Geekend Update: Fusion Rockets, Hexapod, and Almost Earths

Ashley Esqueda

New member
Jan 15, 2013
146
0
0
Fusion Rockets, Hexapod, and Almost Earths

Your weekly look at the most interesting science stories in the ever-expanding universe.

For more on the stories this week, you can read about Almost Earths [http://www.space.com/20609-nuclear-fusion-rocket-mars.html].

To submit your favorite science stories or intro suggestions, send us an email here: [email protected]

Watch Video
 

Lazy Kitty

Evil
May 1, 2009
20,147
0
0
An orbit time of 267 days?
Is that in Earth days or Kepler-62f days?
How long is a day on Kepler-62f compared to a day on Earth anyway?
 

Evil Smurf

Admin of Catoholics Anonymous
Nov 11, 2011
11,597
0
0
Who is this "Evil Smurf" kid? He sounds cool.

I'd like a battle mech, can I buy one?
 

kailus13

Soon
Mar 3, 2013
4,568
0
0
I want the fusion rocket to be completed after the Mars One has already set off. They arrive at mars to find people already there saying "What took you?"

And robots are always awesome. Come some future robot war, I can only hope to be converted.
 

Basement Cat

Keeping the Peace is Relaxing
Jul 26, 2012
2,379
0
0
The fusion rocket sounds like a perfect example of the old saying: "People who say something is impossible usually get passed by others who are already doing it." Something like that.
 

Frezzato

New member
Oct 17, 2012
2,448
0
0
I can appreciate the cool factor with the Mantis, but it's slightly disappointing knowing that a better hexapod has existed for at least ten years now. It's made by a John Deere subsidiary called Plustech Oy, a company in Finland. I think I remember seeing it on an old show like Beyond 2000 or something. It was designed to walk into forests while causing minimal damage and can cut down trees, strip their branches, then cut the logs into sections.

Thankfully, the musical score is only marginally embarrassing, however similar it may be to Axel Foley's theme from Beverly Hills Cop.

Still, I view the Mantis as another step towards real-life Tachikomas, which is a good thing. I'll have to settle on getting an Attacknid for now.

 

Panorama

Carry on Jeeves
Dec 7, 2010
509
0
0
Until the mantis is upto the level of wild wild west, what was he planning on doing with that thing in the film ,but until the mantis is large enough for me to do whatever the film was about, im not buying one.
 

ellers07

New member
Feb 24, 2013
158
0
0
Well, they certainly modeled the speed of the Hexapod on that to an AT-AT. Not to mention that certainly looked like a helmet an Imperial would wear. No worries though, with that many legs on the Hexapod it''ll be all the easier to trip it up with a snow speeder and a harpoon cable.
 

Agayek

Ravenous Gormandizer
Oct 23, 2008
5,178
0
0
Ashley Esqueda said:
Fusion Rockets, Hexapod, and Almost Earths

Your weekly look at the most interesting science stories in the ever-expanding universe.

For more on the stories this week, you can read about Almost Earths [http://www.space.com/20609-nuclear-fusion-rocket-mars.html].

To submit your favorite science stories or intro suggestions, send us an email here: [email protected]

Watch Video
Random question WRT the fusion rocket on the off chance you know: Is it another attempt at a Project Orion [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propulsion%29] engine?

And if so, how'd they get around the ban on nuclear ordinance that stopped that project?
 

Imp_Emissary

Mages Rule, and Dragons Fly!
Legacy
May 2, 2011
2,315
1
43
Country
United States
Evil Smurf said:
Who is this "Evil Smurf" kid? He sounds cool.
I hear he is this guy who really likes cats, but can't have one. :( So sad.

Hey! :D He should get a robot cat!
 

dmase

New member
Mar 12, 2009
2,117
0
0
I've always wondered how humans would start developing on planets with more mass than earth like kepler 62f. Assuming our bones didn't start cracking a couple weeks after we got there they'd basically be super humans after a couple generations.
 

AngelSword

Castles & Chemo Founder
Oct 19, 2008
245
0
0
Digging the show, but I still don't get the need for the story transition sequences. I actually started skipping them.
 

Kurt Cristal

New member
Mar 31, 2010
438
0
0
Why did they call the spider-looking robot a mantis? That's not what a mantis looks like. It looks like a spider. Do people just dislike spiders more?

kailus13 said:
I want the fusion rocket to be completed after the Mars One has already set off. They arrive at mars to find people already there saying "What took you?"

And robots are always awesome. Come some future robot war, I can only hope to be converted.
This is exactly what I thought of immediately when I heard about this. Maybe theres a way the new rocket can give them a piggy-back ride halfway?
 

Evil Smurf

Admin of Catoholics Anonymous
Nov 11, 2011
11,597
0
0
Imp Emissary said:
Evil Smurf said:
Who is this "Evil Smurf" kid? He sounds cool.
I hear he is this guy who really likes cats, but can't have one. :( So sad.

Hey! :D He should get a robot cat!
I think he'd like that.
 

Eric the Orange

Gone Gonzo
Apr 29, 2008
3,245
0
0
wait wait, "fusion" rocket? Sense when could we do fusion? Last I heard we couldn't do fusion in a power plant much less a rocket. unless I've been behind on fusion related technological advances. I mean if we can reliably do fusion in a rocket why don't we have fusion power plants?
 

Ashley Esqueda

New member
Jan 15, 2013
146
0
0
linforcer said:
We're pronouncing AT-AT how now? I never knew...
I've heard it both ways -- I actually think I did two takes of that with both "at-at" and "A-T-A-T" in there.


/shrug