter on immigrant visas, and potential refugees. The US VISIT program was developed after the Sept.11, 2001 terrorist attacks to collect fingerprints from foreign visitors and run them against the FBI's terrorist watch list and other criminal databases. Another phase of the project, to develop an exit system to track foreign nationals leaving the country, has run into repeated setbacks."
Reader MirrororriM points out other DHS news that they're thinking about monitoring blogs for information on terrorists.
Comment Re:I'd care more (Score 1) 334
Hmm... I got 93.94%.
Me for Congress!
