Cloaking Devise calculated

Post by **Mike** » Thu May 04, 2006 2:02 pm

Wow this is impressive a couple of mathematicians have devised a cloaking devise! Cool!

Cloaking Article

TAOWBST · Post by **TAOWBST** » Thu May 04, 2006 3:37 pm

Very experimental and undeveloped of course but shows some great potential uses.

Fez · Post by **Fez** » Thu May 04, 2006 4:58 pm

how nerdy can you get? don't these people have real jobs to do? like how about inventing a decent spaceship to begin with! the nasa shuttles are over 25 years old!

Post by **Mike** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:12 pm

Fez wrote:how nerdy can you get? don't these people have real jobs to do? like how about inventing a decent spaceship to begin with! the nasa shuttles are over 25 years old!

So are you! Should we invent a better model????!

:D

TAOWBST · Post by **TAOWBST** » Thu May 04, 2006 8:02 pm

Mike wrote:
Fez wrote:how nerdy can you get? don't these people have real jobs to do? like how about inventing a decent spaceship to begin with! the nasa shuttles are over 25 years old!
So are you! Should we invent a better model????! :D

Fez · Post by **Fez** » Fri May 05, 2006 5:23 pm

no one's putting their life in my hands to take them millions of miles upward strapped to an enormous fuel reserve. technology has come a long way in the last quarter century, and if i was an astronaut i quite like nasa to keep up with the times - the space shuttles are dangerous and outmoded; hence the colombia disaster.

mr_e · Post by **mr_e** » Fri May 05, 2006 8:07 pm

Does no-one read Arthur C. Clarke? Technically, there's nothing to stop us dropping huge cables down from stationary orbit, then building a huge ring around the planet from which we can launch shuttles without the need for huge fuel tanks. Apart from the logistics and costs involved being immense.

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Fri May 05, 2006 11:09 pm

mr_e wrote:Does no-one read Arthur C. Clarke?

Yes, let's find our own equivalent of Vanamonde! That thing would be able to tell us everything! It would be a great asset apart from the lack of wisdom and maturity

I like Clarke or what I have read of him.

Overall, nice idea but I sense that we are looking at it from a really nice SF angle, utopian viewpoint, etc. Let's be controversial. In fact, let's be truthful. Why have they paid people to develop it? To gain the upper hand. To kill.

Post by **Mike** » Sat May 06, 2006 8:46 am

mr_e wrote:Does no-one read Arthur C. Clarke? Technically, there's nothing to stop us dropping huge cables down from stationary orbit, then building a huge ring around the planet from which we can launch shuttles without the need for huge fuel tanks. Apart from the logistics and costs involved being immense.

The costs would be huge HOWEVER, the money will be recirculated into new companies, industries and investment oportunitys. Also there will be increase profits for all involved which means more taxes. I think the only thing stopping this from happening is a government more worried about staying in power for 4 years than looking to the long term future.

mr_e · Post by **mr_e** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:52 pm

I can just see any structure like that screaming "terrorist target", unfortunately. But it would be well cool, except for the effect of zero gravity if you lived there for any long periods of time. Sod it, just have a mini one as a launch pad and construction bay.

You do have a point, Andy, military things do seem to prompt a lot of scientific development. If I'm brutally honest, I hope we never colonise any other planets given the generally wretched state of our race at the moment. I just imagine us as being the bad guys from Independence Day: the resource-devouring aliens.

Fez · Post by **Fez** » Sat May 06, 2006 3:26 pm

the only planet suitable for colonisation in this solar system is mars and that takes such a long time to get there, the astronauts involved would have suffered so much muscle waste in zero-gravity they would hardly have the strength to get out and walk on the surface. it would probably be best to start with the moon, but first things first, the international spacestation needs to be expanded to its proper potential; not an easy think to do when, guess what, the nasa's shuttles are on their last legs and the american government is loath to put anymore money into the project since the end of the cold war.

europes efforts at space exploration are small scale when compared with what america and russia achieved in the 1960s and 70s - the next country to put a person on an alien surface will probably be china. and if that great red threat kick starts the american government again could we be looking at a second cold war, this time based on econmics and business development?

Post by **johnriley1uk** » Sat May 06, 2006 3:27 pm

I just imagine us as being the bad guys from Independence Day: the resource-devouring aliens.

And here we are, pouring electromagnetic signals out into space, eventually no doubt attracting attention from someone...But, will they be poor saps who won't know what's hit them when they meet Humanity, or will we be the fodder they feed on, forever regretting that we so damn noisy?

Time will tell.

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Sat May 06, 2006 6:30 pm

Fez wrote:europes efforts at space exploration are small scale when compared with what america and russia achieved in the 1960s and 70s - the next country to put a person on an alien surface will probably be china. and if that great red threat kick starts the american government again could we be looking at a second cold war, this time based on econmics and business development?

When that happens - the vast majority of us all die - period, end of, America will nuke and nuke well and our pm will be all smiley and ass-kissey of whoever is winning.

John Riley, I like your point that we may be fodder to future alien life. I like that a lot seeing as we are all so big headed that we are going to cane the universe's arse. It annoys me that the leaders still haven't understood humility and respect even though they want us to do it.

mr_e · Post by **mr_e** » Sun May 07, 2006 2:43 pm

You never know, the earth might simply be a big farm for some intergalactic wholesale butchers. Just waiting to be harvested.

I wonder if a Chinese landing on the moon or somewhere would finally get the Americans into gear with space exploration. At the end of the day, given the likelihood of a comet or something wiping us out, colonisation of other planets is pretty much essential for the long-term survival of the species. How desireable that is is another question entirely...

Post by **Mike** » Sun May 07, 2006 2:58 pm

mr_e wrote:I wonder if a Chinese landing on the moon or somewhere would finally get the Americans into gear with space exploration

America is no longer able to be effective in space exploration as they do not have the money any more. After all the X-prize proved we are actually able to get into outer space for less than ?1m. Sort of shows NASA as being a bit over budget really doesnt it.